DirecTV agrees to $13.25 million settlement

It’s no secret that I’ve been harsh on the cable and satellite companies over the years. But few have soured in reputation as dramatically as DirecTV.

I used to sing the praises of DirecTV going back to 1994. But over time, DirecTV lost touch when it came to providing a better customer-service experience. The Baltimore Sun now reports DirecTV has agreed to pay a $13.25 million restitution settlement to the attorney generals’ offices in all 50 states — though the company admitted no wrongdoing.

“DirecTV misled customers about cash back and free offers and failed to adequately disclose material terms of contracts,” the newspaper reported. “The agreement also prevents customers from unintentionally extending their contracts by accepting a promotion or new equipment.”

Customers in all 50 states may be eligible for restitution if they file a complaint by June 10, 2011. Contact the office of your state’s attorney general for further details.

I will tell you that DirecTV is the source of enough complains to my show that they are, at this point, virtually a radioactive company. Know what you’re dealing with, know they don’t do business in a straight manner.

As I said last time when I blasted DirecTV, they’re welcome to come on air and tell me what they’re going to do to serve customers in an honest, decent, forthright way moving forward. But I don’t want another one of their namby pamby PR statements. I want DirecTV to stand up and tell people how they’re going to correct their customer service problem.

One final word of advice when dealing with DirecTV: Never agree to anything for which you don’t have something in writing. If you do have a DirectTV contract, keep it and be prepared to refer to it in the future in the case of a dispute.