The Worst Merger ever, disconnect DirecTv now

What I'm gonna share with you is basically from what I'm gathering from everyone's opinion regarding DirecTv. These opinions come from all the calls I'm gathering while working at a call center associated with (air quotes) THE ACCOUNT. I will not share names and details of who called but the general idea. Most people can agree that:

"DirecTv pulled a fast one on the existing subscribers".

This means that those with DirecTv contracts are noticing price increases regardless of the contract they signed up for years prior to the merger with AT&T. Meaning if you signed up with a 2 year contract locked in at $50 Dollars, you're noticing you are now paying close to $100 dollars. Now the official statement they give us " Agents" is that the Networks have risen their prices, so DirecTv has to pass that cost to the consumer. However I feel AT&T is doing something behind the scenes in my opinion that has nothing to do with the Networks, since I'm hearing other competitors offering cheaper rates. What that something is, I have no idea, but something is happening.

Should I Sign up for DirecTv?

I'll speak for the DirecTv part only, because the AT&T phone service is not all bad. No do not sign up for this service. You will never save money. Regardless if you call in every month hoping for a promotion. There is never a promotion that will help you bring your bill down. The only promotions I've seen is that you have to spend money like Buy a new phone throguh AT&T to get a DirecTv promotion. That doesn't bring your bills down, you spent money in one area to bring the price down in another. So that is not savings. Find Something in your area that is cheaper and ask around.

Why is customer support horrible when I call their 1-800 line ?

Anyone reading this, please keep this in mind, and I come from a place of respect, so I will be brutally honest. Customer Support is actually doing their best, but the main department you will hit first will always be the "General Inquiry department". This department acts as the "Switch Control Operators", if you need to be routed to a different department they do that. If you need to talk about your bill, they do that. However anything higher than a simple explanation they will try their best to explain to you what happened or they will transfer you to a supervisor.

You will never get an American Agent all the time, since all Call Centers associated with THE ACCOUNT, are placed in different places of the world you will hardly get an American Operator. So please be nice to the one you talk to on the phone. Yes, sometimes the operators do have an accent, however they do understand English.

As AGENTS we are not really AT&T, we are just another name in the books that live their life and pay bills. We don't know you people, yet we get our Ears screamed at over the phone over the mistakes YOU MAKE!!! All you have to do is read your bill, monitor how much you are paying, and please CHOOSE PAPER BILLING because the idiots who designed the DIRECTV WEBSITE TO PAY YOUR BILLS, FUCKED UP REALLY BAD, JUST CHOOSE PAPER BILLING!!!!. Please do not blame us for your mistake of not checking the bill. Also, we don't care IF SOMEONE SAID THIS OR SAID THAT, WE ONLY HAVE OUR SCREENS AND OUR SYSTEMS TO RELY ON, YES WE CAN VIEW YOUR BILL, BUT IN TERMS OF WHAT SOMEONE ELSE SAYS, we really don't care. Honestly either pay your bill or stop calling the 1-800 hotline.

As Agents, we have a life too, and basically we move on from call to call, trying to meet a metrics that is unfair to us and unfair to the customers. We try to do both at the same time, but in the end its just frustrating to the Nth degree. So here are some tips, to help you the customer out:

1. Choose paper billing (Online and Email gives wrong numbers of your bill)

2. Never auto enroll your credit debit cards into autobill pay( unless you know you can pay every month "ON TIME")

3. If you don't know what you signed up for, Don't expect the agent whom you talk to know either. Agents can only explain what they seen on their screen.

4. Please get a debit card, mailing in checks is by the worst way to pay your bill, checks don't post as fast. This tip is for the old timers out there.

I have a sense AT&T might find this article and look for the guy who wrote it, so I will end this article like this. I'm not hating on At&t or DirecTv, I'm actually hating on what the merger has done for customers and I am pointing out why coming into work and dealing with DirecTv customers over the phone, and CONSTANTLY REPEATING THE SAME THING EVERYDAY, WHEN ALL THEY HAVE TO DO IS REVIEW THE BILL AND KNOW WHAT THEY SIGNED UP FOR, is just getting mind numbing for me now. I used to care, but now I feel like its the customers fault for not understanding their own mistake and reviewing their bill.

So Please keep this article in mind and hopefully it helps you.

Good luck to you all.

-SW