Category: DirecTV junk fax settlement scam

Saturday, April 01, 2006

I cancelled Directv and am getting ready to sue

Please search for “Directv” for the history on this scam or click on the category link, they refused to honor the junk fax settlement certificate I had purchased. 

Recently they called me to inquire whether I was satisfied, probably to sell me additional services.  I advised that I wanted to cancel and was promised a call, but OF COURSE they didn’t call me.

So I had Dish installed today and I’m looking forward to the lawsuit, the press release, etc.  I’m so sick of getting defrauded by these scumbags.

My form submission to DirecTV:

---------------------------------------------

I now have Dish service, so please disconnect and let me know whatever else I owe you so that I can file my lawsuit accordingly.

If you wish to settle this matter outside court, please have one of your attorneys get back to me by 4/10/06 to avoid additional legal fees. 

Some history regarding this matter is posted at my Directv history
Also, I charge $100/hour, so please don’t waste my time unless you’re ready to pay for it.

Very truly yours,

Christine Baker

Tuesday, December 20, 2005

The DirecTV junk fax settlement FRAUD

Freaking UNBELIEVABLE!!!!

This is so God damned upsetting.  After 3 months of futile efforts to get DirecTV to honor their certificate from the junk fax settlement, I finally ordered the service at their website.

Already I spent Thanksgiving weekend alone, working, had expected to at least be able to take a few hours off to watch a couple movies. 

But of course DirecTV had to spoil what little entertainment I had been looking foward to.

According to the Garden City Group, the claims administrator, they forwarded my certificate to DirecTV in October, I had mailed it in about mid September.  Their web site promised 3 week turnaround.

So they charged me a $200 deposit, but at least I finally have service.  Yesterday some nameless bimbo from DirecTV left a VM for me:

The 12/19/05 DirecTV VM

They can stick their free showtime were the sun don’t shine.  I’m going to send out a press release and I’ll file a notice of the DirecTV willful refusal to comply with the settlement agreement.

And then I’ll sue not only for the free service I was supposed to get, but for additional damages including mental anguish.  I’ve totally had it with being defrauded by just about any American corporation I’m doing business with.

Do I really need this CRAP?  I’m so incredibly sick of being lied to and defrauded ...

HTF can I enjoy a movie when I should be filing all these lawsuits and write press releases and there’s no way I can do it all?

I’m so ANGRY I could ... !!!!!

Tuesday, December 13, 2005

FTC settled with DirecTV for $5.3 mill - DirecTV did NOT honor junk fax settlement

After 3 months of waiting for DirecTV to provide free service as promised in the junk fax settlement, I finally ordered DirecTV directly from their web yesterday. 

Of course I’ll sue for the refund of the $200 deposit and whatever I need to pay.

Will DirecTV honor the FTC settlement?

DirecTV to pay $5.3M penalty

FTC says violation of ‘Do Not Call’ rule is largest civil assessment ever obtained.

December 13, 2005: 1:02 PM EST

NEW YORK (CNN/Money.com) - Officials announced a $5.34 million settlement Tuesday with satellite TV provider DirecTV over alleged violations of the Do Not Call rule, the largest civil penalty ever obtained by the Federal Trade Commission in a consumer protection enforcement case.

The FTC’s action “demonstrates that the registry is a program consumers can continue to believe in,” said FTC Chairwoman Deborah Platt Majoras at a press conference held Tuesday morning. “Sellers are on the hook for calls placed on their behalf and for their benefit,” she added. “It is not named the Do Not Call Registry for nothing.”

DirecTV (down $0.06 to $13.71, Research), five firms telemarketing on the company’s behalf, as well as six principals of the telemarketing firms were involved in the case, which Majoras said accounted for the single biggest category of do-not-call violations the commission has ever received.

In response, DirecTV issued a statement that said, “DIRECTV wholly supports the national Do-Not-Call Registry and our agreement with the FTC reflects our commitment to prevent unwanted and unlawful telemarketing calls to existing and potential DIRECTV customers.”

“The majority of the complaints the FTC received related to telemarketing calls placed by a small number of former independent retailers, who ignored DIRECTV policies prohibiting unauthorized telemarketing,” the statement added.

But Majoras was quick to emphasize that the most important part of the settlement is that it sends a warning to companies that they cannot hire telemarketers and then turn their backs on whether or not the rules are followed.

Majoras said the DirecTV case accounted for 1.4 million complaints, the single biggest category of do-not-call violations the commission has ever received.

In one case, DirecTV provided a list of consumers to a telemarketing company, according to Majoras. But in many cases, she said the digital television provider paid a commission to the telemarketing companies for each subscription sold.

The investigation into the case took about two years, according to Majoras. Large numbers of complaints began rolling into the FTC in November 2003

Prior to the DirecTV settlement, the biggest penalty levied over unsolicited calls was a $500,000 penalty against a company called Flagship.

Majoras said the case also highlights a rule against the use of prerecorded messages in place of live sales representatives. Telemarketers are required to have a live sales rep on the line two seconds after the customer completes his greeting in at least 97 percent of all calls.

At least one company, directly or through a third party, violated this rule, according to Majoras.

The National DNC Registry, in effect since October 2003, now contains more than 110 million phone numbers, and is designed to prevent consumers who have registered their number from getting unwanted calls from telemarketers.

A survey conducted by the FTC backs up anecdotal reports that consumers are getting fewer telemarketing calls, with 25 percent of participants surveyed saying that they get no telemarketing calls at all now. And Majoras confirmed that as more phone numbers are added to the registry, the FTC receives more complaints, currently between 2,000 and 3,000 a day.

It’s interesting to see that they enforce the DNC Registry, but do nothing about SPAM.

I get some DirecTV spam and a ton of Dish Network spam.  I even contacted Dish and asked that they terminate their spamming affiliates, I think the person who responded was retarded.  And they certainly did nothing. 

Of course I can’t sue for the spam as there’s no private right of action and the FTC seems to think that only phone calls are important.  Too bad.

Sunday, December 04, 2005

Scammed again!  The DirecTV settlement for 6 month free service got me NOTHING

Between the junk faxers and those sold out corrupt lawyers and legal services you just can’t win.

In SEPTEMBER I mailed my certificate for 6 months free DirecTV service as instructed at http://www.directvfaxsettlement.com/ to the Garden City Group

According to the settlement site, it’s supposed to take 3 weeks.

In November I called the 1-866-808-3570 - they do NOT provide an e-mail address at the settlement site and of course you can’t get to a person at that phone number.  I left a message.  A few days later some guy left a VM for me, NOT leaving a number or any contact info, assuring me that I just had to wait for my turn.  What a freaking moron!

Is there anything I can file with the court?

The lawyers shouldn’t get paid for this crap and neither should the Garden City Group and the judge ought to know that there is a huge problem.

It looks to me like they’re getting paid off by DirecTV, the fewer people get the free service, the better for them.  The certificates are traded at the site and that’s where I got mine.  I actually PAID for this and got NOTHING but aggravation.

If they don’t schedule the installation by Tuesday, I’ll just order the service from DirecTV and then I’ll dispute the charges or sue or something ...  I’m so tired of being scammed.

- URL e-mailed to (found the e-mail at the Garden City Group site)