Signal Found - Days 9, 10 &11

This will (hopefully) be the final installment of this series... unless of course Disney comes calling for the movie rights in which case I will gladly pimp it out for the right price tag. If you'd like to revisit the full story, here are links to part 1 and part 2.

Day 9 - Tuesday, March 19

Following my second blog entry, which was Tweeted at DirecTV Service, I get a quick spurt of support from a few friends with a more sizable following than my small (but proud!) group of 30-some followers.Whether this moved the needle at all I'm not sure, but I like to think it had an impact. At the very least is was nice to have some sympathy and/or rage on my side from others. After an hour or so, DTV Service responded via Twitter which led to the exchange below.

Call me naive, but I believed the sincerity in that Tweet. The one part that gave me pause was the lack of timing for their follow-up. As I had seen in the past, their ability to respond to my Tweets and e-mails was impressive, but the ability to follow through after that was lacking. With that in mind, I sent a follow up Tweet...

Ok, still no timing but another promise to follow-up with me. Again, I believe there is some sincerity and desire to assist me. With that in mind, I hold off on emailing their Senior VP of Customer Care and their Chairman/President/CEO as I had resolved to do the day before. The rest of the day passes in familiar silence.

Day 10 - Wednesday, March 20

Around noon, I get a voicemail from someone with Multiband. I call back around 12:30 and speak with a helpful lady named Melanie who gets some information on the issue I'm having along with contact info for my homeowners association. She thanks me for the info and assures me someone will follow-up that day. Maybe this is what progress feels like.

A couple of hours pass and I get another voicemail. This time from S&S Broadband looking to schedule an appointment... I pinch myself to make sure this isn't a dream. We play phone tag a couple of times and finally connect. They can have someone out to my place by noon the next day. It seems crazy that this was handled in a couple of hours when you consider amount of wasted calories that have already been burnt. Nevertheless, I'm thrilled!

Day 11 - Thursday, March 21

I begin the day working from home hoping that S&S delivers on their word. I don't like to throw the word "hero" around lightly, but at approximately 10:30 a hero emerges. This hero comes in the form of man named Vinny. He comes in to assess the situation, politely listens to me share some of the hoops I've jumped through, then heads outside to look at the dish. Within about 30 minutes, he's back inside. I'm a bit superstitious, so I don't want to ask if it's fixed (because that would obviously jinx it). He tells me to turn on all the TVs and reset the boxes - apparently we have a signal! Instead of searching for signal, the message on the screen tells me that the box is acquiring signal - YESSSSSSSSS!!! I thank Vinny for his help, though in typical hero fashion, he shrugs it off like it's not that big of a deal and flies away. Classic superhero move.

In the end it was S&S Broadband who came to the rescue with what appears to be an assist from Multiband and possibly an assist from DirecTV Service (via Twitter). I pack up my bag, head to the office, and with that my nightmare is finally over.

Epilogue

So what have we learned from this? Well, there is definitely some power in social media. It appears to have caused much more movement than the traditional method of placing a phone call, or the recently-traditional method of sending an email. It also seems like the majority of people I dealt with in customer service either had no ability, or no desire to help. At one point, I was asked by a friend what I wanted from this (as in free service, money back, etc.). My answer was simply that I wanted someone who could help me. It took 10 days for that to happen, which is absolutely mind-boggling... TEN days! Yes, I understand not having TV is extremely insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Looking back, the lack of TV didn't bother me as much as the feeling of helplessness that surrounded me throughout this. Now that it is all over I'm not holding any anger. It was merely one of many educational moments that everyone has. I'm thrilled that it's behind me and hope all the parties involved look at this as an opportunity to improve service, rather than dismissing it as an isolated incident.

Will I continue with DirecTV after my two years are up? Doubtful. There would have to be some sort of pitch or special offer to retain my business, and I'm merely one tiny fish in an ocean full of prey. My account and my money are likely inconsequential in the eyes of DTV and extending an olive branch would require time and effort that probably doesn't have a large enough ROI. I would love to be wrong on this, but I'm not holding my breath either.

Well I'm out of words and energy, and I'm ready to close the book on this mess. To all who read, helped and commiserated with me, thank you for the time & effort.

-B

The Sound of Silence - Days 7 & 8 with no DirecTV

Quick update - no update! No motion on any fronts during days 7 and 8. Here is a brief recap

(and if you want to see days 1-6, click here)

Day 7 - Sunday, March 17

I'm told that on the 7th day, God rested. So I did not expect any action, but this led me to wonder... is DirecTV = God? Maybe not THE God, but some type of deity? I've never seen DTV and God in the same place at the same time, I have looked to them for guidance, I constantly speak to DTV but have yet to get a direct answer, and it's really difficult for me to understand why DTV lets bad things happen to good people. I'm beginning to question my faith... perhaps there is another way?

Day 8 - Monday, March 18

Today was going to be the day! I woke up full of optimism, shared my first (painfully long) blog post with the world and DTV via Facebook and Twitter. It didn't take long before a got a response on Twitter - hooray!

Alright, it looks like someone has heard me, has hopefully read days 1-6 of my ordeal and understands that some action should be taken. We'll leave DTV alone for now.

Status checks on Service Force, Multiband, and my homeowners association. Silence, silence and silence. To be fair, only one of them had said i would get a follow-up on Monday. I hope that means my association "Your Peace of Mind" was on the case, but since I didn't hear anything and the hope has been systematically drained from my body over the past week, I'm not so sure. Alas, peace of mind is not mine.

Back to DirecTV real quick. It's been about 24 hours and still no contact via phone, email or Twitter. Just like last Thursday, they responded quickly to the initial Tweet, but following that I haven't heard a peep. Not sure if it takes that long to review my information or if they just hope I will go away. Anyways, the next step will be emails to their Senior VP of Customer Care and their Chairman/President/CEO. Whether they read them or not, I may never know. But if I am going to miss the NCAA tournament, NHL games, the start of the MLB season, cartoons and most importantly, my stories, I'm gonna go down fighting. Cue the montage!

Searching for Signal - DirecTV, Multiband & Service Force - the first 6 days

I created this blog to recap the disaster that has been my experience with DirecTV over the past week (and counting). At the very least, it will be cathartic... so here we go (you may want to grab a drink and/or find a comfortable seat for this)

Day 1: Monday, March 11

I return home from work around 5:30 and get an error saying that I have not received Guide info in the last 7 hours, following this I get the all-too-familiar "Searching for signal" message. So the signal must have been lost around 10 or 11 in the morning.

Call #1 to DirecTV Customer Service is placed. After jumping through the automated hoops, I speak with a representative without much of a wait. The rep runs me through the typical beats (what error are you receiving, try resetting your box, unplug & plugin, etc.) No dice, someone needs to come look at my dish. I am given a phone # to call and told this company handles issues like mine. I verify the phone number before hanging up and feel confident that I am on my way to a solution.

Call #2 to Service Force Communications (SFC). After a ring or two, I get the always terrifying fem-bot telling me "your call cannot be completed as dialed, please check the number and try again". Ok, I probably just dialed wrong. Nope. I call again, same response.

Call #3 to DirecTV, automated prompts, minimal wait, and I'm talking to a human. I tell them what happened, they give me a new number to call... simple enough.

Call #4 to Multiband. I speak with a human right away who politely tells me they no longer service my location. This is followed by me receiving a new phone number.

Call #5 to this new number (turns out to be SFC again). No answer and an automated voice mail message that tells me the mail box is full. Dead end.

Call #6 to DirecTV, auto-prompts, moderate wait, and human. I tell the lady what has happened and she offers a river of sympathy, but little else. I am told nothing can be done by DTV and there are no other phone numbers for me to try. I should keep trying the last number I received and reach out to my homeowners association (it is worth noting that I live in a townhouse and each unit with DirecTV has their own dish, rather than using a shared dish for the entire building... this will come into play later).

Email #1 to my homeowners association. I email asking if there is any affiliation with DirecTV and if any help can be offered.

At this point, it's probably needless to say that my spirit is beaten down. I turn in for a full night of sleep ready to handle whatever comes next (I was NOT ready for what this has turned in to)

Day 2: Tuesday, March 12

I get a response from my association essentially saying they can't help and that I need to contact DirecTV. Hi square 1, so nice to see you again. With my phone call patience still drained from the previous night, I opt for an email.

Email #2 sent to DirecTV explains what I have been through thus far and asks for help. I receive 2 email responses from DirecTV, the 2nd of which tells me "You should be contacted very soon by the System Operator to resolve your technical issue". Once this happens I'm feeling a little better... DirecTV is on the case and seemingly willing to help. If you are curious enough, you can read this email exchange here.

Call #7 to SFC. Keep in mind this does not account for the numerous calls I placed to SFC that went unanswered and led to the automated message telling me their mail box is full. I actually get a human to answer. The guy seems mildly disinterested and tells me their scheduling department is not currently there (I guess the whole department was at lunch, or perhaps doesn't even exist). I tell him what is going on, he says I likely don't even need to be home for the repair, which is good news for me. He takes my contact info and tells me I will be contacted by someone to set up an appointment. Perfect, we finally have a resolution in place and my satellite should be functioning again. Let's see what Lee Corso thinks. Oh...

Ok, that brings day 2 to a close. And if it weren't for my pessimistic friend Lee, I'd be feeling pretty encouraged. (I should also note that I filled out a survey from DirecTV on this day for one of the 3 calls I placed on Monday... no gold stars were awarded).

Day 3: Wednesday, March 13

Call #8 to DirecTV. Why would I be calling DirecTV again you ask? Well I received a voicemail from them asking about the survey I completed the previous day. Plus they gave me a phone number and a pin# which means I'll probably be talking to a human pretty quickly. I call and the person on the other end seems a bit confused as to why I'm calling (then why did you leave a callback number?!?). We go in circles about the issues I'm having with DirecTV. We don't dive in to any of my personal issues even though the odds of getting help with those may have been slightly higher. He eventually transfers me over to the most energetic man I think I have ever spoken with in my life. Mr. Sunshine warmly greets me and asks what can be done to help. I tell him my story thus far and he expresses great sympathy. This is followed by him saying they do not have the ability to help as my townhouse is listed as an MDU (multi-dwelling unit). I find this odd since all units in my complex with DirecTV have their own dish, rather than sharing one. Then I am told I need to talk to my association about getting it fixed and possibly changing our MDU status. We end our call... if there was a picture of my spirit right now it would look like this.

Email #3 The Return of the Association. I email my association and wait for a response

Day 4: Thursday, March 14

Since nobody has contacted me yet, I feel the need to bother people. I start with another email to DirecTV

Email #4 to DirecTV. I tell them an abridged version of my journey. Their response says, "A specialist will respond as soon as an agent is available." As of this writing I have yet to receive a call... they must be REALLY busy. Full email transcripts located here.

Time to try a new venue... maybe the power of social media will work!!

Tweet #1

The social outlet for my frustration

This actually leads to a quick response and Twitter exchange as seen below. I think I have some cause for optimism right Al Borland? Ok, my name's not Tim, but point taken.

A prompt response?! Could we be making progress??

Well Thursday comes and goes with nobody from my association, DirecTV, SFC, or Multiband contacting me. Though I did get 2 new Twitter followers (DirecTV & DirecTV Service)... so I guess there is that.

Day 5: Friday, March 14

Email #5  is to my association and is a follow-up on the email from Wednesday that has yet to receive a response. After I send this, I am contacted by my association on the phone. Contrary to what I was told via email on Tuesday, they now are taking an active roll in this mess. I'm told we are listed as a multi-dwelling unit (MDU), though there is a level of surprise when I mention I have my own dish rather than a shared one (same for everyone else in these townhomes). This is very easy to spot if you look at any of our buildings which makes me wonder when the last time someone from the association was actually in the neighborhood. Nevertheless, my association is trying to reach out to SFC and DTV to get an appointment set up for me as well as getting the MDU status removed.

Calls #9, 10 & 11 to Service Force are placed Friday afternoon. Calls 9 & 10 are made from my cell phone. Each time, the phone is picked up after one ring then I'm immediately hung up on. Call #11 is made from my office phone... this is answered quickly by a person. I begin telling him my need for an appointment and he quickly asks if this is [name of my employer]. I say no, but that I am calling from my work phone. He mentions how he had seen calls from our office all week and even called our office manager trying to find out if there was a problem. Apparently they are responsive to corporate clients, but could give two shits about personal residences. He then tells me that they don't handle repairs for my residence and that Multiband does (yes, the Multiband that told me they don't handle my residence, SFC does). My head explodes. After I gather myself, I give him my name, address, and phone # which I am assured will be passed along to Multiband. It may surprise you, but I'm a bit skeptical at this point.

Email #6 is to my association with a recap of call #11. Full emails 5&6 here.

So I'm getting bounced around between a number of companies who don't want to help me. Once my association realized they played a part in all of this they have been somewhat helpful and responsive. While Multiband or SFC might be responsible for the work, it seems like Service Force is the largest fly in the ointment at this point. The inability to speak with someone, schedule an appointment, or get a response out of them have been maddening.

And let's not forget DirecTV who has yet to follow through on any of their email or Twitter promises and shown an overall level of incompetence and indifference in this situation. Unless they make me an amazing offer, I will be counting the days until my 2-year agreement ends so I never have to deal with them again. Ironically, up until this disaster of a week I was pretty pleased with the product. Oh, and when I say an amazing offer... I mean like a year+ of free service with all the bells and whistles: DVR updgrades, premium channels, sports packages, PPV movies/events, porn, anything and everything that they sell. Something tells me this will not be happening however, and we'll just be happy to have each other out of our lives.

Day 6: Saturday, March 16

This how I "watched" the Red Wings game. From what I've heard both Datsyuk and Abdelkader were prominently involved in the outcome, so maybe it played out just like I imagined. I know in the game I watched it felt like they were out on the ice the entire time.

Go Wings!?

E-mail #1 to Association & response - Monday, March 11

My email to association below. You can get back to the full story here.

Hi - I was on the phone with DirecTV 3 times this evening regarding my dish which is not currently receiving a signal.

Call 1 - given a 1-800 # that did not work

Call 2 - given a 1-866 number where the person I spoke with said they no longer handle this area, then given the number of who they said handles our units (248-672-5733). I called this number, there was no answer and the mailbox was full

Call 3 - the contact said they did not know who else I could contact and suggested reaching out to my association.

So, with all of that leading to a frustrating evening I was hoping you could help point me in the right direction. Any idea who I should contact about this?

thanks!

Annnnnd their response

Good Morning,

Unfortunately YPM is not affiliated with Direct Tv, you would have to contact them directly. Direct tv is the only ones able to repair your satellite.

I am sure it is very frustrating, I wish I could help you. 

Good Luck, have a great day!

Emails #5&6 sent to homeowners association - Friday, March 15

Email #5 - Friday, March 15

Hi - have you or anyone else had a chance to look into this? I'm on day 5 of no help from DirecTV so I'm hoping that number I gave you on Wednesday may help get something in motion.

Email #6 & response - Friday, March 15

fyi - just spoke to someone at service force who said they no longer handle this for our property. He took my info (name, phone #, address) and said he would email multiband as soon as he got back to the office. He also mentioned that our properties are in-between companies for this... not exactly encouraging

I thought it was also worth noting that i called twice on my cell phone and it seemed as if the phone was picked-up, then hung-up on immediately. I called again from my office phone and got an answer (these 3 calls took place within a couple of minutes). He asked if it was Crain Communications (where I work) and mentioned our office manager's name and how he had called her back trying to see if there was an issue. So apparently Service Force manages this for my company and are more likely to answer the phone for their corporate clients (or at least that's how it appears)

Return to full story

Second email exchange with DirecTV - Thursday, March 14

Email from me to DirecTV on Thursday, March 14th.

Email #4

Hi - I've been trying to get in touch with a system operator who can adjust my dish since Monday. I have called and emailed DirecTV repeatedly, and tried numerous system operator phone numbers without being able to set up an appointment (or speak to anyone in most instances). Can you PLEASE let me know who to call, or let me know when I will be contacted. I was told on Tuesday via email by Lance L (ID 446951) that I "should be contacted very soon by the System Operator". I have yet to be contacted. This is one of the worst customer service experiences I have been through in my life. I understand appointments may not occur immediately, but it should not take this long to merely schedule an appointment, or speak with someone who can schedule an appointment.
If my dish is ever fixed, please let me know what steps will be taken, if any, to retain me as a customer. I had planned to renew a 2-yr deal, but now I am leaning towards finding a new provider when my contract expires this year.

Here is their response:

Thank you for writing. I understand you need to relocate your dish.

For your convenience, I have forwarded your email to our Account Resolution department for special handling. A specialist will respond as soon as an agent is available. For immediate assistance, please call us at 1-800-531-5000 from 8:00 AM to 1:00 AM ET daily.

DIRECTV is determined to provide you with the quickest resolution to whatever technical issues may arise. We always strive to go above and beyond when we can as we are fully dedicated to assisting our customers in any way possible.

Again, thank you for writing, Mr. Steele. We respect your time, and we will get back to you as soon as we can.

Return to full story

Original e-mail to DirecTV and responses - Tuesday, March 12

Below is my first email to to DirecTV, followed by their 2 responses.

Hi - I called 3 times yesterday for assistance to get my dish adjusted as no signal is being received. Call 1 gave me an 800# that did not work. This was verified during call 2, which gave me an 866# that told me they no longer service my area. This person gave me a phone # which has not been answered each time I have tried, and I can't leave a voicemail because the mailbox is full. Call 3 was with a sympathetic person who had no advice for me other than to contact my homeowners association. My association responded saying they have no contact info for me.
I'm at loss for what to do next and I have jumped through so many hoops already, yet still have no clue who can help repair my service.
Can you please help get my DirecTV to function again??
Ironically, I emailed yesterday hoping to extend my agreement with DirecTV. This experience has left me divided on whether to continue service once my 2nd year is completed.

thank you in advance for your assistance

Response #1 from DirecTV:

Dear Mr. Steele,

Thank you for writing to let us know the technical problem you are experiencing, and we are very sorry for the inconvenience.

We are eager to address your concern but we are limited to what types of issues we can handle by email. As such, I have forwarded your email to a specialist who will personally research your issue and reply to you likely within 24 hours. Furthermore, by forwarding your email, we will be able to address all your issues and avoid further inconvenience. We respect your time and want to reassure you that we are working diligently to get back to you as soon as we can. For immediate assistance, you can also call us at 1-800-531-5000. Our general customer support team is available from 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM local time every day.

Again, thank you for writing, Mr. Steele. We appreciate your patience and understanding.

Sincerely,

Ana A. - 100550790
DIRECTV Customer Service

Response #2 from DirecTV, later that day:

Your email was forwarded to me for review. Thanks for writing and allowing me to help.

I'm sorry that you haven't been able to get in touch with your System Operator to schedule a service call. DIRECTV System Operators are highly professional and have agreements to service specific properties, and normally are easy to reach, so that your service can quickly be restored. As I was unable to reach the System Operator myself, but was able to verify that you indeed are under the purvey of the System Operator, I have sent a request to have them reach out to you by providing them with your contact information. You should be contacted very soon by the System Operator to resolve your technical issue. We regret any inconvenience this issue may have caused.

Thanks again for writing, Mr. Steele, and allowing me to help.

Sincerely,

Lance  L (ID 446951)
DIRECTV Resolution Specialist

You can get back to the full story here.