News
DIRECTV Still Graded 'F' By BBB
By Swanni

Washington, D.C. (May 23, 2011) -- DIRECTV, which has proclaimed itself a leader in customer satisfaction, has been graded an F by the Better Business Bureau for the second straight year.

The BBB, which receives and investigates customer complaints, gives grades from A+ to F based on their evaluation of a company's advertising policies and customer service. DIRECTV's grade of F is the lowest possible rating. (Note: National BBB grades are awarded by the local BBB office where a company is headquartered; DIRECTV is based in the Los Angeles area.)

The organization defines an 'F' grade as follows:

"We strongly question the company’s reliability for reasons such as that they have failed to respond to complaints, their advertising is grossly misleading, they are not in compliance with the law’s licensing or registration requirements, their complaints contain especially serious allegations, or the company’s industry is known for its fraudulent business practices."

The BBB says it has received 41,645 complaints against DIRECTV in the last 36 months, mostly from allegations that the satcaster has been deceptive in customer agreements and billing battles.

"Complainants generally allege problems relating to contract terms, billing disputes, descrepencies concerning pre-paid programming. Many of the complaints relate that the company's promotional offers fail to include all of the limitations, conditions and penalties that may apply," the BBB writes at its web site. "In almost all cases, the advertised promotional pricing is dependent on conditions that are not readily apparent from the advertising. Complainants consider the advertising to be deceptive. Some complain the company fails to send statements in a timely fashion resulting in late fees, or that unauthorized amounts of money are charged or debited to customer accounts."

In contrast, the BBB that oversees the Maryland/DC/Pennsylvania area has given Comcast, the nation's largest cable operator, a grade of C, down from a B+ in 2010; Comcast is based in Philadelphia.

Verizon has been given an A+ in New York, where it's headquartered; the company had an A+ in 2010 as well. The BBB In New York has given Time Warner Cable an A+ for two straight years.

Cablevision has been given a grade of A+ in New York (its home), up from a B in 2010, while the BBB in Colorado, where Dish Network is headquartered, gives Dish a C+. Dish in 2010 had a 'no rating' designation due to a new review of the company's policies.

Cox Communications, based in Georgia, gets a B- rating from the BBB while Charter Communications, based in St. Louis, gets an A+.

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