DirecTV: The Worst Service in the World?

Those who are reading my newsletter tonight know that I am prepared to nominate DirecTV for this special award.

Not only has it taken two weeks (and five hours min. on the phone, mostly waiting) just to activate a new receiver, after they mistakenly messed up my access card and computer file, but here is the best, that even my subscribers don’t know yet:

After failing to show for their half-day appointment to install a new dish, no one ever called, to apologize or reschedule. But it gets much better: after a few days (i.e., after I had steeled myself for another round of useless phone calls), I got through to the installer, who informed me that the nice fellow had come out the next day (wrong day) without calling, and decided the dish wouldn’t work.

Only one problem: we already have a working DTV dish, on a south-facing hill. Oops. Looks like he was blowing off his own company, as well as me.

I always thought Comcast was the worst in customer service, simply by reputation (and some serious measurements noticed by the Federal government), but now I’m convinced that, at least in the U.S., there is a new nadir in customer care: DirecTV.

I would be happy to entertain comments or stories, either on them, or, if it is humanly possible, on some company you think is even (is it possible?) worse.

DirecTV, bringing customer abuse to new levels, one victim at a time.