DirecTV tricked customers into expensive packages, feds say
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DirecTV has been tricking customers into buying satellite television packages that are more expensive than they appear, the Federal Trade Commission claims in a complaint filed against the company on Wednesday.
Filed in federal court in California, the complaint says DirecTV, the nation鈥檚 largest satellite TV provider, deceptively advertised a 12-month package that, in fact, required a 聽two-year contract, with the second year coming with a considerably higher price tag.
鈥淒irecTV misled consumers about the cost of its satellite television services and cancellation fees,鈥� FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez said聽聽鈥淒irecTV sought to lock customers into longer and more expensive contracts and premium packages that were not adequately disclosed.鈥�
DirecTV aggressively disputes the government鈥檚 claims.
鈥淭he FTC鈥檚 decision is flat-out wrong, and we will vigorously defend ourselves, for as long as it takes,鈥� a spokesperson said in an email to NerdWallet. 鈥淲e go above and beyond to ensure that every new customer receives all the information they need, multiple times, to make informed and intelligent decisions. For us to do anything less just doesn鈥檛 make sense.鈥�
According to the FTC, a 12-month discounted plan advertised by DirecTV actually requires a contract for twice that long. In the contract鈥檚 second year, its price increases by up to $45 per month, and there is a $480 early-cancellation fee if the customer tries to get out of the deal before the two years are up.
The commission says the company focuses on the first 12 months in its promotions without 鈥渃learly and prominently鈥� disclosing the other aspects of the deal.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a bedrock principle that the key terms of an offer to a consumer must be clear and conspicuous, not hidden in fine print,鈥� Ramirez said.
The FTC also cited DirecTV for promotions that offer premium channels like HBO and Showtime 鈥渇ree for 3 months鈥� without clearly disclosing that consumers will start being charged for those channels after the trial period is up if they don鈥檛 contact DirecTV and cancel them.
The commission is seeking a court order that bars DirecTV from continuing what it calls illegal conduct and a monetary judgement that could be used to pay back affected customers.
Based in El Segundo, California, DirecTV has more than 20 million subscribers nationwide.
Doug Gross is a staff writer covering personal finance for聽. Follow him on Twitter聽and on聽.
