Husband died - trying to cancel Directv?

crunchyroll33

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Hi. Before my husband passed away, he had ordered Directv service. He was always really into watching TV. I personally hardly watch TV, but sometimes my kids watch it. Having cable and/or satellite service is definitely not a necessity. We can do without it.

So after he had passed away, I had called Directv customer service to see about lowering my bill and explaining to them about my husband's passing. Now that he's gone, I have to find ways to cut expenses b/c I barely have any money. Well I made a big mistake of having the account changed from his name to mine before seeing what options there were of lowering the bill. So the account had gotten changed to my name first and then the agent started look at my options. Turns out (from what she said) b/c of the package my husband had chose, there was no way to really change my plan/package to something else to help lower my bill. The only thing she could do was to remove one feature/option and that would save me $1 lol.

In the end, once we figured out that I really wouldn't be saving much, she recommended that I just start a new account with them and cancel my other account. To cancel the account, it would cost over $400, but since my husband had passed, she said the fee could be waived. I told her I was waiting for his death certificate to come in and so she said she would leave a note on our account letting them know that we were waiting for his certificate to come in. If I would have known that I would not be able to really lower my bill, I would never have told them to change the account to my name. Obviously I should have changed it back, but I didn't and now I regret it.

Well when I called today, they said they if I were to cancel my service, the fee could not be waived since the account had been changed to my name and I already became the person responsible for the account. It's only been less than a month since I had called them so my name hasn't been on there for that long. And apparently from what I understand, the other agent from before never put a note on the account - and if she did, that apparently meant nothing b/c there was nothing they could do. The only thing I was able to do was to change my package (this new agent said there was a way) and now I'm paying less, but even with the new price in effect, it still too much for me for what I'm getting.

Is there anything that can be done so that I can get this account canceled without paying those fees? Now that my husband is gone, I really don't watch TV that much and I'd rather not have a TV bill at all...but I can't afford to pay them $400 to turn it off etc. I made a big mistake and the account should have never been changed to name. Help! Thanks.
FYI: The account was changed to my name, which is why they are saying the account cannot be canceled for free. Even if I send them all the proof of his death, it sounds like they are not going to honor the waiver of fees because my name is already on the account :(
Also, he died on July 30. Although my name being on the account has been less than a month, I think it has been over a month since Directv was started.
 
did you sign a transfer? if it was all done by phone with no signature, it's not a binding transfer, tell them to stuff it in their ear
 
Not paying the bill will solve the problem. Close his bank accounts and they can't do a darn thing.
 
Tell them you're not paying and that you are changing to a different provider if they can't get you a package you can afford. The'll work hard then to keep you as a subscriber. It worked for me.
 
tell them to cancel his account. He is deceased.
period. have it turned off. simply say no I don't want this continued. He is dead.

don't pay. They can't collect from him.
 
If your husband /you knew he was going to die, then his estate is responsible for the fees. It is fraud to enter an agreement you know you can't fulfill.

If it was an unexpected death then Directv can't charge you.

Threaten to file complaints with the BBB, Yelp, ect. Sue them. If they don't have your signature, they will lose.

You do have to understand that Directv spent hundreds of dollars installing your system.

Good luck, sorry about your loss.
 
I want to tell you how sorry I am to hear about the loss! I can't imagine losing my husband. It must be a hard time for you. Send in a copy of his death certificate, along with a letter. I can't imagine them not allowing the fee to pass with a death. Tell them you thought you would be able to afford this bill (or whatever reason you have) & that you simply do not want to continue the service due to his death. It's been less than 30 days, so hopefully they will let this one slide by, as they should.

Hope this helps!
 
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