# U-verse was supposed to buy out my directTV contract and didn't **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 12, 2012, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-verse-was-supposed-to-buy-out-my-directtv-contract-and-didnt/624941 "2012-06-12T18:49:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DewDropPony](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@DewDropPony](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DewDropPony)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-verse-was-supposed-to-buy-out-my-directtv-contract-and-didnt/624941/1 "2012-06-12T18:49:47Z")
I had directTV bundled with DSL through AT&T. I sighed up for u-verse when it came out because they had a offer going at the time that if you sighed up with them they would buy out the rest of your contract (ETF). Soon after having the u-verse connected the directTV bills in the mail kept coming. I called u-verse and they just kept giving me the run around. The problem never got fixed and directtv has slammed me with a $400 ETF that’s now in collections. What do I do? I called AT&T and they told me there was nothing they could do. ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2012, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-verse-was-supposed-to-buy-out-my-directtv-contract-and-didnt/624941/2 "2012-06-12T22:02:52Z")
File complaints with your state attorney general, as well as the BBB. ---
**Author:** ![al27052](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/41988e/32.png) [@al27052](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/al27052)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-verse-was-supposed-to-buy-out-my-directtv-contract-and-didnt/624941/3 "2012-06-13T02:10:29Z")
> [@DewDropPony](#): > > I had directTV bundled with DSL through AT&T. I sighed up for u-verse when it came out because they had a offer going at the time that if you sighed up with them they would buy out the rest of your contract (ETF). Soon after having the u-verse connected the directTV bills in the mail kept coming. I called u-verse and they just kept giving me the run around. The problem never got fixed and directtv has slammed me with a $400 ETF that’s now in collections. What do I do? I called AT&T and they told me there was nothing they could do. Complain to the CEO’s office at At&T. Threaten to make a public shitstorm for them if they don’t fix it. This is, unfortunately, a fairly common scam that some of the sales agents for big TV providers use, I think. I heard Directv was offering a similar thing last year, which they would not actually make good on. Don’t know if it’s true. ---
**Author:** ![FatBaldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecd19e/32.png) [@FatBaldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FatBaldGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-verse-was-supposed-to-buy-out-my-directtv-contract-and-didnt/624941/4 "2012-06-13T03:41:53Z")
Sounds to me like it’s not AT&T you need to complain to, but U-verse. Aren’t they the ones who said they would buy out your contract? ---
**Author:** ![al27052](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/41988e/32.png) [@al27052](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/al27052)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-verse-was-supposed-to-buy-out-my-directtv-contract-and-didnt/624941/5 "2012-06-13T03:54:00Z")
> [@FatBaldGuy](#): > > Sounds to me like it’s not AT&T you need to complain to, but U-verse. Aren’t they the ones who said they would buy out your contract? Uverse is AT&T’s TV service, provided over phone lines. It also includes VOIP phone service and internet service. It’s totally an AT&T product, the technicians are all AT&T employees, not contractors. I know the door-to-door salesmen are contractors, not AT&T employees, but the service itself is totally owned and provided by AT&T. ---
**Author:** ![RetroVertigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@RetroVertigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RetroVertigo)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-verse-was-supposed-to-buy-out-my-directtv-contract-and-didnt/624941/6 "2012-06-13T03:54:36Z")
> [@FatBaldGuy](#): > > Sounds to me like it’s not AT&T you need to complain to, but U-verse. Aren’t they the ones who said they would buy out your contract? Uverse is a service provided by AT&T. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-verse-was-supposed-to-buy-out-my-directtv-contract-and-didnt/624941/7 "2012-06-13T03:59:25Z")
Legal advice is best suited to IMHO. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-verse-was-supposed-to-buy-out-my-directtv-contract-and-didnt/624941/8 "2012-06-13T04:13:39Z")
I wonder if the OP got this offer (to buy out the direcTV contract) in writing. If it was just a verbal promise by the sales rep, it’s going to be harder to get action on it. ---
**Author:** ![al27052](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/41988e/32.png) [@al27052](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/al27052)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-verse-was-supposed-to-buy-out-my-directtv-contract-and-didnt/624941/9 "2012-06-13T04:21:41Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I wonder if the OP got this offer (to buy out the direcTV contract) in writing. If it was just a verbal promise by the sales rep, it’s going to be harder to get action on it. It’s ALWAYS just a verbal promise. TV providers have some of the sleaziest salespeople around. I used to install Uverse, and some of the things customers said they were told by salesmen were _ridiculous_. I actually met one of the sales _supervisors_, and he made the used-car salesmen I know seem super-ethical. Not a jerk, exactly, but… ---
**Author:** ![DewDropPony](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@DewDropPony](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DewDropPony)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-verse-was-supposed-to-buy-out-my-directtv-contract-and-didnt/624941/10 "2012-06-13T19:41:25Z")
> [@al27052](#): > > It’s ALWAYS just a verbal promise. > > TV providers have some of the sleaziest salespeople around. I used to install Uverse, and some of the things customers said they were told by salesmen were _ridiculous_. > > I actually met one of the sales _supervisors_, and he made the used-car salesmen I know seem super-ethical. Not a jerk, exactly, but… It was verbal. I didn’t even sigh up for it. My boyfriend (who is now my husband) did. What do I do about this? ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-verse-was-supposed-to-buy-out-my-directtv-contract-and-didnt/624941/11 "2012-06-13T19:49:30Z")
Off topic, DewDropPony, but is there a reason you write “Sigh” or “Sighing” instead of “Sign” or Signing"? ---
**Author:** ![DewDropPony](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@DewDropPony](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DewDropPony)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-verse-was-supposed-to-buy-out-my-directtv-contract-and-didnt/624941/12 "2012-06-13T19:52:39Z")
I’m dyslexic. I do it sometimes without even knowing I’m doing it. ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-verse-was-supposed-to-buy-out-my-directtv-contract-and-didnt/624941/13 "2012-06-13T21:16:04Z")
I bet you didn’t follow the exact procedures required to get this taken care of correctly. You can’t just say “okay let’s do that” and run off and sign up for a whole new service. Someone on behalf of AT&T probably was supposed to get in touch with your current provider, but they can’t do that if you don’t take the proper steps for them to even know what you’re doing. ---
**Author:** ![DewDropPony](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@DewDropPony](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DewDropPony)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-verse-was-supposed-to-buy-out-my-directtv-contract-and-didnt/624941/14 "2012-06-13T21:24:29Z")
> [@Covered\_In\_Bees](#): > > I bet you didn’t follow the exact procedures required to get this taken care of correctly. You can’t just say “okay let’s do that” and run off and sign up for a whole new service. Someone on behalf of AT&T probably was supposed to get in touch with your current provider, but they can’t do that if you don’t take the proper steps for them to even know what you’re doing. I didn’t sign up for the service at all. Someone living with me at the time signed up for the service. I do not know what the rep told them to do over the phone. I don’t know what the procedures are to switch services. If you would have read the whole thread you would see I said I did not sign up for the service. ---
**Author:** ![al27052](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/41988e/32.png) [@al27052](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/al27052)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2012, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-verse-was-supposed-to-buy-out-my-directtv-contract-and-didnt/624941/15 "2012-06-15T00:59:20Z")
> [@Covered\_In\_Bees](#): > > I bet you didn’t follow the exact procedures required to get this taken care of correctly. You can’t just say “okay let’s do that” and run off and sign up for a whole new service. Someone on behalf of AT&T probably was supposed to get in touch with your current provider, but they can’t do that if you don’t take the proper steps for them to even know what you’re doing. There’s not one major TV provider in existence who would do this kind of a promo. She just got a sleazy salesperson. ---
**Author:** ![DewDropPony](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@DewDropPony](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DewDropPony)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2012, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-verse-was-supposed-to-buy-out-my-directtv-contract-and-didnt/624941/16 "2012-06-15T01:30:09Z")
> [@al27052](#): > > There’s not one major TV provider in existence who would do this kind of a promo. She just got a sleazy salesperson. what do I do now? ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2012, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-verse-was-supposed-to-buy-out-my-directtv-contract-and-didnt/624941/17 "2012-06-15T01:44:22Z")
> [@DewDropPony](#): > > what do I do now? You’ll either have to eat the fee or refuse to pay it and fight with their collections department. I don’t know if you can sue someone to stop them from collecting on a debt, but that would be your last option. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2012, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-verse-was-supposed-to-buy-out-my-directtv-contract-and-didnt/624941/18 "2012-06-15T02:02:20Z")
> [@DewDropPony](#): > > I didn’t sign up for the service at all. Someone living with me at the time signed up for the service. I do not know what the rep told them to do over the phone. I don’t know what the procedures are to switch services. If you would have read the whole thread you would see I said I did not sign up for the service. First of all, your OP said, “I sighed up for u-verse when it came out because they had a offer going at the time that if you sighed up with them they would buy out the rest of your contract (ETF).” Later, you said, “I didn’t even sigh up for it. My boyfriend (who is now my husband) did.” So which is it? And in any case, speaking entirely as a non-attorney, it seems to me that if the person who signed the contract was just a roommate, you would not be liable, they would. But as it appears that it’s your husband who signed the contract, you might be liable. ---
**Author:** ![al27052](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/41988e/32.png) [@al27052](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/al27052)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2012, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-verse-was-supposed-to-buy-out-my-directtv-contract-and-didnt/624941/19 "2012-06-15T02:47:13Z")
> [@DewDropPony](#): > > what do I do now? Contact the CEO’s office. Email, phone, mail, etc.. Be persistent. Threaten to complain to the BBB. You can also try AT&T’s own forums on their website. Often they have customer service people who monitor those forums. You can even try [Uverseusers.com](http://Uverseusers.com), there’s a thread there that has a complaint link, I can look it up if you like. ---
**Author:** ![DewDropPony](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@DewDropPony](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DewDropPony)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2012, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-verse-was-supposed-to-buy-out-my-directtv-contract-and-didnt/624941/20 "2012-06-15T02:58:29Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > First of all, your OP said, “I sighed up for u-verse when it came out because they had a offer going at the time that if you sighed up with them they would buy out the rest of your contract (ETF).” Later, you said, “I didn’t even sigh up for it. My boyfriend (who is now my husband) did.” So which is it? > > And in any case, speaking entirely as a non-attorney, it seems to me that if the person who signed the contract was just a roommate, you would not be liable, they would. But as it appears that it’s your husband who signed the contract, you might be liable. It was husband who did this over the phone. He was only my boyfriend at the time. He did not actually _sign_ anything. He was not on the AT&T/U-verse/DirectTV contract at all. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-verse-was-supposed-to-buy-out-my-directtv-contract-and-didnt/624941.md?page=2)