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DirecTV Caught Violating 'Do Not Call'

By Nate Mook, BetaNews

December 13, 2005, 4:55 PM

The Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday announced a settlement with DirecTV in which the satellite television provider will pay $5.3 million for the largest violation of the Do Not Call registry ever recorded. Over 1.4 million complaints were received by the FTC.

An investigation took two years to complete and involved DirecTV and five telemarketing firms. The DNC registry currently includes 110 million phone numbers and receives about 3,000 complaints per day. "Sellers are on the hook for calls placed on their behalf and for their benefit," said FTC Chairwoman Deborah Platt Majoras. "It is not named the Do Not Call Registry for nothing."

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By interested102

posted Dec 14, 2005 - 7:21 PM

Just switch to Public TV.
I use it all the time.

And it NEVER FAILS!!!!

Score: 0

By drumcat

edited Dec 14, 2005 - 11:49 AM

So now it's simply an economic question... is a marketing call worth $3.80 to a company? Well, often times it is. In no other way do you get to talk to a customer.

Besides; $3.80 is misleading. They received 1,400,000 complaints. That doesn't mean everyone lodged a complaint. The average drops further...

Thanks, FTC, for making this case a headliner to other companies that you don't take enforcement seriously. My opinion? $100/complaint. It should have cost them $140M.

Score: 0

By gawd21

posted Dec 14, 2005 - 2:55 PM

I thought they were suppose to be fined $30,000 per a violation.

Score: 0

By zappah

posted Dec 14, 2005 - 8:11 AM

So basically what the government is saying is pay us to violate the law. I also never see
where the people being called get any compensation, just the government, who did not get called.

Score: 0

By xyzcb1

posted Dec 14, 2005 - 9:52 AM

government has to pay their people to enforce the law. if you want to get pay, you should hire a lawyer to sue them

Score: 0

By klingon379

posted Dec 14, 2005 - 3:18 AM

Considering that nearly all of the major cable providers in the USA are up to date with the latest high definition technology I'm surprised so many people would want to have a satelite dish. Cable costs a lot less than satelite TV and has just as much variety in programming. Cable is also the only way to get video on demand. The only reason for satelite dishes to exist anymore is for people who live out in the middle of nowhere.

Score: 0

By roadrunner1117

posted Dec 14, 2005 - 9:17 AM

Sounds like you're the expert on knowing all about cable costs and dish costs. However, I have both cable and dish options in my area, and I chose dish. Cable costs continued to rise to a cost equivalent to dish, and dish offered a free dvr, an on-screen program guide, and a lot more channels.

Score: 0

By gawd21

posted Dec 14, 2005 - 11:11 AM

You watch to many "dish" commercials. Cable is always cheaper than "dish". The only time that the "dish" is ever cheaper is the first 3 months or whatever.

Score: 0

By skua

posted Dec 14, 2005 - 1:16 PM

Uh... WRONG. For comparable programming packages cable in my area is actually a little higher than what I pay for sat. Plus with sat I got free DVR equipment and a beautiful clear picture. I left the local cable company because their so-called digital cable looked like crap... and a good portion of the channels we were paying for were not coming in clear at all. Of course with sat I suffer weather outages if it rains or snows too hard... but with the 3 100-hour DVR's I got for free I always have something I can watch.

Score: 0

By gawd21

posted Dec 14, 2005 - 2:54 PM

You are the reason that they are able to make money while still losing over 5 million dollars in fines. I bet you have no idea how the cable is. I have compared the quality and service with costs of most satellite and cable services and, nope satellite is just junk. It's like paying for rotten food and having to just throw it away. IMO, you are a fool.

Score: 0

By skua

posted Dec 15, 2005 - 10:40 AM

Well, unlike gawd21, I haven't had the pleasure of trying out every cable system throughout the United States... I can just tell you my humble experiences with my local cable company.

I would, indeed, be a fool if I continued to pay the local cable yokels for services that they fail to deliver on a daily basis. I'd much rather deal with the occasional 5-min weather-related outage and pay far less money for 200 crisp and clear channels than to continue to support a local cable operator that can't deliver a clear channel above 30. Maybe cable rocks where you live... but not here.

Score: 0

By sirhardi

posted Dec 14, 2005 - 3:06 PM

Say what?
Satelite here in my area is way cheaper.
Example Time Warner, 1 BOX HD DVR regular digital channels in all other rooms 60 some channels.
104 Dollars after taxes
vs
Dish
HD DVR and Dual tuner DVR all movie channels 86+ a month after taxes.
Signal and sound FAR superior to cable.drawback..monopoly cable blocks us from getting local channels released .
Dont speak for everyone, Cable prices here rise almost quarterly, basic alone is 46 Dollars.
Cable does offer FART better DVR functionality and on Demand features less for PPV and no stupid permanent phone connection required, plus no fee service calls vs 29.95 "5 dollar mo insurance" otherwise 79.95.

Score: 0

By gawd21

edited Dec 14, 2005 - 5:04 PM

I have never seen a digital package with only 60 channels in it and I know TW is much better than that, everywhere else. I just can't see then charging that much for so little. As for the dish, I still would rather pay more and get the service that works when it rains, seeing how I am indoors more when it rains or snows.

Score: 0

By bourgeoisdude

posted Dec 14, 2005 - 5:17 PM

He must be giving the price for cable + roadrunner or something...

Score: 0

By gawd21

posted Dec 14, 2005 - 5:20 PM

That is what I am thinking.

Score: 0

By st0mp

posted Dec 14, 2005 - 7:34 PM

on priceing I live not in a real small town but not huge city, anyway we only have the option for 1 cable co. and they suck i only get about 3 good stations in that i like and no im not much of a tv person but anyway i get 74 channels on my tv i pay 43$ a month plus cable box 5.00 and another 3.5 for the remote! that i dont even use. i have a harmony 688 but they said i have to take their remote its the only way i can get the service. the only reason i dont switch to dish now is the fact i save so much from vonage. and i hate paying the phone co out the yang for service.

Score: 0

By klingon379

posted Dec 15, 2005 - 2:21 AM

In regards to Cable's "horrible" sound and video, I use a Motorola DCT6200 converter box through Comcast. All I have to do is connect a DVI cable to my TV for video and connect a digital fiber optic cable to my home theater receiver. Perfect HD picture, perfect sound.

Score: 0

By kashin

edited Dec 14, 2005 - 2:12 AM

Chalk up another one for corporate America! On one hand, the disgruntled consumers are worth $3.79 a piece apparently. On the other hand, DirecTV lost at least 1.4 million potential subscribers, not counting friends and relatives those people may have told to stay away from DirecTV.

What is the point of having a law that is freely violated by those with deep pockets? DirecTV knew exactly what they were doing and that the punishment would be light. So what now? Are they going to call another million and a half people who don't want to be called and pay another $5 mill in a couple of years?

Score: 0

By ogman

posted Dec 13, 2005 - 11:19 PM

It's like fining a baseball player $5000. Worthless!

Score: 0

By MOTVG

posted Dec 13, 2005 - 7:08 PM

Let me get this straight. They violated the Do Not Call list at least 1.4 million times and only got fined $5.3 million? That's ridiculous. This only teaches telemarketers that the potential payoff for violating the list is far greater than the fine. It should have been a $140 million fine with no settlement.

Score: 0

By bourgeoisdude

posted Dec 13, 2005 - 6:14 PM

THANK GOD!

Score: 0

By bounty1990

posted Dec 13, 2005 - 6:13 PM

Nice so they think they could pull s*** when this "do not call action" is effect i guess they learnt that the hard way.

Score: 0

By CyberDoc999

posted Dec 13, 2005 - 6:04 PM

5 million is nothing......
I'll bet you that they made 50 million in
profit from pulling this stunt...
and they knew that they would be fined 5 million.
plus look at the long term revenue that Direct TV makes from new customers.....
5 million is nothing is a light slap on the wrist.....

Score: 0

By leojei

edited Dec 13, 2005 - 5:59 PM

$5.3m is alot, but having 1.4 million complaints about them, I'm sure DirectTV deserves it.

Score: 0

By crashoverride

posted Dec 13, 2005 - 5:41 PM

$5.3 million....ouch, those turned out to be some expensive phone calls, lol

Score: 0

By dvferret

posted Dec 13, 2005 - 8:07 PM

only about 5 bucks a call. lol

Score: 0

By bourgeoisdude

posted Dec 13, 2005 - 9:22 PM

Not even that. They've called me AT LEAST 12 times and I haven't filled an official complaint...

Score: 0

By ServerMechanic

edited Dec 13, 2005 - 5:13 PM

Ha Ha Ha!

Looooosers.

I wish all the companies that telemarket would get fined like this. :)

They are scum.

Score: 0

By gawd21

posted Dec 13, 2005 - 5:11 PM

Good! Maybe they will stop calling now.

Score: 0

By Secret Agent Man

posted Dec 13, 2005 - 7:25 PM

I doubt it. Of all the people that filed complaints, consider those who are too lazy to complain (with the only effect is being annoyed). $5 million to a company giant like DirecTV is nothing.

Score: 0

By bourgeoisdude

posted Dec 14, 2005 - 5:19 PM

I was "too lazy to complain"--see above.

Score: 0

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