Quote from Savings Beagle on February 13, 2020, 9:59 am

Savings Beagle recently received a comment from a reader regarding her "DirecTV horror story."  Basically, she's had ongoing billing and service issues that are not being corrected even after hours on the phone with various customer service reps.  I'll post her comment below for reference.

Unfortunately, issues with large corporations not following through with promises or services is a somewhat common occurrence these days.

I thought I'd post a few suggestions that may provide results for times when a valid concern is being ignored by a company's customer service reps.

Contact the Boss

While it might seem like a waste of time, writing (or calling) the executive office/officers of a company can result in your concern being addressed.

I would only go this route after trying the main customer service option at least once.  That way you can relate that you tried the customary chain of command, but received no satisfaction.

I tried this exact tactic with Verizon Wireless a few years back.  We were billed for a service we did not use, and the customer service reps wouldn't budge on removing the charge.  I Google searched for email addresses of the mid and high-level executives who would oversee that line of business and emailed my concern/situation.  Within a couple days, the problem was resolved.

And a few days ago I read of someone contacting the CEO of Marriott with a concern that wasn't being addressed through traditional channels.  A few emails back and forth and the problem he was having was addressed to his satisfaction.  Now, obviously, the Marriott CEO didn't actually read his email and take action.  But, his valid concern did reach a sympathetic ear in the executive office who had the pull to make something happen.

I'm not saying contacting a company's executive will always work, but in instances where you obviously have a valid issue that isn't being addressed through traditional customer service channels, a brief email outlining your issue and actions taken to try and get it addressed, can't hurt.

The Better Business Bureau

The Better Business Bureau handles "disputes that relate to marketplace issues experienced with the services or products a business provides."

As with contacting an executive at a corporation, sometimes contact from the Better Business Bureau will spur action on an issue that was previously being ignored.

According to the BBB's complaint page, "Everything you submit will be forwarded to the business within two business days. The business will be asked to respond within 14 days, and if a response is not received, a second request will be made. You will be notified of the business’s response when we receive it (or notified that we received no response). Complaints are usually closed within 30 business days."

Again, this does not guarantee a solution to your problem, but the fact that the Better Business Bureau is involved can result in a business taking the contact more seriously.

You can read more about filing a BBB complaint and do so at the link below.

Better Business Bureau Complaint Page Link

The State Attorney General's Office

Similarly to the Better Business Bureau, the Attorney General's office of the state in which you live likely has a Consumer Advocate section that helps to resolve consumer complaints.

Again, you want to try to resolve your issue with the business first.  But if that doesn't work, many state AG's offices will assist with consumer issues.

Google the Attorney General's Office Consumer Advocate Section for the state in which you live to get more information on filing a complaint. 

These are a few avenues that can be taken when a business just won't follow through on its promises or standard business practices.

Let us know if you've used any of these options for resolving business-related issues and how the process went for you.

And if you have other suggestions for getting your unaddressed problems taken care of, pass those along, too.