Telocity.com, owned by DIRECTV Broadband Inc., apparently has a policy of lying to its customers and charging for services not rendered. That’s what they’ve done to me.
In November 2000, I ordered Telocity high-speed Internet service. After ordering, I decided to go with another provider instead because of pricing differences. I called Telocity and canceled my order several weeks before the scheduled installation date. A week later (11/14/00), Airborne Express tried to deliver a modem for Telocity. I refused delivery and sent it back (Air bill number 8124809136, confirm #050556). When the canceled installation date arrived, so did a Telocity technician. I explained to him that I had canceled the order several weeks ago and refused the modem. He left. I thought the matter was done.
To my surprise, a Telocity installation charge of $74.90 appeared on my charge card in December 2000. I immediately called Telocity and requested that the charge be removed. They said that they would do that and it would take a few weeks.
Then, with my January 2001 charge bill, Telocity added a $49.95 monthly service charge. I called again and asked about my refund for an installation that never took place and now service that I never received. Telocity billing representatives assured me that I would be receiving a refund. There was some confusion because they thought I still had the modem. I gave them the Airborne Express air bill number. Gloria from Telocity assured me on January 5, 2001, that I would receive a credit within 7 to 14 days. My confirmation number was 47592.
I waited, but never received a credit. I sent e-mail on January 31 to Telocity’s billing department (disconnect@Telocity.net) asking about the credit. I received an acknowledgement of my e-mail with a promise that they would get to my e-mail as soon as possible. To this date I’ve heard nothing more from them.
I waited some more. I called again. I talked to Crystal on March 22, 2001, and was told that the confusion was now cleared and I would receive a credit within 7 to 14 days. Confirmation number 36569.
I waited some more. I sent another e-mail and received another acknowledgement with the same empty promise. I tried to call DIRECTV company headquarters in Cupertino and was only able to leave a voice message with their sales department. They never returned my call.
I called again on April 25, 2001. I asked to talk to a supervisor. I talked to Rakiv who talked to the billing department. He said he had fixed the problem and that they were issuing the credit as we were speaking. I would receive it within 24-48 hours. My new (and third) confirmation number was 46434.
Need I say that I still have not received my $124.85?????? And every call I made required a 45-minute to an hour wait on the phone to actually talk to someone!
It has now been 6 months since I first requested a refund and all I’ve gotten is 3 confirmation numbers and lies. You see why I think Telocity has a policy of lying to its customers? Employees don’t naturally lie time after time to customers. They must be told somehow to go ahead and reassure people their refund is on its way even though they know full well it’s not going to happen.
So I’m warning everyone I meet over the Internet, at work, at play, everywhere, all the time, that this is the kind of “service” that Telocity provides.
Caveat emptor. If you’re thinking of getting high-speed DSL, I would NOT recommend Telocity.
My current service provider is Earthlink DSL and they are reliable and trustworthy. I would recommend them.
I’m giving notice to Telocity that I will continue to let people know of their abysmal service record until I receive my $124.85.
Regards,
Linda K. Miller
DIRECTV Broadband Inc.
10355 North De Anza Boulevard
Cupertino, CA 95014-2027
Phone: 408 863-6600
Fax: 408 777-1451
Email: info@bb.directv.com
Telocity
490 Race Street
San Jose, CA 95126 www.telocity.com
1-800-897-9797
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