How is DirecTV this inept?

[Lzen]

I have been trading emails with Directv lately because of my over the air channel issues. How can the tech support people be this inept? Anyone else had these kinds of issues? If so, how did you resolve them? I mean, other than switching to Cox or Dish Network.

Customer By Web Form (Chad D) - 12/28/2012 08:56 AM
My over the air channel WIBW 13 in the Topeka, KS market has been blank lately. I scan it in the receiver and it just shows up as blank. Also, why do you not have KTMJ channel 43 in your database as a Topeka local OTA channel? It is our only local Fox affiliate. It For these 2 problems I have had to use a workaround. I use St. Louis, MO zip code as my secondary market and it scans in WIBW 13 and KTMJ 43. But the programming listings obviously don't show what my locals are broadcasting because they are St. Louis programming. I should not have to go through this rigamarole just to get my locals over the air. And yes, I realize that Dtv finally got my locals in HD. Still, there are times when I like to/need to watch the OTA channels. Please fix these issues.

Here is KTMJ's site.
http://www.fox43topeka.com/content/about/default.aspx

First response:

Dear Mr. D,

Thank you for writing to ask about the local channels.

We are eager to address your concern but we are limited to what types of issues we can handle by email. As such, I have forwarded your email to a specialist who will personally research your issue and reply to you likely within 24 hours. Furthermore, by forwarding your email, we will be able to address all your issues and avoid further inconvenience. We respect your time and want to reassure you that we are working diligently to get back to you as soon as we can. For immediate assistance, you can also call us at 1-800-531-5000. Our general customer support team is available from 8:00 AM to 1:00 AM every day.

Again, thank you for writing, Mr. D. We appreciate your patience.

Sincerely,

Ana A. - 100550790
DIRECTV Customer Service

P. S. We think your friends and family deserve the same great service. Refer a friend to DIRECTV and you will each get $100 in bill credits when they sign up. Visit directv.com/refer for more details and to start sharing!

Gotta love that plug for refer a friend at the end.

Response Via Email(Susan C. (ID U7499)) - 12/28/2012 08:09 PM
Dear Mr. D,

Thank you for writing. I understand it is very important to you that you are able to receive your locals channels through your DIRECTV system as well as through an over the air antenna setup.

While we are able to address any broadcasting problems from your locals and provided to you by DIRECTV, we are unable to address any technical issues you may be experiencing with the channels over the air broadcast. I would suggest if you are having problems with these feed you might check at antennaweb.org for more information on the availability of these channels based on your geographical region. You might also contact the stations themselves and see if they are having any issues which is limiting the area you are able to pick up the over the air feed.

Thank you again for writing, Mr. D. I hope this information has been helpful.

Sincerely,


DIRECTV Resolution Specialist

P.S. Have a question? Anytime, any topic, instant answers - support.directv.com The Answer Center provides you helpful information, 24/7, all at your fingertips.

Ok, at this point I'm getting very annoyed with them. Here is my reply:

Customer By Email (Chad D) - 12/29/2012 08:40 PM
Did you even read my email? Your answer suggests that you just skimmed it and had a preloaded answer in your head. You obviously did not comprehend my issue.

The problem is not due to anything the local stations are doing. It is OBVIOUSLY due to your software and/or database of locals. This is
obvious to me because the channels comes in when I use a secondary local zip code with the same 2 stations (WIBW 13 and KTMJ 43) when I do the setup. Again. please take some time and address this issue. Stop trying to blow it off as if it isn't a Dtv issue that is causing this. READ my
original email again and try to comprehend, please.

And their reply :

Response Via Email(Debbie B (ID 441743)) - 12/30/2012 07:47 AM
Dear Mr. D,

Thank you for responding. I understand you are requesting information regarding your over the air local channels.

I would like to reiterate what my colleague said to you previously, and assure you that technical problems are rare with DIRECTV. We are committed to designing the very best equipment and transmission operations that will bring you extraordinary video, audio, and data along with programming. However, we are unable to provide technical support for your issues with over the air broadcasting.

As you know, DIRECTV assigns local channels by ZIP code and county based on Designated Market Area (DMA), which is determined by Nielsen Media Research. According to Nielsen, your ZIP code (72956) and county (CRAWFORD) have been assigned to the Fort Smith AR local channel market. Federal law requires us to use the established local market boundaries and these cannot be changed by DIRECTV.

I have listed the Local Channels you receive in your DMA below:

5 KFSM CBS
13 KAFT PBS
24 KFTA FOX
29 KHOG ABC
34 KPBI IND
34 KXNW IND
40 KHBS ABC
41 CW CW
51 KNWA NBC

If you need more information about how Designated Market Areas are determined you can visit Nielsen Media Research at http://www.nielsenmedia.com/.

Thank you again for writing. I hope this information is helpful.

Sincerely,

Debbie B (ID 441743)
DIRECTV Resolution Specialist

Obviously, I'm pretty pissed off at this point:

Are you kidding me? Do you people even read these emails? I am in Topeka, KS, not Crawford, AK. I said as much in my initial email. Where on Earth did you come up with that? Are you people truly this inept? Were you replying to several emails at the same time and get me mixed up with someone else? Sheesh, if I did my job this poorly, I would have been fired.

Now please try to read this very carefully. The local channels in Topeka, KS (zip code 66606) are:

11.1, 11.2, & 11.3 PBS
13.1 &13.2 WIBW
27.1 & 27.2 KSNT
43.1 KTMJ
49.1, 49.2, & 49.3 KTKA

To reiterate, I have had issues lately with WIBW 13 being blank (setup says it is tuned in but it comes up as a blank screen). Now at this point I should explain (yet again) that I had already been using the St. Louis zip as a secondary local when I do the over the air setup because Channel 43, KTMJ isn't in your list for some reason. Perhaps they (KTMJ channel 43) need to get their stuff together and get it listed in the Nielson market listing for Topeka. Who knows?

Note: I'm looking online and it appears they may be still listed as part of KSNT - channel 27.2 - long story but basically the owner of KSNT has been buying up the other stations so that makes things confusing.

I think I should explain to you that I chose St. Louis zip as my secondary local because they have 2 stations (13 & 43) that are the same as the 2 Topeka, KS 66606 stations that I'm trying to tune into my receiver. Now the listings show the programming on the St. Louis version of that channel but I assure you it is Topeka station KTMJ.

Furthermore, don't give me your BS about problems with your equipment being rare. I have had plenty of issues with your equipment since I switched over from Dish Network a couple years ago. When I uncheck the boxes for Topeka, KS channel 13 during the OTA setup and check the boxes that are for St. Louis channel 13, CHANNEL 13 TUNES IN. Obviously, I'm not getting reception from St. Louis channel 13. I'm getting the local Topeka, KS WIBW channel 13. I just tricked the system in order to get a channel to tune in that should be there already. And it used to be there until recently. Explain to me how that would be an issue with anything other than your equipment. Please take the time to read and comprehend my issues. And if you can't do that, please give this email to someone who can.

I know that last one was kind harsh, but they deserve that kind of treatment with those horrible responses. Do they not?