DirecTV Fined For Do-Not-Call Violations (About Time)

MSNBC/AP ^ | 12/13/2005 | AP

[TCats]

Firm to pay $5.35 million in FTC's largest civil penalty protecting consumers. Updated: 11:46 a.m. ET Dec. 13, 2005

WASHINGTON - DirecTV Inc. will pay $5.35 million to settle charges that its telemarketers called households listed on the national do-not-call registry to pitch satellite TV programming, Federal Trade Commission officials said Tuesday.

The proposed settlement, if approved by a federal judge in Los Angeles, would be the FTC’s largest civil penalty in a consumer protection case.

The DirecTV complaint, filed by the Department of Justice at the FTC’s request, named the company and five telemarketing firms it hired, as well as six principals of those firms.

[TCats]

I've been getting at least two per day from these twits. Each time it is an Indian who greets me by name - And is obviously reading from a structured script. Hope this fine hurts enough to put a dent in this invasion of privacy.

[Red Badger]

I no longer speak to anyone on the phone with an Indian accent. I just hang up.............

[ElectricStrawberry]

I had my caller-ID tell me it was "TEXAS" calling last night. I picked up for shi'ites and giggles...and it was the same Indian dude that's calling you.

[buck61]

I agree, hope you never have tech. problems with most isps.

[Red Badger]

I have a problem only once............

[indcons]

"Each time it is an Indian who greets me by name..."

Wasn't me....honestly :)

[sheana]

Okay, big question.....to whom is the settlement to be paid? Unless this money goes back to the consumers it is just another "tax". That is my problem with all these fines, etc. The government is the one who keeps getting the monies.

[CommandoFrank]

Are you trying to tell me the government actually did something right..... Damn, never thought I'd see that day!

[MarineBrat]

Have they gotten DISH Network yet? I hate thos b*star*s! But at least they stopped calling me after the Do Not Call list took effect. (thank GOD for the National Do Not Call list!!!)

[jboot]

Whoa, I get 2-4 of those "Texas" calls a night. I never, ever pick them up.

I'm on the Do Not Call Registry, BTW.

[jboot]

The government is the one who keeps getting the monies.

I personally don't care if it goes into Ted Kennedy's loose women and booze fund, so long as it hurts the telemarketers and convinces them to STOP BOTHERING ME!

[BritExPatInFla]

It's about time. The SatTV creeps are more annoying than the Cable creeps. The development I live in only recently (Past 3 yrs) was wired for cable TV, and prior to that DirecTV had some sort of agreement with the developer to put a dish on all of the houses built between certain years. Well, after moving in the DirecTV van started making weekly visits, and the phone calls started. They couldn't believe that anyone wouldn't want to get slow speed satellite internet, snowy TV reception and wouldn't want to pay extra for each TV with service. I'll keep my Road Runner internet and Time Warner/Brighthouse cable. Oh, and the DirecTV dish ended up in the neighbors yard after the hurricane. :D

[TCats]

I'm not sure but I think these are the same A$$hats that have the 'Sucks' commercials on TV. If they are it would be in keeping with their brain-dead marketing strategies. Based on the calls and those commercials I don't even consider a switch.

[JustRight]

It kills me when somebody with a strong Indian accent introduces themselves with a very Anglo name. I had one call a few weeks ago and she couldn't pronounce my very common, never have to spell it last name and then said her name was "Michelle Miller". Right, and I'm Indira Gandhi.

[TCats]

"I no longer speak to anyone on the phone with an Indian accent. I just hang up............."

Racist bigot. (Just kidding) :-)

[AppyPappy]

We had the Dish Networks guys come out and they discovered they could not get the angle they needed. After that, they called us every week offering to come out again and tell us the same thing. Getting a refund on our deposit was next to impossible.

[Red Badger]

I mean, really, I've put my name on that "Do Not Call List", and still they call. Just the other night I got 4 calls from some Indian or Pakistani souding people who wanted to re-finance my mortgage...............

[TCats]

I've been getting those calls as well.

What I cannot seem to get rid of are E-Mails that my ISP seems to let get through despite the fact that they aren't really addressed to my E-Mail ID. Four or five Viagra, four or five Rolex watch replica pitches and a couple of 'Refinancing' schemes each day.

I suspect there is money changing hands between these spammers and my ISP (Comcast)

[Red Badger]

My e-mails have those, too. But by a wide margin there seems to be a lot of people out there that are worried about the size of my manhood...........