Just passing this along in case you are about to make a decision with your extra cash: DirecTV, you can kiss my ass. I say this with all sincerity and with no hyperbole. First-time customer here, haven't been signed up for a week yet and we ran into a problem with one of our boxes and half a dozen DirecTV employees, including an alleged supervisor who has no business in business.

After my wife and I spent three hours on the phone last night with this "Good TV, Better TV, Bite Me" company, these people offer nothing for our hassle except a pre-paid box to return our busted DVR/receiver.

I won't bother you with details. Just understand any reasonable person in the same situation would have been reasonably pissed off. I can't remember how many phone transfer problem/hang-ups. Four? At least three. What the hell self-respecting person who WORKS ON THE PHONE for a living doesn't know how to transfer to someone?

"I'm sorry, but I hope I answered all your questions," said the alleged supervisor - curtly - when asked if there was any compensation for what in, say, the Third World would be considered a beyond-useless hassle. But in America, discretionary income and leisure is king. I've worked plenty of service industry jobs and I don't think The Customer Is Always Right. But I think The Customer Is Slightly More Than From Time To Time Right. DirecTV clashes against that notion with 32" double-handed broadswords to go with their little rooftop dish shields. In fact, I was so taken aback by Mr. Alleged Supervisor I laughed and said, "You're kidding me?" Ah, no. He wasn't kidding. And then he hung up on me. Not me on him. Him on me.

Dang!

But what is our lousy household to this $12.2 billion company? Alrighty, so what did I want for our hassle? I don't actually know. DirecTV wouldn't even give a starting point, so there was no budge ground.

One reason we switched from Comcast (Time Warner) cable is because they gave us the shaft too often there, too. Little to no competition means little to no satisfaction for consumers.

I don't need satellite TV. I want it. So do millions of others. It's like a drug. At what point does that turn a company into a sleazy pusher?

Just for fun I'm going to send them this blog post and see what happens.

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