The Dish on DirectTV (Editorial)

Mass-market, consumer-related issues really aren’t our bag. As a niche business publication, we’re focused exclusively on in-depth issues affecting CEOs and decision makers in Northwest Arkansas.

But a series of bad experiences with a purveyor of digital satellite TV programming reminded us that customer relations will always be a huge issue for any executive management team.

DirectTV recently lost the business of one of our editors because of the horrible service he experienced while trying to patronize the El Segundo, Calif., company. The editor recently moved into a new home that was not wired for cable television. So fearing expensive cable connection charges, he decided to give the mini-dish satellite service a try.

DirectTV touts its 190-channel package for $36.98 per month, which supposedly includes a “free” 12-inch satellite receiver dish. In reality, a $50 shipping fee is required to receive the hardware.

The bang for the buck is still really good, and the editor had been sold on DirectTV’s quality and versatility while watching ball games at a friend’s house. So he didn’t mind caving for the loss-leader sales gimmick.

He placed his order. DirectTV charged him $50 and guaranteed dish delivery in three days. But three days came and went. Then five. A call to DirectTV generated an apology and new guarantee that the mini-dish was on its way.

It never came.

The most frustrating part of the experience, however, was when the editor tried to contact DirectTV about a refund. He got transferred more times than a White House intern, put on hold for hours and was frequently disconnected. In fact, nearly four weeks later he still hadn’t received a refund because no DirectTV supervisors would return his calls, and the other seven people he spoke with at the company dodged any accountability.

Finally, the editor called his previous “steady Eddie,” Cox Communications, to inquire about running a connection from a nearby pole.

The cost was nowhere near what he had expected, and the editor had actually been satisfied with Cox’s service in the first place.

Cox got on the job quickly and aggressively pursued its reunited customer’s satisfaction. The cable operator has since earned his business for a long, long time.

It’s probably no accident that an upstart little retailer in Bentonville creamed Kmart the same way — by, above all else, putting the customer first.