AT&T is currently facing criticism as the wireless carrier is denying refunds to DIRECTV NOW customers who aren’t satisfied with the company’s new streaming service. A significant number of unhappy consumers recently took to social media and AT&T’s forums to voice their concerns about a service that isn’t performing as advertised and cannot be refunded. According to latest reports, the second largest mobile service provider in the United States is telling customers DIRECTV NOW refunds are not offered by the company. AT&T declined to comment on its no-refund policy, but a spokesperson from the company told TechCrunch no new technology is perfect and some technical issues are to be expected, adding that DIRECTV NOW has mostly been positively received by users.
In addition to subscribers, AT&T is reportedly denying refunds to people who’ve canceled the service during their week-long trial period. The issue is more prominent due to the fact that the Dallas-based telecom giant is advertising DIRECTV NOW as a service that can be canceled at any point which some customers believe implies an existence of a refund policy. Most people complaining about the service online are experiencing a number of technical issues which are preventing them from reliably streaming content. Some customers even found a way to circumvent the company’s no-refund policy by filing complaints with the Federal Communications Commission. According to several sources on Twitter, that process takes around three weeks and is a reliable way to get a refund for those who aren’t satisfied with DIRECTV NOW.
AT&T is apparently aware of most performance issues plaguing its new streaming service as the company recently sent a survey to its subscribers asking them to detail bugs and glitches they’re experiencing. Regardless, some users are dissatisfied because unlike competing products, DIRECTV NOW didn’t launch as a beta service which naturally lowers people’s tolerance levels for technical problems. Crashes, freezing issues, and constant buffering are among the most common complaints about DIRECTV NOW that can be found online. It remains to be seen how long will AT&T take to fix these problems but for the time being, consumers looking for a refund seemingly have no other choice but to get it through the FCC.
