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Asking about the cost of DirecTV could turn out more expensive than you think.
The Los Angeles Times found DirecTV a little more nosy than it should be, opening the door to identity theft and some minor credit damage from unwanted credit inquiries from the satellite provider.
As customers in southern California grow weary over Time Warner Cable’s dispute with CBS, some are shopping around for a better deal with another provider.
57-year old Los Angeles resident Michael Bell got more than he bargained for when he called DirecTV looking for some price quotes. Before the representative would answer, Bell found himself grilled for a lot of personal details that seemed irrelevant in response to a question about the price of HBO.
In addition to name, address, and type of residence, DirecTV wanted to know if Bell owned or rented his home.
“That stopped me,” Bell told the LA Times. “Why should he care? I told him I just wanted a price quote. He said we’d get to that. And then he asked for my Social Security number.”
That was T.M.I. for Bell’s tastes and he quickly hung up.
Requesting a Social Security number these days is a red flag, often giving warning the person asking is about to run a credit check on you.
Sure enough, Robert Mercer, a DirecTV spokesman, explained the satellite provider pulls a credit report on every potential customer to determine their financial viability. DirecTV doesn’t want deadbeat customers, not after spending close to $900 to install satellite television in the average home.
If you don’t like it, you can pay DirecTV a $300 deposit and keep the number to yourself. The money is gradually refunded in the form of $5 monthly service credits each month you maintain service.
Cable companies are also notorious for running credit checks on customers, which can appear to other creditors as a request to extend credit. Too many credit inquiries can temporarily cut your credit score or worse, deny you credit.
AT&T and Verizon are also sticklers for good credit so expect them to run credit checks as well.
Time Warner Cable stands out among others for at least taking an interest in protecting customer privacy and preventing possible identity theft.
Dennis Johnson, a company spokesman, told the newspaper it can run a preliminary credit check with only the last four digits of a Social Security number and your date of birth.
Consumer privacy advocates argue that in the age of identity theft, nobody should be providing a Social Security number to anyone without a clear understanding it is being used to establish credit, open an account, or get earned retirement benefits. Consumers asked for a Social Security number for any other purpose should ask if they can avoid providing it or at least carefully scrutinize the request. If uncomfortable, simply end the conversation.
the worst-rated cable operator in the United States, claims it needs usage caps and consumption billing to force heavy users to pay for needed upgrades. But that isn’t what Mediacom’s executives are telling investors and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
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Other customers incensed about the new usage limits have called to cancel service only to be threatened with steep early termination fees.
AT&T has boosted the maximum available broadband speed for its U-verse Internet offering to 45/6Mbps service in 40 cities across 15 states.
The cable operator tiers its DOCSIS 3 cable broadband speeds like clothing sizes:
