Purchasers of the NFL Sunday Ticket package typically can’t get refunds. Those who seek refunds due to national anthem protests could be the rare exception.
The key words are “could be,” because even though the click-baity headline from the Wall Street Journal says that “DirecTV Allows Some NFL Refunds After Anthem Controversy,” the article lists deeper in the story four different responses from four different customer-service representatives.
From the ninth paragraph of the story: “One [representative] said refunds to those concerned about the anthem protests were only offered to subscribers with certain offers or plans. One representative said full refunds were available for those who complained about anthem protests. Another said such people could only get prorated refunds for the remainder of the season. Yet other representatives said the policy hadn’t changed and that no refunds were allowed for any reason.”
So, basically, whether a customer gets a refund may hinge on a game of call-center roulette, possibly with requests to accelerate the discussion to of management needed in order to get satisfaction.
A spokesperson for DirecTV’s parent company, AT&T, declined comment to the Wall Street Journal. The NFL declined comment for the article, as well.
However it plays out, DirecTV needs to have a clear, consistent policy that allows refunds, if available, to be obtained as efficiently and easily as when DirecTV separates the customer from his or her money at the time the purchase is made.
