CHANDLER -- Are you thinking about ordering a sports package to watch all your favorite professional teams?
You might want to be careful.
Shannon Dillard says she and her family are big NBA fans so ordering the NBA package seemed like the right thing to do. But she says she didn't know what she was getting into when she ordered it.
A quick look around Dillard's Chandler home lets you know she and her family are into the Phoenix Suns. But it's not just the Suns, it's the entire NBA.
"We watch whenever we can as much as we can," she said.
And that's exactly why Dillard ordered the NBA sports package last season from DirecTV, her satellite provider. She says she did it for her husband.
"Well, I'd like to say I'm his first love, but actually I think it's basketball," Dillard said. "I can admit it."
But Dillard wasn't laughing when she got her bill from DirecTV recently. That's because although she just wanted the NBA League Pass last year, she had no idea DirecTV would automatically renew the package this season.
"And I'm like what is this?" Dillard said. "I didn't order it this year. Why is this even here? I didn't request it. We didn't order it."
The NBA League Pass was going to cost Dillard $168 this season, money she didn't want to spend. So, she called DirecTV but they told her she was stuck with it.
"She said, 'I'm sorry I can't remove it. The season has already started and once the season starts our policy is not to remove the charges,'" Dillard said. "And I said, 'Are you kidding me?'"
Dillard was successful getting some of the charges removed, but DirecTV wouldn't remove all of them so she contacted 3 On Your Side for a little help.
"There is no reason for it whether it's $5 or $500," she said. "I did not ask for it so I'm not going to pay for it."
But, it's all right there in DirecTV's fine print. When you order a sports package from DirecTV, you are automatically renewed season after season unless you pick up the phone and physically tell them you don't want it.
"That's crazy to me, absolutely crazy," Dillard said.
I do have good news. After I got involved, I was able to cancel that automatic renewal and Dillard will not be on the hook for $168.
A big thank you to DirecTV for working with me, but a big heads-up to our viewers when they order a sports package from any cable or satellite provider.
