Drinking from a cup!

VID_20120420_155200.mp4 Watch on Posterous

eMail Hacked

All... my eMail account has been hacked.  Please delete any previous eMails that you got from me that look out of place, and do NOT click on any links.

Sorry for the inconvenience.

Jared

eMail Hacked

All... my eMail account has been hacked.  Please delete any previous eMails that you got from me that look out of place, and do NOT click on any links.

Sorry for the inconvenience.

Jared

--
"Gentlemen, why don't you laugh? With the fearful strain that is upon me night and day, if I did not laugh, I should die."
--Abraham Lincoln

My DirecTV Complaint Filed with the BBB/FTC

I recently cancelled my service with DirecTV after two years of using them.  I had no issues them, but with our new daughter on the way, we were looking for ways to save money, and this was a cut we decided to make.  Unfortunately, their refund practices have put a bitter taste in my mouth, and I am posting a copy of my FTC complaint against DirecTV.


----- Begin FTC Complaint Text -----

I cancelled service with DirecTV on June 14, 2011.  A charge of 88.98 was put on my CC on June 16.  I noticed the charge on June 18 and called them that day.  They told me 86.01 had been credited back to me.  I took that to mean, the refund had already been applied to my CC, and expected to see it back on my card within 10 days.

I had not seen the refund the by July 2, so I called them back that day.  I was then told that the credit had been applied to my account, but that they do not process refunds back to the CC until 30 days after the credit has been applied to the account.  They verified that my equipment had been returned to them, and there were no further upcoming charges, but still said they were unable to refund my card immediately.  I let them know that this "policy" is potentially costing their customers money, as interest can be charged to the CC for these transactions that have refunds due.  They again stated they were unable to process the refund.

I let them know I would be disputing the charge with my CC, which I have since done, and they encouraged me to do so.

I filed a complaint with the BBB on July 2 in hopes of opening up a line of communication with DirecTV, and give them opportunity to review and ultimately revise their refund policy.  I received their response on July 14:

"We regret to hear of any unpleasant experience you have encountered with your refund request. There are a number of steps involved for any company before a refund is processed.  We owe it to our customers to make sure that we meet all requirements of law and that refunds are only processed when valid. Refunds typically take 6 to 8 weeks to process from the date of disconnection, or the last transaction on your account.  We appreciate your feedback for our review, but we are unable to change the way refunds are processed.  However, in an effort to amicably resolve your complaint, we expedited your credit balance of $86.01 to our Finance Department to be reviewed for an immediate refund. Please allow 5-7 business days for a refund to be processed to the credit card on file. If the payment has been disputed with your credit card company and it is returned to you by them prior to the refund being processed on our end, the amount will be charged back to your account as a double refund will not be provided. We again regret the delay in receiving your refund, and thank you for allowing us the opportunity to address your concerns.

Respectfully, DIRECTV Office of the President"

As you can see, DirecTV had no interest in opening up a dialogue on this topic.  I am, therefore, escalating my complaint to the FTC, as I believe this practice is hurting consumers.

DirecTV is unjustifiably holding its customers refunds for 30 days before processing them back to the CC.  Not only does this cause inconvenience to their customers, but in same cases, it costs their customers extra interest charges that cannot be refunded back.  This practice needs to be stopped.

Note: As of July 21, I still have not seen my refund posted to my CC account.

Back in Labor and Delivery

We are back in L&D as of about 11:00am. Just more contractions, despite taking medication meant to keep them from occurring.

Not really much more to report at this point. Keep looking here for more updates.

Released

Things were pretty quiet last night. They increased Katrina's frequency for taking a prescription that keeps contractions at bay, and that seems to be the key at this point. As such, they are satisfied and releasing her. I expect we'll be out of here by 10:00 this morning.
Thanks for your prayers everyone.

Overnight in Labor and Delivery

We're back in L&D tonight. Katrina had a flurry of contractions beginning at 4:40 this afternoon. Just to play it safe, and make sure everything is fine, we came in.

Things still look fine at this point, but they want to keep her overnight for observation.

One humerous note, during the ultrasound, our little girl reached up and punched the cerclage! Okay little one, we know the cerclage works, but there is no need to test the structural limit of it.

Will keep everyone posted, but no need to worry. In case you're still trying to do the math in your head, we're about 23.5 weeks.