Today Is the Last Chance to Claim Money From DirecTV’s $17 Million Robocall Settlement

© Provided by CNET Did you receive a robocall representing DirecTV? You could be eligible for money from a multimillion-dollar settlement. Getty Images

Nobody likes robocalls. But if you received a robocall about a DirecTV bill — even though you weren’t a customer — you may be eligible for a chunk of a $17 million settlement the satellite television company is paying out.

CONSTELLATION BRANDS, INC.

Plaintiffs in Brown, et al. v. DirecTV allege DirecTV contracted third-party companies who made debt-collection robocalls to hundreds of thousands of noncustomers, a violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, a 1991 law that requires express consent to receive prerecorded messages.

Depending on how many calls you received and which company made them, you could receive more than $600 from the settlement. But today is the final day to submit a claim.

Read on to find out if you’re eligible for money from the DirecTV settlement, how much you could get and what you need to do to file a claim.

For more class action suits, see if you qualify to file a claim for American Airlines’ baggage-fee settlement or  Keurig’s $10 million K-Cup payout

What is DirecTV accused of in the class action suit?

In a complaint filed in California District Court, lead plaintiffs Jenny Brown and Carmen Montijo allege DirecTV hired several outside agencies — iQor, Credit Management, Enhanced Recovery and AFNI — to call customers about overdue payments. 

But the companies called at least 220,000 unique wrong numbers belonging to people who never ordered DirecTV, according to the settlement notice (PDF), which adds that DirecTV “either knew or consciously avoided knowing” what the telemarketing agencies were doing.

DirecTV argued it should not be held responsible for the actions of third-party agencies. It also denies that the calls violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.

“While we reject the allegations in this lawsuit as we have extensive procedures in place to comply with the TCPA, we decided to settle this nearly decade-old case,” a DirecTV spokesperson told CNET in an emailed statement.

In 2005, DirecTV was forced by the Federal Trade Commission to pay a $5.3 million fine after a telemarketing company it contracted called individuals who were on the national do-not-call registry. At the time, It was the largest civil fine ever imposed by the FTC for a violation of a consumer protection law.

“The do-not-call rule applies to all players in the marketing chain, including retailers and their telemarketers,” then-FTC Chair Deborah Platt Majoras said in a statement.

More recently, a West Virginia judge granted class action status in August to a separate suit accusing DirecTV of spamming customers with unsolicited marketing calls.

Who is eligible for money from the DirecTV settlement?

Anyone who hasn’t been a DirecTV customer since October 2004 but received a non-emergency automated debt-collection call on their cellphone from DirecTV or one of the third-party collection agencies is eligible to submit a claim in the settlement.

The call must have been made between Aug 14, 2009, and Dec. 4, 2015, and have used a prerecorded or artificial voice.

How much could I get from DirecTV?

Individual class members will get a share of the $17 million payout, depending on which agency called them. The exact dollar value of each share depends on how many people file successful claims.

According to the settlement, consumers who were contacted by iQor or Credit Management would be eligible for two shares, or about $600, per call. Those contacted by Enhanced Recovery or AFNI would get one share, or $300, per call. 

The deadline to object to the terms of the settlement or to request to be excluded from it was Nov. 18.

How do I file a claim?

Many class members have been sent postcards and emails indicating they qualify for the settlement. If you believe you are eligible but did not receive a notification, you can submit a claim on the settlement website or mail in a completed form to:

DIRECTV Prerecord TCPA Settlement Administrator

P.O. Box 25356

Richmond, VA 23260

The deadline to file a claim is Dec. 19. No proof is required, although you will have to provide the telephone numbers that were called. 

When will class members get their money from DirecTV?

A final hearing to approve the settlement is scheduled for Feb. 24, 2023.

Any payments would be issued  after that, but appeals could slow down the process by as much as a year, according to the settlement notice — which asks claimants to “be patient.”