ULPT Request: How can I avoid a $450 cancellation fee?
Posted by absolutele00@reddit | UnethicalLifeProTips | View on Reddit | 29 comments
I’m shutting down my business for personal reasons and need to cancel DirecTV. They want to charge a $450 early termination fee. A supervisor said he can’t waive it, but gave me an email for another team that might if I have a strong reason. Any solid excuses or tips that could help get the fee reduced or waived?
wheresjim@reddit
If you are shutting down the business and the contract is in the business’ name, just don’t pay it
absolutele00@reddit (OP)
They have my payment information saved. They said they would charge it if I don’t pay, and it would go to collection if the card doesn’t work.
Accomplished-Leg5216@reddit
Shut down that line of credit- checking . Just contact the bank - do NOT tell them why.
You could say you believe youre at risk of fraud bc of your info being leaked. Someone contacted you and asked you to pay “ The social security” and stated the banks account number.
Proof- ? Oh right here . Pick a number! Scammer using scrambler i guess?
Po-Tay-Toz@reddit
Cancel the card on file or change your payment information to a prepaid card with $10 on it.
fatherdoodle@reddit
Remove your payment information from the saved stuff. I did this one time with someone else and they couldn’t charge anything to me.
hard-of-haring@reddit
Cancel the card it's on.
KeyMysterious1845@reddit
If the business is shut down...who cares about collections ?
Txflood3@reddit
Tell them you’re going to prison
InspiredAttitude@reddit
Ask your accountant what deduction you'd get on your tax return if you paid the fee and included as a business expense on your final tax return.
StanielReddit@reddit
There are no “magical” deductions for stuff like this as people seem to think. It would just be an early termination fee of $450 pulling away from any profits he has (but I’m assuming he has no profits otherwise he wouldn’t be closing his business). So there is almost certainly no current benefit.
imapilotaz@reddit
I mean then it literally reduces his income $450. If this is a single person LLC that means he saves 15.2% in employer taxes + income tax. So that $450 would "save him" likely $100-200 in taxes depending on his tax bracket.
And he said he was closing for personal reasons, not financial.
But this is why you put things in corporate name. Just dissolve the LLC if it truly makes no income and this bill dies with the business. Its the literal point of having an LLC
StanielReddit@reddit
If he’s worried about $450, I’m assuming he doesn’t have the money, and thus, he will not receive a benefit. I also HIGHLY doubt this is a single member LLC, and thus, there is no magical “write-off” or “deduction” like this person is saying.
A single member LLC is not usually referred to as a “business.”
Abject-Yellow3793@reddit
If the account is in the business's name, and you close the books on the business without a personal guarantee, they'll just keep sending invoices and eventually stop.
Change the address and phone number on your account first.
absolutele00@reddit (OP)
DirecTV business doesn’t allow customers to have access to their account online, so I’m not able to change any information of the business without calling them.
Abject-Yellow3793@reddit
Call them, tell them the business is relocating and operating under a different phone number, then be done.
cusehoops98@reddit
Right? This is the way.
NoPain7460@reddit
I can’t believe they won’t accept the reason that the business is closing. Go to X and state this and tag directtv and tag the commission that oversees the cable companies and tag the department of justice. These companies are always getting investigated for their practices. I’m sure they will cancel gladly so the DOJ doesn’t come sniffing around
Moobygriller@reddit
Tell them you moved to California
ThomasWhitmore@reddit
You're joining the military, of course.
Henri_Bemis@reddit
Find someone high up enough to remove the fee and low enough for it not to matter to them if they waive it, and give them a really good excuse. A whole adventure, but in 3 minutes, and with a punchline.
You wanted unethical, you didn’t say you didn’t want to work for it 🫡
psychonumber1@reddit
tell them you are moving to an apartment building that doesnt allow satellite installations.
fouldspasta@reddit
Say youre moving out of the country
zvx@reddit
Remove your payment information from the website. It’ll cancel itself 🫣 I canceled comcast business in January, and then they said “no thanks” and kept charging me 2 more months. Ignored their shit, and guess what, they stopped. Collections? Try it, the contract was terminated in January and I’ve got the documentation
absolutele00@reddit (OP)
DirecTV business doesn’t allow users to create an online account, so I’m not able to remove it😔
Kiefy-McReefer@reddit
Tell him you died and can't pay or watch TV anymore.
When he asks you how you're calling tell him that ghosts can use the phone and you don't make the rules.
hunteroito@reddit
I think if you are moving the business to a non covered area they might wave the fee, it’s not your fault if they don’t work there! (Just google possible places on your city there is always a tall building or water tower that blocks the signal in. Very specific place!) Good luck
Cuneus-Maximus@reddit
how much is the cost to keep it alive the rest of the contract? can you reduce service to a lower cheaper level? can you move the service location to your home instead and replace whatever cable / streaming you have there to just use it the remainder of the term?
absolutele00@reddit (OP)
It costs over $600 for me to keep the rest of the contract. I couldn’t find anyone to transfer the service, and because this is a business account, it doesn’t allow me to move it to a residential account.
mordecai98@reddit
What if your business "moves" to you home address?