Get Gephardt helps satellite TV subscriber fight double-billing after DirecTV and AT&T split

MAGNA — Marilyn Newbold gets her television service from DirecTV, which until recently was owned by AT&T.

"I had been paying it through AT&T in what they called a bundle," Newbold said.

Then came a corporate breakup. AT&T and DirecTV were moving forward as separate companies. Bundled services were now unbundled. AT&T told Newbold that she needed to start paying her DirecTV service "directly to DirecTV."

As for Newbold, she's got bank statements, payment receipts and a DirecTV account that shows nothing is past due. So, imagine her surprise months later when she got a bill from AT&T demanding $318.24.

"They're saying that I didn't pay for April, May and June," she said of the surprise bill for a DirecTV service.

She said when she tries to plead her case, she is met with finger-pointing between the two former partners.

"When I called up DirecTV, they said I had to talk to AT&T," Newbold said. "When I called up AT&T, they said I had to talk to DirecTV."

Even worse, AT&T is now threatening to send her to collections.

When I asked her what she hoped would come out of this story, she told me, "That they untangle this knot! Somewhere someone has to get on their computers and find out where the tangle is."

When the KSL investigators reached out to AT&T, we found, indeed, it is a tangled knot. AT&T told us we needed to call DirecTV. Well, DirecTV told us no, we needed to call AT&T.

Going back to AT&T, it then said it would investigate and finally come up with some good news.

Newbold got word that the $318.24 she had owed had been wiped down to zero.

Which was odd, because the statement we got from AT&T said it was positive that she owed that money. When we pointed out the discrepancy to AT&T, it sent us another statement.

Its final word to KSL: "We did our best to assist this customer with her account concern and are glad it has been addressed."

Just like that, it seems the knot finally is untangled. She is no longer being told she owes AT&T for her television service.

If you get caught between two companies after a billing change, keep every statement and payment receipt. That paper trail may be what finally untangles the knot.

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