After being a customer for three years I decided to upgrade to HDTV. When I called they stated I needed new equipment and it would be sent out to me. There was never a mention of extending my contract or service agreement, only that I would not own the equipment. After a few months I decided that DirecTV was not for me and called to cancel. They stated that by ordering the equipment I had extended my contract with them and now owe hundreds of dollars in fees. Over the past several months and many calls they still refuse to remove these charges. There dispute department will not take phone calls and can only be reached by letter. They state that the contract is verbal and that by paying the bill with the customer agreement written on it, you are in effect signing a contract with them. This method of forcing their customers into contracts is in my opinion consumer fraud.