Lift the Cleveland Indians Ban on Directv and SportsTime Ohio Petition

We, the loyal fans of the Cleveland Indians, are submitting this petition to Directv and SportsTime Ohio in an effort to get our voices heard. We are extremely unhappy with the way that customers of Directv and SportsTime Ohio have been treated by both organizations throughout this entire ordeal. We would like to request that Directv show Cleveland Indians games (televised by SportsTime Ohio) to customers in ALL four zones of the Cleveland Indians television market. We will accept no other alternative. As customers of your organizations, we realize that the only way to promote change is to let you know how many customers are displeased with how this situation is being handled. We call on both Directv and SportsTime Ohio (STO) to put aside their differences and to negotiate with one another in good faith until this situation has been resolved. Ultimately, the group that has been losing the most in this situation is the customers of both Directv and STO. Now is the time for your companies to prove to your customers that their opinions really do matter and that their voices are in fact being heard.

We also object to the misinformation being widely disseminated by Directvs customer service representatives (CSRs), who we (as customers) count on for accurate information. We insist that all of Directvs CSRs be educated about this situation and able to correct company errors that have affected our ability to legally view games. Our experience has exposed a tremendous flaw in Directv's customer service setup. Directv claims to offer more sports programming and better customer service than other cable or satellite television outlets. However, Dish Network and many cable outlets are offering Indians games in the markets that are being blacked out by Directv. So it is not truthful and accurate for Directv to present itself as being an industry leader in providing sports programming. Also, the difficulty that many Directv customers have experienced in obtaining a consistent and accurate answer from employees at Directv indicates that the level of customer service provided by Directv is unacceptable.

At the heart of this entire issue, there is something that is much larger than either Directv or STO. This issue is about Indians fans simply wanting to be able to watch and support their favorite team. Nothing more and nothing less. In a world that is all too frequently dominated by commercialism and bottom-line value, there are also times when things are so simple that they are really right there in front of us to see. This is about nothing more than allowing loyal, hard working Indians fans to sit back, watch the Indians on television, and not have to worry about large corporate entities. In what seems to be a very complicated deal between Directv and STO, no principle should be simpler for both companies: Always put the customer first. If you do that, then bottom-line success will follow. As customers of Directv, the Indians, and STO, that is all that we want and all that we ask.