SelecTV Bills Send Bad Signals

A delay by SelecTV in getting out its monthly bills has interrupted the programming for some subscribers of the over-the-air pay TV service. The bills give customers a code number to use to access SelecTV programming, and without it they receive only a scrambled signal.

When the bills didn’t arrive, subscribers started calling SelecTV’s office and that in turn overloaded the telephone lines, causing further frustration to the many who were unable to get through.

The delay was the result of changing billing houses, a SelecTV spokesman said Wednesday. “All the bills have now gone out and the problem has been solved, so the phones should calm down,” said Jane Bartell, director of marketing and promotion. “But being a few days late does make a difference because the code number is on the bill.”