The installer was probably at the coffee shop down the street dialing random phone numbers and asking if they needed their cable installed.

It gets even trippier - they can show up at your Alternate Universe Home and you didn't answer the door, because you are out in that Universe, even though in this universe you were home the whole time and didn't hear any doorbell or knocking at all.

Science is so spooky.

Gotta love an installer wasting away a day that you probably asked off work for and then just brushing it off by falsely filing a call. Jerks.

These jokes remind me of Yakov Smirnoff...In Soviet Russia they don't install cable...cable installs YOOOUUU!

Speaking as a former Time Warner Tech and Tech Manager:

In most of the areas that I know of, the installers do not call, but the dispatchers call the phone number that's listed on the account, and the note that in your customer history.

In addition, the dispatcher will usually ask for a meter number -- usually your electric meter -- as a physical indication that the technician is actually at the address in question. If a supervisor is checking up on a tech and there are conflicting stories from the tech and the customer, we'll look at the meter -- if a customer's meter isn't even close to the meter number given to dispatch, then we'll know that the tech is not performing his job correctly, and didn't even knock. If the meter numbers match, there is a good chance that the tech was at least at the customer's location, and then we'll give some more latitude to getting the customer's installation/repair call rescheduled (I would do the customer's install/repair myself, in order to make the customer happy).

OP does not have anon-call blocking by chance does he?

@SushmitaCaepio:
"but the dispatchers call the phone number that's listed on the account,"
If they're anything like mediacom, that could be the problem. When I had service with them, they had the wrong phone # listed for me, and no matter how many times they told me they changed it, it never happened.

This exact same thing happened to me THREE DIFFERENT TIMES with one technical issuel. We literally wasted three separate 8-hour periods waiting for Time Warner to come by, and only once did they call. It was at the end of the window, and my husband was on the phone with TW on the other line. He went to go check his phone to see who was calling and before he could take the phone away from his ear, they had already hung up and left.

We thought this might be because we lived in a secure high-rise and the tech was too lazy to wait for us to let him in before he left, but apparently this is standard TW practice.

Cell phones are not perfect. They do not always ring when they are called, and it may never display a missed call, even when someone called you. Happens all the time.

That used to be a problem for me all the time until I figured out the trick. Call them back right away and ask the dispatcher to connect to the technician a have a conversation a la 1908 operator connection three way calling until the technician rings the door bell. That way the dispatcher won't rid of you so easily.

@SushmitaCaepio:

I can also say this is the case with other ISPs as well.
It's usually the dispatcher contacting the client with a contact number on the account - in more cases than not, it's wrong (the number).

yeah this new rule is bs. the only thing I do is make sure they use my home number with call waiting. I call TW at the exact time of the apointment if they haven't shown up. 9 times out of 10, they get to the "installer" (and I Use the term loosly) on the walkie and THEN suddenly the phone rings. It's a total scam! But TW only started doing this in my area over the last 2 years - wonder what the rational is?

@Yankees368: so wheres the voicemail?

also - don't forget to confirm what number they have on the account when you set up the appointment with the tech!

I've had this happen with multiple companies, especially the "delivery attempt was made" when ive been sat 10 feet from the front door all day, calling them towards the end of the window getting assurances they are on their way - only for the tracking to later claim they made a "attempt" at 10am...

The drivers/technicians BS the system if they can't make all their stops. Plain and simple.

@oldtaku: I've had this personally happen to me. I had an issue with my cable internet routinely dropping my connection for 30 to 60 seconds every few minutes (highly frustrating). After calling and going through the CSR song and dance, they scheduled a tech to come out to my apartment. I took time from work to specifically wait for the tech to show up, and he never did. When I called TW, they stated the tech claimed nobody was home. When I was told this, I that all my information was correct, and then filed a complaint.

So explain to me how I was on the phone with TWC confirming that the appointment was still open, and my call waiting beeped, and before I could even move the phone to see who was calling, the caller had disconnected? Who was the caller? Why, it was the TWC technician, "logging" his call to me that I didn't respond to. That was the only call that I had come through that day, when the tech said he'd called multiple times.

I've had the same cell number for 6 years, and use it as my home phone number for TWC. I get 5 bars of signal when at home. I sat for an entire day waiting for the technician to call/show up, and only discovered at 8pm that the tech had cancelled the call because he claimed I didn't answer.

It's not an issue of the tech claiming he showed up and that I wasn't home, it's the fact that I'm certain he's dialing my number, letting it ring so it hits the logs, then hangs up before the call goes through the network from Sprint to AT&T. Their system shows the call as having happened. My phone does not. Their system also does not display the length of the call, only that it was made.

To be fair, I haven't had an issue with a missed appointment in over a year.

@wagenejm: I verified all my information was correct >_<

it's not like this is something new. 90% of the time i call or schedule an appointment with time warner or comcast, i get this level of service.

im going back to dialup and basic cable.

Maybe they're using SlyDial

Yep, this happened to me as well from Time Warner, seems to be the ultimate excuse for the installer running late.

While I cannot speak for the contractors we use in FL, the in house techs for Bright House are supposed to call our operations center and have myself or a coworker try to verify if they are home or not when they run a job and there's no one around. It is SURPRISING how many customers do not have any sort of working contact numbers or they don't answer when a tech calls from his nextel because they don't recognize the number.

It doesn't really matter whether the tech called or not, whether they have a wrong number, or a comet crashed into the Earth and billions died, including the installer. The appointment wasn't met and you suffered for it. "You" being everyone that has experienced something similar ... which may possibly be everyone with cable.

If your cable install is that important to you, then demand compensation from the cable company for the wasted time. You can't ever get them to do their job better, so don't waste more time arguing with CSRs and supervisors that the contracted techs aren't coming around. No one except you really cares about your experience; they care about numbers. So quantify your experience in numbers they can understand.

Let them know that on top of a pro-rated bill for the time your service went uninstalled (which you'll get without fuss) you want, say, 5% off for your next month or two, given as an immediate direct credit to the account. Don't take no for an answer, because you can always get in touch with billing, many companies have retentions, and supervisors sometimes have the ability to approve such things to keep customers happy. Hey, that's what's most important to you anyway, right? Being happy? They'll bend and break eventually, so keep at it.

By the way, the contracting system is one big shitfest. The techs themselves are sometimes at odds with the cable company. I had a Comcast tech try to install cable internet at a new apartment. Basically, he flipped the switch, then came in and plugged in a new modem for testing. The testing failed and he had to call up Comcast. Comcast techs here go through a similar phone tree-CSR system that customers go through. Someone from India BS'ed him for a long time, turned out to be completely unhelpful, and got hung up on. He then called his "executive support" line, which went to a more competent person that eventually resolved the problem.

The point is, don't try and get involved in reorganizing their workforce by giving them what-for, because it is beyond help. Just call back, tell them that it is unacceptable that they made you wait around at home for a tech that didn't show up, and you want something in return. Money is best, because everyone understands that language, just don't overdo it. It's also the best way to get poor service on the books, and for system oversight from top to bottom.

If your cable install is not that important to you, then cancel it. If your first impression of them is bad, don't expect it'll get much better. Try going cable-free. Most people that do are thankful, including me.

Reminds me of when I tried to have TWC installed when I lived in NYC in 2002. The technician did indeed call. I was in the bathroom and couldn't get to the phone. Later, when the tech hadn't shown, I called TWC, who said the appointment was canceled because I didn't answer my phone.

But never did TWC say that I had to answer my phone for the appointment to be fulfilled!

I had a Time Warner installer try that with me, only at the time they supposedly called I was on the phone with Time Warner and a rep was trying to trace the installer. Funny thing, he wasn't answering his phone.

Our install went so wrong so many times we ended up with two months of free service and a discounted price for two months after that.

I had a Roto Rooter tech scheduled to come out for a serious clog that was backing up in the house. Three times they were unbelievably late, and when I called, the dispatcher told me "they're on the way, right now, going up the main street," blah blah blah. I found out the dispatch was in Kansas City and had NO IDEA where they were.

They couldn't get the problem fixed, even after three days of coming out. I finally called another service and the guy went under the house and had it located and fixed in three hours.

At least RR didn't charge me. I would not have paid them a dime.

"Bret, Bret, this is 1979 David Bowie calling from Time Warner man."

About a year ago I had a similar problem with WOW. The van was in front of my apartment. I seen them pull up but they never got out of the van and just left. I ended up calling about it and someone got back to me like three hours later. They gave me my first month of service free but I had to wait until 5 pm for them to come after they were done with the other runs. It was originally scheduled for 10-2.

@SushmitaCaepio: I tried to move my service to another location, installer didn't show and didn't get a call. When I called customer service they said the installer had called my number, then left a voice mail after knocking on my door.

So if the dispatcher calls the incorrect number on the account, does the installer also go to the incorrect address?

I switched to AT&T and have never been happier. I told all of my friends and they switched as well. I might consider thinking about switching back if TWC stopped wasting their budget on terrible television commercials and reinvested in improving their service.

@masonreloaded: I've had companies refuse to leave a message because my voice mail wasn't personal enough - mentioned nothing of my name and was just the generic cellular provider greeting reciting back the number. I've since changed it to a Youmail greeting in the last year.

You can also getting 'phantom voice mails' - messages that appear in your voice mail after never ringing on your phone despite having a full signal and no problems getting other calls.

@burnedout: Wow, they'd really have to go out of their way to be that big of an ass.

I worked for a cable contractor and some of our guys would disconnect the phone line from the NID on the back of the house. Then call dispatch and tell them the customer isn't home, and when they call to confirm is just rings on the dispatch end, but not the customers end. Then they come back and tell us to move on. We reconnect the line and leave. Very shady...

I've already busted Comcast at something similar and got a few free months of service. Comcast claimed they came to my house and I was not there. Too protect myself I put my laptop near the front door with a cheap usb camera on it and let it record the street outside my house all day long. I got the UPS guy, the water meter reader guy, the mailman, the kids across the street, and my garbage man on video that day, no Comcast guy.

Don't be a sucker for these Time Warner shenanigans. If everyone were to do this companies like this may find it more cost effective to actually have the employee do their jobs correctly versus attempt to pull the wool over our collective eyes.

@SushmitaCaepio: I received two automated phone calls from TimeWarner the same day, so they *definitely* had the correct phone number. I did eventually get a free month when they failed to show up within the *next 5 hours* after claiming they would since that was so obviously their error. Along with my free month, I received multiple condescending lectures about how I should answer my phone, when I clearly acknowledged their stupid automated calls up to the incident.

When I was left waiting for some never-dispatched techs from CenturyTel, once I finished reading off all my notes from earlier calls to the CSR and having that person admit that the techs were never dispatched, I demanded to be paid for my time left sitting and waiting at home. I only asked for $20 for the day; I should have demanded minimum wage. I had to press the point a bit, but they gave it to me by deducting it from the next bill.

i never had TWC, but when i had directv i saw a lot of guys that came in late and then fudged their hours on their service tickets. didn't bother complaining since they (mostly) got my dish fixed every time, but lazy techs definitely don't surprise me.

Oh, I've got a better story than the non-ringing cell phone.

A few years ago, we had an LP tank that serviced our gas dryer and gas stove. The LP ran out one day, and we called the company to ask why they hadn't auto-refilled. They said "There's a problem with your account. We tried calling repeatedly." I asked what number they had on file, and they said "We don't have your number on file."

I asked how they could be calling repeatedly if they didn't have a number for us, and they got mad at me and hung up.

@Yan Grinshteyn:

Have fun in the stone ages. It'll be a couple days before you can even read this comment on dialup though.

@chrisjames: "If your cable install is not that important to you, then cancel it."

That's great advice, and that's exactly what we did. We don't miss it one bit, in fact, we quite like the extra $100 a month. :)

@wagenejm: that's an ironic typo to commit, given the topic...

@jwissick: Very good observation. I am pretty sure that most installers don't want their numbers available to customers.

@Sam Wille: My phone has been doing this a heck of a lot since hurricane Ike hit.. (I live in Houston) My phone looks like it has perfect reception (full bars) but it doesn't ring.. then all the sudden I have a lil sound that says I have a voicemail.. 'Course who knows how many calls I've missed because people don't leave me a message.

I wish I knew how to fix it.. but it is probably something on ATT's end.

I've also been having a problem where I can't dial out at all.. even though I have full bars.

Who knows.