Consumerist
broken promises
Posts Tagged “
Cable
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broken promises
backlash
Verizon Infuriates Baseball Fans With "Misleading" Blog Post "Announcing" MLB Extra Innings On FiOS
Back in February of this year, Verizon posted the following message titled "MLB Coming to FiOS, Mom and Apple Pie Rejoice!" on their Policy Blog: More »
porn
Charter Cable Gives Free Porn To The Mentally Handicapped
Consumerist Forums reader "1gunit" discovered free porn while channel surfing on his new HDTV. It began when a strange program appeared that started to automatically fast forward itself through what was some presumably boring dialogue. When the program began to play at normal speed, "1gunit" realized he was watching someone else's "On Demand" porn. How did this happen? His letter, inside... More »
comcast
How To Get $90 Off Your Comcast Bill
Reader Matthew just cut his Comcast bill in half with a single phone call. He received a flier from one of Comcast's competitors that boasted a much better price than the $175 per month he was paying. When he called Comcast and told them about the better rate, he was swiftly transferred to "customer retention" which must be a place of magical wonderment because by the time he got off the phone his Comcast bill had been reduced by $90. How did he do it? His letter, inside... More »
videos
Comcast Contractor Van Does Doughnuts
(Thanks to Waldon!)
bbb
"BBB Is Useless" Says Cable Company Call Center Manager
If you have a hassle with a cable company and you want to escalate it to an outside agency, one cable company call center manager told The Consumerist to forget the BBB. His exact words were, "The Better Business Bureau is useless — Public Service Commission is best policy (but a last resort)." Straight from the mouth of a man on the inside and in a position to know, the cable companies are more afraid of PSCs and PUCs than the BBB. Probably because of the two, only the PUC has direct oversight! So, you're more likely to get action by ccing your cable company complaint to the PUC than the BBB. Don't know your PUC's info? Here's a state-by-state list.
used equipment
Maybe Time Warner needs to include a decontamination protocol when it transfers reusable equipment between customers. Natalie writes:
More »
Time Warner Delivers Modem, Cockroaches
Maybe Time Warner needs to include a decontamination protocol when it transfers reusable equipment between customers. Natalie writes:On Tuesday, April 15, 2008 a Time Warner representative came to our home to install the digital telephone modem which would also provide our internet service.
My husband observed an insect walking on the modem box and asked what it was and the employee seemed dazed and confused.
More »
success stories
Comcast Fixes Problem Of Reader They Made Cry
Stephanie's internet is back after she used the contact info from our post "Comcast Trawling Blogs And Twitter For Customer Complaints" to email Comcast's problem solver, Frank Eliason. Stephanie writes, "Within an hour of my email to Frank he responded, saying that he forwarded my problem to Scott the local guy...they had a tech at my house within an hour." Score!
PREVIOUSLY: Comcast Skips 3 Appointments, Hangs Up On You 6 Times, Makes You Want To Cry
(Photo: u2acro)
anger
Comcast Skips 3 Appointments, Hangs Up On You 6 Times, Makes You Want To Cry
Reader Stephanie wants to cry because of Comcast:
I HATE dealing with tech support. This time, I bit the bullet because my internet connection wasn't working.
UPDATE: Stephanie's problem has been fixed.
More »
customer service
Comcast Trawling Blogs And Twitter For Customer Complaints
The sometimes customer service deficient cable company Comcast has a new "fireman" whose job is to respond when people blog or Twitter their customer complaints. Frank Eliason's unenviable task is to watch the blogosphere and reach out to posters when they kvetch about Comcast. He's a nice guy, he's reached out to help some our reader's posted complaints, but he's not omnipotent. This article covers two people customers contacted by Eliason. One of them got their problem solved within a day, the other was still waiting for a solution a work-week later. It is Comcast, after all. Still, if regular customer service isn't helping you, try blogging or Twittering your problem and maybe the magic customer service fairy will visit you! Also, his Twitter profile is comcastcares and his email is We_Can_Help@cable.comcast.com.
Comcast's big push to repair its image [Philly.com]
update
Cablevision responded to our post chastising their attempt to force customer to upgrade to digital service by pointing to an unrelated FCC mandate. Cablevision admits that there is no connection between their unilateral business decision to cut channels and the FCC-mandated transition to digital television, but their statement leaves several questions unanswered. Read Cablevision's statement and our response, after the jump.
More »
Cablevision Claims They Are Not Lying Liars, But Mysteries Remain
Cablevision responded to our post chastising their attempt to force customer to upgrade to digital service by pointing to an unrelated FCC mandate. Cablevision admits that there is no connection between their unilateral business decision to cut channels and the FCC-mandated transition to digital television, but their statement leaves several questions unanswered. Read Cablevision's statement and our response, after the jump.
More »
exclusive
Cablevision Blatantly Lies To Subscribers As The FCC Twiddles Its Thumbs
Update: Cablevision responds.
Cablevision is lying to customers by claiming that the FCC will require all subscribers to upgrade to digital cable boxes in 2009. Digital cable boxes cost $6.50 per month, plus an extra $10.95 for digital service. Cablevision recently sent a letter to all boxless subscribers threatening to cut several channels unless they forked out a bundle of extra cash for digital service. When one of our family member called for an explanation, Cablevision shirked responsibility and placed the blame squarely on some crazy new FCC mandate. We called shenanigans and decided to call back and record our chats with several customer service representatives. Inside, the recordings of Cablevision lies and the FCC's flaccid response.
More »
5:15 PM on Sat Apr 19 2008
By Carey
11,984 views,
66 comments
Latest by JerseyJerry1701: Morris County,NJ residents have had a history of being lied to by Cablevision. Cablevision has historically taken channels away (but not lower the bill from those lost channels). Oh sure Morris County has "allowed" Verizon to come in to give more »
refunds
Cablevision: Techs On-Time Or You Get $20
A Cablevision tech support rep told us that if your Cablevision tech arrives past the service window, you're entitled to a $20 credit (this press release supports it). And if you're in the Bronx or Brooklyn, you can get a free month of cable TV if the tech shows up late (this is applied on a case-by-case basis but it is possible. Should the tech pull a noshow, call customer service and speak to a supervisor, who may offer you credits (usually $40-$50) or a free month depending on your customer history. Inside, Which customer service number to call, based on the first four digits of your account number: More »
complaints
Time Warner Wants $9,060 To Let You Have Cable
Reader "phillipe23" wants cable service, but because of his rural location it will cost him $9,060. He already has satellite, but his reception is very spotty. It seems that when the bad weather rolls in his service goes out. Clinging to the the hope that cable could be the answer to his problems, he contacted Time Warner for some relief. So what did the ever-sympathetic cable giant have to say? phillipe23's letter, and our advice, inside... More »
Comcast Apologizes For Tech's Van Blocking Driveway
Frank Eliason from Comcast Executive Customer Service provided the following statement regarding the San Fransican whose Comcast cable service mysteriously shut off 10 minutes after asking a tech to move his van from in front of his driveway:
customer service
Comcast: Repair Techs On-Time Or You Get $20
Did you know that Comcast has an "on-time guarantee?" That's right, if your tech arrives outside the time window for a repair, you're entitled to a $20 credit. For installs, you get one free cable outlet installed. A former Comcast worker says, "Only dispatchers have the ability to put this credit on accounts, however," which makes us wonder how easy it is to actually get these applied to your account. Maybe if you use these numbers to call dispatchers directly you'll get somewhere. [Comcast]
whoops
Nickelodeon Is Channel 33, Comcast Adult On Demand Is 333
Michael writes in with an unfortunate coincidence:I discovered last night that my Comcast Adult on Demand channel is 333. Easy buttons for a child to accidently press, particularly when Nickelodeon is 33. That's right, one extra push, and my five year old gets the Playboy listings instead of Spongebob.It's nice that you have such a good sense of humor about it. We imagine that eventually Comcast is bound to get some calls from parents who aren't so pleasant to deal with. More »
Yeah, I blocked Adult on Demand, but I only found it in the first place because I was searching the hinterlands of Showtime en español.
repairs
Thomas writes in to ask why Time Warner needs to send 12 different technicians to his home to get his Roadrunner speed up to the 10 mbits/sec that they promise in their advertising, as opposed to the 2.5 mbits/sec that he averages. He tallied up some of the more interesting facts from his recent experiences.
More »
Time Warner Sends 12 Techs To Home, But "High Speed" Cable Remains A Fantasy
Thomas writes in to ask why Time Warner needs to send 12 different technicians to his home to get his Roadrunner speed up to the 10 mbits/sec that they promise in their advertising, as opposed to the 2.5 mbits/sec that he averages. He tallied up some of the more interesting facts from his recent experiences.More »
