Stephen G. moved into a new apartment and decided to sign up for service for Mediacom Cable (not to be confused with the London-based media agency MediaCom). He called the local representative on an ad he’d been given, and was told he didn’t have to sign a two-year contract, so he didn’t. Later he found out his name was on a Mediacom contract anyway. Surprise!

Stephen writes in to Consumerist to share his story, saying he wasn’t sure he’d be at his apartment for two years, so when he spoke to a local rep for Mediacom on Feb. 19, 2011, he was pleased to find out he didn’t have to sign a contract, and could simply be billed on a month-to-month basis.

All was well, until he called in September of this year to cancel services and was told he was under a two-year agreement and would have to pay an early termination fee of $180.

That’s where the fun began. Stephen then told them he never signed a contract and never verbally agreed to one, and a supervisor said if they couldn’t come up with a document with his signature on it, the early termination fee would be waived. Relieved, Stephen waited for a promised phone call with updates about his account. The call never came, and the rep didn’t return any of his.

Take it away, Stephen!

At this point, I was upset. I went onto the Mediacom forum and had a conversation with “MediacomBill” and described my situation. Bill eventually got in contact with the local sales manager and obtained a PDF file with a work order and contract, which he promptly e-mailed me. This PDF file showed my signature agreeing to a two year contract. This is all fine and at this point I would man up and pay the early termination fee, except for one thing:

The signatures on the documents were not mine.

The documents were dated 19 February 2011, the day I established my account. Alongside my forged signature was [the rep]’s signature and my address, which she (or another customer service representative) incorrectly transcribed. Remember, I never met [her] and never signed ANY documents.

Eventually, Stephen threatened legal action. Mediacom replied by requesting a copy of his driver’s license, and finally, confirmation that the early termination fee had been waived.

He adds:

I requested a formal, written apology sent to my mailing address. I have yet to receive one.

The lies, deceit, and forging of documents is unacceptable. I advise anyone who reads this and is thinking about signing up with Mediacom to do one thing: RUN. Run away as fast as you can. I will never deal with this company ever again even if they were the only internet service provider left on the planet.

To back up his story, Stephen provided Consumerist with a copy of the documents Mediacom had claimed that he’d signed, along with a scan of his license. The signature on the Mediacom papers doesn’t resemble Stephen’s actual signature in the slightest.

We’re glad that Mediacom resolved this issue, but it should not have required threats of legal action on Stephen’s part.

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