Cox Communications - "Your enemy in the digital age." Horrible customer service, terrible company all around Atlanta Georgia

I've been a customer of Cox Communications for 2 years now. And I've run into a few snags with them, so let me explain them and then explain the final reason why I'll never use their service again.

It all started on the first day I got service from them. I signed up for their service, was very excited all seemed perfect..until the install guy came. Everything went good. He seemed nice, until I wanted him to run coax cable into two other rooms in my house. (I understand they're only supposed to spend a certain amount of time in each house) I was told when I had called them the day before that for an aditional fee of 30 dollars they could run the cable. I was okay with that. When I asked him, he acted like, I'd just asked him to give me one of his kidney's. He didn't want to do it and told me that it was 50 bucks to install the lines and that I could buy coax and do it cheaper myself. It really irritated me, but whatever I let it go. My bill for TV and internet at this time was 130 dollars.

Fast forward a year later, I move to a new location. I have them cancel my service at my old house and move it to the new place. They say it will be a 30 dollar fee for 'self installation' That seemed a little much but whatever they have to pay the guy to come out and turn it on for me. I let it go. They come out the second day I was at the new place. Say they switched it all on, and I should be good to go, but the tech never came in to test if it was working. 2 days go by and the internet isnt working, nor is the tv. So I call them. They make me do the normal standard stuff and it didn't work. (I knew it wouldn't, I work at a computer repairshop and had the knowledge to already test this stuff, but I humored them and was polite) So they tell me they'll send out a guy to look at it, 2 days from then. (It's now been 6 days since I've had service and they're charging me the whole time after questioning that a couple of times the lady gave me a discount because my service wasn't working.) The guy comes out, probably the nicest guy I've ever met, and fixes it, makes sure everything is good. Everything works perfectly. He leaves. My bill comes up for viewing online (Because I had signed up for paperless billing because I never read my statements in the mail, I just go to 'Accounts and services' and pay the balance it displays. This is important cause it will come in to play later) and it has a 30 dollar installation charge on it...AGAIN. I call them up and after being on the phone for 15 or 20 minutes (Most of that was hold time) they finally figure out that they charged me for a second installation fee because the first guy screwed up. So again after questioning it and making a slight fuss the lady takes the second fee off.

FAST FORWARD SIX MONTHS. I get a bill and they had raised my rates. My bill went from 130 dollars a month to 197 dollars. FOR ONLY INTERNET AND TV. I was outraged. I called customer service and all they could do was say "Well..you could drop your HBO that would bring it down 15 dollars, and get rid of some of your channels" NO. I only had 130 channels as it was and I had gotten free HBO for life. So after getting no where, I went into a Cox store. I talked to a lady there, she was very nice. She hooked me up with a package deal that would give me the same services plus a land line phone for 130 a month. Thats great! She told me, I could upgrade my packages but not down grade them if I wanted to keep the current price. If I downgraded them it broke the package and I went back to the orignal price of almost 200. Fine and good. No problems with that.

Fast forward one final time six months later; My girlfriend's Grandmother got knee surgery and couldn't live by herself. She needed to have someone there to help take care of her. This was somewhat of a family emergency. I had to move with my girlfriend into her Grandma's house in a rual area RIGHT outside Wichita, THAT COX DOES NOT SERVICE. (I emailed them and asked them with the address and they told me that they do not service that area as its 'too far out in the country') So I call up Cox and explain to them, I had something come up. I really enjoyed their service but I have to move to an area they do not service, and I have to cancel it. Well heres where the crap storm starts:
The lady on the phone cancels the service then informs me my final bill will be..wait for it...400 dollars. and I was like "...WHAT?!?" And she says "Yes sir, it looks like you were locked into a two year pricing contract and the early termination fee is 200 and some odd dollars"
So after arguing with her I informed her I was not told I was locked into a contract nor did I sign one. She told me, she was sorry and that she'll see what she can do. And we hung up. She was a very nice lady, and she did cut me a break and made the early termination fee 80 dollars. I give her major props for being nice. HOWEVER I don't want to pay any fee because its not my fault Cox doesn't service my new area, that I moved to because of a FAMILY EMERGENCY. So I go into the Cox store on North Rock Road in Wichita. I had to stand in line for 20 minutes (Not too big of a deal) I get called over by this young cocky guy. I don't know his name but he was young, bald, and African-American. I told him I was never informed I was in a contract and because of that I shouldn't have to pay any fee. Especially since Cox doesn't service the area.. He very snippishly made me come over to a display computer, log into my account and showed me the PDF file of the online bill that stated I was in a contract and had 60 days to opt out, otherwise I was okay with the terms and conditions. Thats fine and good, but I don't read my statements. Theres no reason to. Thats why I signed up for paperless billing, because aslong as their 'Accounts and services' page shows a price somewhere around 130 dollars, I pay it. I told him I never signed anything and he informed me that the phone call I made to the FCC saying my name and address on the phone for the phonebook registry was all the proof they needed that I was in a contract. He informed me that he could submit a request to corperate but they probably would deny it. He repeated that 6 times while I was talking to him. When I told him I wanted him to submit it anyway, he said he would and told us to have a nice day and went on to another customer, without seeing if I was done talking to him. And because he went to help another customer I'm pretty sure he did not submit it.

When I signed up for Cox they paraded themselves on the fact that they have no contracts. That you can cancel at any time with no termination fees...Yet here I am 2 years later with a termination fee because I was opted into a contract that I wasnt informed of, and have to pay a fee because the people who work at Cox are insensitive to family emergencys and because Cox doesn't service my area.

THAT is the biggest problem I have.They are charging ME a fee because THEY don't service an area of a city they claim the service. It's BS.  Unless they resolve this, I will NOT use their service in the future if I move back into an area serviced by them, and I will make sure I tell everyone I can, how shady they are.