Time-Warner Cable ripoff, unethical business ethics, monopoly, unfair, high fees, abused & mistreated Warren Ohio

I too am angry at Time Warner Cable in columbus right now due to the fact that they now have contracts.. but that is another story...

I worked at a cable company in columbus (not Time Warner) for 8 years and at a cell phone company for 3 years.  I read customer complaints and took them by phone and tried my best to respond to them.

This note is to people like the writer of this letter to maybe help get closer to what you want in other companies.  I am not trying to chastise the writer in any way

If you notice, the original writer jumps all over the place.  First they mention that the cable co. has shut off their services, then they mention how they took advantage of his grandfather, then they mention their bill has a late fee, then they mention how the channels have nothing on them, etc etc etc.   Just writing that sentence made me tired.  I can guarantee if that is how the conversation went, there were no valid points being made, so the customer service rep just let you vent and then told you whatever their policies are.

Letters and complaints like this makes it hard when i want to complain because the customer service reps think that I am just upset about everything like a lot of people are and they won't listen to my valid points.

so the original writer; Adrienne, if i were the representative talking to you, i wouldve first went over your bill with you.  You mentioned you had a late fee on it.  that means you either missed a payment or paid late.  More than likely with looking into that further, there would have been an easy explanation for that part and if it was your first late fee, had you asked nicely or not asked at all, i wouldve offered to take it off for you.  One thing a lot of people dont realize is that they are billed a month in advance but they still have to pay by the due date.  For example, you might be paying for all of October but your due date is Oct 1. 

The second thing you mentioned is that there is nothing on the premium channels.  when i worked at the cable company, i actually got this complaint a lot.  Here is the thing though:  If you purchase HBO, Starz, Showtime, etc from Time Warner cable, you are just purchasing the ability to view what is the channel.  Time Warner has nothing to do with the programming.   The programming dept at HBO( or showtime, or starz or whatever) makes contracts with movie studios to be able to have exclusive rights to certain movies for so long.  Then they set up their programming schedule around those movies.   Unforunately we are a society that enjoys repetition (dont believe me.. just to listen to your favorite radio station.. top execs will play things over and over to drill it into the public and then public will actually call and request a song that just played 15 minutes ago!)  so because of that, those movies play over and over. Plus the HBO you get on Time Warner is the same HBO as the one on comcast, WOW, Insight, Dish network.. whatever the company is, all the premiums are the same. 

You also mentioned how your grandfather was hustled into getting digital.  My grandparents have had this problem with other companies.. (they couldnt get digital cable where they live or it might have happened to them).  I cant say for sure whether your grandfather was told it was introductory offer.  I know Ive taught my grandma how to set the clock on his vcr about 10 times exactly the same way and each time he tells me im telling him something different.   But regardless of whether or not he was told and just didnt understand, there is something that can be done.   All cable companies (even with this stupid contract time warner has now) will let you change  your mind within so many days,  For new installs its 60 days with Time Warner.  So your grandfather doesnt have to keep digital. 

Lastly you mention about how when you mentioned Dish network they told you the bad things about it.  Of course they will do this, they are trying to save you as a customer.  YOu don't have to listen.  however think of this.  The satellitte dish you get with a dish company is a small one that is in your yard somewhere... YOU are responsible for keeping snow off it and making sure its pointing in the right direction to get service.  You say that digital cable uses dishes?  in a way yes and in a way no.. I believe the actual channels themselves have their programming beamed to satellites in space.. but those satellites are maintained by individual channels' companies and wont get covered in snow.  As far as your cable co?  No there is no satellite dish between the company and you.. its all fiber optic cable.

So to make a long story short.. when complaining, try to keep it brief and only complain about one thing per complaint.  That way you are more likely to see results.

Its offensive because I WORKED FOR TWC and left for because of the way they treated people!.....YOU GET HUNG UP ON FOR ALOT LESS THEN "CUSSING" you get hung up on if the rep doesnt know the answer to the question...doesnt feel like handling a tough call....or is in the middle of a conversation with her/his neighbor...I didnt work in customer service dept...I worked in retention and we would get these calls after being "accidently on purpose" hung up on or transfered from on customer service rep to another. You are beyter off going with another service...as I found out the service TWC offers is not worth paying for once i quit (because I got it for free as an employee)

Oh and you dont need to upgrade and get a box for digital cable....cable is digital if you receive basic cable (channels 1-24) standard cable (1-78ish) and if you CHOOSE to have a converter box then it is 7.64 per box this will allow you to get the PPV channels and on demand.

Its offensive because I WORKED FOR TWC and left for because of the way they treated people!.....YOU GET HUNG UP ON FOR ALOT LESS THEN "CUSSING" you get hung up on if the rep doesnt know the answer to the question...doesnt feel like handling a tough call....or is in the middle of a conversation with her/his neighbor...I didnt work in customer service dept...I worked in retention and we would get these calls after being "accidently on purpose" hung up on or transfered from on customer service rep to another. You are beyter off going with another service...as I found out the service TWC offers is not worth paying for once i quit (because I got it for free as an employee)

ok just to let you know it is not the cable company that prevents anything
if a satellite company is not offering you a lacal package then you must ask for it.. the sat company does offer it and it is the broadcaster of the local channel that decides who gets it not the cable company.. so before you start bsing stuff make sure you know what it is you are saying.. again dish and direct tv both offer local channels so maybe you need to rethink what you say

In response to the last rebutal. have read all the complaints other then late bill payments? ther is serious problem at every level with this company!

I have worked in customer service for Time Warner Cable for 2 years now in the billing department; I am sorry for your frustration however: the majority of the time you are shut off for not paying your bill, if you dont pay your bill or half of your bill for almost 3 months you cannot expect the company to continue to give you service. Calling and screaming and cuss out the customer service reps because you refuse to pay your bill isnt going to do you any good at all. And then expecting any company to continue to give you service when you havent paid your bill is outrageous or expecting us to turn you back on and not pay until next week is also outregous the supervisors cant do anything the CSR's cant do if you dont pay you dont get service its as simple as that!

The supervisors are extremely busy and will not return a call to a customer that just wants to speak to a supervisor because they are screaming over being shut off because they didnt pay. Just because you didnt receive your bill in the mail is no excuse for not paying it, you know you have the service and there is a monthly payment to keep that service. No one is forced into having cable, it is after all only T.V. if you cant afford it dont get it; but dont get something beyond your financial means and then call and scream like a banshee at the customer service rep because you cant pay for something. Would you act this way if you didnt pay your mortgage, rent, credit card payments, electric bills, car payments? What do you think would happen in these instances if you didnt pay? Your car would be repossessed, your electricity would be shut off and you would be evicted. What makes you think that cable is any different? You seem to think if you scream loud enough and long enough to shatter the CSR's eardrums you will get what you want free service just because you never pay your bill on time, do you realize a 2 year old acts this way? ITs too bad some of you cant be videotaped over your behavior when you call us.

And as for the technicians, all of their work has to be scheduled if you have a problem we try as hard as we can to resolve it quickly but if the technician's schedule is booked up until the next week you will receive the next available time, the technician as well as the customer service rep we are all human and work for a living also and have the same types of bills as you do. I have a freind who waited 3 weeks for a technician to install Comcast because the technicians were booked up this is the case with Direct TV and Dish Network dont single out Time Warner because you want something for nothing.

You also do not have the right for "immediate" technician if you dont pay your bill for 60 days and we completely disconnect you then you pay us the next day. Stop blaming the company because you decided to use the money to go to Las Vegas or on vacation and not pay your cable bill.

You have been hung up on because you have been cussing out the CSR and screaming so loud and bodily threatening the CSR when they are only trying to help you but again if you dont pay your bill our hands are tied there is only so much we can do ask yourself this: If you acted this way in a public place what would happen? You would be arrested and sent to jail .