Charter Communications ripoff Newtown Connecticut

Just 2 Weeks in the Life of a Charter Communications Customer

9-11-06, am
Internet service suddenly slows to an unusable crawl. I call for service and despite clear evidence that Charter is experiencing some problem on their end, the rep (Courtney) insists that a technician needs to come to my house. I ask her to at least check their system and she refuses. The service call is then scheduled for Thursday, 9-14, between 8 & 12.

9-14-06
When no technician shows up by noon I call Charter and am told that my service call was changed to Friday, 9-15, between 8 & 5! The rep can offer no explanation for the change in dates or the now 9 hour window. He claims it is not Charter policy to give a 9 hour window but concedes that is EXACTLY what they have scheduled. I would have never agreed to a 9 hour window either. He tells me that someone will call me back with an explanation. No one calls me. By 5:00 pm, I call Charter for an explanation. They can give me none but reschedule my service appointment for Saturday, 9-16.

9-15-06
At approximately 10:00 am - as I was almost ready to leave my house - a Charter service technician rolls in to my driveway. I explain to him that service had been scheduled for 9-14 and was changed by Charter with no call and no explanation and that it has now been rescheduled for Saturday, 9-16. He proceeds to get nasty and storms away. He then sits in his truck in my driveway for approximately 10 minutes. I go back inside to finish what I was doing on the Internet (at the painfully slow speed they were scheduled to rectify) before I have to leave. Almost immediately I lose my Internet service completely! Not believing in any "coincidence" it seems clear that Charter has cut off my service as retribution for not being able to accommodate their technician's unscheduled call. I call Charter for an explanation and for once get a representative willing to check the problem on their end. After 10 minutes on hold she tells me they found a problem on their end and have "corrected" it. Lo and behold, I now have Internet service at the speed I am paying for proving once again that a service call to my house was unnecessary. Obviously, the service call for Saturday, 9-16 was cancelled.

9-21-06, 7:00 pm
Charter calls to confirm a service appointment for Saturday, 9-23 to address my Internet service issues! I explain to the caller that a) the appointment was never scheduled for that day and b) the issue is already resolved.

9-21-06, 7:20 pm
TV picture began pixelizing/tiling/banding (coincidence or retribution again?) as has happened repeatedly for over 3 years. I called Charter and was told that despite technicians many times coming to my house and finding nothing wrong inside and finding problems with the line outside that a technician would have to come to my home again. Appointment is made for Saturday, 9-23, between 1 & 5 pm.

9-22-06, 6:30 pm
I RECEIVE a call from Charter's "automated system". Call is EXACTLY as follows:

Charter Automated: "We have an important announcement about your scheduled service. Please hold..."

2 minutes of silence...

Charter Automated: "There is no service scheduled for this account. Please hold for a representative..."

2 more minutes of silence...

Charter Automated: "We are unable to take your call at this time. Please try your call again at a later time."

Click. Disconnect

Remember - their automated system called me. Not the other way around.

I call Charter for an explanation and I'm told that my service appointment for Saturday, 9-23 has been cancelled. I ask why and after 10 minutes on hold the rep comes back and tells me that my service call was flagged (by Charter) as a priority. Until this moment I had never even heard of this practice. This means that when a technician apparently had some available time on 9-21 they claimed to have called my house and received no answer. First of all, I was home ALL DAY on the 21st and have an answering machine anyway. They did not call. Nevertheless, they claim that having received no answer to their call for an UNSCHEDULED visit on Wednesday they proceeded to cancel the pre-arranged service call for SATURDAY! I demand to speak to a supervisor and after another 10 minutes a supervisor by the name of Jason comes on the line and reiterates the same story I already received and now the soonest they can come out (which is still unnecessary as they have already determined on numerous occasions that the problem is not in my house) is the FOLLOWING Saturday, 9-30!

This is just one example of the blatant abuse of consumers by a monopolistic utility that refuses to adequately provide the service for which they wish to be paid. I have tried every way I can over the course of YEARS to work within their system but the situation has gone from frustrating to abusive. I have called the DPUC before and they have been somewhat helpful and it looks like I'll be calling them again.

If you have any alternative in your area - use it. Charter's overpriced, pathetic products and disgusting customer service will only frustrate you beyond belief. If you must use Charter - fight them. Don't let them get away with their bullshit. Call the DPUC. Call the BBB. Write your congressman. Make deductions from your bill. Do whatever it takes!

Larry
New Fairfield, Connecticut
U.S.A.