Ripoff Report Needs Your Help!
X  |  CLOSE
Report: #386688

Complaint Review: Charter Communications - St. Louis Missouri

  • Submitted:
  • Updated:
  • Reported By: Grover Beach California
  • Author Confirmed What's this?
  • Why?
  • Charter Communications 12405 Powerscourt Drive St. Louis, Missouri U.S.A.

Show customers why they should trust your business over your competitors...

Is this
Report about YOU
listed on other sites?
Those sites steal
Ripoff Report's
content.
We can get those
removed for you!
Find out more here.
How to fix
Ripoff Report
If your business is
willing to make a
commitment to
customer satisfaction
Click here now..

Does this sound familiar? this is exactly what Charter has been doing to me, with my bills paid one or two months in advance.

Charter has not sent a current bill to me in over two months. Charter refuses to document (in witting) installation fees, and to document reasons for "late fees" or document demands for collection, or to document reasons for assigning me to a credit collection agency.
When Charter customer service is contacted to resolve issues, all communications are ignored and the customer is connected to India or the Philippines.
Charter fails to resolve issues in all aspects of customer service, and never follows through to a resolution.

One of the most recent allegations involves failure to bill customers in a timely fashion, the customer does not receive the bill and the bill is not paid. Charter then commences late fees and refers the customer's account to collection agencies. If a customer attempts to resolve these billing issues, Charter ignores the customer and blocks communication with it's own accounting department; threatens to blacken the customer's credit report if excessive "acceleration fees" are not paid immediately using credit card over the telephone.

When Charter sends these "collection / disconnection notices" no explanation of the amount demanded is provided to the customer. Charter frequently claims that the bills are not received because the post office has lost the customer's mail. Strong suspicion suggests that Charter "targets" customers by deliberately withholding bills, then demanding late fees, reconnection charges, and other fees to increase it's own profit margins. The company essentially "threatens" customers into paying these excessive fees by creating fear of credit history damage.

Further, other alleged deceptive business practices include advertising "bundle" pricing. When the customer accepts the bundle and equipment is installed, charter then charges hidden installation costs and raises the price far beyond the advertised price. In other instances it has been reported (and witnessed) that installer technicians have disabled / disconnected customer VCR units, claiming that programming can only be recorded by leasing digital video recorders from Charter Communications. Of course any programming may be recorded using a normal VCR, and the digital video recorder units are completely unnecessary. The installers seem to be trained to target customers who are unfamiliar with video equipment in order to take advantage and increase revenues.

Nicola.madscientist.tesla
Grover Beach, California
U.S.A.

This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 10/31/2008 11:27 AM and is a permanent record located here: https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/charter-communications/st-louis-missouri-63131/charter-communications-fraudulant-accounting-practices-bait-and-switch-fraud-st-louismi-386688. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year. Ripoff Report has an exclusive license to this report. It may not be copied without the written permission of Ripoff Report. READ: Foreign websites steal our content

Search for additional reports

If you would like to see more Rip-off Reports on this company/individual, search here:

Report & Rebuttal
Respond to this report!
What's this?
Also a victim?
What's this?
Repair Your Reputation!
What's this?

Updates & Rebuttals

REBUTTALS & REPLIES:
0Author
7Consumer
0Employee/Owner

#7 Author of original report

Charter Bait and Switch Accounting Fraud

AUTHOR: Nicola.madscientist.tesla - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Friday, November 21, 2008

Charter first advertises $99.95 for one year of telephone, internet, television. Charter then sends bills for hidden installation costs, without explanation of what the charges are for. Charter fails to account for fees, paid to the installers on the installation dates, and never documents that these fees have been paid.
Then when Charter techs fail to make the equipment work, Charter declares that the customer is no longer entitled to the promotional price, and jacks up the monthly fees. Charter then stops sending the bills and starts charging unwarranted late fees.
When we complain, the fees are lowered to the advertised price, and additional "equipment fees" are added on to the advertised price, so that the customer never gets the pricing that was promised or advertised.
Then Charter takes our 5 MBPS internet service (which we paid for) and lowers it to 3.5 MBPS. When we complain, Charter promises to increase the speed to 10 MBPS, but it actually only increases to 5 MBPS.
After contacting the BBB, the issues are still unresolved, and Charter maintains that all the issues have been resolved. Charter did nothing to resolve the issues, but pretends that they resolved it.
The BBB complaint has been returned as "unresolved" with an additional warning to consumers.
False advertising, bait and switch fraud, using US mail to commit fraud, fraudulent accounting practices, charging fraudulent late fees....
This really is the worst communication company in the USA.
I will probably ask the FCC to revoke Charter's license, (it costs $200 to file a formal FCC complaint) then maybe they will sit up and pay attention (but I doubt it).
Next stop: California Utilities Commission. Maybe I can get some of the money they stole returned to me (like pulling alligator's teeth).
Hats off to all who complain about this company. If you don't complain, things will never get better. Never give up, never give in.

Respond to this report!
What's this?

#6 Author of original report

Charter Bait and Switch Accounting Fraud

AUTHOR: Nicola.madscientist.tesla - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Friday, November 21, 2008

Charter first advertises $99.95 for one year of telephone, internet, television. Charter then sends bills for hidden installation costs, without explanation of what the charges are for. Charter fails to account for fees, paid to the installers on the installation dates, and never documents that these fees have been paid.
Then when Charter techs fail to make the equipment work, Charter declares that the customer is no longer entitled to the promotional price, and jacks up the monthly fees. Charter then stops sending the bills and starts charging unwarranted late fees.
When we complain, the fees are lowered to the advertised price, and additional "equipment fees" are added on to the advertised price, so that the customer never gets the pricing that was promised or advertised.
Then Charter takes our 5 MBPS internet service (which we paid for) and lowers it to 3.5 MBPS. When we complain, Charter promises to increase the speed to 10 MBPS, but it actually only increases to 5 MBPS.
After contacting the BBB, the issues are still unresolved, and Charter maintains that all the issues have been resolved. Charter did nothing to resolve the issues, but pretends that they resolved it.
The BBB complaint has been returned as "unresolved" with an additional warning to consumers.
False advertising, bait and switch fraud, using US mail to commit fraud, fraudulent accounting practices, charging fraudulent late fees....
This really is the worst communication company in the USA.
I will probably ask the FCC to revoke Charter's license, (it costs $200 to file a formal FCC complaint) then maybe they will sit up and pay attention (but I doubt it).
Next stop: California Utilities Commission. Maybe I can get some of the money they stole returned to me (like pulling alligator's teeth).
Hats off to all who complain about this company. If you don't complain, things will never get better. Never give up, never give in.

Respond to this report!
What's this?

#5 Author of original report

Charter Bait and Switch Accounting Fraud

AUTHOR: Nicola.madscientist.tesla - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Friday, November 21, 2008

Charter first advertises $99.95 for one year of telephone, internet, television. Charter then sends bills for hidden installation costs, without explanation of what the charges are for. Charter fails to account for fees, paid to the installers on the installation dates, and never documents that these fees have been paid.
Then when Charter techs fail to make the equipment work, Charter declares that the customer is no longer entitled to the promotional price, and jacks up the monthly fees. Charter then stops sending the bills and starts charging unwarranted late fees.
When we complain, the fees are lowered to the advertised price, and additional "equipment fees" are added on to the advertised price, so that the customer never gets the pricing that was promised or advertised.
Then Charter takes our 5 MBPS internet service (which we paid for) and lowers it to 3.5 MBPS. When we complain, Charter promises to increase the speed to 10 MBPS, but it actually only increases to 5 MBPS.
After contacting the BBB, the issues are still unresolved, and Charter maintains that all the issues have been resolved. Charter did nothing to resolve the issues, but pretends that they resolved it.
The BBB complaint has been returned as "unresolved" with an additional warning to consumers.
False advertising, bait and switch fraud, using US mail to commit fraud, fraudulent accounting practices, charging fraudulent late fees....
This really is the worst communication company in the USA.
I will probably ask the FCC to revoke Charter's license, (it costs $200 to file a formal FCC complaint) then maybe they will sit up and pay attention (but I doubt it).
Next stop: California Utilities Commission. Maybe I can get some of the money they stole returned to me (like pulling alligator's teeth).
Hats off to all who complain about this company. If you don't complain, things will never get better. Never give up, never give in.

Respond to this report!
What's this?

#4 Author of original report

Charter Bait and Switch Accounting Fraud

AUTHOR: Nicola.madscientist.tesla - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Friday, November 21, 2008

Charter first advertises $99.95 for one year of telephone, internet, television. Charter then sends bills for hidden installation costs, without explanation of what the charges are for. Charter fails to account for fees, paid to the installers on the installation dates, and never documents that these fees have been paid.
Then when Charter techs fail to make the equipment work, Charter declares that the customer is no longer entitled to the promotional price, and jacks up the monthly fees. Charter then stops sending the bills and starts charging unwarranted late fees.
When we complain, the fees are lowered to the advertised price, and additional "equipment fees" are added on to the advertised price, so that the customer never gets the pricing that was promised or advertised.
Then Charter takes our 5 MBPS internet service (which we paid for) and lowers it to 3.5 MBPS. When we complain, Charter promises to increase the speed to 10 MBPS, but it actually only increases to 5 MBPS.
After contacting the BBB, the issues are still unresolved, and Charter maintains that all the issues have been resolved. Charter did nothing to resolve the issues, but pretends that they resolved it.
The BBB complaint has been returned as "unresolved" with an additional warning to consumers.
False advertising, bait and switch fraud, using US mail to commit fraud, fraudulent accounting practices, charging fraudulent late fees....
This really is the worst communication company in the USA.
I will probably ask the FCC to revoke Charter's license, (it costs $200 to file a formal FCC complaint) then maybe they will sit up and pay attention (but I doubt it).
Next stop: California Utilities Commission. Maybe I can get some of the money they stole returned to me (like pulling alligator's teeth).
Hats off to all who complain about this company. If you don't complain, things will never get better. Never give up, never give in.

Respond to this report!
What's this?

#3 Author of original report

Charter plays shell game with billing dates

AUTHOR: Nicola.madscientist.tesla - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Thursday, November 06, 2008

The scam involves the dates that Charter uses on bills and invoices. The date on the bill is not the date that the customer is mailed the bill. The customer receives the bill two or three weeks later and Charter claims that the bill is paid "late" or that the post office has lost the mail.
Then Charter commences late fees, accelerated collection, or refers the customer to a collection agency, demands that the customer pay late fees using credit card over the telephone, or that the service will be disconnected.
This may constitute mail fraud, and is certainly an obvious rip off scam.
Charter as you can see, has never responded to these internet reports, and I am not surprised. They seem to believe that by ignoring customer service issues, the customer will become so exhausted from complaining that the complaint will go away.
This complaint will not go away. The longer Charter refuses to resolve it, the more complaints I will file and post.
If you have faced similar issues, you are not the only one and your issue is not a "mistake". This is an intentional corporate scam to wrench money from customers.
Advice: Never give up or give in to Charter. Keep complaining.

Respond to this report!
What's this?

#2 Author of original report

Charter makes no replys

AUTHOR: Nicola.madscientist.tesla - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Monday, November 03, 2008

After I did a bit more research I found that Better Business Bureau has posted warnings to consumers about this companies conduct, Consumer Reports Magazine has rated Charter as the worst communications company in the United States, PC Magazine has rated Charter as the worst internet provider in the United States, etc...etc...etc...
Charter's corporate office has been contacted numerous times and has still failed to restore my billing, to provide written documentation that has been requested again and again. They remain utterly unconcerned and unresponsive, unwilling to pursue resolution in any way.
I have now filed my own complaints with BBB, but can't expect much considering the reputation of this company.
I will recommend that this company be shut down, their license to broadcast be revoked. I will ask our city and county council(s) to replace this company with a reliable provider.
The customer service of this company is non-existent and completely unreliable. AVOID!

Respond to this report!
What's this?

#1 Consumer Comment

YIKES!!

AUTHOR: Resty - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Friday, October 31, 2008

Sounds like you've had more than your fair share of trouble with Charter.

Ive had Charter in the area I live in since before it became "Charter". Ive ragged and nagged em a time or three over service issues and their d**n lying techs. One doesnt know anymore than the next....yet all profess to be the one that will solve the issue. HA!!! LMAO......I had to go to Corporate a couple years back and issue all sorts of BS threats to get them to listen. (EX: The tech that came out to install my new package of phone / tv / and internet installed the modem for the computer in my office by LITERALLY throwing it on the floor behind my fax machine and a filing cabinet. We couldnt find it for the longest time when Id have them on the phone trying to resolve things)

Anyway......Ive not had any trouble since.......thank GOD. All I can offer up is to keep yanking chains.....go straight to Corporate and have allllllllllll your documentation ready......write everything down....incl. all names / dates / and times. Also...dont get nasty with Corp.....stay professional.

GOOD LUCK

Respond to this report!
What's this?
Featured Reports

Advertisers above have met our
strict standards for business conduct.

X
What do hackers,
questionable attorneys and
fake court orders have in common?
...Dishonest Reputation Management Investigates Reputation Repair
Free speech rights compromised

WATCH News
Segment Now