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| Name: |
lamont
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| Subject: |
My Charter Story.... Very Long
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Date:
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11/26/2008 11:13:58 AM
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The names have not been changed to protect the guilty. Backdrop- I got a Charter flier in the mail in late July promoting DSL for $14.99 a month for 6 months. I decided to accept their offer and scheduled an installation appt. for 08/03 from 8-12:00. Understand, at that time, I still lived and worked fulltime in North Atlanta, a round trip of 330 miles. So, 1st appt. was a no-show. Wasted 1 day of work and a 330 mile trip. Second appt. scheduled for 08/13, between 8:00 and 12:00. To make sure they were coming, I started a telephone campaign at 8:05 AM and made the following calls: 8:05- Erica says "They are on the way." 10:00- Beverly says "on the way." 12:15- Got a supervisor this time, Dianne, she says they will be there in 20 minutes. 1:00 Terina says she will call tech support to see where they are and call me right back. No return call. 1:30- Tara will check dispatch. No return call. 1:45- Brian will check dispatch and get right back. No return call.2:15- Beverly again. Finally put me in touch with Tammy, a supervisor. I got her direct # and extension. Tammy says 30 minutes. 3:10- I call Tammy direct and she says, the imfamous, "on the way." 5:10 - Wohoooo! There is a God. Two Charter employees, who look to be about 13 years old, show up in a pick-up truck. They enter my crib with a cable TV box and ask me where I want it installed. Very politely, in my best "hip" language, in an effort to communicate, I say, " Like Dude, I've had cable TV for over 5 years with Charter. I have 4 connected outlets, of which, I use 1. I really had my heart set on a Charter DSL installation today." Their response, " Wow dude we got some bad information." They said they would call in and have someone drop by with the necessary materials for my DSL. For the next 2 hours, 5:10 to 7:10, they sat in their pickup watching me cut my grass. At 7:10 their supplies arrive..a modem. Unfortunately, they had no cable wire or a ladder to do the wiring on the pole. I sent them on their way. They had a meeting in Alex City the next morning at 7:00 and would be at my house by 8:00 with the proper materials. You guessed it, no-show. Another wasted day and 330 miles. I know, I know, a sensilble person would have called it quits by now however, this became an obsession. Third appt. scheduled 08/18 between 1 and 5:00. A sure enough DSL installer shows up at 4:51 with 9 minutes to spare and actually installs the DSL. End of story right? Wrong, just the beginning. First of all, I could receive email but, not send it. After several tries to get a solution, they said it was my computer that was the problem regardless of the fact, my wife, my son and daughter-in-law could not send email either. So, that was never fixed. Next comes the billing nightmare. Tammy said, because of my troubles, the installation and first month of service would be free. Fast forward to my first bill.
$49.99 for my free installation. DSL $44.99 instead of the $14.99 special and here is my favorite part, remember the first 2 knucleheads who came out to install the cable TV I have had for 5+ years? I was charged $35.99 for an additional cable outlet that they didn't install. After 5 calls to Tammy's direct line, unretured as you now could probably guess, and 6 calls to their customer service # and a trip to Alex City, nothing has changed. They continue to charge me 44.99 for my 14.99 DSL and the bogus cable installation and 49.99 for my free DSL installation. I finally lost it yesterday. Last Friday I got a call from a fella who was about to cut off my cable TV. I told him if he would simply separate out my TV cable bill, minus the "additional outlet" bogus installation, I would pay that bill. He said that could be arranged and I would get a call from his boss, Bobby Bentley. Well, you guessed it, no call and when I got home Monday, my cable TV was cut off. So, yesterday was the climax. Called the customer service line and after telling my story, about 1 hour later I worked my way up the food chain to a manager named Velva. What an attitude. First she told me I would have to pay the bill in full before she could apply any credits. I asked her how she could see "sucker" stamped on my forehead through a telephone line and politely declined. Then, she basically called me a liar before she hung up on me. I had called them on 10/24 to tell them I would pay the TV bill but not the DSL bill, until it was corrected. Of course, all she had in her notes was I refused to pay, period. I told her I called 2 times on the 27th, told my story to 2 more customer "service" reps in another effort to get to Tammy who has already neglected my first 5 messages. The 1st rep transferred me to Tammy and, once again I got her voicemail. The second one said she was transferring me to Tammy and promptly, cut me off. Velva insisted these 2 calls never took place. It is at this point that, I must humbly admit, my voice volume increased dramatically along with my heartbeat and when I asked Velva if she was calling me a liar, she promptly hung up. So, there you have it. Dish installation is Monday. Onward and Upward. Y'all have a great Thanksgiving. I'm headed for the woods.
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| Name: |
BigFoot
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| Subject: |
My Charter Story.... Very Long
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Date:
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11/26/2008 11:48:19 AM
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..my charter story is a little shorter...they did not honor their full 12 month commitment at a set rate so I called customer service....got some guy in Panama (the country)...he got very rude with me...I called him a SOB....he told me "you another one"....I got tickled and hung up.
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| Name: |
longtimer
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| Subject: |
My Charter Story.... Very Long
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Date:
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11/26/2008 1:33:07 PM
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I can't tell you what to do, but I can tell you what I hope you do. Or don't do in this case, which is let them get away with it. You're keeping good records, which is going to help; too bad you haven't been recording the phone calls. If I were in your shoes, I'd hammer them. Be relentless. Demand satisfaction. Contact the BBB and let them know everything (and let them know that you expect something from them, too.) Become such a PITA that Charter will give you whatever you want just to shut you up. And if you can afford it, hire an attorney and file a suit.
I have always avoided Charter because I believe that they are rated last in customer service for a reason. But one reason that doesn't change is because they are allowed to get away with the sort of thing that you are describing. They know that most people are too passive when it comes to standing up for themselves. In the military we had a saying: BOHICA. It stood for "Bend Over, Here It Comes Again." Charter has taken saying BOHICA to their customers to a new level, but only because too many of their customers let them.
Don't let the monster win. Good luck.
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| Name: |
Talullahhound
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| Subject: |
My Charter Story.... Very Long
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Date:
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11/26/2008 2:03:19 PM
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You poor man. No one should ever have to go through that. .
When I was in VA, we had Comcast. A lady called them numerous times and never got any satisfaction. So she and her husband went there and asked to see a manager. Was kept waiting 3 hours and then told that the manager went home. Next day, she went back to the customer service office with a hammer. She smashed the CSR's phone, her computer keyboard, and monitor all the while saying "Are you listening to me now". They called the police and she was arrested but released in her own recognizance. When she went the court, she was charged $150 for court costs and given 10 hours of community service. The Judge commented that most of us have felt like doing that at one time or another.
So far, we've been okay with Charter, except that when they came out to hook up one of my computers, they didn't have th software to install it on a Vista operating system. The guy said that he would be back as soon as he got the right software from his boss. That was in July, and he hasn't been back. I assume his boss was unexpectedly deployed.
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| Name: |
ot
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| Subject: |
My Charter Story.... Very Long
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Date:
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11/26/2008 2:53:37 PM
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i have had similar bad expierences. the one thing i have learned... do not sign any paperwork until the job is complete. you sign it, they turn it in, they get paid for the job, they forget about ya. i have charter at home, work, and the lake. i absolutely hate their attitude...collectively. i have an active appt with them every Friday at the lake to fix a cable card. they sell a product they know nothing about. having said that, i am one of those people that thinks it is too much trouble to change.... so, they've got me!!!! =)
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| Name: |
Lakeman
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| Subject: |
My Charter Story.... Very Long
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Date:
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11/26/2008 3:10:35 PM
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If that ever happens to me I will do the same thing Lamont.
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| Name: |
Swimmer27
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| Subject: |
My Charter Story.... Very Long
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Date:
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11/26/2008 3:28:53 PM
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If everyone would complain to the county commission something MIGHT get done. The CC has the power to call them in to defend their service record. They can also cancel the current cotract if they recieve enough complaints. The best way to get action is let them know that the county is looking for a new provider. What I hate is how it seems no two people get the same rate for the same services.
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| Name: |
John boy
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| Subject: |
My Charter Story.... Very Long
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Date:
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11/26/2008 9:21:29 PM
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I had Charter cable and DSL and as soon as my special price time would expire the price would go up about 50%. I would have to call and threaten to have it disconnected and they would give me a good price for another year. I told them that they will "give away the bank" to get new customers but do nothing to keep the customers they already have now. I finally went to Direct TV so I could carry a receiver to the lake and in the motorhome when traveling and have been very happy with service (except in heavy rain). A word of caution though is to read fine print because my special price only applied if I sent the discount card in with my first payment. They are all the same but Charter is the WORSE by far. They told me my DSL would go up since I dropped cable service, I then told them if they did they could disconnect it also. Funny thing they haven't gone up yet
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| Name: |
cobra
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| Subject: |
My Charter Story.... Very Long
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Date:
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11/26/2008 10:51:47 PM
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I have connected many systems including computers with Vista and never once have I had to install software to make the internet work with Charter. What are you trying to do ? Do you have a router ? I am not taking up for charter, I have had my problems with them also. I also got hold of the right number to call and believe me it works. I have been using charter internet for many years and I am glad I do not have to depend on charter techs to get me going. If you want to connect more than one computer then buy a router and it is up and running in minutes. Wired or wireless it makes no difference. Install a wireless card in a desktop if you do not want to run cat 5 cable. Most laptops come already with wireless installed so no problem there. cobra
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| Name: |
Ulysses E. McGill
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| Subject: |
My Charter Story.... Very Long
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Date:
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11/27/2008 9:40:44 AM
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I would rather use dial-up and rabbit ears than do ANY business with charter....the only way this kind of crap will end is for everyone to adopt the same philosophy.....swimmers suggestion of calling the county commissioners couldn't hurt either.
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| Name: |
DirtDiva
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| Subject: |
County Comm worthless
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Date:
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11/27/2008 11:04:16 PM
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I have called the county commissioner and have left specific messages. NEVER a call back. Assistant told me one time that the county didn't have any contracts with Charter.......... right!!!
Worthless!!!!
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| Name: |
muddauber
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| Subject: |
County Comm worthless
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Date:
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11/28/2008 7:54:30 AM
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I don;t know if it is county or state. Do know that cable is not regulated thru public service commission. Supreme Court a few years ago ruled cable is entertainment, not under the telco laws.
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I haven't tried any calls, but I'm also very happy without using Charter. If nobody uses Charter, they will go away; if folks put up with their crap and they continue to make money, nothing will change.
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| Name: |
GoneFishin
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| Subject: |
Charter Finances
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Date:
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11/28/2008 8:36:09 PM
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Their stock closed today at $.19(as in cents). It hit a high some years ago of $22. Their EPS is $-3.84. The chairman is Paul Allen who co founded, with Bill Gates, Microsoft.
Maybe, they can't afford the refund for Lamont.
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Maybe they will be gone sooner that we hoped.....
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| Name: |
AUCATZ
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| Subject: |
Complain to the FCC
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Date:
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11/30/2008 2:04:54 PM
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Years ago (5 to be exact), when my Mother passed away, I called Charter to have them stop her cable service. They said they couldn't do it without her SSN (parents had cable since long before that was required), a death certificate, and other stuff. I refused to send them all that. I told them I wasn't paying any more bills. They told me they would sue me.
I wrote a letter to the FCC complaining about them. That got their attention. We got phone calls from their lawyers in Texas, formal letters, etc. All whining that we shouldn't have contacted the FCC, yada yada.
By that time I had gone by the local cable office and told the lady I wanted service stopped. She did in in 2 minutes. And, I didn't ever pay that bill for the 3 months it took to resolve it.
Writing the BBB and the FCC probably won't resolve the situation, but it will help in the complaint file. And by writing the FCC, you will get noticed.
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| Name: |
gulfportgal
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| Subject: |
My Charter Story.... Very Long
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Date:
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12/1/2008 1:06:09 PM
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I know I'm not going to be very popular, but here goes...got to the lake on Wednesday night before Thanksgiving...no cable. Had to wait and call Friday morning. I called Charter at 0830 and was told they would be out that day between 1300 and 1700. Received a computerized call around 1300 saying they would be there at 1629. They showed up at 1430. It was a guy in an actual Charter van and he had to run a new line. It was pouring down rain, but he told us he would run the line himself. He told my husband that they had gotten many complaints about their service and were now only using the subs for installation. The kid that came out was great and we had cable back within 30 minutes of his arrival.
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| Name: |
water_watcher
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| Subject: |
My Charter Story.... Very Long
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Date:
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12/2/2008 7:07:21 AM
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Not sure why you would not be popular sharing that you got good service. I am sure Charter has its problems, but I am also sure there are good stories as well. The bad problems make people more emotional so it creates more noise. I believe the success of any company is dependent on their customer service. Hopefully Charter is getting that point.
From a stock standpoint, I doubt Paul Allen will just fold up his tent and go home ... either this will get turned around or he will sell to a company like Comcast that I have in Atlanta and they are great. It was originally MediaOne, then AT&T and the Comcast .... I will say that by far Comcast has been the best. So a company focused on customer satisfaction and superior service does make a difference.
So if you want a cheap speculative buy without a big cash outlay .... buying 5 or 10 thousand shares of Charter will not put a lot at risk and you could easily make a triple, but could be sold for at least $7 a share in a year or so. There are lots of great buys in this stock market if you can stand the ups and downs and can be a bit patient. But the question is the downside risk and with Charter it is limited unless you think they will just go out of business and walk away. Highly unlikely. But the upside on a percentage basis is rather significant.
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| Name: |
lamont
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| Subject: |
All I Can Say Gulf......
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Date:
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12/2/2008 7:59:40 AM
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is, you must be living right.
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