consumerist.com — Charter Communications refused to fix Matt's internet connection. Even two technicians, dispatched by Charter, told Matt his ISP was to blame for his weak service. When Matt called customer service to complain, he was transferred immediately to the disconnect department. Come listen to the recorded calls to Charter Internet.
Feb 19, 2007 View in Crawl 4
wired4uFeb 19, 2007
What is giggas news bandwidth limit?
wandoFeb 19, 2007
Does anyone know if there is an update of what is going on with this? It would be interesting to see if Charter has responded since this has been posted.
Closed AccountFeb 20, 2007
Charter blatantly lies about service claiming they are faster than DSL, well tier for tier DSL is a far better deal (3 times the speed for the same price)they provide s**tty service and have no business being in business.
Closed AccountFeb 20, 2007
Except charter is a worthless ISP, so they deserve every bit of bad press possible.they rip off their customers, screw them over with service, they are a bunch of bastards that should be run out of business.
Closed AccountFeb 20, 2007
who cares, honestly you wont ever get caught on that anyways so it seriously isnt a big deal.seriously, when did people become so piss scared of things like that.if there is no likely repurcussions maybe it isnt a big deal
lettertenFeb 20, 2007
i had a very similar thing happen with speakeasy. so-called supervisor CSR was a hugely unprofessional and they told me it couldn't be fixed. cut to a month later, earthlink DSL on the same line has no trouble at all. they lost a $100/mo customer cuz they were lazy. this is specifically why there should always be competition.
catxtwoFeb 20, 2007
I think that many ISPs are going to have to start taking these types of issues more seriously. I use Charter exclusively for internet access (no video service). I use a third-party service for webhosting and email. The ONLY thing that charter is providing me with an extremely inconsistent data pipe.I am honestly tired of paying $50+/month when I am only using a single part of their sporadic services.
sbdjsApr 24, 2007
The St. Louis office of The Better Busines Bureau recently issued this warning about Charter Communications<a class="user" href="http://www.stlouis.bbb.org/news20070416.html">http://www.stlouis.bbb.org/news20070416.html</a>For Immediate ReleaseContact: Michelle L. Corey, mcorey@stlouisbbb.org Connie F. McDonald, tpc1@stlouisbbb.orgCustomers Doubt Charter’s Commitment to Service St. Louis, Mo., April 16, 2007 - While the firm’s Web site states, ". . . as we have grown, so has our commitment to our customers," thousands of customers have called this assertion into question. Customers have complained that the firm missed appointments, often numerous times, sent them to collection agencies in error, provided improper billing, refused to let them speak with a supervisor or kept them on hold for long periods of time. Charter Communications, Inc. provides communications and entertainment technology services to consumers throughout the country and is one of the nation’s largest cable service providers.In the past 36 months, the BBB has received more than 2,000 complaints and reports against Charter, over 1,300 of which were received since Jan. 1, 2006. The BBB also has received more than 8,700 inquiries in the past 36 months. The firm has numerous offices nationwide, but is headquartered at 12405 Powerscourt Dr., St. Louis. A Kirkwood, Mo., woman said that due to poor service, she went to Charter’s office to cancel service and return her equipment. She said she was told her balance was $ .30, but not to worry about it, because she was told, "I don’t think Charter bills anyone for under $1." However, three weeks later she received a bill for $127.20, marked "seriously past due." She said Charter told her it would resolve the matter. Two weeks later she said she received a bill for $144.16 from a collection agency. Charter has since corrected her bill, she said.A Manchester, Mo., consumer said she went to a Charter office to cancel cable and Internet service and return her equipment and was told her service would be disconnected the next day. No one showed for four appointments. The consumer said that she received a bill for service and was told that she would continue to receive bills until Charter disconnected her service. The consumer said she told Charter that unless service was disconnected, she "would rip out the connection and place it by the pole." Soon after, service was disconnected and a refund provided, she said.A Hazelwood, Mo., woman said she signed up for Charter’s Triple Play high-speed Internet, phone service and digital cable and was told that upon installation, she would owe $162.99. She said her first bill included additional fees and an installation charge. When she complained, Charter said that they do not offer a Triple Play package, but when she offered to forward an e-mail to the contrary, the rep hung up, she said. She later was told the charges had been removed, but they weren’t. After she filed a complaint with the BBB, Charter admitted that there had been a billing error and agreed to provide a refund.An East St. Louis, Ill., woman said she called Charter to reconnect her Internet, telephone and cable services, and was told there would be no installation fee due to a credit on her account. She said that she "received a rude call . . ." and was told that since no one answered her door, she would have to reschedule. She later was told that someone did open the door, but since they did not have the fee, no installation occurred. She said she explained she had a credit on her account and there should be no fee, but was told "it ain’t noted, and if it ain’t noted, there is nothing I can do." The consumer said that she became so frustrated with Charter that she cancelled her service and asked for her credit back.A St. Charles, Mo., woman said she had Charter install Internet and phone service and upgrade her cable to digital; however, her Internet did not work on her desktop, her phone was so scratchy that it was of little use and the DVR box overheated within five days. She said that the first week, she and her husband were on the phone with Charter for over three hours with no resolution, and when she mentioned the DVR box, Charter said they would charge her for a service call, even though the box only worked for fivefive days. She cancelled all services but basic cable and was told any other charge would be waived; however, she said she received a bill for $602 for breaking her contract with Charter. She said she has since switched telephone and Internet providers. Paul G. Allen is chairman of the board, and Neil Smit is president and chief executive officer of Charter Communications, Inc., according to the firm’s Web site. The BBB suggests that consumers interested in cable, Internet or phone services consider the following general information tips: Get everything in writing. If you are offered a special promotional price, make sure you have documents that show what services you are to receive, what the promotional price is, and how long this price lasts. Don’t just take the word of the person attempting to sell you the package. If a problem occurs, be sure to document every step you take trying to rectify the matter. Should it become necessary to file a complaint, this information will be of great importance. Ask about cancellation of service, any associated fees and the firm’s obligations to remove its equipment. If you have a choice of service providers, be sure to contact the BBB at (314) 645-3300 or www.contactbbb.org for a customer experience report.
ladronesmentiraJul 26, 2007
Charter's call centers are virtual sweat shops. A tech (internet) has exactly 11 minutes to resolve your call - they are supposedly a "one call resolution" call center. A Telephone tech has exactly 9 minutes to resolve your call - they are required to say, "I know when your XXX goes down it is frustrating" or some other empathy statement. They are also required to say "I can help you". They are also required to ask a few open ended questions to look for cues and clues as to your activities of telephone, TV or internet usage so they can corner you into making an offer on a higher-priced or additional service. If they do not, they are penalized. There is no requirements to do appropriate troubleshooting, only to sell. They are penalized if they roll more than the targeted number of trucks to your home, and they are penalized if they do not offer you wire maintenance, or an additional Charter service. If they do not meet their metrics in 30 days, they are placed on corrective actions. Verbal - written - final. Then they are fired. They are required to offer an upsell on EVERY call - even outages. So when a truck roll is needed, chances are they are afraid to do it because they won't meet their metrics. It hurts them to have to offer a service to a customer who is obviously angry and frustrated. But they HAVE to, or they will lose their job. They are not permitted to move from those phones except for two 15 minute breaks and a one-hour lunch. They are allowed no more than a minute between calls, and if they do, they are contacted by their Supervisors or leads by instant message. It is a virtual sweat shop. They are not permitted to go home sick unless they have accrued sick time, and if they do, they will be penalized for it. They cannot go to a family member's funeral because they will be written up for it. I have seen the morale and spirit killed in so many people there that it nauseates me. The Majority of the Supervisors there will not accept calls from customers requesting them, and most of the time a customer does get transferred to a "Supervisor", it is not supervisor. So, anyone that is left there simply has been programmed not to give a rats ass, they are depressed and they hate the company they work for, but many were told one thing when they were hired, but those things change quickly in a short period of time; It is a virtual sweat shop - a living hell. Nothing but degrading insults from management with God complexes that were on the phones themselves not that long ago, but moved up because they did what Charter wanted - quantity not quality. It is a somber, depressing place that quickly kills a person's spirit. That's Charter. They way they want the best customer experience, but if you try to take the time to actually help them, you are penalized for it with your paycheck. Most agents never get their sales commissions they earned, or only a portion of them, and one cannot ever get a response from managment as to why not.Yes, Charter Sucks.
ladronesmentiraJul 26, 2007
Here you go:<a class="user" href="http://cgi.ebay.com/Rare-Eight-Charter-Champ-Shirts-going-fast_W0QQitemZ260140431458QQcmdZViewItem">http://cgi.ebay.com/Rare-Eight-Charter-Champ-Shirts-going-fast_W0QQitemZ260140431458QQcmdZViewItem</a>
thegurustudJan 5, 2008
I think you did something retarded. I d/l 700 gigs/mo (sometimes other IPs use the service too), and I have had 0 problems. Nothing but seemingly unlimited speed (a lot of the d/l was done at 40 Mbit).Maybe if you go over 1TB or something, but then that just means you're d/l too much gay porn and anime s**t haha.