topic Re: Good Old Time Warner Cable in Community Chat

Good Old Time Warner Cable

Jordan2 — Sat, 20 Aug 2016 14:31:48 GMT

Yesterday my triple play (TV, Internet,and Phone) went out at 4:00 pm (I live in NYC, weather couldn't have been an issue). Well it was out for 4 hours! I have an elderly mother and thank goodness I have a Tracfone for emergencies. I called TWC and all they tell you (a recording) is there is a problem in my area, if I want they will call me when service returns. I put in for the phone call, did they let me know, NO!! I spoke to CS today, I wanted to know what the problem was yesterday, she didn't know. I asked why no call back, she didn't know. I asked if I'll be getting a credit to my account she said I would (I bet it amounts to nothing and if you don't call maybe you don't get it).Just terrible service from TWC. Oh yeah, after I get off the phone with CS TWC has the nerve to want me to take a survey, I hung up!

Re: Good Old Time Warner Cable

Nataliesgramma — Sat, 20 Aug 2016 14:46:59 GMT

I dumped my cable for Direct TV...I had outages several times a month.

They did give me a credit for the outage. I think it was for a day or two...

Re: Good Old Time Warner Cable

momtochloe — Sat, 20 Aug 2016 14:51:30 GMT

@Nataliesgramma wrote:
I dumped my cable for Direct TV...I had outages several times a month.

They did give me a credit for the outage. I think it was for a day or two...

@Nataliesgramma as I am currently feuding yet again with Comcast I was wondering how you like your Direct TV service (and also may I ask what part of the country you live in so I can compare weather systems (I live in the Chicagoland area)).

Many thanks for any assistance you can lend!

Re: Good Old Time Warner Cable

kaydee50 — Sat, 20 Aug 2016 14:57:30 GMT

We have Direct TV and it's the pits. Just a slight bit of rain and the system goes out although typically not more than an hour or 2. Recently, it and the computer were out for several hours. I called CS and got a recording saying there was a problem in our entire area. Never found out what kind of problem.

We have Cox in our other home and I thought that was bad but Direct TV is much worse. Also had Time Warner in a previous home and never had any trouble with them. So, I guess "you pays your money and you takes your chances."!!

Re: Good Old Time Warner Cable

Spurt — Sat, 20 Aug 2016 15:15:43 GMT

Friends got rid of Direct TV because they were always threatening to remove the popular channels from their line-up and customers had to fight to keep them....And yes they complained about outages too!!!

At the same time my one of my friends has Time Warner and she complains about the bad CS and some of the channels came in so snowy she couldn't watch them. When she set up a repair visit to check it out the guy told her that was the way it was for Basic Cable, she needed to upgrade. (she has basic cable to get local news etc and has Hulu and Netflix) She called Time Warner back to complain and they sent another person out (which she insisted on) and he fixed the problem..... My sis also has TW with all the extras but each renewal she has to call and complain and negotiate the price she said its a royal pain! I told her to tell them if they don't air all those thousands of annoying commercials maybe they could give their customers a better rate!

Our subdivision opted to go with a small startup cable company that provides a good value (cheaper than TW) and their CS is excellent. I think in the years we've had them there has only been 2 outages in 5 years

Re: Good Old Time Warner Cable

QVCkitty1 — Sat, 20 Aug 2016 15:19:38 GMT

I guess that I have been lucky, because I've always had good luck with Time Warner. They come when they say they'll come and are always very pleasant. However TWC has recently bee purchased by Charter and I'm worried about this unknown company and how it will affect service.

Re: Good Old Time Warner Cable

terrier3 — Sat, 20 Aug 2016 15:24:28 GMT

@Jordan2 wrote:
Yesterday my triple play (TV, Internet,and Phone) went out at 4:00 pm (I live in NYC, weather couldn't have been an issue). Well it was out for 4 hours! I have an elderly mother and thank goodness I have a Tracfone for emergencies. I called TWC and all they tell you (a recording) is there is a problem in my area, if I want they will call me when service returns. I put in for the phone call, did they let me know, NO!! I spoke to CS today, I wanted to know what the problem was yesterday, she didn't know. I asked why no call back, she didn't know. I asked if I'll be getting a credit to my account she said I would (I bet it amounts to nothing and if you don't call maybe you don't get it).Just terrible service from TWC. Oh yeah, after I get off the phone with CS TWC has the nerve to want me to take a survey, I hung up!

It's not Time Warner anymore - it's now Spectrum Cable (which used to be called Charter).

The deal has been done and the former CEO of TWC has collected his 80 MILLION + bonus.

Now Spectrum will have to pay for the new company and try to accomodate the needs of its customers too.

Re: Good Old Time Warner Cable

momtochloe — Sat, 20 Aug 2016 15:34:30 GMT

These cable companies are exhausting. I switched from AT&T to Comcast to "save money" and we have been battling over the bill and charges ever since. Not one single thing has gone right since I made the mistake of switching.

First they cut off my home phone line which I chose to keep with AT&T and then told me I had to sort it out with AT&T leaving me with my ancient cell phone for phone service which I found jawdropping as they made the mistake.

Then I got a letter that I am now being charged for a DVR player that I never asked for so they said they would send out another box that "would be easy to switch out". Turns out, not so much as the original installer took my HDMI cord with him (please know the installation took three different installers to complete) so I need to go to Comcast and get a replacement cord.

Their apology for this was three free months of HBO . . . and the adjustment does not appear on the bill I just received.

I told them good luck with those new "we care about our customers" commercials as I am telling everyone I can get my hands on that they are the same old Comcast.

Please know I do have sympathy as turning around a mess like Comcast will take months if not years of work but when you have a customer in crisis they should try and ensure at least one thing goes well for heavens sake . . . sigh.

Re: Good Old Time Warner Cable

momtochloe — Sat, 20 Aug 2016 15:38:27 GMT

@terrier3 wrote:
@Jordan2 wrote:
Yesterday my triple play (TV, Internet,and Phone) went out at 4:00 pm (I live in NYC, weather couldn't have been an issue). Well it was out for 4 hours! I have an elderly mother and thank goodness I have a Tracfone for emergencies. I called TWC and all they tell you (a recording) is there is a problem in my area, if I want they will call me when service returns. I put in for the phone call, did they let me know, NO!! I spoke to CS today, I wanted to know what the problem was yesterday, she didn't know. I asked why no call back, she didn't know. I asked if I'll be getting a credit to my account she said I would (I bet it amounts to nothing and if you don't call maybe you don't get it).Just terrible service from TWC. Oh yeah, after I get off the phone with CS TWC has the nerve to want me to take a survey, I hung up!
It's not Time Warner anymore - it's now Spectrum Cable (which used to be called Charter).
The deal has been done and the former CEO of TWC has collected his 80 MILLION + bonus.
Now Spectrum will have to pay for the new company and try to accomodate the needs of its customers too.

@terrier3 this is another one of my frustrations . . . this guy get 80 million dollars and we end up paying for sub-standard cable services . . . grrrrr.

Re: Good Old Time Warner Cable

pommom — Sat, 20 Aug 2016 15:41:27 GMT

When we had Direct, sun spots, wind, sleet, snow - you name it - affected our viewing. The thing would just shut down. We changed to cable and haven't had any problems to date.

Re: Good Old Time Warner Cable

KYToby — Sat, 20 Aug 2016 15:55:25 GMT

Here's a news flash -- the custpmer service rep probably did not know. What was the purpose of the call back? To complain? Tp harrass the poor customer service agent?

So, you didn't get a call back. Your service was bck on. What purpose would a call back have accomplished?

While it may seem simple to you, it isn;t. I worked in cable television call cnter operations for more than 11 years, and most of the time (with the exception of large, wide-spread outages), the representative on the phone will have no specifics. The only thing the complaint calls serve to do is tie up resources so that other people have to wait to get their calls answered.

As for credit, if your TWC bill is anything like mine (I have the same services), four hours without ser ic is equal to less than one dollar. Is your time, frustration, and additional calls to TWC as well ass postings here worth that? Surely, your time is more valuable than that.

Re: Good Old Time Warner Cable

rickiraccoon — Sat, 20 Aug 2016 16:03:04 GMT

@momtochloe I feel your pain! We currently have Comcast and also always seem to be fueding. I do hate the 'automated' CS, but that seems to be business these days. Our issue is the price...I feel I'm calling them every other month to correct something..urrgghhh! After mortage it's our highest bill. Ridiculous. Anyway, at our previous residence we had DirecTV (for 10 years) and rarely had an issue (a coupe of outages due to snowstorms). I would love to have them again but we can't get satellite here due to trees. With Comcast we're paying extra for HD, DVR and each room box. Also with their recent upgrade it's very difficult to read the screen menu. I wish you luck.

Oh, and, I'm in the Seattle area.

Re: Good Old Time Warner Cable

momtochloe — Sat, 20 Aug 2016 16:10:35 GMT

@rickiraccoon wrote:
@momtochloe I feel your pain! We currently have Comcast and also always seem to be fueding. I do hate the 'automated' CS, but that seems to be business these days. Our issue is the price...I feel I'm calling them every other month to correct something..urrgghhh! After mortage it's our highest bill. Ridiculous. Anyway, at our previous residence we had DirecTV (for 10 years) and rarely had an issue (a coupe of outages due to snowstorms). I would love to have them again but we can't get satellite here due to trees. With Comcast we're paying extra for HD, DVR and each room box. Also with their recent upgrade it's very difficult to read the screen menu. I wish you luck.
Oh, and, I'm in the Seattle area.

@rickiraccoon thank you so much for this, I so appreciate it! The only reason why I switched to Comcast was for price but after they knocked out my home phone service (and I quickly realized that maybe (for me) it wasn't nearly as needed as I thought it was), I now am planning on switching back to AT&T. The only reason why I took another chance on Comcast was that there is no contract so at least I won't get hit with penalties when I cancel my services with them.

But not before I get my missing HDMI cable back . . .

Re: Good Old Time Warner Cable

IamMrsG — Sat, 20 Aug 2016 16:21:39 GMT

Jordan2 wrote, in part: "...
Oh yeah, after I get off the phone with CS TWC has the nerve to want me to take a survey, I hung up!"

I don't understand why you would not participate in the survey. It was a golden opportunity to let them know exactly how they had failed you.

I was just asked to take part in a Customer Satisfaction Survey regarding our DirecTv and land phone service. In plain language (moi? ) I told them at every turn how much and why I detest, despise and loathe DirecTv.

I'd gladly switch services if I thought any other would be any different. Sadly, I don't think they are.

Re: Good Old Time Warner Cable

momtochloe — Sat, 20 Aug 2016 16:29:43 GMT

@IamMrsG wrote:
Jordan2 wrote, in part: "...
Oh yeah, after I get off the phone with CS TWC has the nerve to want me to take a survey, I hung up!"

I don't understand why you would not participate in the survey. It was a golden opportunity to let them know exactly how they had failed you.

I was just asked to take part in a Customer Satisfaction Survey regarding our DirecTv and land phone service. In plain language (moi? ) I told them at every turn how much and why I detest, despise and loathe DirecTv.

I'd gladly switch services if I thought any other would be any different. Sadly, I don't think they are.

I agree @IamMrsG, I always participate in the phone surveys as I think it helps them capture the immediate temperature of a given customer whether the outcome of the call went well or not. I would also hope they track it through to ensure the eventual resolution offered ended well as with my current experience with Comcast this has not been the case.

I simply do not understand why their billing is such a continual nightmare.

Re: Good Old Time Warner Cable

chickenbutt — Sat, 20 Aug 2016 16:40:30 GMT

Those 'after-call surveys' also help to know that their CSRs are doing their job. This particular case might not be a case of that but one can rationally and objectively give a review as to the service they received - or didn't.

I don't have TWC, but I've done them over the years with ATT and Charter, and probably others that don't come to mind.

Many times the CSR did a good job and did whatever was within their ability and sometimes it was not the case.

The only thing I don't like about the after-call surveys is that you might have had what seemed like a good experience and the person was fixing the problem but you don't actually know until down the road IF what they said actually ended up happening. I"ve gotten caught up in that before. I thought it was a good experience and the CSR said s/he was going to do xyz and it ended up that they didn't do that at all. So I only do the surveys when I can definitively say how the experience was, in terms of the bottom line.

Re: Good Old Time Warner Cable

momtochloe — Sat, 20 Aug 2016 16:50:05 GMT

@chickenbutt wrote:
Those 'after-call surveys' also help to know that their CSRs are doing their job. This particular case might not be a case of that but one can rationally and objectively give a review as to the service they received - or didn't.

I don't have TWC, but I've done them over the years with ATT and Charter, and probably others that don't come to mind.

Many times the CSR did a good job and did whatever was within their ability and sometimes it was not the case.

The only thing I don't like about the after-call surveys is that you might have had what seemed like a good experience and the person was fixing the problem but you don't actually know until down the road IF what they said actually ended up happening. I"ve gotten caught up in that before. I thought it was a good experience and the CSR said s/he was going to do xyz and it ended up that they didn't do that at all. So I only do the surveys when I can definitively say how the experience was, in terms of the bottom line.

I completely agree with this @chickenbutt as I have had great CS on the phone but it didn't translate to the eventual outcome. I truly do hope they are trying to piece together the entire chain of events in terms of finding out where the disconnects are as those CS folks are taking a pounding.

Re: Good Old Time Warner Cable

Beth-QVC — Sat, 20 Aug 2016 16:58:40 GMT

This post has been removed by QVC because it is rude and inappropriate to another poster

Re: Good Old Time Warner Cable

Jordan2 — Sat, 20 Aug 2016 18:13:42 GMT

@KYToby wrote:
Here's a news flash -- the custpmer service rep probably did not know. What was the purpose of the call back? To complain? Tp harrass the poor customer service agent?

So, you didn't get a call back. Your service was bck on. What purpose would a call back have accomplished?

While it may seem simple to you, it isn;t. I worked in cable television call cnter operations for more than 11 years, and most of the time (with the exception of large, wide-spread outages), the representative on the phone will have no specifics. The only thing the complaint calls serve to do is tie up resources so that other people have to wait to get their calls answered.

As for credit, if your TWC bill is anything like mine (I have the same services), four hours without ser ic is equal to less than one dollar. Is your time, frustration, and additional calls to TWC as well ass postings here worth that? Surely, your time is more valuable than that.

The recording asked ME if I wanted a callback. It was to alert you when services where back on, so I didn't have to turn my TV on every 20 minutes. Look, don't offer something to me if you don't follow through with it. It's 2:12 pm, 22 hours later, I'm still waiting for my callback.

Re: Good Old Time Warner Cable

chickenbutt — Sat, 20 Aug 2016 18:54:36 GMT

Jordan - Charter also has that 'we'll call you back when service is back on' thing. Well, and while I know it's not the fault of the CSRs or anything, I learned that it kdoesn't work with Charter either.

One time I was talking to somebody on the phone and she asked me if I wanted that callback thing. She was very nice and I knew it was not about her, but I declined, telling her that I did that a couple of times over the years and it either never did call back, or it called back some 24 hours after service is back on.

It's an automated type call thing, but there must be some kind of breakdown in the system that it doesn't work. I understand the frustration, though.