I hate Time Warner so hard. I went to AT&T yesterday asking/pleading with them regarding their Uverse TV/internet bundle. They informed me that the official rollout is scheduled for new year 2009, although the tech said that I shouldn't hold my breath on that - more likely feb/mar 2009.

Meanwhile TWC is charging me up the ass for 5/256 that is slow as balls and terrible.

Internet/Cable service is probably the worst thing about moving down here from NY. Having an apartment pretty much rules out satellite as well.

My TWC story: I moved from Lake Johnson Mews after they tried to screw me and my roommate. When we moved we had the tech come over to install the cable (despite the fact that I already had the converter box hooked up). He was over 2 1/2 hours late (I waited 12-5p as asked and he showed at 7:40p) to flip the freggin switch to turn on the cable. Apparently the tech forgot to install MLB Extra Innings, and my roommate called to have that turned back on. They misunderstood "I want the MLB I already paid for activated at my new address" for "I want MLB Extra Innings so please charge me again for something I already paid for" and I've been calling every week since then asking to have the charges reversed. They keep on coming back with the same reply that the form has been submitted and they're awaiting approval. I've been complaining and calling to no avail so far and the charges keep piling up. They at least know not to charge a late fee, because I've been on them long enough about this. Realizing their monopoly, and the unavailability of other options for the timebeing, I ordered NHL Center Ice this afternoon and essentially locked me in until April with their tyranny. Thanks FCC for the lack of options in this area.

Tell me your TWC gripe and make me feel better. At least until Uverse comes down here and I never have to pay another TWC bill again.

10/10/2008 4:17:54 PM

FAILBOAT FAILED TO SEARCH

10/10/2008 4:18:45 PM

well i got news for you. AT&T's DSL is even worse than cable.

10/10/2008 4:18:55 PM

are you related to XSMP?

10/10/2008 4:19:23 PM

DSL's you mean!

10/10/2008 4:19:24 PM

i got EarthLink/Dish TurboHD Gold so i don't have to deal with them nearly as often

10/10/2008 4:20:01 PM

U-verse isn't DSL, DSL is already available. U-verse is on a fiber backbone, should be at least 6m/1m u/d

10/10/2008 4:20:49 PM

cable, i ain't got no cable.

just the internets.

10/10/2008 4:21:14 PM

http://thewolfweb.com/message_topic.aspx?topic=543676&page=1

10/10/2008 4:21:34 PM

I, too, have made a thread explaining my discourse with TWC.

10/10/2008 4:22:04 PM

hahaha, thanks for making my interaction seem much better

10/10/2008 4:22:53 PM

explain more about this "Uverse"

is someone really coming to save us from the evil bastards at TWC?

10/10/2008 4:46:14 PM

Quote :

"well i got news for you. AT&T's DSL is even worse than cable. "

aha yeah after working for them I will say it sucks, and that I will never have their dsl.

10/10/2008 4:49:47 PM

message_topic.aspx?topic=533905

10/10/2008 4:50:37 PM

I'm almost fully convinced that people who complain about how horrible customer service is with particular companies such as TWC and Sprint have absolutely no idea how to speak with (or relate to) the representatives. I was only with Time Warner briefly, but I've been a Sprint customer (just as bad of a rap sheet) for over 5 years and I don't think I have ever had a problem that was not solved.

I also recently switched to DirecTV and had some initial problems with the lack of HD locals(mislead originally) - all of which were ironed out by month 1 with the courtesy addition of an HD NFL package and later, the OTA HD addon for the DVR I have.

It really isn't the tier 1 call center's fault and most of the time and they cannot do anything but empathize with your situation. So bitching and making them feel like shit does not help your chances that they will go out of their way to accommodate you. Next time instead of going straight for the jugular promising to eat their unborn babies and set their dog on fire maybe lead with "How are you today?" If you don't like person you're speaking with or cannot understand them through the thick outsourced accent and feel you might snap, simply take five and call back. Typically if you're polite, professional and maybe throw in a little social engineering you can really unlock some valuable rewards with these companies. And when all of that fails, you escalate the issue to a department who's sole purpose is to "get shit done", remain calm, reiterate your entire journey if you have to and explain how you think it should be rectified.

approaching walloftext, but regardless that's my .02

10/10/2008 5:00:33 PM

Where I live in SC, TW doesn't even have lines so I had to get satelitte and ATT DSL. I really did not know what to expect with DSL, but honestly it has worked out very well for us and I cannot see a difference from Road Runner. The price is not great, but when you only have one option, you pay what you gotta pay.

10/10/2008 5:07:27 PM

Quote :

"I'm almost fully convinced that people who complain about how horrible customer service is with particular companies such as TWC and Sprint have absolutely no idea how to speak with (or relate to) the representatives. I was only with Time Warner briefly, but I've been a Sprint customer (just as bad of a rap sheet) for over 5 years and I don't think I have ever had a problem that was not solved. "

Kind of hard to get something done, if you call and are on hold for hours, only to have them auto-hang up on you because "i'm sorry, you have waited too long." And this was during the day on a weekday.


Go there in person, if you want ANYTHING done.

10/10/2008 5:13:51 PM

Sometimes I find if you email the support team you can get results too. Useful especially if you need to get your frustrations out but work all hours of the day. Plus you can revise/edit the email if you come off sounding like too much of a dickface. There's usually a good chance you can get your issue escalated since it's pretty much adding a department/email and clicking "forward"

I'll back off of TWC since it's been ages since I've had to deal with them, but I really can't see their support literally taking hours every single time you call in.

10/10/2008 5:19:24 PM

Quote :

"explain more about this "Uverse""

Internet Max:
10mbps/1.5mbps

Dunno if they're going to deliver on that (or at what price), but it would be faster than RR Turbo 10mbps/512kbps.

TWC's UL speeds are silly.

10/10/2008 5:24:39 PM

Quote :

"Sometimes I find if you email the support team you can get results too. Useful especially if you need to get your frustrations out but work all hours of the day. Plus you can revise/edit the email if you come off sounding like too much of a dickface."

The e-mail I sent to complain in August...

Time Warner Cable,

I recently moved from my apartment less than a mile away to my current one and scheduled a service visit to have my cable turned on. Being somewhat technically savvy, I had offered any and all assistance in order to avoid your company having to send out a technician. I connected the digital cable receiver and cable modem and spliced the line with no issue, but your company still needed to send someone out to simply activate the jack.

In anticipation, I made an appointment almost two weeks prior to my move. Unfortunately the only available appointment was 5 days after I had moved in. Nevertheless, I accepted this appointment having been provided no other choice. This appointment was for yesterday (August 4) between the hours of 1 and 5pm.

So, as having done several times in the past for a service appointment with your company, I took the afternoon off work (while losing wages) and sat idle in my apartment. I waited and waited for your technician to arrive to simply activate the jack. After 4:30pm past I grew somewhat edgy and called customer service to ensure that the technician was on his or her way. After spending several minutes on hold (approximately 20) I was greeted by a customer service representative who offered me only an assurance that I was next in queue and the technician would arrive for his or her appointment on time.

So having no other feasible option I continued to wait. 5 o'clock came and passed with no sight or notice from the technician that he or she would be late. I sat in quiet assurance that the cable technician would arrive, or at least call to give me an estimated time of arrival in their stead. 6 o'clock came and passed, and the situation grew urgent as I had a shift at my local fire department to attend to within the hour. Having still had no notice from neither the technician nor a customer service representative, I again phoned your helpdesk. After another several anxious minutes (approximately 25) on hold I was greeted by yet another customer service representative who put me on hold while she contacted the technician to see where they were located. After they had their conversation, during which I was on hold for approximately 5 minutes, the representative returned to notify me that the technician would be on their way shortly.

The time was 6:35pm and I had a shift to attend to in a mere 25 minutes. I could wait no longer. I phoned a neighbor and asked a favor of her to sit in my apartment while I attended to my firefighting duties for the town. She arrived, and I left as quickly as possible to get across town by 7pm. I left her with instructions to call me the moment your technician had arrived.

I received her phone call, as requested, at 7:25pm - a full two hours and twenty-five minutes later than the scheduled appointment. The technician activated the jack, and left within 15 minutes of his arrival – after seeing that I had, as promised, done most of the setup prior.

Angry and distraught I called one of your customer service helpdesks while between calls at my station. After being placed on hold again (the time then escalated to 30 minutes), I was finally greeted by a customer service representative. I explained the situation to her and my dismay at your company's customer service, specifically citing the missed appointment. In an attempt to satiate me and keep me as a customer, she offered a $20 discount off of my next bill. Despite your company's promise that appointments will be met on time, she only offered me this discount after I had mentioned my knowledge of this guarantee.

I am a long-time customer of Time Warner Cable. After moving to Raleigh, NC from Buffalo, NY, I sought out your company to provide my telecommunications needs. I did some reflecting regarding the level of service I have received from your company, and am extremely dissatisfied. Having been rebuked by almost every facet of your customer service offerings since moving from Buffalo, I seriously consider switching to another telecommunications provider.

Having contributed roughly $1,500 in the past year to your company through your digital cable, high speed internet, and sports inDemand packages, I thought it would be prudent to contact you directly to advise you of my position. I hope that your company can make a commitment to me (and other customers that have had similar experiences) that your level of service would increase. Otherwise, I anticipate your competitors' to see an influx of subscribers.

Please let me know what you can offer to make up for the missed appointment, lost time at work, and poor customer service I have received in recent weeks. The absence of a reply will be an easy guarantee that I will terminate my service contract with your company.

Thank you for your time.




And for all that time I spent trying not to sound like a dickface,
The reply I got...

Thank You for contacting Time Warner Cable Email Support.

As per your email, I understand that you had a service call scheduled
for installation and the technician arrived late and also you are not
satisfied and happy with the service you have experienced.

I do apologize for the inconvenience caused to you and truly appreciate
your co-operation and patience. Please accept our sincere apologies for
the less than satisfactory customer service you have experienced with
Time Warner Cable. Please be assured we always have the best of
intentions when serving our customers, unfortunately, from time to time,
these efforts do not come to fruition.

When you do not receive the level of attention you deserve, our entire
team is dedicated to correcting the problem, and making sure it does not
happen again. We will be sure to share the poor experience you
encountered with our entire team so that everyone re-focuses on the
importance of providing quality customer service.

If you face any issues with your services in future, please contact and
we will be more than happy to assist and resolve the issue as soon as
possible, accurately and efficiently as you are a valued customer for
TWC.

If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to
E-mail us again or contact our Live Chat at the following link:
http://www.timewarnercable.com/CustomerService/chat/chat.ashx

Sincerely,
Neville



If you know of a better e-mail address to forward this to, please let me know. But I did try this avenue with little results.

10/10/2008 5:29:29 PM

ha

you have nothing

i moved 100 yards away and had to get a truck to come out for comcast high speed internet

and he was 30 minutes late, and it took him 90 minutes to activate a modem

10/10/2008 5:31:15 PM

pretty much every ISP's TWC's UL speeds are silly completely ridiculous and shameful.

then again, i could just be ignorant. i just have a hard time understanding why DL is so much higher that UL

as far as twc's service is concerned, it wouldn't seem nearly so bad without the crazy hold times. it once took me a day and half to get a human on the phone after waiting anywhere from 15-30m at a time before giving up repeatedly.

[Edited on October 10, 2008 at 5:38 PM. Reason : ]

10/10/2008 5:34:19 PM

Quote :

"Having an apartment pretty much rules out satellite as well."

Why? I get it if your balcony faces north, but if it faces anywhere on the south-side of E to W then you should be able to get it. Hell BIGcementpon's dish points almost into the side of the building and he's got DirecTV.

[Edited on October 10, 2008 at 5:42 PM. Reason : v-it's for those heavy days ]

10/10/2008 5:39:39 PM

Quote :

"BIG CEMENT TAMPON"

10/10/2008 5:40:31 PM

Wildwoods said that getting a satellite would be tricky because of the trees in the area.

I don't get cellular reception in my apartment but get 5 bars once I leave the complex, so I'm inclined to agree with them.

10/10/2008 5:59:36 PM

solution: move

10/10/2008 6:07:15 PM

Boohoohoo, cry me a river.

Cable is such a required service to have.

MOVE or don't pay for it. It's not that hard.

10/10/2008 6:17:47 PM