- Report: #269537
Complaint Review: Charter Communications - Fort Worth Texas
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Charter Communications
www.chartercommunications.com Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.A.
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Charter Communications "You Will Not Believe What Charter Communications Did to Me": A Story You MUST Read Before Deciding on Your Cable Services!!! Ripoff Fort Worth Texas
*UPDATE Employee: Charter Employee with information on how to actually reach an agent from america
*Consumer Suggestion: Promotional Periods aren't meant to last forever
*Consumer Comment: Long time Charter customer
*Consumer Comment: Long time Charter customer
*Consumer Comment: Long time Charter customer
In April of 07 I received my monthly bill from charter communications. My usual billing statement was around $88.00 a month. The bill I received in April was over $100.00 so I called the customer service number to find out why my bill was so high. I was told by a male customer service representative that my promotion had expired, which was why I had received an unusually high bill. I asked to be put in a new promotion, and after explaining to him the channels I wanted and the amount I would be willing to pay, he told me my new rate would be $75.27. I was excited because this was much cheaper than my previous rate. I told him that that was what I was going to pay that month in place of the higher bill that I had received, he said that it would be fine and I would only be charged $75.27. The next month, which was May, I opened my bill and was surprisingly charged $206.66. I immediately called the customer service number to dispute this amount. I spoke to a woman from the Philippines this time. Her accent was familiar, as she sounded much like the gentleman I spoke with the previous month. She told me that there was no record of me calling the previous month and that my account was past due because I only made a payment of $75.27. I assured her that I had spoken to someone that told me that he would put me in a new rate of the $75.27 per month. She apologized and said that she would put me in a new rate of less than $100.00. I told her that that was still a little high but I would be willing to make it work as long as the monthly bill doesn't exceed $100.00. She said that I just needed to pay the difference from the previous month (which I was told a false rate of $75.27) and the new months rate which came out to the total of $107.35. I then paid the amount she requested over the phone with my debit card.
At the end of May I was scheduled to move from my apartment into a house. I called to have my services transferred to my new address. I was told there would be no problem and the cable technicians came to set up on June 6th. Around the 10th of June we received our first bill from Charter at our new address. The amount enclosed read that we owe $233.49. I was outraged! I immediately called the Charter customer help line (once again) and asked to speak to a supervisor. I spoke to a man who said his name was Vince (he sounded as if he were from a foreign county). I went over all of the details of my faulty charges and asked that he explain to me this insane amount that I knew I did not owe. He did not answer any of my questions, and he refused to admit that there was an obvious billing error. He insisted that the charges were from a past due balance on my account from my old address before I transferred my services. This was not true, when the charter technicians came to install my cable on June 6th I received a copy of the work order that stated that before my services were installed, I had a zero balance on my account. I explained this to Vince and after several attempts of trying to decipher the bill, he told me that he would submit my billing issues to account services where my bill would be submitted for review. I was told that within a few weeks I would receive a corrected bill mirroring the changes that we discussed. I waited and waited and finally received a bill on July 10th (one month later). I opened the envelope to review what I thought was a corrected amount and to my astonishment there was $100.00 ADDED to the already incorrect bill! The new bill read that I now owe $330.83! I immediately began to cry. There was nothing I could do. I had even spoken to a supervisor and still my problem was getting worse. I decided to try my luck at contacting someone locally and in person, so I went to the local customer payment center where I live, in Denton, TX. After going over all of the charges and payments I had made previously, the girl behind the counter said to me, "I don't see where some of these charges are coming from." She kept shaking her head saying "this doesn't make sense." She also said that unfortunately she can't do anything to help me because it is out of her jurisdiction to alter or make changes on a bill because "this is a payment center". She said that I would have to call the customer service number listed on the bill in order to correct the mistakes. I was not happy with this suggestion as I had explained to her that I had already made several failed attempts to resolve this matter by calling the customer service number and nothing has been done. Once again she replied that there was nothing she could do.
When I got home I called the customer service number for the 5th time since all of this began. I immediately asked to speak to a supervisor. Minutes later a woman answered the phone, and I had a hard time understanding her. I asked her where she was located, and she replied that she was in the Philippines. I went on to tell her that the lady from the payment center in Denton, TX told me that my bill was incorrect and that I had to call someone from the customer service line to make the necessary changes to correct it. Her exact reply was "if she thinks there is a problem then why can't she help you?" I replied with, "she doesn't work in customer service and she doesn't have the power to override a bill, she said I had to talk to you." After going back and forth I simply asked her if there was any way she could connect me to a call center in America because felt that she was having a difficult time understanding me. This was her exact reply "If you want to talk to someone in America, then call America!" She then hung up on me! A supervisor from a customer service center for Charter Communications actually hung up on me! Now in tears, I made a few other attempts that evening to call and talk to different supervisors, but unfortunately none of them would admit there was a billing error and none of them would explain why. I truly feel that not one person that I have spoken to at Charter Communications really cares enough to resolve the issue. In fact, since this dispute began I have contacted five customer service representatives and four of their supervisors via the customer service number and all of them have been located in another country, none of them will admit that these charges are wrong, and none of them could explain why. I began to the think that the real issue at hand is that my cable problem in Denton, TX means absolutely nothing to the person on the other end of the line thousands of miles away. The only person that seems to agree with me that my bill is wrong is woman I spoke to from the payment center in Denton, TX, but all she does is apologize that she cant help to change the incorrect amount. I have been to the payment center a couple of times to talk to this individual recently and she keeps turning me away and telling me to call customer service. I am truly outraged! I have never been treated this poorly by anyone. I feel that this billing incident is nothing short of highway robbery. I am at my wits end!
On July 28th I had my service disconnected. I now receive cable and internet services through Verizon Wireless. Today is August 14th, 2007 and I just received a statement from Charter, billing me for the month of August (remember my services where disconnected July 28th). Charter is actually billing me for services that I do not even have with them anymore! My cable bill has managed to manifest itself into a grand total of $403.47. I must admit, it is very clever how this company handles their customers. They push our problems aside by leaving us with only one option, which is to call the one and only customer service number listed on the billing statement, where you get to speak to someone [in another country] who may or may not even understand what you're saying. It's a clever little trap. I however will not fall victim to this game. I stopped paying for Charter's services after I was hung up on by the'supervisor' from the Philippines. I do not plan on paying this bill! I do however plan on sending this letter to the corporate office of Charter Communications, the Federal Communications Commission, and to the Better Business Bureau. I also plan on sharing my story with everyone and anyone who will read or hear about it, as I will be making this matter well known.
Jessica
Denton, Texas
U.S.A.
Click here to read other Rip Off Reports on Charter Communications
At the end of May I was scheduled to move from my apartment into a house. I called to have my services transferred to my new address. I was told there would be no problem and the cable technicians came to set up on June 6th. Around the 10th of June we received our first bill from Charter at our new address. The amount enclosed read that we owe $233.49. I was outraged! I immediately called the Charter customer help line (once again) and asked to speak to a supervisor. I spoke to a man who said his name was Vince (he sounded as if he were from a foreign county). I went over all of the details of my faulty charges and asked that he explain to me this insane amount that I knew I did not owe. He did not answer any of my questions, and he refused to admit that there was an obvious billing error. He insisted that the charges were from a past due balance on my account from my old address before I transferred my services. This was not true, when the charter technicians came to install my cable on June 6th I received a copy of the work order that stated that before my services were installed, I had a zero balance on my account. I explained this to Vince and after several attempts of trying to decipher the bill, he told me that he would submit my billing issues to account services where my bill would be submitted for review. I was told that within a few weeks I would receive a corrected bill mirroring the changes that we discussed. I waited and waited and finally received a bill on July 10th (one month later). I opened the envelope to review what I thought was a corrected amount and to my astonishment there was $100.00 ADDED to the already incorrect bill! The new bill read that I now owe $330.83! I immediately began to cry. There was nothing I could do. I had even spoken to a supervisor and still my problem was getting worse. I decided to try my luck at contacting someone locally and in person, so I went to the local customer payment center where I live, in Denton, TX. After going over all of the charges and payments I had made previously, the girl behind the counter said to me, "I don't see where some of these charges are coming from." She kept shaking her head saying "this doesn't make sense." She also said that unfortunately she can't do anything to help me because it is out of her jurisdiction to alter or make changes on a bill because "this is a payment center". She said that I would have to call the customer service number listed on the bill in order to correct the mistakes. I was not happy with this suggestion as I had explained to her that I had already made several failed attempts to resolve this matter by calling the customer service number and nothing has been done. Once again she replied that there was nothing she could do.
When I got home I called the customer service number for the 5th time since all of this began. I immediately asked to speak to a supervisor. Minutes later a woman answered the phone, and I had a hard time understanding her. I asked her where she was located, and she replied that she was in the Philippines. I went on to tell her that the lady from the payment center in Denton, TX told me that my bill was incorrect and that I had to call someone from the customer service line to make the necessary changes to correct it. Her exact reply was "if she thinks there is a problem then why can't she help you?" I replied with, "she doesn't work in customer service and she doesn't have the power to override a bill, she said I had to talk to you." After going back and forth I simply asked her if there was any way she could connect me to a call center in America because felt that she was having a difficult time understanding me. This was her exact reply "If you want to talk to someone in America, then call America!" She then hung up on me! A supervisor from a customer service center for Charter Communications actually hung up on me! Now in tears, I made a few other attempts that evening to call and talk to different supervisors, but unfortunately none of them would admit there was a billing error and none of them would explain why. I truly feel that not one person that I have spoken to at Charter Communications really cares enough to resolve the issue. In fact, since this dispute began I have contacted five customer service representatives and four of their supervisors via the customer service number and all of them have been located in another country, none of them will admit that these charges are wrong, and none of them could explain why. I began to the think that the real issue at hand is that my cable problem in Denton, TX means absolutely nothing to the person on the other end of the line thousands of miles away. The only person that seems to agree with me that my bill is wrong is woman I spoke to from the payment center in Denton, TX, but all she does is apologize that she cant help to change the incorrect amount. I have been to the payment center a couple of times to talk to this individual recently and she keeps turning me away and telling me to call customer service. I am truly outraged! I have never been treated this poorly by anyone. I feel that this billing incident is nothing short of highway robbery. I am at my wits end!
On July 28th I had my service disconnected. I now receive cable and internet services through Verizon Wireless. Today is August 14th, 2007 and I just received a statement from Charter, billing me for the month of August (remember my services where disconnected July 28th). Charter is actually billing me for services that I do not even have with them anymore! My cable bill has managed to manifest itself into a grand total of $403.47. I must admit, it is very clever how this company handles their customers. They push our problems aside by leaving us with only one option, which is to call the one and only customer service number listed on the billing statement, where you get to speak to someone [in another country] who may or may not even understand what you're saying. It's a clever little trap. I however will not fall victim to this game. I stopped paying for Charter's services after I was hung up on by the'supervisor' from the Philippines. I do not plan on paying this bill! I do however plan on sending this letter to the corporate office of Charter Communications, the Federal Communications Commission, and to the Better Business Bureau. I also plan on sharing my story with everyone and anyone who will read or hear about it, as I will be making this matter well known.
Jessica
Denton, Texas
U.S.A.
Click here to read other Rip Off Reports on Charter Communications
5 Updates & Rebuttals
Vankirk
Boone,North Carolina,
U.S.A.
Long time Charter customer
#2Consumer Comment
Tue, January 06, 2009
I have been a Charter customer ever since they came to Boone, NC (about 8 years). I understand that promotions are a way to lure in new customers, and that's fine. I think this person is referring to the lack of communication and/or training of employees. I have to say that in the 8 or so years of being a Charter customer, I have had many communication breakdowns with Charter reps. Also, I have run into a problem myself recently with the expiration of a promo. I am utterly amazed that after being a loyal customer for many years, Charter is unwilling, no, refusing to give us a decent rate for expanded cable and internet (well over $115). Not only that, but I was told that I could not downgrade promos, only upgrade. In other words, I have to sign up for a more expensive promo if I want any promo at all. What is the world is that mess. Most companies will give you a discount for being a returning customer; it's called a customer loyalty discount. Not Charter. I have worked in food service for 15 years and it is ALWAYS cheaper to get the burger and fries in a combo; everyone knows that. Not Charter. Also, if I want to downgrade, they charge me $34!!! They say a tech has to climb the pole and put some blah-blah-blah. Fantastic, then tell that son-of-a-gun to take the cable wire out of the tree branches from where their contractor hung it! Are they serious? What ridiculous business practices they have. I'm getting a dish. Oh, and Melanie, I live at over 3000 ft, where winds can get up to 60 mph; I have never heard any of my coworkers (whom ALL have dishes) complain about outages. In fact, last winter, I got a flyer in the mail from Charter going on and on about how much better cable was because when the weather gets bad, cable won't go out. Well, guess what happened one windy night; that's right, the cable went out. I called Charter (got someone from India; see communication above) and told the woman that we have an outage. Do you know what she told me? No lie, she said it was a weather related outage!!! Probably that wire they hung in the tree! I wish I could post a picture; ya'll would get a kick out of the "cable-wire tree". Aufwiedersehen Charter!
Vankirk
Boone,North Carolina,
U.S.A.
Long time Charter customer
#3Consumer Comment
Tue, January 06, 2009
I have been a Charter customer ever since they came to Boone, NC (about 8 years). I understand that promotions are a way to lure in new customers, and that's fine. I think this person is referring to the lack of communication and/or training of employees. I have to say that in the 8 or so years of being a Charter customer, I have had many communication breakdowns with Charter reps. Also, I have run into a problem myself recently with the expiration of a promo. I am utterly amazed that after being a loyal customer for many years, Charter is unwilling, no, refusing to give us a decent rate for expanded cable and internet (well over $115). Not only that, but I was told that I could not downgrade promos, only upgrade. In other words, I have to sign up for a more expensive promo if I want any promo at all. What is the world is that mess. Most companies will give you a discount for being a returning customer; it's called a customer loyalty discount. Not Charter. I have worked in food service for 15 years and it is ALWAYS cheaper to get the burger and fries in a combo; everyone knows that. Not Charter. Also, if I want to downgrade, they charge me $34!!! They say a tech has to climb the pole and put some blah-blah-blah. Fantastic, then tell that son-of-a-gun to take the cable wire out of the tree branches from where their contractor hung it! Are they serious? What ridiculous business practices they have. I'm getting a dish. Oh, and Melanie, I live at over 3000 ft, where winds can get up to 60 mph; I have never heard any of my coworkers (whom ALL have dishes) complain about outages. In fact, last winter, I got a flyer in the mail from Charter going on and on about how much better cable was because when the weather gets bad, cable won't go out. Well, guess what happened one windy night; that's right, the cable went out. I called Charter (got someone from India; see communication above) and told the woman that we have an outage. Do you know what she told me? No lie, she said it was a weather related outage!!! Probably that wire they hung in the tree! I wish I could post a picture; ya'll would get a kick out of the "cable-wire tree". Aufwiedersehen Charter!
Vankirk
Boone,North Carolina,
U.S.A.
Long time Charter customer
#4Consumer Comment
Tue, January 06, 2009
I have been a Charter customer ever since they came to Boone, NC (about 8 years). I understand that promotions are a way to lure in new customers, and that's fine. I think this person is referring to the lack of communication and/or training of employees. I have to say that in the 8 or so years of being a Charter customer, I have had many communication breakdowns with Charter reps. Also, I have run into a problem myself recently with the expiration of a promo. I am utterly amazed that after being a loyal customer for many years, Charter is unwilling, no, refusing to give us a decent rate for expanded cable and internet (well over $115). Not only that, but I was told that I could not downgrade promos, only upgrade. In other words, I have to sign up for a more expensive promo if I want any promo at all. What is the world is that mess. Most companies will give you a discount for being a returning customer; it's called a customer loyalty discount. Not Charter. I have worked in food service for 15 years and it is ALWAYS cheaper to get the burger and fries in a combo; everyone knows that. Not Charter. Also, if I want to downgrade, they charge me $34!!! They say a tech has to climb the pole and put some blah-blah-blah. Fantastic, then tell that son-of-a-gun to take the cable wire out of the tree branches from where their contractor hung it! Are they serious? What ridiculous business practices they have. I'm getting a dish. Oh, and Melanie, I live at over 3000 ft, where winds can get up to 60 mph; I have never heard any of my coworkers (whom ALL have dishes) complain about outages. In fact, last winter, I got a flyer in the mail from Charter going on and on about how much better cable was because when the weather gets bad, cable won't go out. Well, guess what happened one windy night; that's right, the cable went out. I called Charter (got someone from India; see communication above) and told the woman that we have an outage. Do you know what she told me? No lie, she said it was a weather related outage!!! Probably that wire they hung in the tree! I wish I could post a picture; ya'll would get a kick out of the "cable-wire tree". Aufwiedersehen Charter!
Melanie
Maryville,Tennessee,
U.S.A.
Promotional Periods aren't meant to last forever
#5Consumer Suggestion
Fri, May 16, 2008
I read the story the girl from Denton Texas wrote about Charter Communications. It really sickened me. I too am a Charter Customer, have been for many years. I am also a very satisfied customer, because no matter what the weather is, rain, shine, windy, calm,etc, the product works, unlike Satelitte, when the wind blows,or a cloud happens to creep by, you lose all viewing capabilities. I pay $235 per month for cable, high speed internet, and telephone, I have all the premium channels, HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, and Starx, plus the on demand feature, I have boxes in 3 rooms in my house. Yes I enjoyed the 1 year promotional period, gosh, the bill was well under half of what I am paying now, but I have enough emotional intelligence to realize, this company is in business to make a proffitt, and yes promotional periods are meant to lure potential customers in. This is business, big business. These promotional periods aren't meant to last forever. These days with all the technology, the high definition T.V.S and computers, I think that $107 per month for cable tv is reasonable. Notice this woman didn't bother to tell us what channels and services she was subscribing too and she sure did not offer any information on what her bill is with Verizion. I would be willing to bet its just as much as Charter, probably more if she subscribed to the same channels. This person wants something for nothing, and my gosh, she had a whole year of the cheap rate. She said she wasn't planning on paying the bill. Oh well, she sure isn't hurting Charter, she's only hurting herself and the man she marrys and the children she has or will have because within 6 months, this bill will be on her credit record.Or she'll find some dummy to climb the pole and hook her up, so she can steal the services from Charter and she'll justify her crime by her delinquent $400 she owes Charter. Oh, she'll end up losing her service with Verizion too, and she'll have her service with Charter turned back on, but in a different name. She'll sponge for another year, and then when this promotional period runs out again, she'll cry and blame it on the Asians, or whoever is contracted with Charter to answer their customer service calls. She'll end up having delinquent accounts with Charter using her entire families names and ruining their credit of course. People like this infuriate me. Someone needs to remind her that this isn't the 80's, nor is the bills and utilities like the ones of the 80's. Gosh, pay your bills woman.or live with no cable televison. Believe it or not, cable T.V. is not a requirement,nor is it considered a utility like a telephone and electricity, water. Cable T.V. is one of lifes luxuries, and I don't know of any luxury that is free.
Nance1234
Cape Girardeau,Missouri,
U.S.A.
Charter Employee with information on how to actually reach an agent from america
#6UPDATE Employee
Thu, January 31, 2008
I have noticed by reading some of the stories on here that a lot of the problems lie with the customers and agents not having good communication together if you are a charter customer who is frustrated with not being able to speak with someone from america there is a way to assure that you speak with someone in america. First, when you call in and choose your options to where to direct the call you will need to choose the option for telephone billing department that will take you to a call center in missouri as the only telephone billing department that exists is in missouri no matter if you have telephone with us or not. We do not know what you pressed when you called in we are telephone billing but we are trained to answer all billing inquiries and can do much of anything. So, next time you call choose the phone billing department and you will speak with someone in america. Hope this helps.
