Remember that run-in with my former ISP, Charter Communications, which was allegedly fixed by Charter's online watchdog, Eric Ketzer? I officially take back the part about Charter and me being "square." My email to Ketzer today follows:
Eric,
It appears that Charter's infamous billing department is not paying any attention to you.
I just received a Charter nastygram in the mail, dated Sunday, April 19, informing me that Charter still believes I am "in possession of Charter-owned equipment," and proceeds to threaten me with legal action if it is not returned "immediately."
This is why people hate cable companies: your word is no good.
I will not be returning anything to Charter, because, as you are aware, and have previously agreed, I am not and never have been in possession of any Charter-owned equipment.
Here's something else I will not be doing: spending any time on email or the phone with Charter trying to fix your billing system.
Instead, I will be contacting the Smyrna franchise authority and let them know about how Charter is harassing me for items that have never been on my property, in my possession, or for all I know, in the same time zone with me. I'll also be raising every variety of hell available to me online and elsewhere.
Here's what else I will be doing, unless I receive word TOMORROW from the Smyrna, GA Charter office that they agree that I do not owe Charter a thing, and will IMMEDIATELY cease any phone calls, letters, or any other action to reclaim said nonexistent items.
Should any further unwarranted harassment from Charter occur, I will instead, as your nastygram notes, "reserve the right to pursue all available remedies including legal action."
I note for the record that while I do not owe Charter a dime, the refund check for the balance of my former subscription which was allegedly cut some 13 days ago has never arrived. I take this as an article of the good faith (or more accurately, the lack therof) with which Charter has been dealing with me, and will act accordingly.
Thanks for your continued attention in this matter.
--Will Collier
I used to work for DirecTv(also a horrid company to deal with, but that's not why I'm commenting).
ReplyDeleteAnywhere Charter is the cable company, direct has one of it's higher saturations. Dish, I'm told has the same. The only places in a big city higher are Time Warner cable provided areas.
I used to live in a Cox cable area, and freinds who lived out on a bayou, down a road some 10 miles from the main road had full Cox Digital services. I now live in DFW, on the service road to for I35W, in the City Limits of a 'burb, and have no cable service. Charter cant get my business even if I wanted to, but they will send me offers in the mail every week.
I wish I had a 50Mbps connection or could pay olny for the 17 channels I watch and drop the rest of the 200 or so I have to pay for to get those 17.
As an installer for Direct, I and the co-owner/manager had an install that we would have to go back and reconnect because the Charter guy would disconnect the cabling, claiming we were "stealing" the cabling from his install. Unfortunatelly for him, The house was built for the owner with Direct in mind, and had Tivo cable run throughout(paired coax), and the DirecTv install predated the cable modem install by months.
I took the owner of the Direct installer, and the homeowner (instead of his wife) standing by as the Cable Tech worked and threats of the homeowner bringing legal action for the Charter folks to do a proper install.
Told you.
ReplyDeletehttp://wcollier.blogspot.com/2009/04/duopolies-suck-charter-communications.html?showComment=1239721080000#c3459569262561787666
I hope you still have your bill copies. You *are* going to need them now.
Thanks, Brian. I have every bill Charter has ever sent me (all of them include the words "Customer-owned modem,") plus the email from Ketzer agreeing that I don't and never have had any Charter hardware in my possession. They're going to regret this. A lot.
ReplyDelete