Time Warner issues AGAIN

[Chaselady]

Is anyone out there going through the torture we have been experiencing with this totally inept company?
We dumped their television cable service for DirectV, which works out much better! But we still have their Internet due to total lack of options.
Apparently they moved their billing offices to Atlanta and changed all the account numbers, and they admit they are having issues because of "Sandy". After not receiving a bill for 2 months my husband finally gets through to someone at the beginning of December who tells us we owe a certain amount of money, but we would get a $20 credit for pain and suffering. We have sent payment weeks ago, and now receive a disconnect notice.
The nice young man at TW informs my husband that all payments have gone to the new billing center, and they don't know if we paid our bill. WE are expected to call TW cable back (another hour on the phone?!!) after a short extension, and if they still can't find our payment we could still be disconnected.
What is WRONG with these people?
How can we get rid of them?

[Lakesrider]

I do automatic payments for my TW internet..(DirecTV as well) and have had no issues and no account number change.

[tis]

Good luck, Chaselady. Tuftonboro just signed a new multi year contract with them. I don't think a lot of people were happy with TW, but the selectmen said they didn't have a lot of choices. (It was in the Granite State News I think the week before last?) I don't think TW can handle any changes.

[wifi]

you might check TDS/Fairpoint, they might have service in your area.

[critic1006]

It took forever to get an install with them. Sounds like there aren't many choices this side of the lake. Rumor has it FairPoint will be offering DSL service??

[SIKSUKR]

I will say one positive thing for TWC.Maybe its because of its ineptness but I bought a new flatscreen for my skihouse in Franconia.I did the auto channel search and low and behold I get a dozen hi-def channels w/o a box.I don't understand it but I don't need to.

[Chaselady]

Originally Posted by critic1006

It took forever to get an install with them. Sounds like there aren't many choices this side of the lake. Rumor has it FairPoint will be offering DSL service??

I heard a rumor also, that Fairpoint was expanding in the Tuftonboro area. We have them on the island but not on the mainland.

[BroadHopper]

DSL is for internet access only. For TV service they are affiliated with a satelite service. I had Fairpoint DSL and due to no line of sight to a satelite I had no TV service. I switch to Metrocast.

In the populated South, Fairpoint has fiber optics, I believe called Vantage. In that area is where you can have fiber optics TV service. I was told by Fairpoint we will not see this in the near future, but it will happen eventually.

Metrocast btw, is also a piece of work. I have trouble with pixeling, 'low or no signal' on some channels, and I had to ocassionally reboot the router to get internet service. Every time I call the local number, they would have me call an 800 number and I end up in a cue about an hour long. Only to be told to call the manufacturer of the router. What does the router have to do with the TV signal? A call to the manufacturer and they would tell me to call Metrocast! It's a vicious circle.

[BroadHopper]

Originally Posted by SIKSUKR

I will say one positive thing for TWC.Maybe its because of its ineptness but I bought a new flatscreen for my skihouse in Franconia.I did the auto channel search and low and behold I get a dozen hi-def channels w/o a box.I don't understand it but I don't need to.

The same with Metrocast, 9.1 is Channel 9 hi def. And the weasels wants you to rent a box! When I told them about getting hi def without the box, they say I am not suppose to do that. They advertised free Hi Def, yet you have to pay for extra to rent a Hi Def box. Isn't that false advertising???

[patman]

Same here. We have "internet only" service via TWC, and have no cable boxes, yet we get many digital channels. Most channels are on there multiple times in various levels of resolution (SD, HD)

We watched ABC in 1080i HD for the ball drop on new year's eve.

[upthesaukee]

Originally Posted by BroadHopper

The same with Metrocast, 9.1 is Channel 9 hi def. And the weasels wants you to rent a box! When I told them about getting hi def without the box, they say I am not suppose to do that. They advertised free Hi Def, yet you have to pay for extra to rent a Hi Def box. Isn't that false advertising???

When we got our very first LCD flat screen TV, I printed out the channel guide and tried to select the various channels, thinking that I could now get ESPN HD....did not connect up with 728 selected.

However, by scrolling throught the channels, I was able to find several, but not all the "HD" channels that Metrocast listed for free. What I couldn't do was select ch 72.3 and get whatever was on that for HD. I could select 9.2 and get METV NH. (Ch 9's ME TV).

So I called Metrocast and they said I was picking up the over the air channels. To select the HD channels as listed, I would have to get the box. We agreed to it, and they said that an installer would have to come out.

When he got there, I asked him why I couldn't have just picked up the box and installed it myself. He said in essence I could, with a little help from tech support, assuming the signal was strong enough. He told me what was needed as we got to where the TV was. He hooked it up, and as he turned in on, told me what we needed again. Not even close.

So we started tracing the wiring, and found several splitters, starting in the box outside, and then in the crawl space, and then at the modem, there were TWO, from when we went to the "package". The splitters were doing nothing but acting as couplers or unions between two coax connections. Replacing these unneeded splitters with couplers brought the readings to where they were supposed to be, giving me a good signal and as a side bonus, better (faster) connectivity on my old (10 yrs) Win xp computer.

I do get a little pixlating on occasion, but it has slowed down to hardly ever. There is a gray box up the street on a pole, that normally has a green light. after a power failure, it had the steady green but also a flashing red. I thought this box was NHEC, but after seeing a metrocast truck go up the road (I had gone out earlier and it was still flashing), I went out again and the red light was off. Coincidence? Dont know.

I do know that TV reception has been much better since then. Maybe I am easy, and I have never had Comcast or Verizon Fibre optics, but we are happy with our channel lineup and picture quality.

[wifi]

Those gray boxes are power supplies for CATV items in the local area. They are so large because they contain batteries for backup during power loss. This box likely needed a new battery, but the flashing red was an error indicator.

[TheProfessor]

Just mail another payment.

If first is "lost" then you will be up to date.
If first one is "found" you will get a credit for that one.
Win. Win.

[Kamper]

Check with your town-hall. Because the service is a near monopoly, they will have a contract with the town. There may be a clause about service resolution that will trump anything in your service agreement. If there are enough complaints, your selectmen/alderman (or designated official) may require them to address the issues in person.

Probably cold-comfort to you but if you are being made miserable by this, you may have a chance to stick it back to them.

Good luck!

[tis]

Originally Posted by Kamper

Check with your town-hall. Because the service is a near monopoly, they will have a contract with the town. There may be a clause about service resolution that will trump anything in your service agreement. If there are enough complaints, your selectmen/alderman (or designated official) may require them to address the issues in person.

Probably cold-comfort to you but if you are being made miserable by this, you may have a chance to stick it back to them.

Good luck!

According to the paper, the Tuftonboro Selectmen said they had plenty of complaints against TW but they really didn't have any options but to sign up with them again. That is how I read it anyway. THey just signed the new contract.

[Sunbeam lodge]

Originally Posted by BroadHopper

DSL is for internet access only. For TV service they are affiliated with a satelite service. I had Fairpoint DSL and due to no line of sight to a satelite I had no TV service. I switch to Metrocast.

In the populated South, Fairpoint has fiber optics, I believe called Vantage. In that area is where you can have fiber optics TV service. I was told by Fairpoint we will not see this in the near future, but it will happen eventually.

Metrocast btw, is also a piece of work. I have trouble with pixeling, 'low or no signal' on some channels, and I had to ocassionally reboot the router to get internet service. Every time I call the local number, they would have me call an 800 number and I end up in a cue about an hour long. Only to be told to call the manufacturer of the router. What does the router have to do with the TV signal? A call to the manufacturer and they would tell me to call Metrocast! It's a vicious circle.

Been there and done that. It is a vicious circle , it takes hours on the phone listening to a computer voice telling you how much they value your business.

[Chaselady]

Originally Posted by TheProfessor

Just mail another payment.

If first is "lost" then you will be up to date.
If first one is "found" you will get a credit for that one.
Win. Win.

So, they can't find our previous payments (still, and it has been over a month) but you think we should send them more money?

[TheProfessor]

Originally Posted by Chaselady

So, they can't find our previous payments (still, and it has been over a month) but you think we should send them more money?

Absolutely.

You could have misplaced the payment if mailed.
Could have fallen in the snow when walking to mail.
Could be sitting at destination on someones desk.
Could have been lost a many number of ways.
Why fight it.
No one is going to cash it except them.
It will show up on your bank statement either cashed or not cashed.
Why make a big deal out of this.
Why fight it.
Just mail another payment.

Or go to electronic payments.

[Belmont Resident]

Originally Posted by TheProfessor

Absolutely.

You could have misplaced the payment if mailed.
Could have fallen in the snow when walking to mail.
Could be sitting at destination on someones desk.
Could have been lost a many number of ways.
Why fight it.
No one is going to cash it except them.
It will show up on your bank statement either cashed or not cashed.
Why make a big deal out of this.
Why fight it.
Just mail another payment.

Or go to electronic payments.

Checks? What are those?
Post office? What is that?
Have not written a check in years and have absolutely no use for the postal service.

[rick35]

I understand that the FCC requires cable providers to make local HD channels available without the need for a cable box. Before I connected an HD box I was able to get 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, 25, 38 and 56 in HD from Comcast. Other channels were available non-HD. All the HD channels were identified with a .1 such as 4.1 for WBZ or 9.1 for WMUR.

[TheProfessor]

"Or go to electronic payments. "

[Belmont Resident]

Originally Posted by TheProfessor

"Or go to electronic payments. "

That is what I was getting at.
I gave up on the unreliable post office 9 years ago, every bill I pay is done electronically through my bank account.

[upthesaukee]

In the NH Angle section of the Union Leader on line, here is an article on Time Warner and the fact they have "zero complaints".

Neat theory: don't write them down, and they don't exist. It's like me talking to my cat, who covers his eyes with a paw, or buries his head into the space between a pillow and the couch; If I can't see you, then you are not there.

Here's the link: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/201...mplaints.shtml

[BroadHopper]

So this explained how Metrocast got away with telling the Laconia council they have received no complaints. We need a change on Capital Hill!

[upthesaukee]

Originally Posted by BroadHopper

So this explained how Metrocast got away with telling the Laconia council they have received no complaints. We need a change on Capital Hill!

....the powers what be get in the habit of reading what they are signing. If they see a section like that, then demand it be eliminated or amended. They refuse...Ok Next!!!!

[Lakegeezer]

Originally Posted by upthesaukee

....the powers what be get in the habit of reading what they are signing. If they see a section like that, then demand it be eliminated or amended. They refuse...Ok Next!!!!

How does this refusal thing work? TWC or any other provider owns the cable plant. If the town refuses terms, the provider can threaten to stop serving the town. Then what? There may not be others willing to buy the infrastructure or string their own cable. They have us over a barrel and if Comcast and TWC merge (seems likely with the the new FCC chair on board), the monopoly will be mostly complete, except for you lucky Metrocast folks. A looming problem is that internet neutrality is evaporating and towns won't be able to do a thing about it. Content delivery speed will be based on how much the content provider is willing to pay. Citizens lose out this time. The state PUC can't do much, because cable internet is not a regulated service. If you want to change the government to fix this, you'll have to vote for those promoting more regulations, but in reality, Time Warner contributes much more to the major political parties than you do. They get their way.

[Crusty]

Originally Posted by Lakegeezer

If the town refuses terms, the provider can threaten to stop serving the town.

We've had TWC here in Columbus since the early '70s. About 15 years ago the phone company (Ameritech) decided to compete and installed cable through most of the city alongside TWC's lines. I got better rates as soon as the new cable went past my house. Just before the system was complete, Ameritech was bought-out by SBC. The SBC folks made a big point of stating that "they were in the telephone business" and were not interested in cable TV. They announced that, absent a buyer, they would let their system "go dark".

The city --and this is the key point-- told them that if they went dark, they would need to remove all of their equipment from the public right-of-ways and restore them to their original state. Since this would have cost many tens of millions of dollars to unstring and dig up wire, etc., they kept it going until they were able to find a buyer (Wide Open West (WOW), at less than 5 cents on the dollar). BTW, the first thing WOW did was start offering digital phone service

The point of all this is that it may not be all that easy or cheap for a cable company to pull-up stakes and leave an area.

[patman]

Originally Posted by Lakegeezer

They have us over a barrel and if Comcast and TWC merge (seems likely with the the new FCC chair on board), the monopoly will be mostly complete, except for you lucky Metrocast folks.

In 2010 when Comcast was trying to acquire NBC/Universal, Comcast told the Senate that competition from TWC would prevent Comcast from arbitrarily increasing prices. Fast forward to today, and Comcast is telling the Senate that the merger with TWC is OK because they don't actually compete anywhere but in a few areas.

Makes your head spin...