Are you getting what you are paying for with Charter Communications

With the name "communications", one would think a company using that word as part of their branding, would actually uphold to its definition. Since day one as a customer with Charter Communications of Morristown, TN, we have had nothing but problems with the company. In fact, when they first came to my residence to install their internet service, I had to actually get the computers to recognize the connection. The onsite tech had no clue what to do.
Here we are 10 years later, and still battling this company, now with an issue that has progressed since August of 2007. It was that month we upgraded our service from the 5 meg connection to the 10 meg connection. As with all previous upgrades with Charter, we've always been the unfortunate ones to receive less of what we've asked for - basically a totally different item or just not at all - no change - other than the increase of the the total amount due on their bills.
We knew the speed difference wasn't up to par. But with a busy schedule, some of the big things actually go unnoticed. However, we had recognized that the connection speed upgrade has proven to have shown no speed increase in downloading and uploading files. It was the last week of March, that my wife ventured to their website to check on the available space for uploading a webpage. It caught her eye that our status was listed as a 5 meg connection. However, our printed bills were reflecting a 10 meg connection. Charter had never even updated our account since August of 2007.
So, off to the phones we went. Our first concern was getting the refund due to us - the difference in price from the 5 meg to that of the 10 meg connection. Well, Charter didn't want to hear of it. Their response was "you're on a package deal, thus, you are already getting a discount - so, as long as you got connected, we are not at fault." Okay, what did I miss here? I don't think "stupid" is written on our foreheads. My definition of their reply is "we don't have to gaurantee you any type of service when we are giving you a "package deal." That would be sort of like, "here's a new car for you - just sign here - and don't mind that there's no gear shifter - just cruise at the speed the car will go."
Charter's response then was "we aren't going to refund you that amount of money, - it's not going to happen." The representative (after speaking to 5 of them already during the same call to them), stated he'd put us on an even more discounted service - dropping the 50 bucks of internet charges down to 29.99. I told him that any customer can call back at any day to request a new package deal. Heck, we are told that over and over by Charter phone reps when we call to upgrade our channel listings - "when the year is almost up - call back to get a new sweet deal". Well, the tech swindled his way, and said he put the new package deal into effect. I told him that doesn't resolve our connection problem, one that has been since last August, thus making that 7 months of not getting what we are paying for.
Well, the rep schedules, yet another house visit to discover the problem. Note, that Charter advertises on TV "now hook up to high speed with 4 computers in your home - we'll set you up." My home network consists of 5 computers - 3 game consoles - 2 routers - and Charter's mighty cable modem - which I hooked all together - it's not that hard. We had already performed several speed tests to verify our connection was no where near 10 megs, and just barely reaching 4 megs. In fact, the average is 3.45 Mbps. To test your connection, go to http://internetfrog.com and click on the "speed test" link on the right side.
Charter shows up on Wednesday (two weeks ago from this posting). The tech states "the routers need to come out of play." I responded, "but you advertise your service with the use of routers." To make her happy, I direct connected my laptop (with the wireless disabled) to the cable modem. It was averaging the same rate of speed - 3 megs. She then swapped out the modem with a newer model, stating your current modem can't handle the higher bandwidth. I asked, why didn't you nice folks tell us this when we upgraded so that we could have picked up the newer modem? She had no reply. She ventures outside to the pole. Returns minutes later to report that the splitter on the pole was receiving packet errors - 53 of them. After replaching the splitter, the errors ceased. She then goes to change the splitter inside, but she can't reach it. They carry ladders on their service vehicles, but no step stool?? So, since I stand tall enough to predict the weather, I made the changes per her instructions. I basically replaced the co-ax splitter, and she had me re-arrange the order of connections (tv, phone, modem).
After a reboot of the laptop and cable modem, we try the speed test again. Check it out, there was no improvement, in fact, it got worse. She was then quick to say "looks like a 2nd level tech is needed with a bucket truck to sweep the lines along the road to find the interference." She then said "in tomorrow's morning meeting, I'll relay the issue, and it should be resolved by Friday - if not, call us on Monday.
Ring Ring, hello Charter, it's Monday, and you haven't repaired our connection yet. Like with any call, no matter what history you tell these phone techs, they want you to reboot your PC and power cycle your modem. I told him I'm not doing it. I've already had a tech verify the connection problem doesn't not reside in my home. After yet another few hours on the phone, this time with 3 agents, we were told the work order would be put in progress (which was told to me by the onsite tech would be put into effect Thursday morning), and that we would NOT have to be home.
Knock know, who's there - nobody. Charter shows up two days later leaving a "sorry we missed you" post-it on the door. This was an unscheduled event, so yeah, we probably won't be here because we have a life too. Of course, we call them again. My wife just royally goes off on them. "Where's the communication?? heck your company uses the word in its name." Now, a scheduled visit is planned.
A-las, today, I come home from lunch, and a Charter tech is here with my wife. Talk about lack of communication, it was like a time warp to 2 weeks ago. This tech repeats the very same thing the last one did - need a bucket truck - no errors in home. He does add one thing. "This old modem couldn't handle the new bandwidth, because once we provision a modem to accept a certain bandwidth, it can't be re-provisioned. Sort of like this folks - you are born with a set of fingerprints - thus - that's your mark for life. I was like - you weren't even supposed to be checking our service inside, you'll supposed to be in a bucket truck sweeping the lines. My wife had told him this prior to me telling him. He had no clue about that, no info, not a hint of that project. He was told we simply didn't have any internet whatsover by his superiors. Here's goes that lack of communication again with Charter Communication. And he did something on the pole, making the connection even worse, and he had actually killed the entire connection to the internet. Plus, he went dabbling into my laptop settings thinking it was trying to connect to my wireless router. I had the wireless portion already disabled prior to my going to work this morning. These techs know absolutely nothing.
He gets on his cell, calls the guy with the bucket truck, who happens to be in the neighboring city. He stated that after lunch, the other tech would be in town, and they would check the lines along the road. I asked him to give us a courtesy return visit before close of business today, to give us an update on possible repair time. He said he would, and guess what - he never returned.
I get back home from work, find out they haven't been back - not even a phone call (heck, doesn't everyone carry a cell phone on them?), and I get online with their live chat. After telling the online tech the situation (it's getting ready old having to repeat the story over and over and over - why can't they just read the notes on file), she wants me to power cycle the modem and reboot my PC. I told her no - that procedure has been done twice in two weeks by a Charter tech, a few times via on-the-phone techs, not going to do it again for you. There's only one thing you can do - I told her - , and that's to call my Morristown office (since the numbers are hidden from the general public), and find out the update on the line sweep which is supposed to be in progress at this minute. Online tech says there's nothing in the notes. I replied asking her to just make the simple call - it's not that hard. She tells me to call the supervisor on site. I was like - let me try millions of phone number combinations to see if I can figure out his number. Duhh - why aren't you doing it, you are the tech agent, we are the customer. The lady apologizes, says she knows how we feel. No she doesn't - because it's not happening to her - she not getting cheated out of an extra 40 bucks a month - and she isn't experiencing random connections that don't even peak at their lowest package offerred.
Here's a question for all of you Charter customers. Are you getting the bandwidth you are paying for? Or, are you, as well, being cheated out of your money, because Charter doesn't think you are smart enough to verify the actual connection speed? I mentioned it earlier, and I'll do it again. Go to this address: http://www.theinternetfrog.com and click on the bandwidth speed tester on the right. Give it a few moments, and your down speed and up speed will be shown on a graph of other types of net connections. Better yet, if you live in Morristown, TN, use the competitor's speed tester - Morristown Utility Company - www.musfiber.net. Hover your mouse over the word "internet" at the top left, and click on "speed test." It's the same graph as shown on the internetfrog website.
If you are paying for a 5 meg connection, and only average in the range of 3 megs, you aren't getting your money's worth. If you are paying for a 10 meg connection, and not hitting in the high 8's or 9, you are being cheated out of your money too. Using the speed testers via being connected through my routers and just a straigt connection from one PC to the cable modem, our results are close to the same, (but most of the time, the straight connection to the cable modem is even slower).
So, how many more months, Charter Communications, do you need to rectify our problem. When will you all actually communicate correctly with one another so that you put the proper work order in effect to repair our service? If Fibernet would work with a home network, we'll schedule an appointment for you to come pick up your modem - just hope you don't run into a "sorry we missed you, but we aren't home - please call to reschedule an appointment with us" note. Fibernet only offers a connection that works with only one computer, and there's no modem involved. Sounds like an ISDN type connection, but with it supporting a home network, we are currently stuck with Charter. Satellite is way too slow to even tolerate.
This will probably boil down to the Better Business Bureau giving Charter a call. Yeap, I filed a complaint with them that should put enough spark in them to wipe out the lack of common sense in their minds, and get our problem resolved. By no means am I degrading Charter Communications. They have built this reputation on their own, with each of our tech calls to them, and online chats as paper trails. Oh yeah, their double work orders to do the same job add to the collection as well. How about it Charter, making another work order to come back and do what you've done twice in the past two weeks, just to realize once again that you need to get in your bucket truck to sweep our lines to narrow down the bandwidth drop off point???

Christopher (Digital9x).