Time Warner Cable, Comcast Set Record Lows For Satisfaction The latest American Consumer Satisfaction Index once again confirms that Time Warner Cable and Comcast are among the least liked companies not only in the pay TV sector -- but across all industries. The full report (pdf) notes that overall consumer satisfaction with the pay TV sector continues to fall, beaten out in annoyance and dissatisfaction only by the broadband sector.

"High prices, poor reliability, and declining customer service are to blame for low customer satisfaction with pay TV services," notes the study. While the overall pay TV satisfaction scores are dismal for all companies, satellite and telcoTV providers fare considerably better than cable, with potential new BFFs DirecTV and AT&T's U-Verse taking top honors. Comcast and Time Warner Cable take the next to last and last place pay TV rankings, respectively, with Time Warner Cable somehow managing to reach an all time low score in the rankings. Both companies have promised several times a year for the last decade to correct their poor customer service issues, yet each year things somehow manage to get worse. Comcast claims that acquiring Time Warner Cable will somehow magically eliminate the operator's shortfalls, but you'd be hard pressed to find a buyer for that claim. "The issue at stake is not that the proposed merger will limit competition as the service territories of the two companies do not overlap," said ACSI. "Instead, it is the question of whether a combination of two pay-TV providers with such poor records could possibly create a better customer experience, especially given the volume of evidence from ACSI data suggesting that mergers in service industries tend to damage satisfaction—at least in the short term."

In broadband, the ACSI notes that high prices, slow speeds and unreliable service continue to drag down ratings courtesy of limited competition. As with pay TV, nobody's rankings are particularly worth writing home about, though fiber optic lines and DSL tend to rank higher than cable. Verizon FiOS took the top spot among all ISPs for the second year in a row. Here Comcast and Time Warner Cable again stumble, performing even worse in broadband than they do in pay television services. The study also ranks wireless phone services, noting that while satisfaction scores are better than pay TV and broadband, they're still among the worst across all industries. Customer satisfaction remained flat year over year, with Verizon Wireless customers being the most satisfied, and AT&T customers remaining the least satisfied. Satisfaction with cell phone makers themselves is rising year over year, with Samsung and Apple leading the rankings. The study also ranks wireless phone services, noting that while satisfaction scores are better than pay TV and broadband, they're still among the worst across all industries. Customer satisfaction remained flat year over year, with Verizon Wireless customers being the most satisfied, and AT&T customers remaining the least satisfied. Satisfaction with cell phone makers themselves is rising year over year, with Samsung and Apple leading the rankings.







News Jump California Defends Its Net Neutrality Law; AT&T's Traffic Up 20% Despite Data Traffic Actually Being Down; + more news Are The Comcast-Charter X1 Talks Dead In The Water?; AT&T May Offer Phone Plans With Ads For Discounts; + more news Europe's Top Court: Net Neutrality Rules Bar Zero Rating; ViacomCBS To Rebrand CBS All Access As Paramount+; + more news Verizon To Buy Reseller TracFone For $7B; 5G Not The Competitive Threat To Cable Many Thought It Would Be; + more news MS.Wants Records From AT&T On $300M Project; Google Fiber Outages In Austin, Houston, Other Texan Cities; + more news States With The Biggest Decreases In Speed; AT&T Hopes You'll Forget Its Fight Against Accurate Maps; + more news AT&T's CEO Has A Familiar $olution To US Broadband Woes; EarthLink Files Suit Against Charter; + more news 5G Doesn't Live Up To Hype, AT&T's 5G Slower Than Its 4G; Cord-Cutting Now In 37% of Broadband Households; + more news FCC Cited False Broadband Data Despite Warnings; ZTE, Huawei Replacement Cost Is $1.87B, But Only $1B Allocated; + more Cogeco Rejects Altice USA's Atlantic Broadband Bid; AT&T Is Astroturfing The FCC In Support Of Trump Attack; + more news ---------------------- this week last week most discussed view:

topics flat nest

celeritypc

For Lucky Best Wash, Use Mr. Sparkle

Premium Member

join:2004-05-15

Caldwell, NJ 1 recommendation celeritypc Premium Member I find it interesting that... more people aren't complaining about their health-care insurers. If people truly knew how much they pay versus what they get, I'm sure we would see some different numbers.



I've said this before: while I do think that the pricing of cable/broadband is somewhat out of hand, let's look at the real underlying issues. Any company has to deal with increased costs on a year-to-year basis. These costs include fuel, insurance, health care, employee salaries, taxes and so on. For cable, there is also the burden of programming costs as well. To expect that any reasonably run company won't pass some of these costs on to its customers is folly.



Unfortunately, we are also in the battle of maintaining shareholder value. In the past, investors looked long-term and invested in companies that had long-term outlooks. Many of these investors are the institutional investors: the mutual funds, 401k and pension plans we all have. With computerized trading and quick trades, we have gone from an economy of long-term investment to short-term investment with investors looking for making the best dollar on share prices. This mentality has lead our corporations look at the short-term profit rather than long-term thinking and thus, maintaining shareholder value in stock prices.



Let's face it: everything goes up and we don't derive any more value for what we get. I don't see people complaining about gas, insurance or food prices as much as they do about cable tv and internet.

Brian_M

join:2004-06-19

Manchester, GA ·Charter

1 recommendation Brian_M Member Re: I find it interesting that... Umm, spend time on forums devoted to vehicles (I'm a motorcycle guy myself) and there's more complaint about gas and vehicle insurance prices than ISP/TV. Ditto if you spend time on a foody forum, and it's food prices that take center stage.



As for health care, I haven't been to Any forum in the past 2 years, no matter what the focus, where there hasn't been massive complaint about the state of affairs there (at least for US based forums, it's a bit less of an issue on forums with more user based outside of the US).

Titus

Mr Gradenko

join:2004-06-26 2 recommendations Titus to celeritypc

Member to celeritypc

I find it interesting that people still apologize for an industry that increases costs at better than 4x the rate of inflation AND has also seen three straight years of higher increases in areas with competition than without. It's obscene. etaadmin

join:2002-01-17

united state etaadmin Member Re: I find it interesting that... I don't really mind if they increase their internet speeds at the same rate... so far they have done a good job.

vas

@107.4.137.x vas to celeritypc

Anon to celeritypc

I get that.....But cable prices rising at 3x the rate of inflation?

maartena

Elmo

Premium Member

join:2002-05-10

Orange, CA 1 recommendation maartena Premium Member Re: I find it interesting that... said by vas : I get that.....But cable prices rising at 3x the rate of inflation?



So lets say average 2%.



Now go see if your cable bill has gone up about 6%. My DirecTV bill was raised $5 last year, but that was only the "announced" increase. At the same time, they added a $2 local sports fee surcharge, and increased some other fee I forgot. All in all, my bill went from $102 to $110, and that is nearly 8% as opposed to 2013.



And I know cable prices aren't all that different, and I am SURE they were risen by more then 5%, so the statement of 3 times the inflation is quite correct. If we were looking at last years inflation only (1.8%) and compare it to the rates DirecTV jacked up, it was a little more then 4 times the rate of inflation.



And that is one reason I cancelled it, and told them where they could stuff their price increase. I cancelled in February, I paid 1 bill with the new price per Feb 1st. Inflation average between 1.5% and 2.5% per year. (I looked it up for the last few years, 2011-2012 inflation was 2.1%, 2012-2013 was 1.5%, and 2013-2014 was 1.8%)So lets say average 2%.Now go see if your cable bill has gone up about 6%. My DirecTV bill was raised $5 last year, but that was only the "announced" increase. At the same time, they added a $2 local sports fee surcharge, and increased some other fee I forgot. All in all, my bill went from $102 to $110, and that is nearly 8% as opposed to 2013.And I know cable prices aren't all that different, and I am SURE they were risen by more then 5%, so the statement of 3 times the inflation is quite correct. If we were looking at last years inflation only (1.8%) and compare it to the rates DirecTV jacked up, it was a little more then 4 times the rate of inflation.And that is one reason I cancelled it, and told them where they could stuff their price increase. I cancelled in February, I paid 1 bill with the new price per Feb 1st. ihatedslr

join:2000-12-11

US ihatedslr Member Re: I find it interesting that... Why do people tie price increase of a product or service with inflation? Supply and demand. That's what business is all about. Consumers keep wanting more content/bandwidth, so why would prices stay the same when the business delivers?

maartena

Elmo

Premium Member

join:2002-05-10

Orange, CA maartena Premium Member Re: I find it interesting that... said by ihatedslr: Why do people tie price increase of a product or service with inflation? Supply and demand. That's what business is all about. Consumers keep wanting more content/bandwidth, so why would prices stay the same when the business delivers?



I started with about $105 on DirecTV 4 years ago (not the promotional rate for the first year), but that was WITH HBO and HD Pack and Sports Pack. I gradually dropped programming over the years, as DirecTV continued to increase the prices of all packages and premium addons. In February 2014 I was at around $102 for the monthly bill, and it was going up to about $110 which included some local sports fee as well. If I had not cancelled HBO ($15) and Sports Pack ($11) and HD Pack ($5), i'd be $31 more down the drain.



And it will get worse: The february raise included the raise of $4 per subscriber for TWC SportsNet to be able to watch the Lakers, and they haven't made a deal yet for the new TWC owned Dodgers channel, which is another $4.



You say the business delivers.... I say they give me the SAME crap I had 4 years ago, at a price increase of $5-$8 a year because the channel owners screw cable and sat companies out of their money to carry their channels.



It is ridiculous how much cable prices have gone up. And it won't stop, you'll see another $5 a month increase by next year. Problem in this case, is that the business does not deliver anything more. Price increases are mostly because media companies that own TV stations are raising the prices for their television channels. (And at the same time, force the cable/sat operators to take on a bundle of channels)I started with about $105 on DirecTV 4 years ago (not the promotional rate for the first year), but that was WITH HBO and HD Pack and Sports Pack. I gradually dropped programming over the years, as DirecTV continued to increase the prices of all packages and premium addons. In February 2014 I was at around $102 for the monthly bill, and it was going up to about $110 which included some local sports fee as well. If I had not cancelled HBO ($15) and Sports Pack ($11) and HD Pack ($5), i'd be $31 more down the drain.And it will get worse: The february raise included the raise of $4 per subscriber for TWC SportsNet to be able to watch the Lakers, and they haven't made a deal yet for the new TWC owned Dodgers channel, which is another $4.You say the business delivers.... I say they give me the SAME crap I had 4 years ago, at a price increase of $5-$8 a year because the channel owners screw cable and sat companies out of their money to carry their channels.It is ridiculous how much cable prices have gone up. And it won't stop, you'll see another $5 a month increase by next year.

why60loss

Premium Member

join:2012-09-20 why60loss Premium Member Re: I find it interesting that... said by maartena: said by ihatedslr: Why do people tie price increase of a product or service with inflation? Supply and demand. That's what business is all about. Consumers keep wanting more content/bandwidth, so why would prices stay the same when the business delivers?



I started with about $105 on DirecTV 4 years ago (not the promotional rate for the first year), but that was WITH HBO and HD Pack and Sports Pack. I gradually dropped programming over the years, as DirecTV continued to increase the prices of all packages and premium addons. In February 2014 I was at around $102 for the monthly bill, and it was going up to about $110 which included some local sports fee as well. If I had not cancelled HBO ($15) and Sports Pack ($11) and HD Pack ($5), i'd be $31 more down the drain.



And it will get worse: The february raise included the raise of $4 per subscriber for TWC SportsNet to be able to watch the Lakers, and they haven't made a deal yet for the new TWC owned Dodgers channel, which is another $4.



You say the business delivers.... I say they give me the SAME crap I had 4 years ago, at a price increase of $5-$8 a year because the channel owners screw cable and sat companies out of their money to carry their channels.



It is ridiculous how much cable prices have gone up. And it won't stop, you'll see another $5 a month increase by next year. Problem in this case, is that the business does not deliver anything more. Price increases are mostly because media companies that own TV stations are raising the prices for their television channels. (And at the same time, force the cable/sat operators to take on a bundle of channels)I started with about $105 on DirecTV 4 years ago (not the promotional rate for the first year), but that was WITH HBO and HD Pack and Sports Pack. I gradually dropped programming over the years, as DirecTV continued to increase the prices of all packages and premium addons. In February 2014 I was at around $102 for the monthly bill, and it was going up to about $110 which included some local sports fee as well. If I had not cancelled HBO ($15) and Sports Pack ($11) and HD Pack ($5), i'd be $31 more down the drain.And it will get worse: The february raise included the raise of $4 per subscriber for TWC SportsNet to be able to watch the Lakers, and they haven't made a deal yet for the new TWC owned Dodgers channel, which is another $4.You say the business delivers.... I say they give me the SAME crap I had 4 years ago, at a price increase of $5-$8 a year because the channel owners screw cable and sat companies out of their money to carry their channels.It is ridiculous how much cable prices have gone up. And it won't stop, you'll see another $5 a month increase by next year.



I only watch continuum on tv and really it's because I am not the one paying for it. I know for how much TV service cost that I would never dump so much just for 1-3 shows at most.



I say it's only getting more costly and at the same time giving more of the crap I don't care to watch. If breaking bad is the best TV can do, then screw it I will keep the cord cut for the rest of my life. There shall be no duck type for such poor costly service.



TV is total BS now days, just a bunch of crap like ice road truckers and other crap about how many dumb 16 year olds there are.I only watch continuum on tv and really it's because I am not the one paying for it. I know for how much TV service cost that I would never dump so much just for 1-3 shows at most.I say it's only getting more costly and at the same time giving more of the crap I don't care to watch. If breaking bad is the best TV can do, then screw it I will keep the cord cut for the rest of my life. There shall be no duck type for such poor costly service.

maartena

Elmo

Premium Member

join:2002-05-10

Orange, CA 1 recommendation maartena to celeritypc

Premium Member to celeritypc

said by celeritypc: Let's face it: everything goes up and we don't derive any more value for what we get. I don't see people complaining about gas, insurance or food prices as much as they do about cable tv and internet.



If you just spent time with other techies, whether offline or online, yeah you are going to see tech-type complainers.



Go ask your plumber next time you see him, and ask him what it costs to run his truck all over town.... and you WILL get an earful. And at the same time, he's probably fine with cable TV, as long as football is on. ... And internet is that YAHOO thingy address on his business card he checks twice a week. I suggest you spend some more time talking to people other then computer nerds. Here, in the real world, a hell of a lot more discussion about gas prices, food prices, AND health insurance takes place then about TV or internet prices.If you just spent time with other techies, whether offline or online, yeah you are going to see tech-type complainers.Go ask your plumber next time you see him, and ask him what it costs to run his truck all over town.... and you WILL get an earful. And at the same time, he's probably fine with cable TV, as long as football is on.... And internet is that YAHOO thingy address on his business card he checks twice a week.

Anon19383245

@173.162.229.x 1 recommendation Anon19383245 to celeritypc

Anon to celeritypc

These ISP's are greedy, plain and simple. They took billions of taxpayer money and threw it in their pockets, with no repercussions that was supposed to be allocated to upgrade infrastructure. This next move to cap data and merge TWC and Comcast is just another way to cash grab without providing any quality. Shame on you for just proclaming "everything goes up" instead of finding out why, in some cases, things shouldn't be going up.

Blade

@174.69.145.x Blade to celeritypc

Anon to celeritypc

It's not just the insurance companies. It's the hospitals that charge excessive amounts of money even for the smallest thing like an asprin. They jack the price up to about $20 for one pill.

kkkkkkkkkkkk

@12.109.156.x kkkkkkkkkkkk Anon Re: I find it interesting that... They have because more people don't pay their bill than do. Us with real jobs and insurance have to pick up the tab for the entitled an lazy bums that stiff them. If you don't have insurance hospitals give you an enormous break. They just take advantage of folks with insurance cause then þey can pay for the bums too.

why60loss

Premium Member

join:2012-09-20 1 edit why60loss Premium Member Re: I find it interesting that... said by kkkkkkkkkkkk : They have because more people don't pay their bill than do. Us with real jobs and insurance have to pick up the tab for the entitled an lazy bums that stiff them. If you don't have insurance hospitals give you an enormous break. They just take advantage of folks with insurance cause then þey can pay for the bums too.



Uninsured are a small cost compared the cost of court cases. In other places health care cost less due to the fact they are better protected from stupid people looking for a "bonus" from the doctor or hospital.



Oh and if you got a $150,000 bill, lets see you pay that. In the mean time your insurance only pays $10,000 because they have more power to talk them down than that "entitled lazy bum".



It's really a rip off anyway, they never will cover you if your dying in anycase unless someone could sue them later for more than it would cost to fix it.



I would like all the smokers, drinkers and over eaters to pay more into the system due to the higher risk they are.



I would also like insurance to pay the same flat rates as anyone else would. This isn't a used car dealer and it shouldn't act like one but doctors and hospitals do.



If insurance is billed 150,000 but only pays 30,000 that's okay but if I am on my own with out insurance and billed that but only pay 30,000 then I wouldn't get away with that. Nope it's to cover the cost of them getting sued by well off pricks who can pay to play in court with a "malpractice" suit.Uninsured are a small cost compared the cost of court cases. In other places health care cost less due to the fact they are better protected from stupid people looking for a "bonus" from the doctor or hospital.Oh and if you got a $150,000 bill, lets see you pay that. In the mean time your insurance only pays $10,000 because they have more power to talk them down than that "entitled lazy bum".It's really a rip off anyway, they never will cover you if your dying in anycase unless someone could sue them later for more than it would cost to fix it.I would like all the smokers, drinkers and over eaters to pay more into the system due to the higher risk they are.I would also like insurance to pay the same flat rates as anyone else would. This isn't a used car dealer and it shouldn't act like one but doctors and hospitals do.If insurance is billed 150,000 but only pays 30,000 that's okay but if I am on my own with out insurance and billed that but only pay 30,000 then I wouldn't get away with that. APG

Premium Member

join:2007-01-13 1 recommendation APG Premium Member Then again... There's no doubt that some cable customers do suffer from poor service... either problems that don't seem to get resolved or take too many calls to resolve.



But how is it that all the cable companies rank fairly close together? I think, from working in the business, is that a lot of disatisfaction comes not from the company, but from customer's expectations.



Sorry... but at 7pm, we're not going to be able to get a tech out to the house that evening. We don't decide what NFL games to show on Sunday... the NFL dictates that to the networks. Alas, we can't really help much with a wireless router that isn't ours. And sadly, the customer can't name his own price for monthly service. Etc., etc., etc.



It's stuff like that that accounts for many of low customer survey scores, and presumably with independent satisfaction surveys.



It's just the nature of the business.

PlusOne

@50.182.54.x PlusOne Anon Re: Then again... said by APG: There's no doubt that some cable customers do suffer from poor service... either problems that don't seem to get resolved or take too many calls to resolve.



Sorry... but at 7pm, we're not going to be able to get a tech out to the house that evening. We don't decide what NFL games to show on Sunday... the NFL dictates that to the networks. Alas, we can't really help much with a wireless router that isn't ours. And sadly, the customer can't name his own price for monthly service. Etc., etc., etc.



It's stuff like that that accounts for many of low customer survey scores, and presumably with independent satisfaction surveys.



Lack of options to go elsewhere for most people turns every minor problem in to a major catastrophe. Like a long time married couple that won't divorce and constantly snipe at each other. +1Lack of options to go elsewhere for most people turns every minor problem in to a major catastrophe. Like a long time married couple that won't divorce and constantly snipe at each other. elefante72

join:2010-12-03

East Amherst, NY elefante72 Member Re: Then again... Why not. Cable is a 24x7 SERVICE business and that is what I am paying for. So I "expect" that response is in kind. A service outage no matter when it happens is still a service outage.



And only servicing when people have to work (and showing up or not) REALLY pisses off people. If service was scheduled around people's lives satisfaction would go up tremendously. This is simply not consumer-friendly.



My Dell laptop breaks, I can call at 2AM and they respond. Sure it's broken english, but the resistance of the operators to run a 24x7 business and service during bankers hours with ultra premium pricing is just arrogant--hence their oligopoly status or worse.



Even my bank has hours until 8PM now--not that I go.



The other issue is pricing and bundles. They are not uniform, fair, predatory, etc. It's almost like going to buy a car to sign up for cable. If you are good a negotiating, you can make out. If not you get shafted. People resent that.



bundling - A SOX violation in almost any business, but perfectly legal in cable. This is bulls**t. People HATE paying for what they are not watching and KNOW they are getting screwed.



Even in wireless which makes obscene profits, quality is higher because:



1. Stores are open later and service is better.

2. While prices can be hidden, that is slowly going away and you know upfront what you are looking at.

3. The product itself while somewhat reliable provides true value to most people.

jmn1207

Premium Member

join:2000-07-19

Sterling, VA 2 recommendations jmn1207 to APG

Premium Member to APG

said by APG: It's just the nature of the business.



I don't feel that there is much value in their services for the cost. I rue ever having to contact the ISP for any technical issues with the service. I'm worried every month that the bill will not be correct. Trying to get straight information online is often a futile endeavor.



The poor customer survey results are just the nature of this industry, because they don't need to worry much about how the customer feels about their services, since customers don't really have any other options available to them. These businesses spend a great deal of their resources to ensure that things stay this way. The entire customer experience is the issue. To make a ridiculous claim that service is grand but with the exception of a few ignorant customers is laughable.I don't feel that there is much value in their services for the cost. I rue ever having to contact the ISP for any technical issues with the service. I'm worried every month that the bill will not be correct. Trying to get straight information online is often a futile endeavor.The poor customer survey results are just the nature of this industry, because they don't need to worry much about how the customer feels about their services, since customers don't really have any other options available to them. These businesses spend a great deal of their resources to ensure that things stay this way. logger

join:2012-06-14

Carmel, NY logger to APG

Member to APG

In my case the dissatisfaction came from the company, not my expectations. I expected what the company stated was included in the service tier I subscribed to. That is what I got for decades from the previous owners of the only cable TV system that serves my address.



The current owner of the local cable TV system did not provide what they stated they provided. They did not fix problems I reported. I am no longer a cable customer. bayshun

join:2010-04-29 bayshun to APG

Member to APG

I think a lot of the problem stems with the fact that much of their support staff seem to be bottom dollar employees based out of another country.



If there's a problem, and I manage to get someone who I think is local on the phone, things go much more smoothly. They understand what I'm saying, and respond specifically to it. This is the case with all departments -- tech support, sales, and billing.



The majority of the time, however, I get someone who I think is overseas; and it's an epic battle to get anything done. No matter what I say, it's the same response every time. Problems with your service? Power cycle something. You want to change your plan? Pre-written sales pitch with little actual product knowledge. I don't think I've encountered any billing overseas billing agents.I guess they don't want to trust them when it directly involves money -- only when it involves customer satisfaction.



But of course they don't offer good customer service; chances are you have no other options. They know it, and they do everything in their power to make sure it stays that way.

Packeteers

Premium Member

join:2005-06-18

Forest Hills, NY ·Verizon FiOS

·Charter

Asus RT-AC3100

(Software) Asuswrt-Merlin

1 recommendation Packeteers Premium Member people just hate monopolies people survey badly against any company they are stuck with.

so people take out their lack of choice on that one company.



TWCable is the monopoly where I live, but I love my home ISP

because I have to deal with Verizon at work, and them I hate,

since even our expensive business class service gets neglected.



since most people have probably been stuck with the same ISP

choices for years, they naturally hate not having alternatives.

Snakeoil

Ignore Button. The coward's feature.

Premium Member

join:2000-08-05

Mentor, OH Snakeoil Premium Member Re: people just hate monopolies I wish I had an alternative. Dial up, cable, satellite, cellular, are my only options.

I wish that the FCC would bust the last mile freeze out. If these companies want to merge to form mega to big to fail companies, then they should be required to open up the last mile.

They could lease the pipe to 3rd party carriers, much like how natural gas lines, power lines are leased to 3rd party resellers.



Supposedly after the merger, I may end up with Charter. Funny how I don't have a say. Well I do, I could just go without internet service. My family couldn't.

SYNACK

Just Firewall It

Mod

join:2001-03-05

Venice, CA 1 recommendation SYNACK Mod Not that much contrast! From a statistical point of view, the differences are not that remarkable, even between the top and bottom ranked outfits. Not a single company provides stellar scores (e.g. 85+%), so the real live difference is not what it is made to look like. If you would switch from the bottom to the top ranked provider based on that list, you'll only have a 20% better chance to be satisfied.

All the bar graphs in that report are highly biased and overemphasize the small differences. For a more realistic look, the scale for the bar graphs should always go from 0 to 100. elefante72

join:2010-12-03

East Amherst, NY 1 recommendation elefante72 Member Re: Not that much contrast! Look at the massive drop in FiOS. I can tell you for sure they have become much more anti-consumer in the last year (below the line fees, and above) and purposely causing peering issues with CDNs, saying to their customers if you don't have FiOS you aren't getting it, etc....



There is however night and day difference though. Even Verizon's diminishing scores and service is nowhere as nightmarish as dealings I have had with TWC. I would put Verizon at a B- and TWC D- at best. TBH, their people are not bad, it's just they are neither empowered, have the tools, or are properly trained. It basically boils down to management incompetence and/or focus on the bottom line.



These guys are simply consolidating only to be broken up by the government in 10 years when they go too far.

norm

join:2012-10-18

Pittsburgh, PA norm Member Re: Not that much contrast! I saw a FiOS van in a grocery store parking lot the other day. On the side it said something along the lines of:



Nation's Fastest Network*



I couldn't find on the vehicle what the * meant.

maartena

Elmo

Premium Member

join:2002-05-10

Orange, CA maartena Premium Member Re: Not that much contrast! said by norm: I saw a FiOS van in a grocery store parking lot the other day. On the side it said something along the lines of:



Nation's Fastest Network*



I couldn't find on the vehicle what the * meant.



I see FIOS ads everywhere here too, but the greater LA area is about 50% AT&T, 50% Verizon on the telco side (give or take 5%, I didn't do the actual math), but TWC covers about 80%. (Cox 15%, Charter 5%, again not actual math).



So if they want to advertise on cable to please come to FIOS, they have to have a disclaimer in there somewhere that all you people in AT&T territory, are still screwed. "Service not available everywhere." most likely....I see FIOS ads everywhere here too, but the greater LA area is about 50% AT&T, 50% Verizon on the telco side (give or take 5%, I didn't do the actual math), but TWC covers about 80%. (Cox 15%, Charter 5%, again not actual math).So if they want to advertise on cable to please come to FIOS, they have to have a disclaimer in there somewhere that all you people in AT&T territory, are still screwed.

chip89

Premium Member

join:2012-07-05

Columbia Station, OH chip89 Premium Member Re: Not that much contrast! At lest there's fios in the city where you live I saw a fios ad in Cleveland there is no fios for a 100 miles or more... dotditdot

join:2009-09-23

New York, NY 1 edit 1 recommendation dotditdot to elefante72

Member to elefante72

B- is being generous. I just had fios installed and am not impressed. Between the techs that couldn't be bothered to show up on time, being forced to buy a lousy $100 router (or rent it), as well as the mediocre performance of the connection (probably all peering related); I feel like I'm paying overpaying (and I signed up during the recent promo).

why60loss

Premium Member

join:2012-09-20 why60loss Premium Member Time warner cable is last Time warner cable gets last place or worse than Comcast on nearly every ranking like this one, yet no one talks about it. Yet if Comcast got last on any of those type reports there would be 100+ comments about how evil Comcast is.

maartena

Elmo

Premium Member

join:2002-05-10

Orange, CA 1 recommendation maartena Premium Member Re: Time warner cable is last said by why60loss: Time warner cable gets last place or worse than Comcast on nearly every ranking like this one, yet no one talks about it. Yet if Comcast got last on any of those type reports there would be 100+ comments about how evil Comcast is.



Its just like Microsoft. They really don't make bad products, and their support is actually quite good if you ever called them. But Microsoft will always be the "big bad company" if stuff doesn't work. (even though most commonly, computer problems are caused by 1) faulty hardware, 2) dumb users infecting them, and 3) software other then the OS) Concast is larger. Comcast has had some bad press in recent years that people pick up on.Its just like Microsoft. They really don't make bad products, and their support is actually quite good if you ever called them. But Microsoft will always be the "big bad company" if stuff doesn't work.(even though most commonly, computer problems are caused by 1) faulty hardware, 2) dumb users infecting them, and 3) software other then the OS) etaadmin

join:2002-01-17

united state etaadmin Member Re: Time warner cable is last said by maartena: Its just like Microsoft. They really don't make bad products, and their support is actually quite good if you ever called them. But Microsoft will always be the "big bad company" if stuff doesn't work. (even though most commonly, computer problems are caused by 1) faulty hardware, 2) dumb users infecting them, and 3) software other then the OS)



I can't say anything bad about TWC's service and the service has been flawless delivering the speed that I'm paying for.



These numbers and polls mean absolutely nothing! Correct, people like to parrot what others say and between shills and corporate character attacks Comcast and TWC had their share.I can't say anything bad about TWC's service and the service has been flawless delivering the speed that I'm paying for.These numbers and polls mean absolutely nothing!

IowaCowboy

Supermarket Hero

Premium Member

join:2010-10-16

Springfield, MA ARRIS SB6183

Netgear R8000

IowaCowboy to why60loss

Premium Member to why60loss

You haven't seen Comcast's true colors. At least Time Warner has more responsive customer service.



I've gotten better customer service from government agencies than from Comcast. Comcast's customer service goal is to deny responsibility for service issues, even if it's their fault.

why60loss

Premium Member

join:2012-09-20 why60loss Premium Member Re: Time warner cable is last said by IowaCowboy: You haven't seen Comcast's true colors. At least Time Warner has more responsive customer service.



I've gotten better customer service from government agencies than from Comcast. Comcast's customer service goal is to deny responsibility for service issues, even if it's their fault. And you haven't seen Time warner cables true colors. So agree to disagree it is then.

antdude

ANTh Vader

Premium Member

join:2001-03-25

US antdude Premium Member Not surprised! It will get worse when Comcast takes over!

Rick4769

join:2012-11-21

Buffalo, NY Rick4769 Member It will get worse before it will ever be better! You are absolutely right about Comcast, things are only going to get worse. I left TWC after I heard about the merger. Decided to do it now because I have a feeling once Comcast takes over, other providers will be inundated for service in our area. (Direct TV, FIOS and DISH Network.

plencnerb

Premium Member

join:2000-09-25

Carpentersville, IL 1 recommendation plencnerb Premium Member I think this sums up TWC and CC's Customer Service



why60loss

Premium Member

join:2012-09-20 why60loss Premium Member Re: I think this sums up TWC and CC's Customer Service Yep that may as well be the case.

FureverFurry

RIP Daphne: 3/12/05 - 6/19/12

Premium Member

join:2012-02-20

49xxx Zoom 5341J

ARRIS WBM760

Vonage VDV-21

1 recommendation FureverFurry Premium Member No motivation to improve



In many cases, people are "stuck" because their alternatives to poor service is to sacrifice speed for a better rated provider that offers something like DSL or dial-up speed. Prices are raised because, well - they can. Let's not forget the wonderful "binding arbitration" clause with CC that prevents any sort of class action.



I used to be a CSR supervisor for a eCommerce company. Their belief was simply: "It is the CUSTOMER who buys our products that allows us to stay in business." It seems that CC and TWC feel differently. I foresee only WORSENING customer and tech support, and there is NO motivation for Comcast or TWC to change. Why should they? They continue to lure in customers with specials or bundles and that's what keeps the shareholders happy.In many cases, people are "stuck" because their alternatives to poor service is to sacrifice speed for a better rated provider that offers something like DSL or dial-up speed. Prices are raised because, well - they can. Let's not forget the wonderful "binding arbitration" clause with CC that prevents any sort of class action.I used to be a CSR supervisor for a eCommerce company. Their belief was simply: "It is the CUSTOMER who buys our products that allows us to stay in business." It seems that CC and TWC feel differently. your comment..

