Why I Am Ready to Seriously Hurt Cox Communications - My Cable Company

I'm typing in Panera, on a 95% dead laptop (THANKS, Nik!) in my last two hours of freedom before school gets out. While I wait for the pediatrician to call me back because one of my daughters has developed hand size HIVES that look like WELTS all over her body. It's been a SPLENDID day thus far, thanks for asking.)

Oh, Cox Communications.

I've been your client now for just about 25 years. Never switched to Fios, and although I did have a satellite dish for a while, I was happy to make the switch back to you. And when you began to offer phone service, I happily switched my phone service to you, in order to reap the benefits of a bundled package. And in the beginning, the rate was good.

And, lo, how the rate has increased. I now pay about $2 shy of $200. Which, you know, seems kind of high to me, but I really don't know, and I'm not that interested in shopping around, and I've always been pleased. Turn the tv on, the shows are there. Pick up the phone, the caller is available. Try to go online - this week -

NOTHING. No internet since Thursday morning at about 2.

Don't ask me how I know when it went down. Just don't.

So, I called bright and early Thursday morning for a tech, and was able to secure a visit between 5 and 7. I had no internet all day, and the upshot of that was that my iPhone, which uses 3G, defaulted to my home provider and so I REALLY had no internet. The tech came, stared at my boobs a lot, pronounced the splitter rusty, replaced it, and I had Internet.

Life, it was good. FOR AN HOUR.

Then it went down again and Cox Communications let me down in a big bad way. (It's interesting to note that when I did a twitter search for Cox Communications, the overwhelming sentiment was dissatisfaction.) I called and got the run around from a man who spoke as if he had marbles in his mouth. Maybe I was interrupting his nap, who knows, I explained to him everything that I'd done - pulled all the plugs, rebooted the system, unscrewed the cable from the wall, yadda yadda - all of the stuff you do when your Internet goes wiggy. He had me redo each step - in case, maybe, I had done it incorrectly. Fine, whatever. Then he told me he was unable to help and gave me a repair appt.

This was Thursday night. The repair appt was SATURDAY EVENING.

I was not happy, and that's putting it mildly. I requested a supervisor, informing Mumbles McGee that I work from home and I was already without access an entire day. Seriously - 48 hours away, after I'd already had one service call that did not resolve the issue?

Darrien, said evening supervisor, came on the line, and I immediately got a rationload of attitude that would have done a Diva proud. Upon hearing that I had no Internet, and was unhappy to wait until Saturday, he informed me that I would just have to wait my turn like everyone else. Um, wait - I already HAD a tech here and he clearly didn't do the job correctly, and so I'm thinking that you should maybe bump me up, and I work from home and pretty much need my Internet....

And Darrien, wonderful, kind helpful soul that he is, told me that if I had only purchased the PROFESSIONAL package - designed for such busy souls as myself who work from home - why, I would have FIRST priority. And if I wanted to go ahead tonight and upgrade to said package, he'd be happy to bump me up.

Um, no.

I'm already not being served, and you want me to give you MORE money. Why not let's get the Internet working FIRST, before you try to upsell me?

Seriously. Am I MISSING something here? Job done incorrectly, you want more money to put me ahead of everyone (when you didn't do the job to begin with) and then ask for MORE money each month?

Help a girl out. Does this sound rational, or even like good business sense?

Comments

[Domestic Extraordinaire]

First off, I am really really sorry that you are without internet. With that being said, I would ask you that when the tech guy comes out on Saturday, remember that he has nothing to do with the people you talked to on the phone and likely won't be the same tech that comes out on Saturday. Most techs are pretty good at what they do and I know that if my husband would have come out there (he doesn't work for Cox, but another huge company) he would have investigated why it wasn't working. I hear of him going to so many service calls that the people have had problems with and he is the 2nd, 5th or even 10th tech they have seen. In that case he really has a hard way to go because not only does he have to figure out what exactly went wrong but he has to try to calm the sometimes very irate customer down. Not that he comes home complaining about customers, he normally comes home talking about how he wishes that more techs would be more diligent with finding out exactly why the problem occurred and how to prevent it from happening again. The sad thing is they give these techs so little time to complete their jobs and the people in charge of the numbers and have no clue what goes on in the 'real' world. They are underpaid, overworked, and basically treated as a number. Because the tech 'fixed' the problem (and I am using fixed in the loosest sense of the word) this call is a new one, even though it shouldn't be. And when the tech gets there he/she will have a list that shows previous visits.

Okay, I am blabbering on and on. Do I think that you should have to wait until Saturday to get service. The simple answer is No, you shouldn't. But sadly when you are with a large company you are just a number to them, either as a customer or an employee. If I were you I would probably check other options in your area. They may be cheaper and who knows, they could have you installed today.

((hugs))

[amie]

I had a smilar experience with Verizon. They switched the lines from our house to neighbors house . Which included phones, internet, and somehow said neighbors security system. After and hour on the phone with verizon telling me it would be 4 days before they could come out to repair something they screwed up- I cancelled all service with them on the spot. Comcast cable was happy to come out bright and early the next morning to hook up new service.incidentally said neighbor blames me personally for this whooha & three yrs later is still mad. Go figure. Good luck.

[BeeBelle]

Amen, sister. I need to switch my email to gmail. I seriously have stayed with a different overpriced over-diva-y telecom company just because I have all of my email, address book, and calendar with them with an email address that's all over creation as "me." Maybe if I start the move now I'll be able to get the satisfaction of canceling if I ever talk to such a supervisor (face it, it's only a matter of time).

[Tish]

Yikes. I sort of hope that some Cox official reads this (you never know) and waves a magic wand over your house (and your rate) today/now.

Good luck.

[Elizabeth]

We have satellite but I've had similar issues with my actual computer last year.
My CPU crashed. It took Dell 4 visits over 4 weeks to totally rebuild my CPU and it still didn't work. Then it took another 2 weeks to get a replacement (when the tech agreed it should've been done earlier) of the whole thing. I had the same tech each visit & joked about inviting her to Thanksgiving dinner by the time it was all said & done.

I lost pay from not being able to work since I also work from home & then ended up driving to the office (1hr ow) so we wouldn't lose more money after the first week.

Good luck with getting it all repaired. Seriously consider researching alternatives - it might be worth it in the long run.

[Lylah]

I feel your pain. Here's a asprin for it: You can turn off the default Wi-Fi on your iPhone by going to Settings, clicking on Wi-Fi, and sliding the Wi-Fi switch to "Off." Then it should default to 3G.

It's not much, but it's better than nothing!

[kyooty]

Let's get that COX word usage up more. Cox should be reading this. If COX isn't reading this they must be MORONS and can't figure out how to use their own system to find out when they are being talked about. I think you need to call the competitors. Verizon? Sprint?
There was a BIG outage in Canada, An island was without Telephone, and Cellphone service. So maybe the same angry wire eating Beavers are part of your service?

[Karen from A Glimpse Into My Reveries]

We get the same diva attitude from Comcast as they know they are the only game in town when it comes to internet providers.

A year ago, my hubby had enough and cancelled all of our bundled services with them. Fine, we all have cellphones, even if we have to go outside and stand at the top of the driveway to use the said phones, phones are overrated.

TV, tho' is important so he signed a two year contract for DirecTV. WORSE THAN CABLE IN ATTITUDE! 5 months, not a single billing price correct. First, you get to argue that we aren't being billed for the correct package-just like last month, then you get to speak to several people explaining yourself over and over before they get you to someone who can correct the problem. Wrong price for your package? No, wrong package-that's a service problems. Service says, no that's the right package-that's a pricing problem, start all over with billing department. for. five. months.

That leaves internet, no other providers in our rural area 'cept adding another phone line which takes you back up to the same amount you were paying before!

After 3 months of buying coffee drinks my hips didn't need in order to gain access to free-internet-for-our-customers, I begged for my cable back---make it a birthday present!

By that time we qualified as a new customer and got the 1/2 price for 3 month package, so it didn't seem so bad, cheaper than a coffee a day habit. Four month later, we pay $60.72 for internet access. Over $2 a day-what a rip off!

[Christal]

Okay - you win the bad week contest. Hand size hives & no internet top me. All I can lay down is

1) There's now no railings on the 4' high deck so it's a pretty serious hazard for those carrying moving boxes or furniture out of the old house(but the old hot tub was finally picked up by the "new" owner after 3 months).
2) And the gas line inspection for the new house failed yesterday ... so one more delay to move into the new house.

[amie]

Ono! I got so wrapped up in my no internet rage, I completely forgot the hand sized hives. My son reacts to most sunscreens & all insectant repellants, any chance somebody sprayed her with something? Anyway- what is the verdict on the hives?

[Starr]

I hate Cox Cable. I despise Cox Cable. Did I mention that I loathe Cox Cable?

[Ginger Britt]

maybe cox should use some the money they spend showing "africa and mike" 900 times a day and hire someone who knows what they're talking about. i don't have access to cox but am subjected to their incessant commercials daily. wouldn't buy anything from them.

[Brandy]

We were just without internet, but only for a day. However we had our hassle with AT&T, who insisted it was the brand new DSL modem that we'd bought from them a month ago after the one we'd had for 5 years died. We keep telling them it's a problem with the line because our home line is crackling. Do they send someone out? No. Do they make my hubs (who has a degree in information tech and therefore no dummy) run through the same stupid diagnostics every single time? Yes. And then they tried to blame it on the line filters. Yeah, nope, not the issue. They STILL haven't sent anyone out but magically our internet has come back on.
In the meantime hubs, who works for a cell phone provider, decided he'd had enough and ordered a smartphone (adding on another line) and we can use that as a wi-fi hotspot. For $60 less a month. It means no home phone, but we don't use it and only get calls from telemarketers anyway. (And the home line can still dial 911 even after we drop service.)
Add in a transmission gone bad on a car we've only owned three months and someone opened a cell account with hubs ss#. This all happened this week. Fun.

I hope the hand size hives mystery can be solved soon, and that your internet issues are fixed as well.

[addy]

Cox Cable does not want your business - why else would Cox Cable attempt to upsell lousy customer service and no internet access. Cox Cable is the worst!

[jadine]

We had Cox, too. We had continuous problems (weekly), which sucked because my husband works from home and needs internet. Not to mention that my blog-reading was impeded. We switched companies, and things are better. Not perfect, but WAY better. Dumb Cox.

[Megan]

My mom has had similar issues with Cox. I have Comcast, also known as Comcrapstic. I have to admit I've been pretty lucky. My internet almost never go out for more than a minute at a time, and on the very rare occasions that it has, it's some sort of systemwide deal so I don't have to deal with a tech coming to my house.

My complaints with Comcast are:
1. Their local office no longer seems to offer local service and is just a place where you drop off and pick up cable boxes. It used to be that if you looked up Comcast in the phone book, you got a local number and if the cable went out you could call and they'd be able to tell you immediately whether it was a regional issue or just you. Now, you have to dial a 1-800 number, push 1, push 2, push 1, get put on hold, wait awhile and finally talk to someone in India, and you'd better have your bill ready with your six-million-digit customer number to give to him, and THEN he can tell you whether it's an issue throughout your area. Oh, and while you're on hold, you can listen to a message telling you to go to comcast.com on your non-working internet connection.

*deep breath*

2. My bill always changes a little every month, and has gradually gotten higher with no explanation

3. I feel like I am being ripped off. I now pay (see point #2) nearly $100 a month for cable and internet, and given that I live by myself, have netflix, and really only watch about 4 channels 99 percent of the time, that seems really high. I don't even get HBO or any sports packages or anything extra, and I don't even have HD. Awhile back, I decided to get an antenna and just get the local stations, but when I called Comcast to cancel the cable, I was told that I was getting a special package and my $49.99 internet would skyrocket to $79.99 a month, almost what I was paying for both at the time. So I stuck with the cable.

4. Their packages are very confusing and change all the time.

So, yeah. But, at least the service rarely goes out. I really feel for you. Unfortunately, they're only going to care when it affects their bottom line and us consumers are too addicted to our internet connections and TV shows to cut off connections completely. That day might be coming soon for cable TV, though. I hope so.

[Patty M.]

Had the same crappy stuff from TimeWarner. I need the Internet and phone to work so that I can work when I stay home with a sick kid....or else, we can't do foster care. How many times did it not work on the days that I had a sick kid? Too many.
And we were paying about $188.00 a month for every thing. Switched to Frontier Super Fast DSL...got rid of the house phone...still have cell phones...and switched to DISH....Now we pay $150.00 a month for cell phones, tv, and Internet...and we do not notice any difference in Internet speed.

[A Simple Twist of Faith]

I hope you are able to contact an actual doctor over the weekend regarding those hives. As for Cox, that is what happens when there is a monopoly.

[Carrie]

We have Qwest out West here and they are fantastic. Good customer service and very affordable (about 80 dollars a month). This includes DSL, phone service, call waiting, caller ID, long distance service which is unlimited anytime of the day or day of the week, etc. We have the DSL go out very rarely (maybe once or twice a year for a couple hours at most). When we lived back East I so missed them. Of course this does not include any cable or satellite like the other packages but we have just opted not to have it. We watch movies more than any television. Anyways . . . good luck.

[Dianna]

If you are able to get Comacast I would suggest it. We are on the west coast though so not sure if you have it back east. We pay $111 (just got the bill today) for high speed internet, cable and phone. Hope it can get resolved tomorrow!

[Sabz]

Write to their CEO, cc: BBB for bad service, bad tech support and ripoff CS. Print on paper old fashioned way and mail.

[Ouida Gabriel]

I'm really sorry about the hives but I am also sorry for crappy COX COMMUNICATIONS service. We have COX but they switched to SUDDENLINK. I am happy with them but when the 'net goes out then I have to go find a pay phone (ewww! they are nasty with germs!) and call in to have them trouble shoot.

My husband and I have agreed that when we get out of debt, hopefully this year, then we are cutting off the cable and internet. We don't NEED it. He has to have a phone because of work but the cable is going to be cut off. I have been phasing tv out of my day so I won't miss it much.

I hope things work out for you Carmen. I got attitude from two people yesterday (two different businesses) and it put me in a cranky mood. What is wrong with these people thinking they can act like that when we are wanting to give them our patronage? I finally left Sears after waiting for 30 minutes for someone to "come right over". Today we are going to Home Depot to buy our new washer. Hear that SEARS?

Ouida Gabriel

[Jason Brooks]

I am terribly sorry you are having to deal with this, really I am. I work for Cox in the Phoenix market monitoring various social media outlets. I am not sure what part of the country you are in but I can definitely help get the ball rolling in the right direction regardless. Please feel free to contact me if you'd like. Again, I apologize on behalf of the company for any inconvenience we've caused.

Sincerely,

Jason Brooks
Cox Communications
Twitter: @CoxArizona_Help
Email: az.coxarizonahelp@cox.com

[Deborah Hubbard]

after reading this post i will never complain again about sky. i never lose service but pay £42 a month for the tv and the phone line that i dont use except for the broadband, which is free. why do american company get away with charging so much?

[Paige]

Arg!!!