October 06, 2020

Worst Customer Service in the United States: Charter Communications

Image courtesy of "The Simpsons"
It's been over two months since I wrote about terrible customer service and cited an experience with Macy's Department store on July 21st.  Waiting on hold for over two and a half hours over two phone calls was bad, but, Macy's did resolve the problem when I finally got through.  There problem was they just don't have enough customer service reps to handle complaints.  The company is in bankruptcy.

But, the worst customer service I have ever experienced was from March of 2019.  That problem is still not resolved and Charter/Spectrum has yet to answer for its actions that day.  One of its representatives made a promise and a Prima Donna clerk decided he would not honor it.  And when I questioned his actions he became increasingly obnoxious and threatening.
  
I ended up cancelling the order because of the clerk's incompetency.  Here is the letter I wrote to the Vice President of Customer Service as listed by Spectrum, Kathleen Mayo.  It's been 19 months since I wrote her.  Obviously, Ms. Mayo and her department could have cared less because she nor anyone else on her staff ever replied.  It's now been 19 months.


Ms. Kathleen Mayo,
Executive Vice President
Spectrum
400 Atlantic Street
Stamford, CT  06901

Dear Ms. Mayo,

I am writing to let you know of the terrible treatment I received from one of your employees on March 26th at the St. Louis Spectrum store on Manchester Road.

I was attempting to help my 91 year old mother, XXXXXXX X. XXXXXXXX, who has been a customer of yours for many years, add DVR service to her account.  After contacting your call center twice and getting two different prices for the same service, I received my mother's approval to add the service to her basic cable account.  I called back and the $4.99 per month was added to her account by your representative.  I was told I could pick up the needed hardware at the Spectrum store.

When I got to the store I was greeted by Gino who started the transaction but then told me he did not have the experience and needed a co-worker to help him.  This is where I met a large middle aged white male (whose name is I believe is Jim).   "Jim" thwarted me at every attempt to get what I needed.   Jim told me the account was very old and he could not add the DVR service for the price quoted to us by your call center.  I told Jim I expected him to honor what we and Spectrum had agreed to earlier and his response in effect was "they don't know what they're doing there.  We have to make this work and do it right".  I was told at that point by Gino maybe I should call the Customer Service department to clarify things and  come back to him after I had spoken to customer service.

After talking with customer service I was quoted another and higher third price for the DVR service.  I then asked to speak with her manager.  The manager (whose name I do not have because I made the call from your store and could not document it there) said the clerk was correct and the service could not be added for the price of $4.99 per month quoted to us earlier in the day and a new plan at a higher price would have to be added.  I asked to speak to his superior and he told me he was the only manager on the floor at that time.  Instead, he referred me to the retention department because of many years my mother has been a customer of Charter.

The retention department representative was pleasant and came up with a plan that for four dollars more per month would provide her with DVR service and give her the same channels.  I received her approval and got back into the queue at your store.  When the individual who had been rude to me earlier, Jim, called my name I told him I would prefer to work with another representative.  He took my name out of the queue all together and when I protested that he told me he was with a customer and if I did not leave him alone he would have me removed from the store.  I got back into the queue and was finally called by another rep who was friendly in greeting me.  At this point Jim came over from his work area and told me the clerk I was working with was a trainee and only he could work with me because of the old account.  I told Jim a new agreement had been reached with the retention department and there should be notes in his system with the new price and services.  Jim looked me in the eye and said "they can promise you a new Ferrari but they're not the ones who have to make this work and the way they have it written up is wrong and won't work".  He told me he needed to call his boss and walked away from me.  When he came back he told me he could not give me a receiver for DVR service and tried to tell me it would cost about $20.00 more per month to add DVR service.  During the conversation I tried to ask questions and each time I was rudely cut off by Jim and he would talk around the issue.  Finally, I asked him if I could finish speaking after he cut me off again and told me he was trying to answer my questions.  I told him he hadn't yet answered a question of mine and was talking in circles.  At this point he started to lecture me on Charter procedure and I told him to stop and not make any changes to the account.  I said not to change any services and leave the price where it was.  My mother still does not have DVR service.

In a related note I want to applaud your customer service staff for telling me about the "Internet Assist" program for my mother.  The customer service rep who did this went above and beyond in explaining it and setting up an appointment for installation the next day and saying there would be no charge for the installation.

But, I must also tell you that Jim, while apparently reading the case notes, told me the customer service department should not have promised free installation and that there would be a charge of $49.99 to do so.  He told me I should install it myself and that he could give me the splitter and cables to make this happen.  By this time I was so frustrated I told him just get me the hardware so I could leave.  He turned it over to the trainee and left the area.  When the trainee returned he apologized to me for the inconvenience.

I took the hardware to my mother's house and installed it,  but it looked terrible with cables and the splitter both visible laying on her carpeting.  I called  your customer service department again and was met with a pleasant attitude and professionalism named Lauren.  I told her what I had to put up with earlier in the day and how a free installation had initially been scheduled.  She apologized for Jim's behavior and set up another free installation.

I have never been treated so rudely and spoken to like this by any other company in my life.  If anyone asks me what I think of Spectrum I will tell them what happened to me.  You have a problem in your St. Louis store with Jim and corporately your "right hand" at times appears to not know what your "left hand" is doing.  While I am pleased with your Internet service and the help my mother received with it, I will shop around for another television provider so she may have the DVR service she wants.  Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.

Respectfully,
XXXXXXX X. XXXXXXXX

Now you know why I give Charter/Spectrum the title of Company with the worst customer service.

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