Charter Cable Update: The $.32 Fiasco

I just got off the phone with a Charter Communications Rep, curious why my appointment didn't show this morning. This is one of those stories that won't shock you, but here goes. We get out Cable and High-Speed access through Charter.

Yesterday, I called to schedule service because we haven't received our premium channels for two weeks. I reached two overseas call center reps, the first time being disconnected, and the second time getting a scheduled service call for today from 8-12. That technician never showed up.

1) My first attempt to get through the system sent me to Telephone Billing.
2) After a transfer, I spoke to an account representative who told me that no service call had been scheduled. After further discovery, she said the reason our premium channels weren't showing up was we had a $.32 past due balance on our statement.

I explained that I was getting premium channels in the bedroom, but not in the living room, so I doubted that was the case, and as for the missing service call I scheduled yesterday, they said they had no record of speaking to us since August 2005. So my time spent with the overseas call center last night equaled one hang-up and one wasted phone call as Charter didn't seem to have a record for it.

But we're not here to talk about outsourcing customer service, so let me continue.

That $.32 past due balance? I had to pay it before they could schedule a service call, but I know there is a charge for processing a credit card over the phone, and despite her claims that the fee would be waived, I didn't think I could trust her at this point.

I had a solution - cancel my premium channels (that I wasn't getting). I wasn't trying to play hardball - I just didn't want to waste more time and we don't watch them much anyway (although I would miss Rome - it does come out on DVD). She didn't want that to happen, but she couldn't schedule the call until the 32 cents was paid. The charge to Charter for taking a credit card payment over the phone is at least 40 cents. They literally lost money asking me to pay an overdue balance of 32 cents on a client who regularly overpays his account.

I wanted a technician out today - so I agreed. I gave her my card number (she said they didn't need my name, even though the name on the account is my wife's, and it was her name before we were married. She kept calling me by the wrong name, even after three corrections).

As it turns out, no technician was available until Saturday, when I won't be here - I have to wait until Monday, but they finally scheduled something.

To top off the call, she offered me wire insurance, and then wanted to upgrade my package for less than I was paying now (no more $.32 overdue!), and so the final total is about $15 less than I'm paying now. Note that I didn't threaten to leave Charter - I just wanted to kill my premium channels.

So now we're waiting for a technician, who is supposed to give us a service charge for the time we haven't had our movie channels. And what was a curiousity before about whether or not Charter's phone system is tricking customers into unplugging their cable box, is now a long double post about bad customer service with Charter Cable.

I'll be waiting for my phone call. And no I don't want the Charter Phone service. But I would like it if BBC America was available.