Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Misadventures with Cox.

My move spawned more problems than I anticipated. First, as it turned out the set up of my bathroom was different than my old apartment and I needed to buy longer hoses for my washer to reach my sink. Today I discovered that my apartment complex has been charging me a higher rate that was only supposed to take effect in August, but the most time last week and nerves I dedicated to straightening my first Cable bill. Imagine my surprise, when I open my envelope to find that Cox believes I owe them some $508 for one month of TV, phone and internet. I opted for what they call a "bronze bundle", where for a little under a hundred dollars you get their three core services. I didn't care for a phone, doubt I will ever hook it up as  I don't own a physical device, but with the two premium channels at no extra charge it was a good deal. It started with the installation- the man who brought the equipment was too preoccupied with whatever he was talking about on the phone to pay any attention to us. He brought one modem, but he couldn't make it work, so he returned with another. As it turns out he set up a wifi device, which came at an extra monthly charge which was specifically not what I wanted nor ordered. Then - the bill came. All three services at their full price, without any bundle discount, the free channels now billed extra. A fee for extra outlet that I never ordered or had installed and four installation fees for three services. Not only wasn't the set up free like I expected but I was charged for the internet twice- I guess for both modems he brought in. I email Cox twice. I call them- the first lady agrees with me that my monthly charge is not $508 and the installation is free. She manages to get the set up fees waived and I'm supposed to get a call from their  customer retention/ satisfaction department. I speak to the man named "Josh". He offers m the bronze bundle yet again, but now says the modem is 46 a month extra. Not a huge   chunk of change but I don't like paying for what I already have. I ask him if I could pull up the original offer, he proposes to call in an hour but never does. In the mean time I find out that I was right - there is an option for a basic cable modem an no monthly cost. The next day my online bill still shows I owe 500 something dollars for day one. I call the customer service again, this time I speak to the basic level operator and not a supervisor of any kind. She now tells me that I owe $200 -something. It's still too high and not reflected in what I see online. My bill is due that weekend and unless it changes, if  I don't pay the whole thing I get charged extra fees. I tell her that my services don't seem bundled- $190 before fees is not what I signed up for. My package was $99, although admittedly I did get the $17 DVR service additionally. She tries to convince me that it's the fees that bring the bill up from $116 to 200-something, about a 100% surcharge. She gets mean and dismissive, tries to make me feel like I don't know what I'm talking about and nothing is wrong. I asked her what would my package be after fees and she says 130-140. Why it's almost a hundred dollars more she couldn't explain. She said they were working on it. That Sunday my bill showed a $200-plus balance. Not quite $140. A Cox has a commercial when a man is "working hard" on his move by enjoying days of effortless fun thanks to his cable service. That wasn't my experience. I have 30 days to change my mind ane with all the stress and hassle I'm continuously thinking of just packing it up and returning to sender. If only my landlord let me have satellite. A week later I'm very unhappy and they don 't seem to care, the customer service was a joke and my issue is not yet solved. I guess that's my lesson

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