Blue Ridge Cable Technologies, Inc

[redacted]’s complaint is that since he downgraded his cable service at the end of last year he has had poor picture quality and loss of service. [redacted] downgraded his video service from our HD digital service to our analog Broadcast Basic service. The picture quality will be noticeable...

different between an analog and digital signal, especially a HD digital signal so he will notice a significant difference in picture quality. We also experienced three commercial power outages in his area this winter, 11/28, 2/15 and 3/11 all due to storms or very cold weather. Our outside plant is powered by commercial power which we have no control over and when we lose power we have backup batteries which can run the system for several hours and if commercial power does not come back on we have portable generators we can hook up to our power supplies. There are times we are unaware of a commercial power outage in an area, or the power outage is so wide spread that we don’t have enough generators to power all our power supplies. Depending on how large the commercial power outage is and the weather conditions it may take several hours to get the system back on but we are unaware of any extended loss of service in this area unless there was no commercial power in the entire area which means all the residence would not have had commercial power. Outside the commercial power outages we have no record of any other problems being reported by [redacted]’s. If [redacted] feels he was out of service for an extended amount of time he can call our company and discuss a credit for the specific days and time the service was not working.
Please let us know if you need any additional information.
Thank you.
Jeff C[redacted]
Dir of Operations
Blue Ridge Communications

Dear Revdex.com,
[redacted]’s complaint is that we called and left a message demanding that she set up an appointment to trouble shoot a problem we detected in her home. She also did not like the fact that we sent someone to her home without permission and trespassed on her property.
[redacted] has our...

internet which is a two-way service that could affect the service of other internet customers in her area if there is a problem with her internet. Because this is a shared bandwidth service we reserve the right to manage the bandwidth usage of our users so other customers are not adversely affected which is stated in our Internet Agreement that our customers sign at the time of installation. There was a problem detected in [redacted]’s area and our trouble shooting procedure is to track the problem down which can be caused by an outside issue or by something in a home. Once we determine that the problem is coming from a home we check to see if the customer is home, if no one is home we leave a tag on the door explaining that there is a problem being generated from inside their home and we will need to check inside. We also call and leave a message that we need to set up an appointment and check inside the home within a reasonable timeframe or their service will be downgraded or disconnected until the problem is resolved. We do not ask customers to take time off from work and will schedule the service call when it is convenient for them. We have two hour time frames Mon – Fri that start at 9am up to the last timeframe which is after 5:30pm, and if necessary have Saturday appointments. We were able to schedule an appointment with [redacted] on her day off in the morning and correct the problem.
 
She also stated that she felt we trespassed on her property. She lives in a small apartment complex and if a customer has our service we reserve the right to be able to maintain and correct any problems that involves our service on the property of an active customer.
 
Please let me know if you have any further questions.
 
Sincerely,
 
Jeff C[redacted]
Director of operations
Blue Ridge Communications

November 18, 2015
 
Dear [redacted],
 
[redacted]’s complaint
is that Blue Ridge has begun charging overage fees that has limited his ability
to utilize his internet connection.
 
History: Our
residential internet service has had bandwidth allowances...

for over ten years. Originally, the bandwidth allowance was based
on the level of service and the average subscriber used less than 15GB per
month.
 
In 2009, as bandwidth usage grew, we
measured bandwidth usage between the peak hours of 5pm - 1am and raised the
bandwidth allowance to 250GB for all levels of service. Less than 1% of the
customers were affected and they were charged $1.00 per GB over the 250GB.
 
Effective September 1, 2015, we
modified the bandwidth policy by measuring the usage levels continuously and
increasing the allowance by level of service, as follows:
 
               Speed                 Bandwidth Allowance
1.5mbps         150 GB downstream 5mbps            300 GB downstream 10mbps          400 GB downstream15mbps          500 GB downstream60mbps          600 GB downstream100mbps        7000GB downstream Customers who exceed the monthly
allowance are charged $10 for each additional 50 GB. Notice: We
notified the customers of this change by bill message and amendment to the Blue
Ridge policies on our web page. Additionally, we email customers if they reach
75% and 90% of their bandwidth allowance. (Like the wireless phone providers
do) We also provide a link to our bandwidth provider’s website where the
customer can monitor their bandwidth usage. For the first month of the new
program (September 2015), we did not impose any usage fees but alerted the
customer that we would begin doing so the following month. Importantly,
bandwidth usage is independently measured and reported by a 3rd
party. Reason: Many
customers do not realize that we pay for bandwidth on a usage basis. There is a
vast discrepancy between the average and extreme user. Currently, the average
user consumes 67 GB per month (well below even the lowest allowance) but we
have seen extreme users consuming Terabytes of data. We believe that it would
be unfair to the average user to raise rates to pay for the increased costs
caused by the extreme users. We believe the bandwidth allowances selected are
fair (our estimates are less than 3% of subscribers will exceed a data
allowance) and that we give the extreme users notice and the opportunity to
monitor their usage to avoid unexpected spikes in their bill.  Customers sometimes confuse the data
allowances with prohibited blocking or throttling. Data allowances are neither
and have been permitted, if not encouraged, by regulatory policy. Data
allowances are the fairest method to allocate the variable cost of internet
service.  Please let me
know if you have any further questions. Thank you, Jeff L[redacted]Blue Ridge Communications

January 30, 2017   Dear [redacted],   [redacted]’s complaint is that he must deal with data caps that Blue Ridge has set for its high speed internet customers.  He feels that since he pays a high premium for his internet service, he should have access to all the data that he can...

handle.   History: Our residential internet service has had bandwidth allowances for over ten years.  Originally, the bandwidth allowance was based on the level of service and the average subscriber used less than 15GB per month.   In 2009, as bandwidth usage grew, we measured bandwidth usage between the peak hours of 5pm - 1am and raised the bandwidth allowance to 250GB for all levels of service. Less than 1% of the customers were affected and they were charged $1.00 per GB over the 250GB.   Effective September 1, 2015, we modified the bandwidth policy by measuring the usage levels continuously and increasing the allowance by level of service, as follows:                  Speed                 Bandwidth Allowance 1.5mbps         200 GB downstream 5mbps            450 GB downstream 10mbps          550 GB downstream15mbps          700 GB downstream60mbps          800 GB downstream100mbps        1000 GB (1TB) downstream Customers who exceed the monthly allowance are charged $10 for each additional 50 GB.   Effective September 1, 2017 new bandwidth allowances will be as follows:             Speed                 Bandwidth Allowance 1.5mbps         200 GB downstream 5mbps            700 GB downstream 10mbps          800 GB downstream15mbps          1000 GB (1TB) downstream60mbps          1200 GB (1.2TB)  downstream100mbps        1500 GB (1.5TB) downstreamCustomers who exceed the new monthly allowance are charged $10 for each additional 50 GB.  Notice: We notified the customers of this change by bill message and amendment to the Blue Ridge policies on our web page. Additionally, we email customers if they reach 75% and 90% of their bandwidth allowance. (Like the wireless phone providers do) We also provide a link to our bandwidth provider’s website where the customer can monitor their bandwidth usage. For the first month of the new program (September 2015), we did not impose any usage fees but alerted the customer that we would begin doing so the following month. Importantly, bandwidth usage is independently measured and reported by a 3rd party. Reason: Many customers do not realize that we pay for bandwidth on a usage basis. There is a vast discrepancy between the average and extreme user. Currently, the average user consumes 67 GB per month (well below even the lowest allowance) but we have seen extreme users consuming Terabytes of data. We believe that it would be unfair to the average user to raise rates to pay for the increased costs caused by the extreme users. We believe the bandwidth allowances selected are fair (our estimates are less than 3% of subscribers will exceed a data allowance) and that we give the extreme users notice and the opportunity to monitor their usage to avoid unexpected spikes in their bill.  Customers sometimes confuse the data allowances with prohibited blocking or throttling. Data allowances are neither and have been permitted, if not encouraged, by regulatory policy. Data allowances are the fairest method to allocate the variable cost of internet service. From October 2016 to January 30, 2017, [redacted]’s average monthly data usage is 643.62 GB.  As you can see, this is below the current data allowance of 800GB per month.  Beginning February 1, 2017, [redacted]s will be well within the new allowance of 1200GB per month.  If you have any further questions, please let me know.  Sincerely,Jeff L[redacted]Blue Ridge Communications

[redacted] downgraded to our lowest level of digital service which is $5.95per month.  $5.95 is the cost of converter per month which she said she agreed to pay in her complaint until she returned the digital converter. The $4.00 equipment charge she referenced is the charge for the HD functionality of the HD digital converter she has which we were able to turn off but we are unable to physically disconnect the digital converter in home. To help clarify, if she was to add a second digital converter to her account she would be charged an additional $5.95. 
Please let me know if this needs further clarification.
Sincerely,
Jeff C[redacted].

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
 Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:If bandwidth truly costs $10 per 100 Gigs of Data then why does [redacted] offer business's unlimited bandwidth? I am willing to subscribe to the Unlimited Business service but was rejected.I do not have an issue with paying for what I use but why am I not able to subscribe to the unlimited service?  Ultimately the refusal to offer this service to Residential is to force me to limit my usage which includes Video streaming forcing me to subscribe to Cable TV which of course [redacted] owns a monopoly on also.My complaint would not need to be filed if I was not being denied Business Class Service. I do use my connection for business work also.
Regards,
[redacted]

Dear [redacted],
 
[redacted]’s complaint
is that he states he and his wife each made a cash payment of $232.79 at our
local office on April 12 and 13 of 2015. 
On June 30, 2015, a payment reversal was placed for one payment of the $232.79
on [redacted]’s...

account.
 
On June 30, 2015, the
accounting department discovered an error of only one payment made to [redacted]’s Blue Ridge account.  After
further research of the receipt booklet by the office manager, it was confirmed
only one payment was made by the customer and one receipt was issued.    
 
On the same day, the
office manager contacted the customer to inform him of the clerical error.  During the conversation the customer insisted
he and his wife made two individual payments. 
The office manager offered the customer an option to bring a copy of the
second receipt to the office.  A second receipt was never brought into the
local office to show proof of a second payment. If you have any further
questions, please let me know.
  
Thank you,
Jeff L[redacted]
Blue Ridge Communications

Review: I had called to complain about my service, I had also wanted to make changes to my.account which resultef in a 2 hour process and I asked 3 times for a manager and was never provided one I was told there was no.supervisor on duty. Im sorry every business has a manager on duty at all times or owner on premises. I was then told there phones were not working. I got every excuse. I never got to talk to.a manager or supervisor. I then had a technician at my house for service and was told they dont have enough employees on at a time and a manager is not always there. That is not good business and I pay eetirely too much a month to deal with non sense businesses like this. I was only refunded for one week I should have been refunded for an entire month.Desired Settlement: I want a month free of service or a refund for one month service.

Business

Response:

**. [redacted] called to report an issue with her digital cable and at that time no manager's were available to assist her as she asked. She was offered to have a manager call her back and she declined that offer. **. [redacted] is asking for a full month of credit of $163. Her actual bill is 151.19 and includes cable and Internet. Customer only reported issues with her cable. She received a credit of $34.00 which we believe is more than fair. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me. Thank you.[redacted]

Review: It is a combination of Advertising problems Bait and Switch. Not honoring price-which was supposedly fixed at $134.00 for a package deal. It was NOT a temporary price or deal. I have a witness. They raised the bill as of this month-bill due 4/16/2014, to $183.96. I was told, they it was a temporary price. I went in person to the customer center-and I was told this was a locked in price. The bill would be $134.00. She said if we did any other plan it would be more for me-I am on a limited income. She said I get Cable, Phone, and High speed internet for $134.00 UNLESS I ordered premium channels or Pay per view movies/events. (The original price was about $127. but I added the cartoon networks when I signed, making it $134.00).

NOTE: they misrepresented their hook up fee for the previous account holder-they advertise NO hook up fees or charges. And told her, that it would be $127 or so for hookup, bringing the boxes etc from then on. And it was the same package. Then, they billed her an astronomical double bill-saying "After all you didn't pay for hookup etc"Desired Settlement: I do not want my Cable. Internet Phone plan changed, or the bill raised. I want my bill locked in at $134.00. It was a package. I selected it. There was no misunderstandings. In addition, I want to make sure they do not try and remove/alter any of my current services.

Business

Response:

[redacted] was on a promotional campaign for 12 months. She was charged the correct monthly price for 12 months as advertised. The promotional rate expired and her bill went to our current rate which is $183.96. The promotional price is locked in for 12 months, but then after the promotion ends, full rates apply. She also stated that Blue Ridge Communications misrepresented our hook up fee for the previous account holder and that there was a question on the first bill. Due to cable privacy acts, we cannot comment on the previous account holder. What we have experienced with some previous account holders, in some occassions, is that an account holder becomes deliquent on his or her cable bill and Blue Ridge disconnects he or she and then a co-habitant signs up for cable under his or her name. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me. Thank you[redacted]

Consumer

Response:

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because:

At no time was I told that it was any "promotional" thing. I was told it was a permanent price. I have a witness. And you can feel free to contact her. I asked for the most basic plan, and had them keep limited boxes. I requested cartoons-which made it go up slightly. The lady said I was better off doing the PC, Phone, and Cable program they have-it is cheaper and it was not supposed to be for a limited 1 year time-or any other limit. Customer service person said "Why are you not taking or keeping the PC hookups? You will get a smaller bill with the PC." I explained I don't use a PC. But since she said that was cheaper than their most basic cable - I would do it that way.

Review: I use this service in my second home. Each time I return and go to use this service, I have to call to have it turned back on. Tonight, I had to wait 15 minutes for the service to be turned back on. I do not understand why I am paying for a service that I cannot use when I want to.Desired Settlement: I would like a refund for the total time that my service has been deactivated this past year.

Business

Response:

Our records indicate that since October 2013 [redacted] has

called us three times to have his converter rebooted. There are no notes on his

account concerning this problem and he has never requested a service call. If

his converter is unplugged for an extended period of time it may need to be

rebooted to work properly again. I am not sure if he is unplugging the

converter when he is not at his second home but this could explain why he would

need to call back up to have the converter sent a hit to reactivate the

converter. The hit happens instantaneously so the 15 minute wait may have been the

hold time to talk to one of our representative and we would be happy to set up

a service call which is always free at his home to make sure there are no

problems with his Blue Ridge cable service. I’m not sure what kind of credit he

is looking for because he may be causing the problem himself and when he

notifies us the converter isn’t working we send a hit to the converter which

corrects the problem.

Review: To Whom This May Concern:

I am in receipt of a letter from [redacted] regarding my account with Blue Ridge Cable. I am writing to dispute the validity of their claim that I owe $1,771.20. I am not in agreement that I should have to pay for equipment that Blue Ridge Cable failed to retrieve.

In December, 2013, I informed Blue Ridge Cable that I was re-locating to Arizona on December 23, 2014. Arrangements were made via phone for the cable boxes and modem to be picked up on December 21st. I arranged for pick-up because due to the amount of last minute errands I had to complete, I did not have time to deliver the boxes. I was told this was not a problem. No one from the company came to the residence to pick up the cable boxes. Blue Ridge was then contacted in regards to this matter.

I then arranged for the cable boxes to be picked up on two other occasions (12/26 and 1/2014) Blue Ridge was to contact the realtors whose names and phone numbers I provided via e-mail. According to the realtors, they were not contacted and according to Blue Ridge Cable, they could not get in contact with the realtors. I have in writing from the realtors that no one contacted them.

Being that BRC did not retrieve the cable boxes as per the arrangement, I do not feel I should have to pay for the boxes and the modem. The only responsibility I have is the last month’s payment for service provided not the boxes. I have no problem paying what I owe but to ask me to pay for devices that I did everything in my power to return, I strongly feel is unfair and bad business. I have always paid my bill on time for the three years I had service with BRC. As a “valued” customer, I feel I should be treated as such.

I have reached out to the company on numerous occasions without success. (I have saved EVERY correspondence) They rarely respond and when I do reach someone, they pass the buck to other departments. During my last correspondence, BRC stated they received one of the cable boxes back. I do not understand how they were able to only retrieve one box when the equipment was all together. [redacted] was contacted and they lowered the bill to $1,144.74 which is still unacceptable. One, I cannot afford this amount and two, they are still insisting I pay for their mistake!

To this end, I am willing to settle this matter expeditiously as it has progressed far enough. Furthermore, to now have my credit threatened which is in the process of being rebuilt, is in my opinion unwarranted.Desired Settlement: I would like to settle the bill for the amount owed for regular services provided for December, 2013 which should be around $180.00.

Business

Response:

[redacted] scheduled to have her services with us

disconnected and equipment picked up on Dec. 20th 2013 between 1pm

and 5pm. We arrived at her home at 1:04pm and she was not home so we could not

pick up her equipment. She then called back on Dec 26th 2013 and

scheduled an appointment for Dec 31st 2013 to pick up her equipment but

we needed to call her realtor at ###-###-####(ext. [redacted]) to get the equipment. We called the realtor on Dec 31st, 2013

and the person that answered the phone said there was no one there that could

get the equipment at that time and they would call back to schedule an

appointment when someone was available which never happened.

In regards to the converter that was returned one of our

technicians was performing a disconnect at [redacted]. in [redacted] on May 2nd of this year and found a cable converter outside

in a garbage bag. When we looked up the serial number of the converter it was

one of the converters from **. [redacted] account and she had lived at [redacted]. in [redacted]. We removed that converter from her account.

We scheduled two appointments with **. [redacted] at her

request to pick up the equipment and were unable to do so on both occasions. We

were also told the realtor would call back to set up a third appointment which

never happened. **. [redacted] is still

responsible for the unreturned equipment on her account and would suggest that

she contact the realtor that was going to hold the equipment for her for pick

up to see what they did with it.

Please let me know if you have any further questions.

Business

Response:

**. [redacted]’s position is that because she thinks she

scheduled an appointment for Dec 21st and our records indicate that

she scheduled the appointment for Dec 20th that we are wrong and

there was a breach of a verbal agreement. We could have the same position and

say she broke the agreement because she did not return the equipment on the

date she scheduled with us on Dec 20th. The fact is I don’t know who

was mistaken on what day it was supposed to be. She keeps insisting that we

made no attempt to contact the realtor whom she acknowledged in a prior response that we did contact her realtor who was unable to return the equipment

at that time, and we made several other attempts to retrieve our equipment. The

fact is she is responsible for returning the equipment she rented from us and

it is not our responsibility to try and track down and search for our

equipment. If someone rented a car and there was a misunderstanding of when they

were returning the car you wouldn’t just leave the car somewhere and expect the car rental company to try and find

it and then blame the company if the car wasn’t returned. It seems that she

chose to abandon the equipment in her old apartment instead of dropping the

equipment off with the realtors that she left in charge of returning the

equipment, and she also had the option to return the equipment to our local

office Mon– through Sat. Our final position is that she is responsible for the

equipment and her outstanding balance. Thank you.

Consumer

Response:

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved] Review: [redacted]I am rejecting this response because:

FINAL COMMENTARY: I will not be forced to pay Blue Ridge Cable's fraudulent bill. Regards,[redacted]

Review: To Whom It May Concern: I [redacted] has an account with Blue Ridge Communicaations I have recieved a bill for 230.and change then I didnt get a bill for the month of april and then I get a bill for 467.and change the cable company are billing people a month in advance which I find wrong I tried to call them to let them know that I would like to return the boxes and just get the basic cable and they will not take any money off for me to return the boxes and just get Basic cable plus and internet they are trying to keep me on the package that I have now I have called on numerous occasion to talk to them about it they cut me off they didnt give me a phone call or send me a dissconnection notice my account number is[redacted]Desired Settlement: I would like for them to turn my internet and tv back on and I would like to know why they are charging me a month in advance they should be billing on a month to month basis not a month in advance that is totally wrong

Business

Response:

I have received the complaint from [redacted]. Since she was installed, the customer has not made any payments to Blue Ridge Communications. We researched billing and a bill was sent to her address for all the months she was actvice. If customer did not receive a bill as stated for the one month, she still hasn't made any payments for the bills she did receive. Also, if a customer does not receive a bill or loses a bill, we can always send a duplicate bill at his or her request. As far as her concern of "not letting her turn in her equipment" we advised [redacted] that she is on a promotion and if she downgrades her bill will actually bill higher. If she still wanted to turn in equipment and downgrade she is more than welcome to. Our representatives were just advising her that she signed up with a great promotion and it would be cheaper for her to keep the promotion. Her last concern is our billing practice. Customer was advised when she signed up for services that we do bill a month in advance for our service. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at [redacted]. Thank you.

Corporate Director of Marketing and Customer Service

Review: I have service with Blue Ride Cable. My service is constantly going on and off. Whenever I contact them, they want me to go about the house pulling plugs to reset

"their" system. The channels picture and sound gets intermittent at times. They have already sent someone here and have no real solution. I think performing their job is ridiculous. They certainly do not pay me to do so.Desired Settlement: I want to be reimbursed for all the times my cable is out which is approx. 25% of the time. Dating back to having service with them.

I also want them to admit, in writing, that they are unable to provide adequate service to me at this time. Thank you

Business

Response:

Our records indicate that the last time [redacted] called in about a problem was in November when there was a system outage that affected the whole area. Prior to that he had a service call in May about a tv issue. I will have the area manager call him to address any problems he is having currently.

Thank you.

Dir of Operations

Blue Ridge Comm.

Review: I never applied for cable with this company. I never heard about this company until I checked my credit report. This company has falsely accused me of having services and now they are ruining my credit. I want this company to provide the information to prove this account belongs to me because it does not. I need for them to remove this bill because this is not or has ever been my account.Desired Settlement: REMOVED/OVERTURNED

Business

Response:

[redacted] had an account with us at [redacted] in [redacted] PA. She was installed on 7/21/09. We have signed work order for the installation and signature card for the equipment installed signed by [redacted]. The billing address for this account was [redacted] in [redacted] PA. If she would like to dispute the amount owed or if she had an account with us she can call our collections department at ###-###-#### and talk to [redacted].

Consumer

Response:

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because: this is not true. I never signed or gave anyone permission to have a agreement with this company. This company does not have my signature nor identification. This account is not mines.

Regards,

Business

Response:

In my last response I had noted that if she feels that we are mistaken she should call our collections department and had listed the number and who she should talk to. We have signed paperwork and a credit card on file in her name on this account. If she feels this is wrong she needs to call our collections department to straighten this out.

Consumer

Response:

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because: I called the number they told me to call and it was no answer. I need for someone to contact me because I cant reach anyone further more its impossible that you guys have a credit card that belongs to me because I have no credit during that year. This is not right, this was not me and this needs to be handled very quickly or else I will take further actions with this company.

Regards,

Business

Response:

I typed the wrong phone number in my first response. I typed ###-###-#### and it should be ###-###-####. I will have [redacted] from our collections department call [redacted] at ###-###-#### to discuss the issue. I apologize for the confusion.

Review: I have been dealing with the [redacted] Office specifically Megan the supervisor to try and get some resolve but it seems fruitless. In addition, I spoke to an “accountant” in the Leighton Office that didn’t seem to be knowledge in A/R or A/P.

On 8/6/14 I returned all the equipment and kept internet (I did upgrade to the $57.95 package). I know I need to pay the difference between the G5 and G10. That is all that is due for August.

Please keep in mind that I pay ONE MONTH IN ADVANCE….SO THIS CHANGE IS EFFECTIVE UNTIL 9/6/14. I should pay the difference between G5 = 37.95 and G10 $57.95 = $20.00 Due to Blue Ridge.

Unfortunately on my September bill I did not get a full months credit of $121.73 + $50.00 equipment fee CREDIT I DID HOWEVER receive a credit of $103.67!! I have no idea where this amount comes from since the “tape” Megan gave me had a full charge for internet 2x on it!!!

This began my journey to Blue Ridge [redacted]. I was met with people who do not know accounting, which is unfortunate for people who are looking for someone who is knowledgeable and for people such as myself was an account for over 20 years.

I was trying to explain this to several of the representatives, that this account is incorrect. The woman in the Leighton Office couldn’t have cared less. When I was asking specific questions about the account, she kept telling me “it’s in the computer”, as if that was written in stone. Which it isn’t and when I tried to get her to follow the credits and the debits…she dismissed me.

That is when I made a personal appearance to the [redacted] office, and started my journey with Megan.

This bring us to the “balance due”….there is NO balance due.

THE BREAK DOWN IS:

Bill from 8/14-9/14 = Credit to me $126.75

Equipment $50.00

Total $176.75

Blue Ridge Difference for upgrade (20.00) - Upgrade

8/14-9/14 Total 156.75– credit to me

9/14-10/14 Bill should be (57.95) – High speed

Total $98.80 – credit to me

The bills you are sending me are up until 11/14….I will NOT pay 2 months in advance when this is NOT the policy….

AND SINCE IT DIDN’T ….GUESS WHAT??? MY INTERNET WAS CUT OF! AND I HAD TO PAY OVER $100.00…

I am still due a credit of $98.80….I did not pay in August due to the fact that it took 3 weeks to get together and iron this out…and then there is September….Desired Settlement: I would like my bill corrected, and my credit due, and hopefully an apology....Which I realize nowadays is a long shot....

thank you.

Business

Response:

[redacted]’s complaint is that she is being over

charged and not credited money due her when she canceled her cable service and

upgraded her internet service. The ledger can seem confusing because of the

downgrades and upgrades of services at the same time and that we bill at the

beginning of the service period and not at the end. There are also equipment

credits given when the equipment is returned which makes the ledger harder to understand.

[redacted]’s bill before she made changes in Aug of this

year was $162.87 per month which she changed to have just internet on Aug 6th.

She paid $162.87 on July 8th which paid for her cable and internet

through Aug 6th. On Aug 6th her monthly bill went to

$57.95 for our G-10 internet service only. Since her payment on July 8th

our records indicate that she has made a $100.90 payment in October and a

$59.95 payment in November and her internet service is now paid up through

December 6th. She has paid

$160.85 since her July 8th payment for four months of internet

service at a cost of $57.95 a month and was given a $50.00 credit for the

deposit she had left on the DVR converter back in August for a total of $210.85

for four months of service.

I think the confusion comes in because [redacted]’s feels

she should only have to pay the difference between the G5 and G10 internet

service for the month of August but she never made any payments for her internet

service for the month August and would owe $57.95 for that month. We do not

believe we owe her a credit and that the bill is correct. If she has made payments

that I have not noted please let me know and I will follow up with our billing

department. Thank you.

Review: I have always been able to set a reminder on the cable box that would allow the station to come on so I could record a program on my DVD recorder if I wasn't home or if a program was on while I was sleeping and I wanted to record it. Yesterday, Nov 17, 2014, I turned my tv on and set the reminder to go to a channel for a program that I wished to watch before going to work. At the time the program was to start, a little reminder popped up on the screen, but the channel didn't change to the channel I wanted. I called Blue Ridge cable after I returned home from work in the afternoon and talked to a customer service person. She had me turn off the tv and pull the plug on the cable box. I had to wait until the next program that I had scheduled to come on before I could see if what she did worked. It did not. While talking to her she told me if I wanted to do the recording I would have to get the DVR put on my box. I told her I was retiring at the end of this year and I would be on a fixed income and did not want to make my bill higher. Whatever she did, did not help as the next program did not come on. I called back and talked to another person who told me right out that changes had been made, but she didn't know the extent of them. She told me she would email a Tech 2 to handle my problem. She was very courteous and helpful. I received a call from the Tech 2 person tonight who checked into the problem for me and apparently now that they have made software changes, I can no longer record programs when I am not home or are otherwise unavailable unless I get the DVR system or downgrade from the HD system to the older system. This person was very courteous and respectful and did make an attempt to find out what was going on. From my point of view, this is a deliberate act on the part of the cable company to make customers purchase something they do not want. The only answer at this time is to downgrade which in the long run will cost them more money as it will be less expensive for the customer. The Tech 2 did tell me that they would possible have to look into the problem in the future but could not give me a time frame. This is absolute greed on the part of the cable company. I should not have to lay out more money for a system when things were perfectly all right. They never give any warning of changes, they just make them and the customer has to put up with it.Desired Settlement: Blue Ridge cable needs to stop being so greedy and take customers needs into account. A customer should have the choice of using their own system to record and not be forced into using a system they have to pay extra for or for being forced to down grade to an older system in order to do so. They should have had the foresight to put a choice for the customer instead of expecting the customers to bend to their will. There was nothing wrong with the way the system was set up and the new changes are totally unacceptable and they need to either put the system back or fix it so customers can once again use they system like before.

Business

Response:

[redacted]’s complaint is that the HD converter she had lost

the function of being able to change channels on a timer so she could record

shows on her personal DVD recorder without being there, and that we changed

that function because of, “absolute greed” to force her to get our DVR

converter.

Our converters are manufactured by [redacted] and we use [redacted] for

the software that run our converters. Both these companies are used by many of

the largest cable companies in the country and they both continually upgrade

their products and software for the entire industry. [redacted] has done an upgrade

to their HD software to prepare for future upgrades which will allow customers

to have one HD-DVR converter in a home and be able to be access any other HD

non-DVR converter in the home to be able to record or watch any recorded

programs in any room with a converter and not have a need for multiple DVR’s in

a home. For this upgrade they removed the timer function within their software

which we had no input or control over. They are not upgrading the older

versions of software that the non-HD converters run on because these converters

are not be capable of accessing the HD-DVR to be able to use these functions. This

is why our Tech 2 support explained to her that our standard digital converters

still have that function but she would lose the HD.

We did not do this out of greed and actually. When the whole

house DVR solution is launched it will save customer’s money because they will

not need multiple DVR’s in their home to be able to watch recorded movies in

different rooms, and they will be able to start to watch a movie in one room

and finish the movie in another room. This change had nothing to do with Blue

Ridge and we have no input or control of software upgrades [redacted] does.

Consumer

Response:

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because: although the tech explained to me that with the upgrade the function to program the automatic channel change was no longer in use because of the software change, I was not told it was through [redacted] or [redacted]. Furthermore, it would have been to Blue Ridge Cable's advantage to let its customers know the upgrade was coming and not just spring it on them. Customers have a right to know what it going on. I have since returned the [redacted] box and retained the Scientific Atlantic box which I had previously. I feel no loss for not having the HD. I still think that Blue Ridge Cable will experience customer loss to satellite dishes because they have to little regard for their customers.

Regards,

Business

Response:

I’m not sure what she means when she states that she rejects

our response because she was not given the details of who made the actual software

changes. If Blue Ridge had decided to take that function away to force

customers to get our DVR service we would have removed that function from all our converter's software. [redacted] does software upgrades on a regular basis that

have many changes that do not affect what the customers sees and we were

unaware of the loss of this function at the time of this upgrade and if we know

of customer affecting changes we do try to notify our customers. In her

response she has already exchanged her converter with one that has the older

software and can once again set her converter to turn on and change to the

channel that she wants to record without being there. At this point I’m not

sure what her desired outcome is.

Review: On 3/29 and 3/30 , We ordered 2 movies on demand and both movies stopped frequently at least 4 times throughout the movie.

We called customer service and were told there is nothing that can be done except re-boot.

We re-booted the system 2-3 times for each movie and the movie started all over at the beginning.

We were never able to view the entire movie!!

The only reason we ordered a movie on the second day was because maybe this was just a glitch on the first day of service, but when it happened again on the second day and we could not complete either movie, I was very disappointed!

This was the most frustrating experience I ever had.

The company markets " digital on demand movies" but can not provide the service!

They continue to advertise a service, they are unprepared and unable to provide the service.

Since this experience, I have heard from many of my co-workers tht they have also experienced these difficulties as well.

Each time when I called to speak with the customer service during the difficulties, I was told that I would still be billed for the movies despite the fact that I was unable to view the entire movies on 2 subsequent days.

Please remove the 7.90 charge from my bill and the 3.00 late charge, as I was waiting until this was resolved to pay the bill, but the rep told me there is "nothing to be done".

I have paid the bill MINUS $10. 90.

I want to remain a BRCTV customer, but don't advertise services you can't provide.

Also, when I tried to file a written complaint on the website, the complaint won't be processed unless I give my full date of birth. The written form already asks for the answers to 2 security questions. Written request should NOT be refused because I won't provide my complete date of birth. I tried to give month and year only and it still would not accept the written complaint on their website, even with 2 security questions answered. The PA ATTY General office tells consumers not to provide Date of birth to companies.

[redacted]Desired Settlement: Adjust the bill;

Advertise realistically;

And stop asking for personal information that can be used in identity theft.

Business

Response:

We had our manager in this area call the customer and set up

a service call. All the wiring seemed to fine but we did install a new

converter and asked the customer to order a movie which we would credit to make

sure they could order the On-Demand movies. We also credited their account for

the movies in question. If they have any further issues with ordering movies they

will contact our local office.

Review: I have been a loyal client for 6 years and until recently I had financial challenges due to unexpected changes that occurred in my life. I paid my bill on time. I noticed on Saturday Jan.25,2014 when I returned to my home that my cable and internet service was cut off without any previous notification or courtesy call. I realized that this is a company but there was no human characteristic with the representative I spoke to on that Saturday afternoon. She went on to tell me about the policy concerning shut off notice. That once its in the system it can't change unless I pay $409.00, I tried explaning my financial challenges and told her I would pay $209.00 on Friday 1/31. She told me I had to pay the entire past due amount of $409.00 by 2/7 or my service will be shut off. That the guy is schedule to shut it off on that day. I told her I get paid again on 2/15 but policy does not care. You can call any other company and make a payment arrangement. the inhuman of this company is beyond belief. I felt unvalued as a client that been with blueridge since 2007.Desired Settlement: A human being that cares that can assist me with a payment arrangement. To help me catch up on my balances. Without cancelling my services.

Business

Response:

Customer was current with her bill until September of 2013. Since that time, she has been a month behind every month. In January, she fell behind 2 months, plus owed her current bill and that is what triggered her disconnect. We do contact customers when they are past due and review our disconnect procedures and we also notify them on their bills that they have a past due. The customer made 3 payments this month and is currently connected with our services. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you.