Dear Revdex.com, [redacted] ’s complaint is that she wanted to downgrade her HD Digital Plus service with us to our analog Basic Plus level of service and we would not disconnect her digital service unless she returned the digital converter that is currently connected in her home We did discontinue her HD Digital Plus service and downgraded her to our Gateway Digital service for $per month opposed to her HD Digital Plus service which was $per monthThe $is the charge for the converter being connected and receives the Basic plus channels, the music channels and has access to PPV and Video-on-DemandThe only other option would be to disconnect her service at the pole but she also has our phone service which would also need to be disconnected to stop the billingThe $charge she mentioned was for the HD service equipment which we were able to turn off but unfortunately we have no way of disconnecting our converter inside her home Please let me know if you have any further questions Sincerely, Jeff C [redacted] Director of operations Blue Ridge Communications
February 13, Dear [redacted] , [redacted] ’ complaint is that she is appalled at the data overage charges She would like to know how she can be uncapped and refunded the overage charges for December and January When [redacted] called to set up high speed internet service on 10/23/17, the customer service representative thoroughly explained all levels of service and data limits to both [redacted] and her husband by phone The customer service representative informed her that a high speed internet agreement would need to be signed at the time of installation Item #of the agreement references additional charges including, but not limited to bandwidth use over the allowance Not only were the bandwidth limits explained at the time of installation, but they can also be found on our website at http://www.***.com/ [redacted] # [redacted] Another way customers can view and track their data usage is by registering for a My Blue Ridge account at https://www[redacted] According to our records, [redacted] registered for an account on 11/13/and has last logged in on 1/31/ There are some basic things that can be done at home to reduce bandwidth usage: · Check your router and ensure the firmware is up to date· Make sure your router is secured This means ensuring your router access is password protected, even your guest network Anyone is close proximity can access your unsecured router without you knowing it· If you stream TV shows and movies and fall asleep watching TV, make sure the auto play feature is disabled on your streaming device· Don’t just turn off the TV after streaming a movie; be sure to close the application completely Some applications will still use data when they are not closed properly· Lower the quality of streaming on [redacted] , [redacted] or other streaming services · Cell phones connected to Wifi will use data, and this usage will count toward your monthly limit Disable auto update features and disable maps/GPS/location services· Monitor data usage daily by logging into your My Blue Ridge account to help identify devices that can be consuming data without your knowledgeWe feel that the data overage charges are correct and accurate and an adjustment will not be made At this time Blue Ridge does not offer an unlimited data package to its customers If [redacted] feels she is experiencing an issue with her high speed internet service, she can contact customer service at [redacted] at any time A service appointment can be scheduled for the next available date and time If you have any further questions, please let me know Sincerely, Jeff L [redacted] Blue Ridge Communications
I spoke to Ms [redacted] and in looking into her concerns about being notified late about the overage charges she was correct and we have credited back the over charges in full She should receive the refund within three to four weeks and I will be in contact with her to make sure she received the refund
August 31, Dear [redacted] , [redacted] ’s complaint is that Blue Ridge Communications has a monopoly in the Bushkill, PA area with substandard internet service and outrageous prices He uses [redacted] ’s pricing for comparison He reports that his high speed internet download speed on a good day is 30Mbps and upload speed is never been more than 3Mbps He subscribes to the highest internet package of 100Mbps/5Mbps [redacted] also states the Blue Ridge On-Demand system shows are not updated when new episodes air Blue Ridge Communications does not have a monopoly in Bushkill, PA Customers in the Pike County area can choose from service providers such as [redacted] , [redacted] , and [redacted] We do not prohibit other cable companies from serving this area Any company can apply for a franchise and provide service to [redacted] ’s area When comparing pricing for services, it is recommended that [redacted] review the non-promotional pricing Most service providers only advertise the promotional rates online An example of this is [redacted] ’s cost and speed for one of their highest level of service [redacted] offers a service up to 150Mbps download, for $per month A standard installation fee of up to $may apply Blue Ridge offers free installation, Unleashed WiFi Hot Spots, and we offer free service calls Pricing for 100Mbps/5Mbps is as low as $per month with video service and up to $per month for high speed internet onlyBlue Ridge feels all high speed internet offerings and pricing is very competitive to other service providers when you factor in all the benefits the customer receives Another concern of [redacted] ’s is that he only receives download speeds up to 30Mbps On 8/22/16, a service technician was sent to [redacted] ’s residenceIt was discovered that the customer installed a cell phone booster to his home network At times, this booster can interfere with his upload and download speeds Therefore, he may not be able to receive speeds of more than 36Mbps On 8/30/16, we spoke with [redacted] by phone During this conversation, he tested his internet speed He confirmed he was receiving a download speed of 82Mbps Lastly, Blue Ridge’s Video On-Demand service currently includes over 8,titles to choose from The on demand uploads and availability are based upon contractual agreements with all content providers Other service providers may have content available for viewing that can and will be different from Blue Ridge Communications If [redacted] does have a question or concern about specific on demand content, customer service will be able to assist him Questions can be answered by calling ###-###-#### If you have any further questions, please let me knowSincerely, Jeff L [redacted] Blue Ridge Communications
** [redacted] ’s complaint is that she was being charged for ***/ [redacted] and en Español channels she did not subscribe to and states she did not order these channels She is also stating her bill went up to over $ On April 19th, ***/ [redacted] was purchased through ** [redacted] ’s digital converter in her home at 2:07PM In her complaint she states she did not call to question this increase of her monthly bill even though she had noticed the increase on her statement On July 20th, there was another purchase made through her digital converter for the en Español tier of service at 1:23PM This purchase was again received through the digital converter in ** [redacted] ’s home [redacted] contacted Blue Ridge on August 17th, to inquire about the charges on her account The customer service representative explained that purchases had been made from the customer’s remote controlThe customer service representative removed ***/ [redacted] and the en Español tier of service per the customer’s request and credited her account in full for the services she said she had not orderThe customer service rep did explain to ** [redacted] that the only way these services could have been ordered through the digital converter was by someone pressing the buttons on the remote control of the digital converter to confirm the order multiple times ** [redacted] also stated that her bill went up to over $which was correct for the month of August** [redacted] had been on a month promotion that just ended which included our HD Digital Basic Plus cable package, two digital video recorders, our high speed internet service, and ***/ [redacted] and the en Española tier was still on her accountOnce ***/ [redacted] and the Española tier was removed her new rate went to $At the time a customer signs up for a promotion they are told what the new rate will be when the promotion ends and at that time they would decide if they would like to keep or drop any of the services within that promotion Please let me know if you have any further questions 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 responseIf no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved] Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because:MrL [redacted] states someone called and spoke to me on June when they found the error This is not true as I wasn't even made aware of the error until much later In fact I made a payment on July 24th at which time I paid $which is amount their representative told me was past due amount needed to restore internet If it was in fact posted on my bill in June shouldn't they have seen it on their computer and included that in my past due amount? As for not being able to produce two payment receipts all these months after the fact, this is because while my wife got a receipt when she made the payment, I was in a hurry and since the gentleman at the counter had looked up my acctby my phone number and then assured me my service had been restored after posting the payment, I never anticipated the need for a receipt and went on my way Again back to my statement that a dishonest employee could have in fact pocketed the money therefore not writing or giving me a receipt MrL [redacted] failed to elaborate on this question and also didn't respond to my statement that I felt if according to their service agreement customers can only dispute their payment history for days, the same should remain in effect when the situation is reversed in the customer's favor Since they made the error and took so long to make me aware of it, I feel the burden of proof should be on them to prove the payments weren't made rather than the other way around Regards, [redacted]
January 14, 2016Dear [redacted] , [redacted] ’s complaint is that Blue Ridge implemented data caps to rural customers since it is their only choice for service He reports that customer service is the worst he has encountered [redacted] also states that Blue Ridge Communications is a cable monopoly in his neighborhood, and he has no other choice for internet access via cable 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 serviceLess than 1% of the customers were affected and they were charged $per GB over the 250GB Effective September 1, 2015, we notified the bandwidth policy by measuring the usage levels continuously and increasing the allowance by level of service for all customers, as follows: Speed Bandwidth Allowance 1.5mbps GB downstream 5mbps GB downstream 10mbps GB downstream15mbps GB downstream60mbps GB downstream100mbps 7000GB downstream Customers who exceed the monthly allowance are charged $for each additional GBNotice: We notified the customers of this change by bill message and amendment to the Blue Ridge policies on our web pageAdditionally, 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 usageFor 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 monthImportantly, bandwidth usage is independently measured and reported by a 3rd partyReason: Many customers do not realize that we pay for bandwidth on a usage basisThere is a vast discrepancy between the average and extreme user Currently, the average user consumes 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 usersWe 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 throttlingData allowances are neither and have been permitted, if not encouraged, by regulatory policyData allowances are the fairest method to allocate the variable cost of internet service Customer Service: There are times throughout the day when customers may experience a longer than average wait time Wait times will vary throughout the day In order to provide the best possible customer service, our call center is open hours per day, days per week by calling ###-###-#### We also offer the ability to chat with a live customer service agent via our website at www.brctv.com Chat is available to our customers from 8AM-11PM, days per week A third option is to email our customer service department by visiting our web page and click on “Email A CSR” Blue Ridge Communications does not have a monopoly in Northampton County Customers in this area can choose from service providers such as ***, [redacted] , Dish Network, and [redacted] We do not prohibit other cable companies from serving the Walnutport area Any company can apply for a franchise and provide service Our service is reliable, our internet is faster, we have free access to Unleashed WiFi Hot Spots, we are a local company and we offer free service calls Our pricing is competitive when you factor in all the benefits the customer receives If you have any further questions, please let me know.Sincerely, Jeff L [redacted] 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 homeShe 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 internetBecause 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 installationThere 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 homeOnce 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 insideWe 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 resolvedWe do not ask customers to take time off from work and will schedule the service call when it is convenient for themWe 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 appointmentsWe 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 propertyShe 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
[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the responseIf no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved] Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because:We have called Blue Ridge at least times since March, likely, it has been much more than thatIn fact we have called 3-times in the last few days and spoke to Tom F [redacted] for probably the 5th time in the last two monthsYou continually responding to this complaint with fallacies is lame and insultingMrC [redacted] , you are either extremely incompetent or a pathological liarWe will be speaking to your supervisor and if this nonsense continues I will push this matter with every regulatory agency I can, speak to my attorney, and go to the media with this problemYou will not provide a crap signal then lie to cover yourselfI will not allow it [redacted] ***
January 25, Dear [redacted] , [redacted] ’s complaint is that she called into Blue Ridge on 1/13/to check the balance on her account because she stated she had not received a billing statement She described she was informed by the representative that no payment was due until February 16, She then checked her account online a few days later and it showed there was a past due balance When [redacted] called to check the account balance on 1/13/17, wrong account information was given to her Because of this, it caused her account to become past due and also a late fee to be added On 1/25/17, a supervisor spoke the [redacted] to advise her that a mistake had been made and credit in the amount of $would be applied to the account for the misinformation According to the account notes, [redacted] is satisfied with the credit amount If you have any further questions, please let me knowSincerely,Jeff L [redacted] Blue Ridge Communications
November 18, 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 yearsOriginally, 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 serviceLess than 1% of the customers were affected and they were charged $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 GB downstream 5mbps GB downstream 10mbps GB downstream15mbps GB downstream60mbps GB downstream100mbps 7000GB downstream Customers who exceed the monthly allowance are charged $for each additional GBNotice: We notified the customers of this change by bill message and amendment to the Blue Ridge policies on our web pageAdditionally, 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 usageFor 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 monthImportantly, bandwidth usage is independently measured and reported by a 3rd partyReason: Many customers do not realize that we pay for bandwidth on a usage basisThere is a vast discrepancy between the average and extreme userCurrently, the average user consumes GB per month (well below even the lowest allowance) but we have seen extreme users consuming Terabytes of dataWe believe that it would be unfair to the average user to raise rates to pay for the increased costs caused by the extreme usersWe 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 throttlingData allowances are neither and have been permitted, if not encouraged, by regulatory policyData allowances are the fairest method to allocate the variable cost of internet service Please let me know if you have any further questionsThank you, Jeff L [redacted] Blue Ridge Communications
July 6, Dear K [redacted] , [redacted] ***’s complaint is that Blue Ridge billed and received money for service she feels we did not provide She states all services were disconnected on 4/25/and she feels she is owed credit On 4/21/17, [redacted] requested a downgrade of service This request was to remove cable service, but she would keep high speed internet service On 4/25/17, a service technician removed the cable service only [redacted] received credit for the unused portion of cable service in the amount of $ Our records indicates there was high speed internet usage up until 5/9/17; when her account was hard disconnected for non- payment Customer paid the balance owed on 7/3/ [redacted] ***’s account is currently not active No refund is due If you have any further questions, please let me knowSincerely, Jeff L [redacted] Blue Ridge Communications
Dear Revdex.com, [redacted] ***’s complaint is that she was charged an excess bandwidth charge once she went over her GB limit for her residential service Our residential internet service has a 250GB bandwidth limit which is only measured between 5pm and 1amBetween 1:01am and 4:59pm our internet customers have unlimited bandwidth usage at no chargeIf a customer exceeds their GB limit between 5pm – 1pm they are charged $per GB over the 250GB between only those hours which 99.7% of our customers do not go over 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 installationWe notify our customers the first month they exceed the bandwidth limit and alert them that the next time they exceed the limit they will be charged $per GB for their excess bandwidth usage over the 250GB limit between the hours of 5pm – 1amThey are also instructed how to go to the PennTeleData website who is the company we use to provide our internet service to monitor their bandwidth usage250GB is a very large amount of data and is equivalent to downloading approximately two hour digital movies and the large majority of our customer use well under half of the 250GB limitThis is a company policy which applies to all our internet customers and we do not have a separate policy for disconnected customers Please let me know if you have any further questions Sincerely, Jeff C [redacted] Director of operations Blue Ridge Communications
[redacted] downgraded to our lowest level of digital service which is $5.95per month $is the cost of converter per month which she said she agreed to pay in her complaint until she returned the digital converterThe $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 homeTo help clarify, if she was to add a second digital converter to her account she would be charged an additional $ 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 responseIf no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved] Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because:If bandwidth truly costs $per 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 ServiceI do use my connection for business work also Regards, [redacted]
January 30, 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 serviceLess than 1% of the customers were affected and they were charged $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 GB downstream 5mbps GB downstream 10mbps GB downstream15mbps GB downstream60mbps GB downstream100mbps GB (1TB) downstream Customers who exceed the monthly allowance are charged $for each additional GB Effective September 1, new bandwidth allowances will be as follows: Speed Bandwidth Allowance 1.5mbps GB downstream 5mbps GB downstream 10mbps GB downstream15mbps GB (1TB) downstream60mbps GB (1.2TB) downstream100mbps GB (1.5TB) downstreamCustomers who exceed the new monthly allowance are charged $for each additional GB Notice: We notified the customers of this change by bill message and amendment to the Blue Ridge policies on our web pageAdditionally, 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 usageFor 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 monthImportantly, bandwidth usage is independently measured and reported by a 3rd partyReason: Many customers do not realize that we pay for bandwidth on a usage basisThere is a vast discrepancy between the average and extreme userCurrently, the average user consumes GB per month (well below even the lowest allowance) but we have seen extreme users consuming Terabytes of dataWe believe that it would be unfair to the average user to raise rates to pay for the increased costs caused by the extreme usersWe 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 throttlingData allowances are neither and have been permitted, if not encouraged, by regulatory policyData allowances are the fairest method to allocate the variable cost of internet serviceFrom October to January 30, 2017, [redacted] ***’s average monthly data usage is 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
Dear Revdex.com, [redacted] ’s complaint is that she wanted to downgrade her HD Digital Plus service with us to our analog Basic Plus level of service and we would not disconnect her digital service unless she returned the digital converter that is currently connected in her home We did discontinue her HD Digital Plus service and downgraded her to our Gateway Digital service for $per month opposed to her HD Digital Plus service which was $per monthThe $is the charge for the converter being connected and receives the Basic plus channels, the music channels and has access to PPV and Video-on-DemandThe only other option would be to disconnect her service at the pole but she also has our phone service which would also need to be disconnected to stop the billingThe $charge she mentioned was for the HD service equipment which we were able to turn off but unfortunately we have no way of disconnecting our converter inside her home Please let me know if you have any further questions Sincerely, Jeff C [redacted] Director of operations Blue Ridge Communications
February 13, Dear [redacted] , [redacted] ’ complaint is that she is appalled at the data overage charges She would like to know how she can be uncapped and refunded the overage charges for December and January When [redacted] called to set up high speed internet service on 10/23/17, the customer service representative thoroughly explained all levels of service and data limits to both [redacted] and her husband by phone The customer service representative informed her that a high speed internet agreement would need to be signed at the time of installation Item #of the agreement references additional charges including, but not limited to bandwidth use over the allowance Not only were the bandwidth limits explained at the time of installation, but they can also be found on our website at http://www.***.com/ [redacted] # [redacted] Another way customers can view and track their data usage is by registering for a My Blue Ridge account at https://www[redacted] According to our records, [redacted] registered for an account on 11/13/and has last logged in on 1/31/ There are some basic things that can be done at home to reduce bandwidth usage: · Check your router and ensure the firmware is up to date· Make sure your router is secured This means ensuring your router access is password protected, even your guest network Anyone is close proximity can access your unsecured router without you knowing it· If you stream TV shows and movies and fall asleep watching TV, make sure the auto play feature is disabled on your streaming device· Don’t just turn off the TV after streaming a movie; be sure to close the application completely Some applications will still use data when they are not closed properly· Lower the quality of streaming on [redacted] , [redacted] or other streaming services · Cell phones connected to Wifi will use data, and this usage will count toward your monthly limit Disable auto update features and disable maps/GPS/location services· Monitor data usage daily by logging into your My Blue Ridge account to help identify devices that can be consuming data without your knowledgeWe feel that the data overage charges are correct and accurate and an adjustment will not be made At this time Blue Ridge does not offer an unlimited data package to its customers If [redacted] feels she is experiencing an issue with her high speed internet service, she can contact customer service at [redacted] at any time A service appointment can be scheduled for the next available date and time If you have any further questions, please let me know Sincerely, Jeff L [redacted] Blue Ridge Communications
I spoke to Ms [redacted] and in looking into her concerns about being notified late about the overage charges she was correct and we have credited back the over charges in full She should receive the refund within three to four weeks and I will be in contact with her to make sure she received the refund
August 31, Dear [redacted] , [redacted] ’s complaint is that Blue Ridge Communications has a monopoly in the Bushkill, PA area with substandard internet service and outrageous prices He uses [redacted] ’s pricing for comparison He reports that his high speed internet download speed on a good day is 30Mbps and upload speed is never been more than 3Mbps He subscribes to the highest internet package of 100Mbps/5Mbps [redacted] also states the Blue Ridge On-Demand system shows are not updated when new episodes air Blue Ridge Communications does not have a monopoly in Bushkill, PA Customers in the Pike County area can choose from service providers such as [redacted] , [redacted] , and [redacted] We do not prohibit other cable companies from serving this area Any company can apply for a franchise and provide service to [redacted] ’s area When comparing pricing for services, it is recommended that [redacted] review the non-promotional pricing Most service providers only advertise the promotional rates online An example of this is [redacted] ’s cost and speed for one of their highest level of service [redacted] offers a service up to 150Mbps download, for $per month A standard installation fee of up to $may apply Blue Ridge offers free installation, Unleashed WiFi Hot Spots, and we offer free service calls Pricing for 100Mbps/5Mbps is as low as $per month with video service and up to $per month for high speed internet onlyBlue Ridge feels all high speed internet offerings and pricing is very competitive to other service providers when you factor in all the benefits the customer receives Another concern of [redacted] ’s is that he only receives download speeds up to 30Mbps On 8/22/16, a service technician was sent to [redacted] ’s residenceIt was discovered that the customer installed a cell phone booster to his home network At times, this booster can interfere with his upload and download speeds Therefore, he may not be able to receive speeds of more than 36Mbps On 8/30/16, we spoke with [redacted] by phone During this conversation, he tested his internet speed He confirmed he was receiving a download speed of 82Mbps Lastly, Blue Ridge’s Video On-Demand service currently includes over 8,titles to choose from The on demand uploads and availability are based upon contractual agreements with all content providers Other service providers may have content available for viewing that can and will be different from Blue Ridge Communications If [redacted] does have a question or concern about specific on demand content, customer service will be able to assist him Questions can be answered by calling ###-###-#### If you have any further questions, please let me knowSincerely, Jeff L [redacted] Blue Ridge Communications
** [redacted] ’s complaint is that she was being charged for ***/ [redacted] and en Español channels she did not subscribe to and states she did not order these channels She is also stating her bill went up to over $ On April 19th, ***/ [redacted] was purchased through ** [redacted] ’s digital converter in her home at 2:07PM In her complaint she states she did not call to question this increase of her monthly bill even though she had noticed the increase on her statement On July 20th, there was another purchase made through her digital converter for the en Español tier of service at 1:23PM This purchase was again received through the digital converter in ** [redacted] ’s home [redacted] contacted Blue Ridge on August 17th, to inquire about the charges on her account The customer service representative explained that purchases had been made from the customer’s remote controlThe customer service representative removed ***/ [redacted] and the en Español tier of service per the customer’s request and credited her account in full for the services she said she had not orderThe customer service rep did explain to ** [redacted] that the only way these services could have been ordered through the digital converter was by someone pressing the buttons on the remote control of the digital converter to confirm the order multiple times ** [redacted] also stated that her bill went up to over $which was correct for the month of August** [redacted] had been on a month promotion that just ended which included our HD Digital Basic Plus cable package, two digital video recorders, our high speed internet service, and ***/ [redacted] and the en Española tier was still on her accountOnce ***/ [redacted] and the Española tier was removed her new rate went to $At the time a customer signs up for a promotion they are told what the new rate will be when the promotion ends and at that time they would decide if they would like to keep or drop any of the services within that promotion Please let me know if you have any further questions 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 responseIf no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved] Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because:MrL [redacted] states someone called and spoke to me on June when they found the error This is not true as I wasn't even made aware of the error until much later In fact I made a payment on July 24th at which time I paid $which is amount their representative told me was past due amount needed to restore internet If it was in fact posted on my bill in June shouldn't they have seen it on their computer and included that in my past due amount? As for not being able to produce two payment receipts all these months after the fact, this is because while my wife got a receipt when she made the payment, I was in a hurry and since the gentleman at the counter had looked up my acctby my phone number and then assured me my service had been restored after posting the payment, I never anticipated the need for a receipt and went on my way Again back to my statement that a dishonest employee could have in fact pocketed the money therefore not writing or giving me a receipt MrL [redacted] failed to elaborate on this question and also didn't respond to my statement that I felt if according to their service agreement customers can only dispute their payment history for days, the same should remain in effect when the situation is reversed in the customer's favor Since they made the error and took so long to make me aware of it, I feel the burden of proof should be on them to prove the payments weren't made rather than the other way around Regards, [redacted]
January 14, 2016Dear [redacted] , [redacted] ’s complaint is that Blue Ridge implemented data caps to rural customers since it is their only choice for service He reports that customer service is the worst he has encountered [redacted] also states that Blue Ridge Communications is a cable monopoly in his neighborhood, and he has no other choice for internet access via cable 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 serviceLess than 1% of the customers were affected and they were charged $per GB over the 250GB Effective September 1, 2015, we notified the bandwidth policy by measuring the usage levels continuously and increasing the allowance by level of service for all customers, as follows: Speed Bandwidth Allowance 1.5mbps GB downstream 5mbps GB downstream 10mbps GB downstream15mbps GB downstream60mbps GB downstream100mbps 7000GB downstream Customers who exceed the monthly allowance are charged $for each additional GBNotice: We notified the customers of this change by bill message and amendment to the Blue Ridge policies on our web pageAdditionally, 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 usageFor 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 monthImportantly, bandwidth usage is independently measured and reported by a 3rd partyReason: Many customers do not realize that we pay for bandwidth on a usage basisThere is a vast discrepancy between the average and extreme user Currently, the average user consumes 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 usersWe 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 throttlingData allowances are neither and have been permitted, if not encouraged, by regulatory policyData allowances are the fairest method to allocate the variable cost of internet service Customer Service: There are times throughout the day when customers may experience a longer than average wait time Wait times will vary throughout the day In order to provide the best possible customer service, our call center is open hours per day, days per week by calling ###-###-#### We also offer the ability to chat with a live customer service agent via our website at www.brctv.com Chat is available to our customers from 8AM-11PM, days per week A third option is to email our customer service department by visiting our web page and click on “Email A CSR” Blue Ridge Communications does not have a monopoly in Northampton County Customers in this area can choose from service providers such as ***, [redacted] , Dish Network, and [redacted] We do not prohibit other cable companies from serving the Walnutport area Any company can apply for a franchise and provide service Our service is reliable, our internet is faster, we have free access to Unleashed WiFi Hot Spots, we are a local company and we offer free service calls Our pricing is competitive when you factor in all the benefits the customer receives If you have any further questions, please let me know.Sincerely, Jeff L [redacted] 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 homeShe 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 internetBecause 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 installationThere 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 homeOnce 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 insideWe 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 resolvedWe do not ask customers to take time off from work and will schedule the service call when it is convenient for themWe 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 appointmentsWe 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 propertyShe 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
[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the responseIf no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved] Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because:We have called Blue Ridge at least times since March, likely, it has been much more than thatIn fact we have called 3-times in the last few days and spoke to Tom F [redacted] for probably the 5th time in the last two monthsYou continually responding to this complaint with fallacies is lame and insultingMrC [redacted] , you are either extremely incompetent or a pathological liarWe will be speaking to your supervisor and if this nonsense continues I will push this matter with every regulatory agency I can, speak to my attorney, and go to the media with this problemYou will not provide a crap signal then lie to cover yourselfI will not allow it [redacted] ***
January 25, Dear [redacted] , [redacted] ’s complaint is that she called into Blue Ridge on 1/13/to check the balance on her account because she stated she had not received a billing statement She described she was informed by the representative that no payment was due until February 16, She then checked her account online a few days later and it showed there was a past due balance When [redacted] called to check the account balance on 1/13/17, wrong account information was given to her Because of this, it caused her account to become past due and also a late fee to be added On 1/25/17, a supervisor spoke the [redacted] to advise her that a mistake had been made and credit in the amount of $would be applied to the account for the misinformation According to the account notes, [redacted] is satisfied with the credit amount If you have any further questions, please let me knowSincerely,Jeff L [redacted] Blue Ridge Communications
November 18, 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 yearsOriginally, 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 serviceLess than 1% of the customers were affected and they were charged $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 GB downstream 5mbps GB downstream 10mbps GB downstream15mbps GB downstream60mbps GB downstream100mbps 7000GB downstream Customers who exceed the monthly allowance are charged $for each additional GBNotice: We notified the customers of this change by bill message and amendment to the Blue Ridge policies on our web pageAdditionally, 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 usageFor 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 monthImportantly, bandwidth usage is independently measured and reported by a 3rd partyReason: Many customers do not realize that we pay for bandwidth on a usage basisThere is a vast discrepancy between the average and extreme userCurrently, the average user consumes GB per month (well below even the lowest allowance) but we have seen extreme users consuming Terabytes of dataWe believe that it would be unfair to the average user to raise rates to pay for the increased costs caused by the extreme usersWe 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 throttlingData allowances are neither and have been permitted, if not encouraged, by regulatory policyData allowances are the fairest method to allocate the variable cost of internet service Please let me know if you have any further questionsThank you, Jeff L [redacted] Blue Ridge Communications
July 6, Dear K [redacted] , [redacted] ***’s complaint is that Blue Ridge billed and received money for service she feels we did not provide She states all services were disconnected on 4/25/and she feels she is owed credit On 4/21/17, [redacted] requested a downgrade of service This request was to remove cable service, but she would keep high speed internet service On 4/25/17, a service technician removed the cable service only [redacted] received credit for the unused portion of cable service in the amount of $ Our records indicates there was high speed internet usage up until 5/9/17; when her account was hard disconnected for non- payment Customer paid the balance owed on 7/3/ [redacted] ***’s account is currently not active No refund is due If you have any further questions, please let me knowSincerely, Jeff L [redacted] Blue Ridge Communications
Dear Revdex.com, [redacted] ***’s complaint is that she was charged an excess bandwidth charge once she went over her GB limit for her residential service Our residential internet service has a 250GB bandwidth limit which is only measured between 5pm and 1amBetween 1:01am and 4:59pm our internet customers have unlimited bandwidth usage at no chargeIf a customer exceeds their GB limit between 5pm – 1pm they are charged $per GB over the 250GB between only those hours which 99.7% of our customers do not go over 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 installationWe notify our customers the first month they exceed the bandwidth limit and alert them that the next time they exceed the limit they will be charged $per GB for their excess bandwidth usage over the 250GB limit between the hours of 5pm – 1amThey are also instructed how to go to the PennTeleData website who is the company we use to provide our internet service to monitor their bandwidth usage250GB is a very large amount of data and is equivalent to downloading approximately two hour digital movies and the large majority of our customer use well under half of the 250GB limitThis is a company policy which applies to all our internet customers and we do not have a separate policy for disconnected customers Please let me know if you have any further questions Sincerely, Jeff C [redacted] Director of operations Blue Ridge Communications
[redacted] downgraded to our lowest level of digital service which is $5.95per month $is the cost of converter per month which she said she agreed to pay in her complaint until she returned the digital converterThe $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 homeTo help clarify, if she was to add a second digital converter to her account she would be charged an additional $ 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 responseIf no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved] Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because:If bandwidth truly costs $per 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 ServiceI do use my connection for business work also Regards, [redacted]
January 30, 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 serviceLess than 1% of the customers were affected and they were charged $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 GB downstream 5mbps GB downstream 10mbps GB downstream15mbps GB downstream60mbps GB downstream100mbps GB (1TB) downstream Customers who exceed the monthly allowance are charged $for each additional GB Effective September 1, new bandwidth allowances will be as follows: Speed Bandwidth Allowance 1.5mbps GB downstream 5mbps GB downstream 10mbps GB downstream15mbps GB (1TB) downstream60mbps GB (1.2TB) downstream100mbps GB (1.5TB) downstreamCustomers who exceed the new monthly allowance are charged $for each additional GB Notice: We notified the customers of this change by bill message and amendment to the Blue Ridge policies on our web pageAdditionally, 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 usageFor 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 monthImportantly, bandwidth usage is independently measured and reported by a 3rd partyReason: Many customers do not realize that we pay for bandwidth on a usage basisThere is a vast discrepancy between the average and extreme userCurrently, the average user consumes GB per month (well below even the lowest allowance) but we have seen extreme users consuming Terabytes of dataWe believe that it would be unfair to the average user to raise rates to pay for the increased costs caused by the extreme usersWe 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 throttlingData allowances are neither and have been permitted, if not encouraged, by regulatory policyData allowances are the fairest method to allocate the variable cost of internet serviceFrom October to January 30, 2017, [redacted] ***’s average monthly data usage is 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