Pend Oreille Insurance Services, Inc.

Response
to file #[redacted].
 
There
is a processing fee of $100.00 for the costs involved with converting from
telephone/data service to standalone internet service. On 10/11/17 Mr. Riggins
expressed his dissatisfaction at this charge. As a courtesy, our senior
Customer Service...

advisor offered to provide a 50% reduction for the charge.
Data-Only/standalone service plans are a new offering for us as of earlier this
year. For many years we’ve offered a limited basic phone and internet bundle
for customers looking to remove their featured telephone call plan. Mr. [redacted] may contact our Consumer Specialist team at 1-877-665-9990 to discuss the
service options. 
 
Thank
you.

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.  I will take this agreement as long as this issue is fixed by the end of December 2016. We have been hearing about how the upgrades would be done in March and now it is pushed to December.
Regards,
[redacted]

Follow up:
 
The bill was issued on
1/16/18. It should be delivered by now. If Ms. Worlds did not receive the
January bill, she may request a copy by calling Customer Service at
1-888-225-5837. Customer Service can answer any questions about the bill.

Follow
up:
 
There
is no box that needs to be fixed. The existing DSL equipment/network in Mr.
[redacted]’ serving area was not and is not currently scheduled to be replaced or
upgraded. That may change in time. When the excessive demand on the existing
network caused customer speed issues, we limited our DSL sales in that serving
area. We also notified customers in the affected area at the end of January
2016 that they were in an affected area and that they may want to find an
alternative provider to receive faster internet speeds. Our records show that
we notified Mr. [redacted]. Mr. [redacted] could have cancelled the service at any time
if he was not satisfied or reduced his internet plan to one that better matched
his experience.
 
Mr.
[redacted] contacted TDS Repair on 12/22/15 about slow internet speeds and our
trouble ticket notes indicate that we advised him of the network capacity issue
affecting his area and that there was no project in place to resolve the
slowness issue. Our records indicate that the last time Mr. [redacted] contacted
TDS was on 3/25/16 for support with an email password.
 
Again,
I am truly sorry that we are not able to meet Mr. [redacted]’ expectation for
service. As much as we would love to reach all customers in rural areas with
faster internet speeds, we cannot feasibly do so in all cases.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.]
Regards,
[redacted]

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.]
Regards,
[redacted]

Follow up:
 
The original
sales call was not recorded so we are not able to review. I acknowledge that
our Sales representative may have made a mistake with not entering the billing
address that Mr. [redacted] desired and I apologize for the inconvenience. An
incorrect billing address does not excuse non-payment for services rendered.
Mr. [redacted] was aware that he ordered the service, would be billed for it, and
would need to pay for it. We were not made aware of the invoice billing address
issue until after the disconnection. We made an effort to contact Mr. [redacted]
prior to the suspension of service. We do also offer online bill pay.
 
Our
marketing lists show the Alpine address and we can find no explanation as to
how the marketing letter got addressed to Austin. I apologize for the inconvenience of the confusion with the mailer.  
Our Customer
Service supervisor agreed to allow an exception to add the promotional rate for
internet-only service. Please note that delinquent accounts may lose discounts.

Response to file# [redacted].
 
Our records show that on
8/9/15 the customer set up online billing (“E-Pay”) using their email address [redacted]
to receive email notifications when the new bill was ready to be reviewed. Our
records show that the monthly email notices were...

issued. The customer also made
some payments through E-Pay and received payment confirmations with the same
email. The customer has retained their E-Pay account and does not receive a
paper bill. To receive a paper bill, the customer would have to cancel their
E-Pay account. The customer is able to review 15-months of bills via E-Pay. If
the customer needs assistance with E-Pay our Customer Service team can provide
guidance. Unfortunately, TDS did not bill for the TDS TV service that had been
affirmatively ordered by the customer and provided to the customer. There is no
indication that the customer had contacted TDS about not being billed for that
service. The billing error was caught and corrected by TDS. The March bill
shows charges for the TDS TV service going back bill to 4/16/15 when service
was installed. We understand the inconvenience of being back-billed which
causes a much larger than normal bill and we can offer extended payment
arrangements.
 
On 3/14/16 Ms. [redacted] contacted TDS about the billing. We offered
to set up a payment arrangement; however she stated she would not pay for it.
Our senior advisor offered a courtesy credit of $150.00; however, Ms. [redacted] hung
up. Ms. [redacted] called back on 3/30/16 and we again provided an explanation and
offered a payment arrangement. We also learned that there was a past account
with an unpaid balance that had been referred to a collection agency. Ms. [redacted]
indicated she had not gotten a bill. We also offered the courtesy credit again;
however, Ms. [redacted] hung up. On 5/20/16 TDS issued a non-payment disconnection notice.
On 5/31/16 we set up a payment arrangement with Ms. [redacted] to make installments
of the past due balance over a period of twelve months. We also applied the
$150.00 courtesy credit that had been previously offered. Unfortunately, the
customer did not maintain the terms of the payment agreement which caused
default, and thus internet and TV services were suspended for non-payment on
6/15/15. We arranged a new payment agreement with the customer on 6/15/16 and
reconnected service with a payment.
 
In response to this complaint, our senior advisor [redacted] left a message
asking the customer to contact her at [redacted]. She would like to discuss
the billing, offer a resolution, and if needed amend the payment agreement
terms.
 
Thank you.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.]
Regards,
[redacted]
Thank you for your time, very unfair this was not the result we were waiting as I told you before we are already  seeking  for a legal action so they will hear from us in a couple weeks.

Follow
up:  Our records show that our technician
completed a pre-qualification test on 1/26/17. His notes indicate that we could
offer our “Turbo” up to 15MB with bonded copper facilities. However, I did not
see this previously; there was a note in the plant records that indicated that
bonding is not available. We rechecked our records and the note in the plant
record was no longer accurate. This has been updated and we can offer “Turbo”
DSL up to 15MB. I apologize for the miscommunication.

Response to file #[redacted].
 
Our trouble report records
show that Mr. [redacted] contacted TDS Repair on 8/5/16, 8/30/16, 9/2/16, and
9/28/16 about service interruptions. The issues were related to area wide
outages and no appointments were made for testing at the [redacted]’s home....

On 12/27/16
Mr. [redacted] contacted TDS Repair about slow speeds. We assisted the customer
with testing with a wired connection. The speed test was successful when wired.
The wireless (‘WIFI’) connection was the issue and the customer changed the
WIFI channel on their router to resolve.
 
On 2/1/17 the customer
reported intermittent service issues. We set up a service call with our
technician. On 2/4/16 Mrs. [redacted] spoke with our Repair supervisor. She
claimed that there had been on going service troubles for 8-months. On 2/6/17
our technician cleaned up the connection and verified service was working
properly with the customer. Mrs. [redacted] expressed satisfaction with the
technician’s assistance. Our Repair supervisor also offered a courtesy credit
of $100.00 due to the customer’s dissatisfaction.
 
Thank you.

Response to file# [redacted].
 
It
is industry practice that toll charges, which may include operator and
directory service charges, may be billed up to 120-days after charges are
incurred. Accordingly it is TDS' standard practice to wait 60-days after the
final bill is issued to...

make sure all toll charges have been received and
billed before any refund is issued. The final bill was issued on 10/22/16,
which reflected a credit balance. The account is now inactive, the last bill
Mr. [redacted] will see is dated 11/22/16. The
check will be mailed on 12/8/16. The refund is being processed on schedule;
in this case slightly ahead of schedule as 60-days from 10/22/16 would be
12/22/16.
 
Thank you.

Response to file# [redacted].
 
The customer opted for a
professional installation instead of self-installation, which has a charge for
that optional service. The professional installation is for the technician to
connect the modem to the customer’s computer equipment instead of the...

customer
setting it up themselves. Our senior Customer Service advisor reviewed the
original sales call and verified that the Sales advisor quoted the correct
amount ($29.90) for the professional installation. [$29.95 Professional
Installation - $15.00 Professional Install Credit + $14.95 Handling Fee (modem)
= $29.90]. For self-installation we would ship the modem for a charge of
$14.95. Because the technician delivered it and there was no shipping, we
offset it with the $15.00 credit.
 
[redacted] called TDS on
10/19/17 and complained again about it, and our senior advisor [redacted] agreed to
provide a one-time credit of $29.90 for the professional installation. [redacted]
offered to reduce the customer’s service to one that does not require a modem
charge; however, Mr. [redacted] declined. A modem charge is required with the
current service plan, that is not optional.
 
Thank you.

Response to file# [redacted].
 
It seems that Mr. [redacted] may
have misunderstood that he could pay both of his accounts with one online bill pay
account. Two payments were made to the first account and none to the second
account in January. Mr. [redacted] will need to have separate...

online bill pay
accounts for each of his accounts. In March there was a misapplied payment for
a large business customer that applied to his account. This error was corrected
in March. We also applied the January payment from the first account to the
second one with the March bill at the customer’s request. In response to this
complaint our senior advisor Javier left a message for Mr. [redacted] about the
payments and offered to help walk him through setting up the auto pay for his
second account. Mr. [redacted] did not return his call. As payment was not made
for the account that did not have auto pay set up, it was up for disconnection.
After it was suspended on 3/28/17 Mr. [redacted] called in for assistance. Our
senior advisor [redacted] helped him with payment, waived the reconnection fee, and
provided a credit for the late fee plus a gave a courtesy credit for the
inconvenience.
 
Thank you.

Response to file# [redacted].
 
On 12/28/16 Ms. [redacted] contacted
TDS Repair about difficulty connecting to WIFI. TDS Repair provided
troubleshooting steps. She was able to connect to the WIFI with her smartphone
but not her computer. She indicated she went into the network...

settings which
indicated no preferred networks were saved. Ms. [redacted] was unable to ‘forget’
and rejoin the network. She indicated she would reach out to her computer
manufacturer. There was no issue found with the TDS network or the wireless modem.
 
On 2/13/17 Ms. [redacted]
contacted TDS Repair asking for a credit for three weeks of no service because
she could not connect through WIFI. The account was up for disconnection for
non-payment. When  the advisor mentioned
that a courtesy credit could not be applied until the account was brought up
to date and active, Ms. [redacted] ended the call. 
 
On 5/4/17 Ms. [redacted] contacted
TDS Repair stating for six weeks she did not have service and asked for credit.
After reviewing the trouble ticket where the trouble was isolated to Ms.[redacted]’s
computer equipment and there was no issue found with the TDS network or the
provided modem, a credit was deemed not applicable. Ms. [redacted] was upset and
ended the call. The reconnection fees are applicable due to the disconnection
for non-payment.
 
Thank you.

Response to file# [redacted]
 
TDS advertises that DSL
speeds and availability vary. Speed plans are ‘up to’. Mr. [redacted] may reduce
his plan to DSL “Express” (up to 5MB) if he is dissatisfied with the speeds he
currently receives with the “Turbo” plan (up to 15MB). We do not...

guarantee
speeds. Because of distance limitations and various other factors, our Repair
department would recommend reducing a speed plan if a customer is not satisfied
with the speeds achieved. Mr. [redacted] may cancel DSL without penalty. We
partner with DISH Network and can offer their dishNet satellite internet, which
may be able to offer faster speeds. Other alternatives could include Exede, other satellite or
wireless providers.
 
Thank you.

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
Regards,
[redacted]

Response to file# [redacted].
Service was installed on
11/21/15. The customer was aware of service and that he would need to pay for
it. If Mr. [redacted] did not receive his bill due to a mailing or billing address
issue, it does not absolve responsibility for the bill charges. Mr....

[redacted]
should have contacted TDS when he did not receive his first bill, which in this
case was issued in December 2015. Mr. [redacted] did not contact TDS until the service
was suspended for non-payment on 2/10/16. On 2/11/16 we provided bill copies with no charge as the billing address was wrong.
On 2/17/16 Mr. [redacted]
contacted TDS to disconnect service. The advisor explained the shipping fee for
the TV equipment return. The advisor put Mr. [redacted] on hold to get approval to
waive the fee and Mr. [redacted] had hung up before she had a chance to let him
know that it was approved.
On 2/17/16 our senior advisor
contacted Mr. [redacted]. She provided a courtesy credit for the reconnection fee
as Mr. William’s billing address was wrong. She also provided a credit for HBO
charges as Mr. [redacted] indicated that it was to be free for three months. She went
over quote amount and affirmed that it did not include fees/taxes. The order to
disconnect service was placed as requested.
Thank you.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.TDS's comments are 100% false.
The problems are in TDS's servers or it's sub contractors servers.  The 502 error that occurs is generated by TDS's or it's sub-contracted email provides systems. 
Regards,
[redacted]  [redacted]

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.]We have had to call TDS customer support numerous times through out our service with this company. We have, also, always allowed time for any problem (s) TDS may have had with their services before calling in. However, the internet services we are being provided by TDS is unreliable and constantly would not work. We reset our internet frequently with TDS. Our last call to TDS, we had gone without internet for 4 days before calling customer service. The customer service representative informed us a technician would not be able to assist until 10-15 days. Additionally, even with our prior issues, there was always a significant wait time. Our house hold pays a lot of money for TDS products and we do not get half of our money's worth. The internet only worked half of the time and would constantly go in and out. In addition, waiting 10-15 days for a technician to assist our problem this last time is flat out ridiculous. The customer service representative also said there was nothing they could do for us in the meantime. 
Regards,
[redacted]