Rise Broadband

Dear Mr. [redacted] Thank you for taking the time to notify us of the concerns you have in regards to your service with Rise Broadband and the early termination fee (ETF) associated with cancelling your account. We apologize for your experience during your interactions with our representative....

 We had the opportunity to investigate your concerns. Our terms and conditions provide information for fees that may be added to the costs. These fees can be added at any time upon notice to our customers. The terms and conditions can be viewed at Risebroadband.com under Terms and Conditions.  We have looked at your account for the concern for installation as you have mentioned. We don't have any record of a call. We would have been most happy to address with a site visit and possible relocation of your pole mast.  Closing your account will result in early termination fees for your Residential 5 MB 2 year plan. You are welcome to visit our website under terms and conditions for early Termination and associated fees.  We are sorry to lose you as a customer. If you would like to disconnect service, please call [redacted] to schedule your disconnect and set up your equipment pickup. Kind Regards,  [redacted], Escalations Specialist Rise Broadband

[redacted], Thank you again for taking the time to bring your concerns to our attention. Allow me to extend our sincere apologies for what has happened. I have already brought this matter to the attention of the area supervisor, and asked that we make sure this is addressed. I have also requested they send another tech to gather the discarded equipment from your property. Again I apologize, and will take appropriate actions to ensure this does not happen again. [redacted], Escalations Representative.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2015/10/08) */
Date 10/8/2015
Dear [redacted]
Thank you for taking the time to notify us of your unsatisfactory experience with Rise Broadband Internet Services. We have taking every action possible to make sure that this problem has been rectified and...

that we are able to provide the best solution possible to your inconveniences.
Thank you for your feedback. It is important to us as a company to not only hear positive reviews, but the negative as well so we may better assist our customers. We tried calling you today to resolve this issue. We left a phone number where we can be reached at. We're looking for ways to improve our customer service experience.
Please accept our sincerest apology for any trouble this may have caused you. We highly appreciate your feedback, as it will assist us in becoming better at what we do. We hope for the opportunity to serve you better in the future, and we thank you for your continued support.


Thank you,
[redacted]
Customer Care Supervisor
Rise Broadband High Speed Internet
www.risebroadband.com
XXX-XXX-RISE

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
Sincerely,
[redacted] Again let me state that I as never notified or informed that I was under a 2 year contract!! Your people talking to me on the phone can check whatever boxes they need to check. However this does not mean I was actually told I was under a 2 year contract. And gain when I called to upgrade to a faster speed I made certain to ask if this will put me under contract and I was clearly told that I was under no contract!

Dear [redacted] and [redacted], Thank you for contacting us through the Revdex.com. We look forward to helping resolve this matter with you. After a thorough review of the account and related documentation, we have learned that the tower that provides service to your location is operating at...

its normal optimal performance. We see traffic leaving the tower as expected. With the considerable amount of data being used, it establishes that signal is being received and used at the home. It is also noted within the account that there is a Play Station being used within the home. This is a large consumer of data and this is evident in the data charges. The only way to resolve this is to talk to our technical support team and have them troubleshoot the issue. We are certainly sorry to hear that you have experienced longer than normal wait times. We would like to have one of our best technical support professionals call you, so that you do not have to wait on hold. We will arrange for this call to occur this week, no later than December 15, 2017. Thank you for contacting us regarding these issues. We have every confidence that with a little troubleshooting, the speed issues will be alleviated. If you should wish to cancel the account, the early termination fee of $110 would be added to the final balance. Thank you for taking the time to reach out to us about these important matters. We will have a technician contact you this week for some basic troubleshooting. Thank you for being a valued Rise Broadband customer.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 7, 2015/09/30) */
Date 9/30/2015
[redacted] T [redacted]

Thank you for taking the time to notify us of your unsatisfactory experience with Rise Broadband Internet Services. We have taking every action possible to make sure that this problem has been...

rectified and that we are able to provide the best solution possible to your inconveniences.
In light of our investigation, we show that some improvement changes were made to our network since your compliant was filed on 08/15/2015. If you are having additional problems please feel free to let us know.
Please accept our sincerest apology for any trouble this may have caused you. We highly appreciate your feedback, as it will assist us in becoming better at what we do. We hope for the opportunity to serve you better in the future, and we thank you for your continued support.

Thank you,
[redacted]
Customer Care Supervisor
www.risebroadband.com
XXX-XXX-RISE
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 9, 2015/10/01) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Rise did nothing on my problem. A co-worker of mine was having problems with their service from RISE. Their download speed was very slow. A technician came to their house and realozed that the equipment at the tower was out of date, so he updated it. My co-worker told the technician about my problem with access and freeze frames. The technician checked the tower that I connect to and found the same problem, updated same. My service appears to be better now, thanks to my co-worker not RISE!
Final Business Response /* (4000, 11, 2015/10/15) */
Dear [redacted] T [redacted]
Thank you for taking the time to communicate to us why our Internet services did not meet your expectations.
We will be in contact with you in the coming days to make our best attempt in regaining your confidence in our company. In addition, we will further evaluate how we can prevent this problem from occurring again in the future. You state that your services are better now is there anything else that we can help you with? We highly appreciate your feedback, as it will assist us in becoming better at what we do.
[redacted]
Customer Care Supervisor,
Rise Broadband Internet Services
XXX-XXX-RISE

March 5th, 2018 [redacted]                                   ...⇄ [redacted]
[redacted] Attention: [redacted] Phone: [redacted]      RE:  Revdex.com – Credit Adjustment for Service     Dear [redacted],   Thank you for contacting us through the Revdex.com. After reviewing the account details, we would like to share the following:   It is Rise Broadbands continuous objective to provide an efficient and positive customer experience for all of our customers. We sincerely regret this has not been consistent in your experience.   After reviewing the account, the service that was originally signed up for was our Business Pro 1 Year on January 23, 2017. This service is for the fastest speed that we can provide in the area, up to 25mbps download speed, and includes unlimited data. The price of the service was $79.95 per month. Rise Broadband is an up to speed provided, and the speeds provided during the service are correct for the services signed up for.   On February 1, 2018, we were contacted with a request to match a price plan from Verizon of $40.00 for the business plan with unlimited data. Unfortunately, we were not able to match the plan pricing. We did offer some alternatives choices, though they were declined at that time. The business service was later canceled on February 24th, and a Residential 15MB 2yr 350GB contract for $29.95 per month was set up on a new account.   We sincerely hope this response provides clarification regarding your concerns. We appreciate your patience as we work through the tower issues and thank you for being a valued Rise Broadband customer.     Best Regards,  David R.Executive Services | Rise BroadbandPhone: [email protected]

Dear [redacted] Thank you for contacting us via the Revdex.com so that we may provide a resolution to the matters regarding this account. We have thoroughly researched this matter and would like to share the following information. Our records indicate that several calls have been made...

regarding slow speeds and connectivity issues to our Technical Support Team and it appears that the issues persist. We sincerely apologize for any slow speeds or connectivity issues that may have been experienced. It is apparent to us that there are issues at the tower site, with degradation and slow speeds being experienced by some subscribers.  At this time, there are no plans for any upgrades or work scheduled for this site. The performance currently being experienced will not be resolved in the foreseeable future. After discussing this with the Area Field Manager and learning that there are no plans for upgrades or improvements are available for this site, we have decided that when the account is cancelled, Rise Broadband will not impose the Early Termination fee of $250.00. Please call us at [redacted] when you decide to cancel the account. We sincerely apologize that we are currently unable to meet your internet needs. Thank you for having been a valued Rise Broadband customer. [redacted] Executive Services Rise Broadband

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 6, 2015/12/10) */
Dear [redacted],
Thank you for your feedback. It is important to us as a company to not only hear positive reviews, but the negative as well so we may better assist our customers. In light of our investigation, our records shows that...

someone called on 08/25/2015 to cancel service but was told to call back on 08/31/2015 due to the person that call on 08/25/2015 was not authorize to make changes to the account. The way our system works is that we capture every customer that calls into Rise Broadband, every email that we send out to our customer are capture and every outbound call is capture with our system. Our system shows no record of anyone calling in on 08/31/2015 to cancel service. Our system only shows that we called [redacted] several times and did not get an answer. Our system also shows that someone called on 10/07/2015 to see why the service was not disconnected which we explained that no one called on 08/31/2015. At this time we're not able credit the account.
Please accept our sincerest apology for any trouble this may have caused you. We highly appreciate your feedback, as it will assist us in becoming better at what we do. We hope for the opportunity to serve you better in the future, and we thank you for your continued support.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 8, 2015/12/14) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
On the morning of 8/31/15, I called Rise Broadband to cancel service. I spoke to a customer service representative (not certain if that is the correct terminology), who assured me that the service would be terminated. The response above is false. I received phone calls on my cell, and would either attempt to return them on my cell or my business line. I was never able to reach a customer service representative after 8/31 until 10/7. I was told that they were under-staffed and that is why the long hold times (upwards of 45 minutes). I believe it is an attempt to avoid speaking to customers attempting to disconnect service and thus, continue to charge for service. I don't accept the apology and ask that the appropriate thing be done and that the account be credited.
Final Consumer Response /* (4200, 12, 2015/12/26) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
No resolution provided besides an empty apology.
I pulled my cell phone bill and have record of the call made on 8/31/15.
The business continued to bill for two months and followed with sending this non-for-profit organization to collections when I filed this Revdex.com complaint.
Clearly this business is only interested in continuing in its unethical practices of billing for services not used, standing by protocol that is flawed, and stepping up punitive responses when the unsavory practices are called to question.
Rise Broadband is unethical and a poor example of a service entity.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 14, 2016/01/07) */
Dear [redacted],

I am responding to your concern regarding canceling service and equipment pick up. We have reviewed and researched your concern. Again, we don't have any record of you calling in for the cancelling your service on 8/31/2015. We have communicated the information about the cancelling and our attempts to reach out to you on 12/22/15.
We have arrived at the same conclusions. The charges are valid. Furthermore, you are responsible for calling in to make arrangements to have your equipment picked up. You are most welcome to call our office at [redacted].

Kind Regards,

Rise Broadband

Dear [redacted],   Thank you for contacting the Revdex.com with the concerns regarding the final balance after cancellation, and we would like to share the following;   Rise Broadband is a bill ahead service, and we charge for a full month of service at a time. Our records...

indicate that we were contacted on 1/10/2017 with a request to cancel services. When the request was made, the representative advised that we do charge for the full service cycle and we can be contacted back at the end of the month to cancel service if that would be preferable, however this offer was not accepted and the service canceled the same day.   We have provided an excerpt from our Terms and Conditions of Service, which can also be found on our website at https://www.risebroadband.com/legal/broadband-internet-terms-and-conditions-of-s...⇄   “USER may terminate the Service at any time upon notice to RISE. Termination is effective on the date you contact RISE to cancel the Service or as of a future date designated by USER or RISE, provided RISE can support such future date. HOWEVER, PAID CHARGES ARE NOT SUBJECT TO REFUND SO IF USER CANCELS SERVICE BEFORE THE END OF A BILLING CYCLE, THERE WILL BE NO PRO-RATED REFUNDS OR CREDITS FOR ANY PARTIAL-MONTH PERIODS REMAINING AFTER THE TERMINATION DATE. ADDITIONALLY, IF USER AGREED TO A SERVICE PLAN THAT REQUIRES A MINIMUM TERM COMMITMENT (“SERVICE TERM”), AND SERVICE IS TERMINATED PRIOR TO THE END OF THE SERVICE TERM, USER WILL BE SUBJECT TO AN EARLY TERMINATION FEE as set forth in the Additional Fee Statement (as defined herein).”   We hope that with the information we have provided, we have clarified as to why the service cycle was not prorated to the date in which the service was canceled.   Thank you very much for having been a Rise Broadband customer, and we wish you the best in future,   David R. Executive Services | Rise Broadband Phone: 844-411-RISE [email protected] www.risebroadband.com

Dear [redacted] Thank you for contacting us through the Revdex.com. We are pleased to provide clarification to the issues raised in this complaint. After reviewing the account, we can share the following with you; An email was sent on January 8, 2017 stating: My name is Alejandro,...

I am the representative that worked with Ryan, the supervisor you spoke with, in regards to the promo plan you are on. Today we offered you a 2 year agreement plan for up to 100 MB speeds with a data cap for 500 GB. The early termination fee is $240. Every month that you stay in the 2 year agreement we will take $10 off the ETF, so if you decided to cancel the service a year into the service the ETF will be $120. Also, we can waive an ETF only in the case that we are no longer able to service the home or if you move and we cannot move the service to the new home. If you upgrade or downgrade in the future, there is no penalty for doing so. If you have any other questions about the agreement plan, please, feel free to ask me. Have a great night!     -Alejandro As such, it does appear that Rise Broadband has offered the package that you are seeking. One of our Sales or Customer Care Specialists can make these changes at any time by calling 844-411-7473. In regard to the PC Care Support that was on the account, this is a service that Rise Broadband initiated to help our customers, which many have found to be very helpful. While we recognize that PC Care is not for all customers, we also see that the account was credited for 3 months of this service. A credit was applied to the account on October 25, 2016 in the amount of $24.64. Today we have credited the remaining balance for all PC Care charges, in the amount of $88.85 We hope that if you opt to try our high limit package, this will meet your internet needs. If you do, we would treat that as a new 2-year agreement, as outlined above. Unfortunately, we would not be able to waive the Early Termination Fee. Thank you for taking the time to contact in this venue, and thank you for being a valued Rise Broadband customer. Christine P. Executive Services | Rise Broadband Phone: 844-411-RISE [email protected] www.risebroadband.com

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted].  While I do not find the response satisfactory, I am agreeing to pay the $2,000, because I believe I have no other choice.  The problem arose because we moved to a new location, after purchasing property.  Prior to the purchase, we tried to have Rise Broadband perform a signal test to insure we would be able to continue our service with them.  They failed to act and we continued with the purchase of the property.  Two months after the request, Rise Broadband advised they could not provide service to the new location.  The mistake was theirs for not informing us in a timely manner, yet we are the ones being penalized.  As I stated I do not find the response satisfactory, but I believe I have no other choice. 
Sincerely,
[redacted]

[redacted] We are sorry that you feel this way about our service, and if you wish to end our relationship that is certainly your right to do so. We thank you for your willingness to pay the remainder of your bill. Unfortunately we will not be able to waive the early termination fee. We do appreciate your feedback and will work to improve our company based upon it. Thank you for your time and again we do apologize for the experience you had with us. [redacted], Escalation Representative.

Dear [redacted]...

[redacted]                                   ...⇄ 10/31/2016 Thank you for taking the time to contact us via the Revdex.com. We appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns regarding the billing on this account. After reviewing the billing statement on this account, we see that there is currently a balance of $109.97. Beginning in June, 2016, there has been a balance that has been carrying over and building. The bill for July was for a total of $83.46 but only $35.66 was paid, leaving a balance of $47.80. There were no further payments made on the account. The bill continued to cycle, and large amounts of data were also billed. When the account was cancelled on August 18, credits were applied to the account as a pro-ration for services not yet utilized. These credits totaled $45.13. This left a balance of $109.97. At this time, the account has not been sent to a collection agency. We will send a bill to collections after 120 days. As of today, October 31, 2016, the account is 102 days past due. After November 18, the bill will go to collections. At any time prior to that date, payment may be made by calling [redacted] and speaking to one of our billing specialist. Again, we appreciate you contacting us regarding this billing matter, and we appreciate you having been a valued Rise Broadband customer. Thank you, [redacted] Executive Services, Rise Broadband

Dear [redacted],  We are sorry that you have rejected our explanation regarding losing your unlimited data with the recent change. Again, we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this has caused. We have had the opportunity to further investigate your concerns.We noted that you phoned in on August 9, 2016, requesting an upgrade to the 20mbps plan. Our field technician was able to relocate your signal to our upgraded tower, which supports the 20mbps plan. Unfortunately, once a plan is changed within our system, we do not have a means of reverting to the previous plan.   At this time, Rise Broadband does not offer unlimited data on our residential packages. Unfortunately, we are not able to restore your account to the previous plan, as you had requested.  The only other option available is a small business plans. Our small business plans offer unlimited data. You previously had a small business plan. The plan is available to you if you like to call our Customer Service at [redacted].  We verified that your current service plan is $59.95 per month. We did note that you currently have a credit in the amount of $94.71 as a result of credits that have been applied. No other changes have been made to the account.  We sincerely hope our follow up response addresses your concerns. We thank you for being a Rise Broadband customer.  Kind Regards,  [redacted], Escalations Specialist Rise Broadband

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 23, 2015/12/23) */
Dear [redacted],
Please accept our sincerest apology for any trouble or inconvenience, we have caused you. Rise Broadband highly appreciate your feedback as it will assist us in becoming better at what we do. We have investigated your...

complaint and have found the following:
Our records show that you called on several occasions and spoke with tech assisted you running a speed test. The speed test shows that you are getting the speed that your plan allows. We also reached out to our Network team for more support please allow a 24 hour turnaround. Once again, please accept our attempts to help you with this matter. We appreciate your business and hope that you will continue to be a loyal customer of Rise Broadband.

Dear [redacted], Thank you for contacting us through the Revdex.com with your concerns about the addition of our PC Care service plan. The decision was made to offer this plan as an added benefit in which many have found to be a valuable option; we do recognize; however, this is...

a service not everyone will maintain. A letter was distributed via postal mail as well as in email form explaining our plan to launch the service which initially begins as a 2 (two) month free trial period. This began on your account in May 2016. Within the initial 60-day trial period, customers may utilize the service free of charge or contact the Call Center to have the plan removed from their services. After the plan is removed, the customer will not see a charge associated with it. Your account shows that you have, in fact, contacted a representative and the PC Care plan has been removed from your services. You will see no charges for this going forward. We see that a partial refund of $10.31 was given on January 29, 2018. PC Care was charged to the account 3 times at $9.99 and 16 times at $8.99 and one partial month at $6.10. With the credit already given we have now credited an additional $169.60. This credit will be evident on the account within 24 to 48 hours. Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention and giving us the opportunity to rectify it. Thank you for being a valued Rise Broadband customer. Christine P. Executive Services | Rise Broadband Phone: 844-411-RISE [email protected] www.risebroadband.com

Dear Mr. [redacted],We thank you for your inquiry regarding the billing error and issues. We have researched the issue. We apologize for the importation of customer data during the transition between OneWave and Digis. This was the root cause for you being billed for...

services. As of May 6th, all charges have been reversed, thus a 0 balance. Our records have been updated. According to our records, a call was made to you on May 6, 2016 with an explanation of the issue and the resolution. We typically send out notices to collection companies to notify for updating and request removal of accounts for collections. Kind Regards, [redacted], Escalations RepresentativeRise Broadband

Dear Mr. [redacted], We appreciate the time you have taken to bring forward your concerns regarding your former service with Rise Broadband. We also appreciate you for your time to visit and discuss your concerns over the phone. We have performed further research regarding your account with reviewing the history of your service tickets in conjunction with reported service concerns.  We are pleased to share that Rise Broadband will refund the early termination fee (ETF) through a credit to your account.   Again, we would like to thank you for your business as a former Rise Broadband customer. We wish you well and extend our upmost respect and gratitude for your military service.    Kind Regards,    [redacted], Escalations Specialist Rise Broadband

Dear [redacted] Thank you for contacting us through the Revdex.com. We appreciate your time in reaching out to us so that we may provide clarification on this matter. Our records indicate that the first time we were notified of slow speeds for this account was in April, 2016. At...

that time it was determined that the tower that provides your service is identified as being a 5MB tower, however, when diagnostics were performed we were seeing speeds at nearly 7Mbps. The equipment was capable of delivering acceptable speeds in range of the 10Mbps, as we are an ‘up-to’ speed provider and those speeds cannot be promised or guaranteed due to the nature of the service delivered. At this time, your 5MB plan matches the tower associated with it, a change that was made in May when you opted to lower the speed of the plan. When you decided to change from a 10Mpbs plan to a 5Mbps plan, our representative applied a credit to the account for $23.30, for the service disruption. Currently, we are able to credit the account an addition $30 but we will be unable to meet your request of $100.00. It is our belief that we were delivering speeds closer to 10Mbps than 5Mbps up until April, 2016. Coupled with the aforementioned credit, the credits applied today will compensate for any incorrect billing you may have seen. The increase mentioned was for PC Care Support. The decision was made to offer this plan as an added benefit in which many have found to be a valuable option; we do recognize, however, this is a service not everyone will maintain. A letter was distributed via postal mail as well as in email form explaining our plan to launch the service which initially begins as a 2 (two) month free trial period. Within the initial 60-day trial period, customers may utilize the service free of charge or contact the Call Center to have the plan removed from their services. After the plan is removed, the customer will not see a charge associated with it. This account shows that you have, in fact, contacted a representative and the PC Care plan has been removed from your services. You will see no charges for this going forward. A few excerpts have been captured below from our company’s Terms and Conditions specifically related to your concerns. For a full review of these terms, you may visit our website online at www.risebroadband.com: * PERFORMANCE LEVELS Speed is a function of the traffic experienced upon the wider network architecture of the Internet itself. RISE BROADBAND does not guarantee the maximum Service performance (throughput speeds) levels but will make every reasonable effort to ensure the highest possible quality of service is always delivered. You understand that any content that you may access through the Service may be subject to “caching” at intermediate locations on the Internet. * TERM/CANCELLATION POLICY Termination does not affect your obligations under this Agreement, including your obligation to pay all fees for Services rendered prior to termination and any termination, processing and administration fees incurred as a result of such termination. RISE BROADBAND accounts must be paid in full before a cancellation will be considered complete. // If Customer chooses a Service that requires a minimum term commitment, and Service is terminated prior to the end of the contract term, Customer will pay a $250 Early Termination Fee or the remaining portion of the contract, whichever is less. * ACCEPTANCE By using and accepting Service from RISE BROADBAND, Customer agrees to be legally bound by all of the Terms and Conditions of this Agreement and associated documents, the same as if Customer had signed this Agreement. These terms and conditions supersede all other written and oral communications or agreements with regard to the subject matter. Any waiver, modification or variation of these Terms and Conditions shall only be effective if in writing and/or in the form of a business contract signed by an authorized officer of RISE BROADBAND. After an in-depth review of your account and referring back to our company policies, it is our decision that the $250.00 early termination fee (ETF) is a valid charge and will remain applied to the account.  Again, we sincerely thank you for your time in contacting us and should you have any further questions, please feel free to call us at [redacted]. Thank you, [redacted] Escalations Specialist Rise Broadband