TDS

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 responded that their web ordering system includes a disclosure that there are additional fees and taxes that apply. This is false for two reasons. One, see the receipt from TDS disclosing nothing about additional fees or taxes and instead confirming that they agreed to provide services to me for $80/mo for 2 years. If this disclosure about additional fees is included anywhere, it should be included on the receipt. Second, even if there was some obscure disclosure somewhere online, this disclosure would cover only Federal, State, and local taxes and fees for the services I signed up for: TV and internet. Such a disclosure would not cover additional fees amounting to $18.01/mo charged by TDS for the benefit of TDS or taxes assessed on phone service. TDS responded that their fees are remitted to government entities, including the state USF (Universal Service Fund) fee, Federal Universal Service Charge, etc.  This is deceiving.  These two fees are assessed by the government on TDS and paid directly to the government by TDS.  TDS then chooses to pass these costs down to consumers, but they are not required to do so. Because these fees are not federal state or local taxes or fees assessed on the consumer, they should be removed from my bill.  See explanation of these fees according to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC):State/Federal Universal Connectivity Fee (Universal Service Fund), Federal: $1.36/mo Because telephones provide a vital link to emergency services, to government services and to surrounding communities, it has been our nation’s policy to promote telephone service to all households since this service began in the 1930s. The USF helps to make phone service affordable and available to all Americans, including consumers with low incomes, those living in areas where the costs of providing telephone service is high, schools and libraries and rural health care providers. Congress has mandated that all telephone companies providing interstate service must contribute to the USF. Although not required to do so by the government, many carriers choose to pass their contribution costs on to their customers in the form of a line item, often called the “Federal Universal Service Fee” or “Universal Connectivity Fee”.Federal Carrier Universal Service Charge: $1.21/mo "Because telephones provide a vital link to emergency services, to government services and to surrounding communities, it has been our nation’s policy to promote telephone service to all households since this service began in the 1930s. The USF helps to make phone service affordable and available to all Americans, including consumers with low incomes, those living in areas where the costs of providing telephone service is high, schools and libraries and rural health care providers. Congress has mandated that all telephone companies providing interstate service must contribute to the USF. Although not required to do so by the government, many carriers choose to pass their contribution costs on to their customers in the form of a line item, often called the “Federal Universal Service Fee” or “Universal Connectivity Fee”. TDS claimed that the Cross Plains Franchise Fee of $2.76/mo is a local tax.  Merely claiming a fee is a local tax is insufficient to justify keeping this charge on my bill. Because TDS has failed to properly support this claim, this charge should also be removed from my bill.TDS responded and admitted that two of their fees are recovery charges billed by and retained by TDS, including the Federal Subscriber Line Charge for $6.50/mo and Federal Access Recovery Charge for $1.00/mo. Since these fees are not Federal State or Local taxes or fees, they should be removed from my bill. The FCC describes these charges:What is the Subscriber Line Charge and why do I have to pay this charge? $6.50/mo The Subscriber Line Charge is a fee that you pay to your local phone company that connects you to the telephone network. Local telephone companies recover some of the costs of telephone lines connected to your home or business through this monthly charge on your local telephone bill. Sometimes called the federal subscriber line charge, this fee is regulated and capped by the FCC, not by state Public Utility Commissions. It is not a tax or a fee charged by the government. The money received from the subscriber line charge goes directly to local telephone companies. To ensure that all Americans can afford at least a minimal level of basic telephone service, the FCC will not allow phone companies to charge more than $6.50 for a single line.Access Recovery Charge: $1.00/mo This charge was recently adopted as part of reforms to the intercarrier
compensation regimes. This transitional recovery charge is intended to mitigate
the effect of reduced intercarrier revenues and facilitate continued investment
in broadband. The FCC caps the maximum price that a company may charge for this. It is not a tax. The FCC does NOT get this money. 
TDS responded that I subscribe to the basic security line phone service. This is false. I signed up for Internet and Television services. I receive no phone service from TDS. I do not even have a home phone.  Moreover, I have a receipt from TDS showing that I signed up for Internet and Television services only. Nowhere did I sign up for phone service, or agree to be charged federal/state/local taxes and fees associated with phone service. Therefore, all federal/state/local fees and taxes assessed on phone lines should be removed from my bill. This includes the $0.75/mo Police and Fire protection fee and the $0.17/mo Dane County 911 fee.TDS responded and claimed that I selected to pay for a TDS-supplied modem, but they removed this charge as a courtesy. This is false. TDS agreed to provide the TDS-supplied modem, or "set Top Box" for no charge as indicated by my first bill (attached) and by the receipt (attached). The first TDS bill shows on page 4 a $6.95 charge for the Connected DVR Set Top Box immediately followed by a $6.95 credit for the DVR Set Top Box. Therefore, it is clear that TDS agreed to and was providing the modem, or "set top box" for free well before I ever called TDS to dispute anything. Furthermore, the TDS receipt shows no charge for any modem or any other equipment.  I did, however, dispute the "TDS Wireless Gateway" charge of $4.95/mo as seen on page 5 of the second TDS bill. (Note that this Wireless Gateway charge, along with all internet-service-related charges are completely MIA from TDS's first bill, but are included in a past-due amount on the second TDS Bill). Billing irregularities aside, Nowhere did I sign up for, request, or agree to pay TDS $4.95/mo for a wireless router, nor are these equipment charges indicated on the attached receipt. TDS has already agreed to reverse these Wireless Gateway charges and remove them from my bill not as a courtesy, as suggested by TDS, but because they had no justification for putting these charges on the bill.TDS does not mention the "Broadcast Retransmission fee" of $4.26/mo also added to my bill. This fee is also not a federal/state/local tax or fee. As TDS has not answered why this fee has been added to my bill, and because this fee is not a federal/state/local tax or fee, it should be removed from my bill. Broadcast Retransmission Fee: $4.26/mo Not a tax. This fee is a result of network providers charging TDS more money to carry their networks. This is simply an
increased cost to TDS from the network/content producers that TDS is attempting to pass along to customers. In sum, TDS's response admits or I have shown that $14.33/mo of the $18.01/mo disputed fees were improperly added to my bill and should be removed. A further $0.92/mo fees are federal state or local taxes or fees, but they are fees/taxes related to phone service for which I did not sign up for nor am I currently receiving. The remaining $2.76/mo of disputed fees is from the Cross Plains Franchise fee for which TDS has provided insufficient support to show that this is indeed a federal state or local tax or fee on my TV or Internet services. Due to the failure of TDS to honor their agreement, and due to their unwillingness to fix these errors without a significant amount of time and energy spent on my part, I find it reasonable to request TDS provide me services for a flat $80/mo for the next two years without any additional fees or taxes included on the bill.Sincerely, [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. And once again. That is not an unlimited option.
[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.]
Regards,
[redacted]

Response to file# [redacted].
In response to this concern our senior Customer Service advisor, [redacted], attempted to reach Ms. [redacted] several times and left a message asking for return call. We are awaiting her response at this time.
Ms. [redacted] has two separate accounts with TDS and since...

they are separate, changes done to the residential account would have no connection with the business account. There seems to have been a misunderstanding. We provided monthly billing for both accounts that clearly demonstrate the charges for service and the dates they cover. The customer has responsibility to review their bill and contact us in a timely manner to dispute any given charge or request a billing explanation if there is any question. Unfortunately, Ms. [redacted] did not contact TDS until several months after she added the new residential service account to request disconnection of the business DSL. On 9/30/15 Ms. [redacted] added a new residential account for TDS TV + fiber internet service. The first residential TDS TV + fiber internet bill was issued on 10/25/16. We did not hear from Ms. [redacted] until 1/26/15 to disconnect the business DSL service. We have provided a courtesy credit of $45.00 for one-month of DSL service on the business account and final billing for the DSL portion of the account will be sent in the next bill cycle. We are willing to work out a courtesy credit that would be added to residential account, but we need Ms. [redacted] to respond to us. Ms. [redacted] may contact TDS at 1888-225-5837 (188CALLTDS).
Thank you.

Follow up:
 
As a courtesy, given Ms.
[redacted] unique circumstance, we will attempt to rush the refund. However, I
cannot guarantee that it will reach the sister’s home in time for Mrs. Lorvig’s
departure. Ms. [redacted] may wish to make an arrangement with her sister to
forward the refund to her or deposit it for her. The check expiration date
would be six-months (180 days) from date of issue. After six-months, and if Ms.
[redacted] needs a replacement check, then she may contact TDS.

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.
They did not make any offer. They told me I could (a) take my business elsewhere or (b) downgrade to a plan where it would be impossible to stream media content (which would primarily benefit them due to the "network capacity restriction" they note- see below). TDS makes a couple of admissions: (1) they oversold the service (We have limited sales of DSL in Mr. [redacted]’s serving
area due to network capacity restriction.) and (2) they are unwilling to correct the problem they created by overselling the service (There
are no projects at this time to increase network capacity in Mr.
[redacted]’s serving area.)Their callous disregard for customer service (I've been a telephone customer for 15 years, incidentally) exemplified by their suggested "options" is compounded by the fact that they recently raised rates while knowing that they have capacity problems that negatively impact their customers and (by their own admission) having no plans to correct the problems.
Regards,
[redacted]TDS
advertises that DSL speeds and availability vary. Speed plans are “up
to”. Unfortunately, TDS is not able to offer faster internet speeds in
Mr. [redacted]’s area. We have limited sales of DSL in Mr. [redacted]’s serving
area due to network capacity restriction. The options are that Mr. [redacted]
may cancel DSL without penalty or change to the DSL “Lite” (1MB) plan.
Alternatives may include satellite providers such as dishNet or others.
 
There
are no projects at this time to increase network capacity in Mr.
[redacted]’s serving area. I apologize that we are not able to meet Mr.
[redacted]’s expectation for service.

Follow up:
 
I am sorry that Mr. [redacted] is dissatisfied. DSL is a distance sensitive technology and the DSL signal weakens the further it is from the equipment source. This is why TDS advertises the plan speeds as “up to”. As previously explained, the options are to change the plan to “Lite” or to cancel the service without penalty. Satellite providers could also include those from Exede, WildBlue, HughesNet, or others.

[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]

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]
 
 This third party verification they state was not for the triple package. I already had phone service and added Dish and internet later. I knew I had a two year contract on the Dish which they have told me is $180 fee for termination, but the ad I refer to for phone said only one year and this was also in the conversation I had with their representative. There was no mention of a two year contract on the internet or phone or mention of $300 fee until I contacted them to cancel my account. I would like to get a copy of this supposed verification conversation that I supposedly agreed too.

Response to file# [redacted].
 
Service was installed on 1/10/15. Trouble report history indicates that Ms. [redacted] contacted Repair on 2/15/15 for an email password reset. On 3/11/15, late in the evening, Ms. [redacted] reported that the internet was down. It was due to maintenance being...

completed. On 3/12/15 Ms. [redacted] contacted TDS about the billing; the DSL quote had been $25.00 and the customer had been charged $35.00. The TDS advisor provided a $20.00 credit and asked for a review of the sales quote. To resolve the dispute, a recurring discount of $10.00 was added. It appears the original quote included the HD fee. Our Welcome Letter issued on 1/15/15 listed out the services and rates, including the HD rate.
 
On 3/19/15 Ms. [redacted] contact TDS Repair about not having audio/video on one TV. TDS Repair suggested a reboot of the set-top box/router, which did resolve the trouble. It is noted in the account that if the customer called back with the same issue, that we would dispatch a technician to investigate further. On 3/25/15 Ms. [redacted] asked to cancel service effective 3/26/15. Because part of the service was cancelled one day sooner than Ms. [redacted] had requested, we provided a credit of $5.00.
 
Ms. [redacted] signed up for a promotion which included a 40” TV. This required a 2-year service term and agreement of a $300.00 termination fee if service was cancelled prior to the end of the 2-year term. This agreement was affirmed via third party verification recording (provided by 3PV, Inc). This is available upon request.  Because Ms. [redacted] received the TV, the early termination fee is applicable. We would be willing to waive the $300.00 early termination fee if the un-used/un-opened TV is returned to TDS. Otherwise we could offer a $50.00 reduction of the termination fee. Our senior advisor attempted to reach Ms. [redacted] on 3/31/15 to discuss her complaint concerns. She left a message asking Ms. [redacted] to call her. At this time Ms. [redacted] has not returned the call. Ms. [redacted] may contact TDS at [redacted] and may request to speak with senior [redacted] or another senior if [redacted] is not available.
 
We apologize that Ms. [redacted] was dissatisfied with service. We are confident that our technician would have resolved the set-top box issue if given the opportunity.
 
Thank you.

mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Response to file# [redacted].
 
On 11/2/16 we sent the
customer another shipping box. Account notes indicate that Mrs. [redacted] brought
in the equipment on 11/3/16.
 
Analog cable is outdated
technology and it is a natural progression to update to the current digital
technology. We notified all  analog
customers in advance of the upcoming conversion and then provided additional warnings
to customers who did not respond to our notifications to contact us. Any TV
that did not have digital equipment would go dark during the conversion.
Instead of shutting down all channels at once in the digital conversion, we
started doing blocks of channels in the hopes of prompting customers to contact
us and arrange for the digital equipment. This was not “ransom notes”, this was
a measured transition approach. The majority of analog customers contacted us
about the digital conversion. A small number of customers did not take action, which
prompted our decision to proceed as we did.  
 
Our phone plans come with
Caller ID. There were no trouble reports about Caller ID trouble. Caller ID
service would require the use of working Caller ID phone equipment, which we do
not supply. 
 
As a courtesy, we added a
credit of $49.42. The customer made final payment on 11/3/16 which resolved the
final account balance.
 
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]
 
TDS advertises that DSL speeds and availability vary. Speed plans are “up to”. Unfortunately, we are not able to offer faster internet speeds at this time in the customer’s area. We partner with DISH Network and can offer their dishNet satellite internet service...

as an alternative. Other alternatives could include Exede, other satellite carriers, or cellular carriers. I apologize that we are not able to meet the customer’s expectation for service.
 
Thank you.

Response to file# [redacted].
TDS is not responsible for the customer’s unsecured telephone equipment through which hackers used to make international toll calls in 2009. We notified the customer of the problem and we provided a courtesy credit for a portion of the charges. Mr. [redacted] is...

responsible for the charges and he made payment arrangement long ago. No further adjustment is applicable for past toll charge disputes. I am sorry that Mr. [redacted] was a victim of fraud. Mr. [redacted] is aware of how to contact the TDS Account Manager, [redacted], should he have any questions about the terms of the Service Agreement and porting procedure.
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, but would be interested to know why TDS has not sent notices to customers who have been paying the higher charges when they have known they could not meet their commitments 
Regards,
[redacted]

Response to
file# [redacted].
TDS
advertises that DSL speeds and availability vary. Speed plans are “up to” and
not guaranteed. The number of subscribers in Mr. [redacted] area has not changed
significantly over the past few years; however, how people use the internet
has. Network...

demand has grown exponentially due to the popularity of video
streaming services. The issue is over-utilization of the network. In response
to the high network demand in Mr. [redacted] area, TDS limited DSL sales to our
lowest DSL speed tier plan “Lite” (up to 1MB). Unfortunately, TDS is not able
to offer faster speeds in Mr. [redacted] area. Mr. [redacted] changed to the
“Lite” plan on 3/2/16. TDS partners with DISH Network and we can offer their
dishNet satellite internet as an alternative. Other alternatives could include
Exede, other satellite or wireless providers. Mr. [redacted] may cancel DSL with
no penalty. As an apology for not meeting the customer’s expectation of
service, we are providing a one month DSL credit of $34.20. The only way to
stop/suspend the charges would be to cancel the service. There currently is no
solution other than the customer selecting another internet service provider to
better meet his needs. It gives no pleasure to suggest this, but it appears
that is the best solution for Mr. [redacted]. 
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.] TDS has lied to me since June 2014 promising me that fiber optics offering true high speed internet will for sure 100% be in Monticello WI by Jan. 1, 2015.  Now, I find out there is only going to be new eqmt. installed in the town of Monticello WI in 2-3 months, say by March 31, 2015 and absolutely NO future plans in 2015 for true high speed fiber optics in Monticello WI.   So, my question to TDS is what is the ACTUAL 'expected' download megs to be once the new eqmt. is installed in downtown Monticello WI?  I, along with the entire town of Monticello WI, deserve and demand to know this educated guess.   To even offer 5 or 15 meg download plans by TDS for all of Monticello WI for well over 2-3 years now when in fact both 5 and 15 megs plans both offer only on average up to 1.0 megs is a total rip off for those customers paying for the higher plan in Monticello WI.   Everyone, and truly I mean EVERYONE, in Monticello WI who has TDS internet is being taken advantage of and ripped off by TDS for years now and this should NOT be allowed by any business.  TDS knows for a fact the average download speed is on average between .50 and 1.0 megs for all TDS internet users on the 5 and 15 meg plan in Monticello WI and there is a capacity issue with their outdated eqmt. in this town for years now.    I have seen as high as 2.0 megs on very limited non-capacity times of the day and a lot more times being as low as ONLY .11 megs (1/10th of a meg of download speed) not even allowing webpages to load and much slower than even dial up speed.    The average for me daily is around .40 to .80 megs, not even 1.0 megs of TDS internet service and I check it near daily now for several months now.    Why does TDS even allow in Monticello WI the users of their 5 or 15 meg plans when the 1.0 meg plan is all they get in the first place?  Shouldn't TDS automatically be forced to downgrade everyone's in Monticello WI  5 and 15 meg plans to only 1.0 megs since that is all they get for download speed well over 75% of the time??? Please answer my questions I asked above, especially the question on what 'actual expected' download meg speed will be once the new eqmt. is installed in downtown Monticello WI by the spring of 2015.  I am pretty sure it won't improve the speed of the internet much at all, not even close to the 5 and 15 meg plans 100's in Monticello WI are on now and being taken advantage of. Trust me, EVERYONE, in Monticello WI is very upset and angry at TDS for their very low speed dial up speed when in fact it should be at least 2-3 megs of speed for a 5 meg plan and 10-12 megs for a 15 meg plan.
Regards,
[redacted]

Response to file #[redacted].
 
TDS partners with DISH Network to provide bundle billing. As billing charges are one-month in advance, there typically is a delay with processing the final billing for DISH Network with TDS and transfer back to direct billing by DISH Network. Mr. [redacted] retained...

the DISH Network service. Unfortunately, an additional month of DISH Network’s billing appeared on the TDS February invoice where the TDS services showed the disconnection effective 12/29/14. The TDS February invoice showed DISH Network charges 1/29/15  through 2/28/15.
 
On 2/5/15 Mr. [redacted] called in about the final balance on the TDS account. We provided an explanation to Mr. [redacted] that the final balance consisted of DISH services from 12/29/14 through 2/28/15. Mr. [redacted] called back on 2/6/15 and indicated that DISH had duplicated charges for a portion of the same time period. We contacted DISH Network who indicated they would issue a credit. As the billing account with TDS was in final status and the DISH Network bundle bill relationship had ended, the adjustment would not appear on the TDS invoice. The adjustment would appear on the DISH Network direct billing invoice.
 
When no payment was made to TDS for the final DISH Network charges (12/29/14-2/28/15), TDS sent a final collection notice. The balance was then turned over to a collection agency.
 
Upon receipt of this complaint, we checked with DISH Network to make sure that they had provided the promised adjustments. On 4/9/15 our senior advisor ([redacted]) followed up with Mr. [redacted] to provide an explanation about the DISH billing and adjustment given with DISH Network. Mr. [redacted] indicated he would review the charges and adjustments. Should Mr. [redacted] have any further question, he may contact the senior advisor for assistance.
 
Mr. [redacted] will need to pay TDS for the DISH Network service received 12/29/14-2/28/15. TDS is responsible for collection of the final balance for DISH Network. Mr. [redacted] may contact TDS Financial Services for making payment arrangement of the collection balance.
 
I understand that this is confusing and I apologize for the inconvenience.
 
Thank you.

Response to file# [redacted].
 
Our technicians and our Field Services manager have reviewed the situation and determined that TDS had no error with causing the customer’s phone system equipment failure. We offered to meet with the customer and his equipment vendor to inspect the equipment...

and review the situation; however, Mr. [redacted] declined. 
 
The customer is responsible for having functioning telephone equipment. As we understand it, the equipment’s warranty had expired. We do not supply the telephone equipment, nor do we provide support for it. We delivered service as requested. When the customer replaced his phone system, the service issues were resolved. In regards to the router, the TDS technician indicated that it was an inexpensive router purchased by the customer. The customer bought a new one and as a courtesy the TDS technician programmed the router for the customer at no charge. This is not support we normally would provide. As with the phone system, the customer is responsible for their computer equipment.
 
It is unfortunate that Mr. [redacted] is dissatisfied. TDS will not purchase for the customer a new phone system—the customer is responsible for their phone system. We did provide a courtesy credit of $250.00 due to the customer’s dissatisfaction.
 
Should there be any further questions, Mr. [redacted] may contact Field Service manager [redacted] at ([redacted] or TDS Sales manager [redacted] at [redacted].
 
Thank you.

Response to file# ***.
 
It appears that Mr. and Mrs.
*** had autopay set up on our online bill pay system and had an auto pay set
up through their bank. On the 25th or 27th of the month,
we received a partial payment. Then we also received a recurring credit card...

payment
of a partial payment on the 2nd of each month. When our advisor
spoke with Mr. *** on 8/26/16 we asked if he had auto pay set up with his
bank and he was not sure. He indicated that he would check with his bank about
this and would call back if that was not the case. On 8/29/16 our senior
advisor attempted to reach the customer to follow up and left a message. The customer
has not returned the call, thus we assume that the customer determined the
issue was with their auto pay set up with their financial institution.
 
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.]In regards to the outcome, I will pay the stated charges. But I do not agree with their downplaying of the events. This whole mess was their fault, their tardiness in separating the tie with Dish. And no proactivity on their part to get this settled. They claim to be partners with Dish - but could not get the billing straight. It took 4 months to settle out. I had, as previously stated, made numerous calls. I wrote to them, prior to them turning over to collections, and called again, but they decided to turn it over to collections anyway.Regards
[redacted]