10 reasons to hate Time Warner Cable (lyn)

Reason #1

Thursday

I report no cable in my bedroom.  I reboot the cable box; it’s 10 in the morning and my cable box reads 4:53.

I call and am told that someone can come on Tuesday.  Really, Tuesday.  Four days from today. 

After hours of back and forth calling and some tears, a supervisor at TWC (Time Warner Cable) finds someone to come out on Friday between 8am and 10.

Reason #2

Friday

Nelson comes; he’s great.  After some smart observations and testing he concludes (correctly) that the problem is not with my box, but has something to do with the wires outside my building. 

Shouldn’t someone have been able to detect this before poor Nelson came to my home?

Reason #3

Nelson gives me a case number.  I call TW a few hours later.  I am told, “They are working on the problem.  We have a truck on 78^th Street, between First and Second."  I walk over to 78^th Street, between First and Second.  There are no TW trucks there.

Reason #4

Saturday

I call TW around 10am.  I get a recording telling me the problem in my area has been fixed. My cable box reads 4:15.

Reason #5

I call TW.  I speak to Scott.  There is no record of my previous calls, so we start over. 

Reason #6

Scott suggests I set up a service call, which would put me exactly back to the place I was on Friday when I had a service call.  I decline for obvious reasons. 

Reason #7

30 minutes into a call that is going nowhere, I ask to speak to Scott’s supervisor.  He/she has no direct number.  Instead, Scott connects me to a supervisor’s line, but it re-routes back to Scott.

He tells me a supervisor will get back to me within 12 hours.   Really.  Within 12 hours, MAYBE someone will call me back.  And let’s assume they do.  And let’s assume I am available to answer the phone.  Basically, at that point, I am starting from zero explaining the problem and HOPING that this supervisor has some update on what is being done.  Ridiculous.

Reason #8

I ask Scott to try the supervisors’ line again.  He disconnects me.  I think it’s on purpose. 

Reason #9

I call back.  This time I get a recording saying, “We see there is an outage in your area.”  The recorded message says, “Press one if you’d like to leave a message and someone will call you back.”  I press one and hear, “I’m sorry, our mailbox is filled.  Please call back later.” 

Reason #10

Four hours later I call again, as I have heard from no one.  I am on hold for 13 minutes, all the time listening to music I don’t like.  Finally I get Matt and ask that he connect me to a supervisor.  Another 10 minutes and I am re-routed back to Matt.  Same response as the one Scott gave me, “A supervisor will call you back within 12 hours.”  While I’m on the phone with Matt, I see a call coming in and caller ID identifies the call as Time Warner Cable.  Thinking it’s the supervisor finally calling back, I hang up from Matt.  But it’s not a supervisor.  No, it’s a recording telling me that the outage in my area has been fixed.  It hasn’t been. 

 I feel like I’m in a Kafka novel.  I give up.

Update

Last night we get home at 11:28.  My cable box says 11:28.  I am so happy to have my TV back, but even more happy that I don't have to call Time Warner again.