Get a Cable Modem...Go to Jail

Hari writes " Here's a story I got linked to from the RISKS forum. Don't just fear "Big Government", fear the "Big Stupid Corporation" too. "Yes, apparently just having cable modem service, and not cable is not something America is ready to handle-maybe the absence of consumption confuses them? Mmm...I love starting my Monday morning with a big dollop of stupidity-it's like Bailey's in the coffee!

Comments

MediaOne fixed me good, too...

[Anonymous Coward]

My company had placed me in a furnished apartment in a Chicago suburb which, among other things, included cable service. After seeing the flood of ads for MediaOne's broadband service, I signed up.

It is important to note that they mention at every possible turn that the cable service and the internet service are two completely seperate things.

Well, it came time to pay the install bill (plus a past month or so of service). I pay it on the credit card (approx $300). Next month, I get a bill in excess of $600. And very quickly, I was without MediaOne Internet service, and cable service!

Even if I was a deadbeat, they shouldn't have shut off the cable for two reasons -- one, the cable bill was paid by another party (the apartment complex). Two, it is a completely seperate service -- right?

After working with too many MediaOne people to name, an experience which is far worse than going through the government, they demanded proof from my bank that I made the payment.

Finally, given the proof, they admit that my ~$300 payment had been added as a charge to my account, and that they had also lost the credit card slip from my "folder".

The impressions I received is that their offices are not organized, and they have not thought out all the different cases of service. Like the author of the article, before that date, I was not their customer, but what was different is that I was legally receiving cable service from them.

Cable Modem - No Way!

[Anonymous Coward]

I am supposed to have cable modem access in about two months. I was looking forward to it until I had my little problems with TCI.

I have always used Sat Tv ( either C-Band or DSS) and I moved to St. Louis about 8 months ago. The apartment complex I moved into stated that I can not under any circomstances install a Sat Dish. So I decided to get TCI's "Digital" Cable. Well it took them two months to coordinate a Saturday to do the install. TCI has a rule that you must be available for a four hour period, in order to get either a repair or install. Well the moron arrives and I tell him that I want three hookups ( Big Screen, bedroom and PC) He has to call the office to get permision to install to my pc. Eventually I had to sign a waiver to have him do it.

After the cable is installed the tech noticed that the signal is horrible and he states that the incoming line is bad. He said he will have to make a work order to have it fixed. A week later I call the cable company to see why my cable has not been fixed and the lady says that a work order has never been issued. So We arrange for a technician to come out a month from now ( another saturday.) The tech comes and says that the bad signal is due to all of my computer equipment interfering with the cable. I asked him to check from the access point to the house, he still insists that it is my computer equipment. I get pissed off and demand that he removes all of the cable equipment, I want it turned off. He couldn't, I had to arrange for the cable technician to remove it. I finally grabbed the decoder and cables and dropped it off at the cable office, and after three months I got a refund.

Now here is where the fun starts. I called my apartment manager and told her what happened and asked her if she could make an exception on the Dish rule. She said if I could make it look nice she would allow it. So I made a nice non-permanent install. She was happy, I was happy, end of story.

About a 2 months ago, I was watching ZDTV and my signal droped, I went out side to see if the wind moved the dish and I saw a cable technician and a Suit removing my dish. I asked them what they are doing, and the suit replied "Under the contract with the apartment complex, we are confiscating this equipment." I told them to stop and they would not. So I went inside and grabbed my shotgun. Well they decided to leave really quick. About 10 minutes later about 5 police officers show up, along with the cable guys to arrest me. I explained what happened to the cops and they agreed with me and asked me if I wanted to press charges for property damage. I declinded.

About a week later I get a letter stating that I have been charged with cable theft. I called up the cable company and explained to them that I have a DISH! I finally talk to a manager that said I was using the access point to the house, thus I was stealing cable. The access point is the hole they drill in your house.

I got the complexes maintaince guy to remove all of the cable, and I reinstalled my dish.

I faxed the cable company a copy of an FCC ruling stating that a renter can install a dish. Now I get a letter every few weeks asking that I get cable.

So after I went through all of this there is no way in hell, I am going to get a cable modem. Adsl is supposed to evenually be here. I will get that.

Add Ameritech to the list of bozo companies

[Rene S. Hollan]

Shortly after I moved to Lake Zurich, Il, and had telephone service from Ameritech, I got a nasty letter that said, in effect, pay your overdue bill within two days or else.

Now, I had moved here from Canada (a temporary high-tech NAFTA import) and was very anxious to quickly establish the equivalent of my excellent Canadian credit rating (funny, I could get a mortgage right away, but no credit card for 8 months).

It appeared that Ameritech had lost last month's payment, and in fact, credited a strange (but far too small) amount to my account that didn't match any cheques I had written recently.

I immediately contacted their acocunts department, and verified my cheque number and the fact that I had written my Ameritech account number in the memo field of the cheque (I keep duplicate cheques). However they wanted payment today or a cancelled cheque as proof. This was a problem.

First, I couldn't pay them "TODAY" because their offices were closed, though I didn't know this until after going to what their rep said was their office -- turned out it was a collection agency. Second, while the cheque had cleared the bank, I hadn't yet received the cancelled cheque back from the bank, and couldn't request it for another two days, it being Saturday afternoon. It later took the bank a week to send it to me earlier than my statement, and they (rightly) charged for the priveledge.

With the threat of disconnection of telephone service within 24 hours (for some reason Ameritech's notice was dated quite a while before it was postmarked), and a damaging entry in my credit file, I had no choice but to cough up $200 "under protest" to the collection agency. I was not pleased that my receipt was from them and not Ameritech (despite their assurances that they would issue me a receipt from Ameritech, acting as Ameritech's agent).

It took another two months for Ameritech to "find" my payment (and, for a while, even my copy of a cancelled chqeue was considered insufficient proof of payment: they insisted on the original, which I refused to surrender), and credit my account for the extra $200 I sent them.

Now, in all fairness, I have dealt with some very nice people at Ameritech, who even showed me how I could save a couple bucks on my regular bill.

But, businesses take note, it's the bad apple that spoils the bunch, and buggy procedures combined with rude customer representatives do not give rise to customer satisfaction. To this day, I have not received an apology for Ameritech's error.

My @Home experience

[Teknix]

While not directly related to this person's unfortunate incident, I have been keeping a log of my @Home service and have it published here. If you already have a cable-modem, or are planning on purchasing cable-modem service, chances are good that you want to read this. I have submitted this to /. as a frontpage story... it will be interesting to see if it makes it.

That's standard operating mode

[Kaa]

The whole story doesn't surprise me in the least. I had my own wonderful experience with the US justice system.

I had a car stolen. Oh well, life sucks, what's new? I reported it and forgot about it (in a while). About a year after that I get some piece of paper in the mail that says that my driver's license has been suspended. wtf? I made some phone calls and found out that it's been suspended because my car insurance has been terminated. WTF?? After more phone calls it turns out that my insurance was cancelled because I have an outstanding ticket against me. Huh? What's the ticket for? Abandonment of car on public property?? What the fuck is going on???

It turns out that the loser who stole my car eventually got tired of it (it wasn't all that hot, I must confess) and left it in a municipal parking lot. After some time the car was towed away and, as far as I could tell, was junked. I was still listed as an owner, so I got the ticket. For some still unknown to me reason, the ticket was never sent to me. O-Okay. I call the cops, explain the situation. They check their records, find the car listed as stolen, and tell me that yeah, it's all a mistake, but since the trial date has already been set for my ticket, the case has to go forward and I just have to appear and explain everything to the judge.

Well, a first courtroom appearance for me. Armed with a printout of the stolen vehicle report I arrive. The hearing of my case takes 30 seconds and goes as follows (and yes, that's the literal conversation):

Judge: Is the car yours?
Me: It was stolen from me a year ago.
Judge: But it's your car?
Me: But it was stolen, here's the report
Judge : But this is your car, right?
Me: But I had no control over it, it was stolen...
Judge: Guilty. Next case.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how I got to pay a $140 fine and was reaffirmed by the Philadelphia Traffic Court in my faith in truth and justice for all.

Epilogue: I filed for appeal, but because at that time it would have cost me ~$500 to come to Philadelphia on that day, I didn't go. The ticket wasn't a 'moving violation' so my car insurance didn't go up. Basically, I paid $140 plus a week of major hassle for an educational experience. I wouldn't say it was fun, but now I can post to Slashdot and say "Been there, done that!".


Kaa