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Charter has customer-service problems

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College students renting their first apartment enjoy a number of newfound freedoms and increased responsibilities. Besides paying rent, taking out the garbage and doing the dishes, nowadays students must often negotiate a cable Internet and television connection.

Charter Communications is the only company in Madison that provides both cable television and Internet concurrently, and it falls under the same regulations as the myriad of other cable TV providers. Students can subscribe to Charter cable Internet without cable TV, but an additional $10 charge will be applied to the monthly rate each month.

University of Wisconsin senior Rachel Lonsdale used Charter last year but said that she was frustrated after subscription prices were raised and the Internet service proved unreliable. This year, Lonsdale and her roommates decided to purchase a package deal from TDS Metrocom for DSL Internet and local telephone service.

“TDS was supposed to install both services at the same time. The serviceman came and installed the phone, but not the modem. So we called and asked when our Internet would be installed,” Lonsdale said. “We kept getting the run-around. They said they would send somebody out, and then customer service admitted we weren’t even on their list for Internet installation.”

Lonsdale said that last Saturday — after more than a month of waiting — the Internet connection was installed, but the roommates have yet to get a modem.

UW sophomore Margaret Cianciara had a similar experience with Charter when she moved into her apartment.

“Charter even called to confirm the installation date two days before. I took off work, and then nobody showed up. The serviceman missed the second installation date, and on the third date, someone finally showed up,” Cianciara said.

Representatives from Charter and TDS Metrocom did not return phone calls.

The month following student move-in is busy for telecommunications providers, and those who put off calling for service might have to wait.

As SBC Communications representative Kate Brennan pointed out, her company’s branch in Wisconsin alone experienced a 27 percent increase in orders for new phone service during the month of August.

Customers are prioritized on a first come, first served basis.

The City of Madison employs a cable TV regulatory coordinator, who acts as a liaison between customers and cable companies like Charter, responding to complaints about cable connections and customer service.

Coordinator Brad Clark said he receives no more than one call a day about Charter, and most of these calls are about billing issues or technical problems.

“I contact management directly and have them contact the customer. They are very responsive in dealing with the issue right away,” Clark said.

“I almost never get a second call from a customer, but customer service tends to be the least educated and least trained, and that’s who the customer deals with,” Clark added.

Unfortunately, students do not seem to be aware that there is an available resource for resolving cable-service issues.

“I didn’t know that Madison had a cable regulatory commissioner. I definitely would have contacted him in the beginning,” Cianciara said. “I’ve been quite vocal with my friends about Charter, and nobody knew about him either.”

Clark can be reached at 261-9115 with complaints specific to Charter Communications.