Stuart,

I am new to the Charlotte area and have already discovered Time Warner is the absolute worst when it comes to customer service. It took 19 documented phone calls to receive installation of cable, phone and internet service. After these numerous calls, they still did not fill my order correctly. I requested an unpublished phone number and of course they published it. Upon their recommendation, I changed my phone number as I was being inundated by telemarkters. Guess what! They billed me for the phone # change even though it was their error and they did not give me my bundle discount.

During another service call, I was on hold for over 90 minutes with no human contact. I used my cell phone to call in on the line to order new service and I did receive someone within 15 minutes.

This type of incompetence is completely unacceptable. Just last night I was on hold with Time Warner yet again. When I finally received a rep after a 45 minute hold time, I asked her about the problem and she just responded that "hold times vary."

Trying an on-line chat is sometimes faster. Over the past weekend, I was #77 in que and had to wait over an hour to receive support. If you happen to walk away from you computer and miss the rep, then you're thrown to the end of the line.

This type of service is deplorable, however, it is the norm for Time Warner. I am completely empathetic to the CSR's because I truly believe that they understaffed and obviously overworked. Holdtimes that exceed more than a few minutes are the result the CSR's. Hold times that are as excessive as the current hold times, are definitely a sign of poor management. I am curious to see what their executive management thinks of it. I have requested on numerous occassions to speak to a manager, but I am only passed on to a CSR team lead. I wonder how they'd feel if TW customers used the same speed when sending in their payments?

Kelly

Time Warner does have horrible customer service. So does Blue Cross Blue Shield. Earlier this week I called to cancel my exhorbitantly expensive premium and I was on hold and then got someone. Then they started transferring me. After the 5th transfer and the process taking 45 minutes I finally got 'er done!!!!

Hey Stuart, I don't have a comment about TW but I'd like to tell you what make me mad. It just really burns me these people on the motorized mo-peds. These people are ususally people who have lost their license and yet they still are allowed to use these mo-peds for transportation. They require no license, no license tag, no registration and I'm sure they don't have to pay property taxes like I do on my car but yet they have "road rights". They are a traffic hazzard and they barely go over 20 mph.
I would like to see you do a story about this. I know I am not the only person who this "makes me mad"!!

I was trying to get through to Timewarner on a Friday night and had a two hour hold. When I finally reached a rep. he said that since it was 10 pm at night, I should have gotten through pretty quickly. To sum up everything, the rep could not help me, he had to send out a technican which took about 3 days because they did not have anymore nighttime appointments. TImewarner should realize that most people work during the day and cannot be at home between 7-1 and 1-5. As much as we pay for cable we should at least be able to get some decent service.

The best way to cancel service with TWC is to load up your equipment and take it to their office. There will be a short wait in line but, they are always nice and ask no questiions. I went back to satelite but it's the same long, long wait if you need service. Bottom line is unless you use an outside antenna you are at the mercy of cable and satelite companies.

BINGO! You are right on the money. They supposedly have a new CEO from Minneapolis. I wrote him a 2 page letter and NEVER received a response. Not only os thier customer service poor, management seems to not care. And they can get by with this becasue they have a monopoly on the market.

Stuart, Here is the real problem with our society. Thanks to technology and the fast food chains. No one has PATIENCE anymore. I am a man who has some of the latest technology and every once in awhile I enjoy a burger at a fast food chain. God himself did not create the world in a day. Without patience we have become very violent at times. I don't care what company we call. There will be a hold time simply because we are not the only one with that companies service. Most companies run 24/7 these days. Find the best time for you and make your call but expect a hold time. People need to remember that the companies they work for or they own have much bigger hidden problems than hold time.

I too have experienced long hold times and screwed up orders with TW. I now have a question for which I can't seem to get an answer. Medium's 2 hour season premier on your network was so spotty that we couldn't watch. All our other channels came in clearly. As of this morning we still couldn't see your channel.

Any chance you will re-broadcast the premier?

I called TW about 10 times in the last 2 weeks. My average hold time is about 1 hour.
While I was holding, they hanged up on me quite a few and had to call the number again.
Saturday 13th they were supposed to install a new outlet on the wall at my house between 2PM and 5PM. The tech came in at 1.40PM and said he had to come back later because a vine was covering a wall and needed to be removed. I told him I could have removed the vine in 5 minutes and I asked if he could wait. He said he couldn’t, either him or somebody else would have come later.
I removed the vine and called CS back 5 minutes later (1.50PM). After being on the phone for 45 minutes they told me the previous tech CANCELLED my service call and forced me to reschedule. I asked if service could be done later on the same day and they told me they would call me LATER in the DAY to confirm or reschedule.
Nobody called in 3 days. Tuesday 16th I call back and reschedule for Thursday 18th 3PM-5PM. Nobody showed up till 4PM. Worried nobody will show up I call CS and wait for 1h15m holding! At 5.15 (15 minutes late on their time frame) they pull in my driveway.
I tell them where I’d like my new outlet on the wall. The guy drills through my carpet. For the first time in my life a see cable coming from the wall!

Considerations: many company including the one I work for they guarantee a hold time lower than 2 minutes. Timewarner makes its customers wait for 1 HOUR and longer!
How is that possible? It’s called communism or NO COMPETITION or failure of capitalism. Cable companies divided the map in zones and each of them took one. There’s no competition on each of those zones. It’s monopoly. They raise their prices every year, they don’t provide customer service…If you want cable they HAVE to go with them. No alternative. Do like I’m doing and write a nice letter to the FCC this is ILLEGAL in the U.S.