Complain about a product or service

Cox Communications
Local Phone Service

Cox Communications • Cable • Billing • Service --- • Internet • Local phone

Jennifer of Newport News VA (6/7/04):
I signed up for the Cox Bundle package which includes digital phone, internet and cable services. On the scheduled installation date, nobody arrived. I called, and was told the tech would be there no later than four, and that I would receive a $20 credit to my account within 30 days. The tech came, hooked everything up, acknowledged that he was late, and left. A few days later, I had no dial tone and the internet would not work. I called Cox and spent close to an hour being bounced around various departments. They got the internet working and told me a tech would be sent out in a day. When he arrived he told me my phone was broken and that was the only problem.

I bought a new phone and everything worked for three or four days before the line went dead again. Then I received a bill for $60 in the mail. The initial reason for signing up was that installation and the first month of service would be free. I called Cox several times and was unable to speak to an actual human. After five days with no phone service, a tech shows up unannounced at my door and "fixes" the phone. Yesterday, I received a bill for $180. There are various charges on this bill that are unexplained, not to mention the absence of the $20 credit I was promised.

On top of it all, my plan included caller ID and call waiting, neither of which have worked since initial installation. I'm not sure what course of action to take, as I seem unable to talk to an actual human without first holding for 45 minutes. I simply don't have time.

Wayne of Phoenix (6/2/04):
It started when I moved from N. Phoenix to S. Phoenix. I inquired about transferring my service from my old house to my new one. I was told that not only would there be no fee for the transfer but the house I was moving into already have Cox cable, internet and telephone service so it would be an easy hook up. Nothing could have been further from the truth.

A service technician from Sunshine Communications, a Cox subcontractor, showed up at my house, fiddled with the outside cable box for an hour, then said he was finished. I signed the release for and he left. At this point the cable was not working properly so another technician had to come back to fix the problem. It turns out, the technician billed me for not one, not two but six things called “wall fish” costing $39.93 each, plus tax. This was entered on two separate bills as three apiece; three on my phone bill and three on my internet service bill. Further billing oddities have also disguised the problem as there are credits being made on one bill only to be reinstated on another, hiding the original charges.

Upon my inquiry for these charges, I was told, “that’s not right” and a ticket was opened with a promise of “I will personally follow up on this”. I never received a call. Subsequent follow-up to this “ticket” was remarked with “this is taking too long. I will submit another one and personally follow up on this.” Four “personal follow-ups” later and no one was able to answer anything until 2 months later when I get an automated call stating that my ticket had been resolved. I was then told that the charges were valid and that they would not refund the charges that they had already auto-charged me for.

Their claim was that the technician says he installed $240 worth of “wall fish.” Through numerous escalations of my calls, no one was able to offer any proof that the work was done, no billing statements were created, and no invoices are available to indicate that the work was done. The miraculous thing is that what I was told of “wall fish” is that they are installed from the attic, and since the technician never entered my house until he was done, I can’t see how they could have been installed. All disputes to these fictitious charges are being met with, “we have determined these charges are valid. Pay or we will disconnect your service,” most notably from a manager named Harvey.

My credit card was charged for $198.96 and $114.00 for service not rendered. A late fee of $0.45 for a paymetn that should have been aoutpayed but fro some reason was not, and sever frustratino and agrivation at the total indifference to customer service and billing integrity.

Marlene of Cranston RI (11/24/03):
I signed up for two new services from Cox Communication, high-speed internet services and telephone services. I was told that the installation process would be no more than 15 minute to 1/2 hour and that the tech person would arrive between 1:00 P.M. and 3:00 P.M. on 11/20/2003. The tech person came out at 1:30 P.M. on Thursday 10/20/2003. He introduced himself as "Mike." He was here for over two hours.

He did not give me any information regarding the internet service. He insisted that I was "all set to go." He never did the telephone transfer. He said that he needed another hour to set that up and wanted me to schedule that hour with him. I said that I had to leave at 3:30 P.M. because I had to be at work and that I would set that service time up with a call to Cox Cable. I quickly found out that I did not have my internet services set up.

I had to call "Jason" and "Mindy", tech support people located in other states. Jason walked me through the process of setting up my e-mail, agreed with me about the outrageous inconvenience and poor service and said that he entered same in the data base. Then connected me with "Mindy" to complain about the poor service. Both tech people told me that I would not have to pay for the second visit. I had to make arrangements for someone to be here in my home for the phone set-up as I have to go out of state.

Why is this such a tedious and frustrating process when it is a service that I am paying for?

Jean-Pierre of Peoria AZ (10/22/03):
We paid our phone bill and did not realize that an additioanl $26 was due and subsequently the phone was shut off. Upon contacting Cox communications we were informed tht it was not their problem, and the person at the counter was required to let you know that a past due balance was required in order for the phone not to be shut off. We were informed that a deposit was going to be required in the amount of $150, which represents 6 times our monthly bill.

We went to the office to pay the past due and a $50 deposit, partial payment. In the next bill that was sent, the deposit showed and the balance that was required to be paid was not reflected. Upon contacting Cox, we were informed that yes, we had to pay the past due and the deposit in order to get the phone restored, but since we can not find the receipt, it is too bad, the past due balance that was paid is lost and there is nothing that they can, or will do.

We will be pursuing this further, by whatever means are necessary. This will include a complaint being filed with the attorney general's office.

Erin of Chalmette LA (7/26/03):
We have cable, internet, and the local phone service through Cox because you get a discount if you have everything. They "forgot" to apply the discount over the last six months and because they claim to not keep their bills more than three months, they could only credit us the amount for three months. And that would not come until the FOLLOWING statement. I am not holding my breath for that.

Then, two months ago I paid my Cox bill over the phone to save time (and avoid them saying I hadn't mailed my payment in on time--also having been known to happen). The brilliant woman I spoke with (she had an accent and I couldn't quite get her name) ran the $198 payment through twice. When I checked my bank statement online about an hour later I noticed the double payment. So I went back on the phone with them to get them to reverse it. They said there was NO WAY that it was done twice. THEIR records show the payment having been credited ONCE. So OBVIOUSLY it was my bank.

So I promptly called my bank's customer service line and was told that there are TWO different transaction numbers that came in about forty minutes apart and that that meant that whoever processed my payment did do it twice, separately. They said also that they could reverse that second charge if Cox would just fax them proof that they only received it once. So I went back on the phone with Cox and no one would do that since they said they only received it once. So I called the bank back and they said to get a number and they would set up a conference call with Cox to explain to them what had happened. Of course, no one wanted to talk with us at Cox.

Then, all of a sudden on Monday, a customer service representative DID see the second charge. No apology. Nothing. And they still would not send anything to the bank. They said that the charge would drop off in a couple of days. I am FURIOUS. I grew up without cable--I can go back to that. I even threatened to file a complaint and all I got was, "Well, you do whatever you need to." I was out almost $200 until the following Wednesday. All because no one could fax what they saw in front of them. OR concede that they might have made an error.

I've had problems with their customer service in the phone department also. I had been getting threatening phone calls and they could not tell me how to block them because they cannot guarantee that it will work. I was originally told that it might be a bill collector calling and they would not block "those" calls. Well, when I have someone calling ONLY when I am here by myself and ask for me by my first name and then, when I ask who is calling, tell me to look out the window, it CANNOT be a bill collector.

It is extrememly rude for Cox to talk to me like that -- assuming the only unwanted calls I get would be from people to whom I owe money. These were not "private" numbers on the caller id, but a name unavailable with a number below it. They are the rudest, most inefficient, and poorly trained customer service representatives I have ever run across.

Gwen of San Diego CA (7/16/03):
Our phone went completely dead on the afternoon of 7/10/03. We called SBC. We were told that their records showed that Cox Cable was given authorization to become our phone carrier. NOT TRUE. We never authrized this. SBC said we needed to call and get our phone number back from COX. we called them and were told they showed no records of them having anything to do with our phone. we went and forth between SBC and Cox until Anna at SBC did a 3-way call with them and us. They admitted fault and gave authorization to return our phone no. back to SBC, which we have had the same number for 22 years.

We were told that at 5:00pm Monday service would be restored, didn't happen. I called a Kathy with Cox thrughout the day and received her voice mail and complained that since they caused this where were they? An SBC employee showed up at my house on Tues at 2:00 pm and and made it so we could call out but not in. On Wednesday morning we were completely up and running.

Cox Cable's Kathy has repeatedly said how sorry they were and offered us 2 months of cable service free, that is a slap in the face to us. I said a year would make it right another rep. said no that was excessive. Can you imagine the nerve of them? We spent at least 4-5 hours on the phone, at the library and cell phone, no internet services, I am a Realtor with a home office. I want satisfaction.

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