Cox Cable

Beginning in January 2019 through April 2019 I received a total of four promotional mailings from Cox Cable advertising “Best. Offer. Ever. Great price. 3 years.” This promotion advertised that “You deserve peace of mind when it comes to your monthly bill. Know exactly how much your going to pay for the next 3 years.” “Take advantage of our best offer ever.” “Until 2022 with no contract”. The promotion included “Free Equipment Rental. No Contract.” “Stable pricing. No annual contract. Includes FREE pro install, FREE Panoramic WIFI Modem rental and FREE HD receiver rental”.

In March of 2019 my tv/internet contract with AT&T was up and I thought that it would be the perfect time to try Cox Cable since I did not know how much longer I would be at my residence in Oceanside CA. I felt that the promotion offered by Cox Cable couldn’t have come at a better time. Biggest mistake I’ve ever made.

As advertised I could sign up for this promotion either by calling (855) 816-7384 or online at cox.com/best offer. I signed up online and chose the Internet Preferred & Contour TV advertised at $114.99 per month. I did opt to add two mini set top boxes for a rental fee of $2.99 each per month bringing my monthly charges to $120.97 monthly before taxes. I took screenshots of the order showing the cost before taxes as well as the promotional information. Upon receipt of my first bill dated March 6, 2019 my services with Cox Cable had been bundled with a 24 month agreement. In addition I was charged for the “FREE Pro Install, the FREE Panoramic WIFI Modem as well as the FREE HD Receiver rental”.

I called Cox Communications immediately and voiced my concerns with the charges. I spoke with three separate Cox representatives and although the charge for the pro install would be removed none of the Cox Cable service representatives I spoke with had any clue as to what promotion I was talking about. I was told that a request would be put in to review the account and/or promotion and to wait until the next billing period.

Upon receipt of the second bill the charge for the pro install was removed however the charges for the equipment rental remained the same as well as bundled with a 24 month agreement. Month after month the bill remained the same... all services bundled, a 24 month agreement and charges for the Panoramic WIFI modem rental and the Contour HD receiver rental.

Eventually I went into the Cox Solutions storefront with copies of my screenshots, a copy of my first bill as well as the promotional mailings. I spoke with Carolina who was a “Solution Specialist”. Once again this person had no clue with regards to the promotion I signed up for. She told me that the charges were correct whether bundled or unbundled. She said that the only problem was that my services were bundled with a 24 month agreement. She took copies of all my documentation and said that she would submit a request to have my services unbundled and to once again wait until the next bill. Ironically, I received the fourth promotional advertisement from Cox Cable in the mail when I returned home after speaking with Carolina at the Cox Solutions store.

After receiving yet another incorrect bill, being fed up and frustrated I called Cox Cable on September 23, 2019 and canceled my services. I spoke with Mark. In all my dealings with Cox Cable since March of 2019 through October 9, 2019 Mark was the only representative with Cox Cable that I spoke with who was familiar with the promotion which I had signed up for. Mark said that it was actually cheaper to have the services bundled and that if I were billed correctly with the promotion I would have paid $5.00 more per month. It was more important to me that Cox Cable stand behind their promotional mailing, unbundle my services, no contract and no fees for equipment rental than to be concerned over $5.00. Mark did say that I most likely would be charged with an early termination fee and would I consider keeping Cox Cable if he gave me one month free.

I also received an email from Cox Cable offering me 40% off certain services for one year if I would reconsider coming back to Cox. I declined because from day one I was being charged for something I did not sign up for which had been brought to Cox Cables attention numerous times since receipt of the first bill.

Knowing that I was required to return all equipment within 30 days of cancellation I used Cox Connect to communicate online with a Cox representative at which time I asked for a free box as advertised to return the equipment and was advised that I would receive the mailing box within 3-5 days.

As of today’s date November 19, 2019 I have yet to receive that mailing box. Needless to say the last thing I wanted to do was to have to go back into the Cox Solutions store to return the equipment. On October 9, 2019 I returned the equipment to the Cox Solutions store and attempted once again try to solve the issue of the early termination fee. I spoke with Sr. Sales & Operations Specialist; Danielle. I explained the issue, showed her the original four promotional ads received in the mail, copies of my first bill, screenshots of the initial online order as well as all my notes. Danielle did confirm that the request from Carolina to unbundle my services with no contract was submitted but subsequently denied. How can Cox Cable deny their own promotion?

Danielle then proceeded to advise me that if my services were unbundled I would have paid $11.00 more per month. So... would the charges be the same, $5.00 more per month or $11.00 per month? She then reiterated the fact that a person can “make changes to their Cox services without paying an early termination fee within 30 days of your Agreement or 7 days from the date of the bill statement, whichever is later”. Danielle did not acknowledge the fact that I did call upon receipt of my first bill. The Pro installation fee just isn’t removed from your bill by itself. Danielle was very indignant when she asked me why I did not accept the offers for one month free or 40% off certain services for a year. Either way it would still have required a contract or agreement which defeated the sole purpose of my signing up for Cox cable to begin with.

Lastly, Danielle proposed that I meet her “halfway” with the early termination fee. Once again I declined. This entire situation has taken up so much of my time, created a tremendous amount of unnecessary anxiety and frustration and simply could have been avoided had Cox Cable backed up their own promotional advertisements and pricing. If that’s not false advertising then I don’t know what is. For the record and whether my calls were recorded or not I have spoken with the following Cox Cable representatives: John, Jamie, Jenna, Monica, Carolina, Angelica, Mark and Danielle.