Cox Cable Reviews

My complaint is that the ad states upgrade. I don't have (as the ad states) Cox Advanced TV, DVR service, HBO and more for only $29.99, yet Cox refuses to grant me the upgrade because I currently have service with them. This truly is a frustrating situation. Does anyone police these companies or can they go above everyone and do as they please? I truly feel Cox Communication ad that I received is deceptive, misleading and false, but of course, giants such as them are always one step ahead of the small people as myself.

Proving these things may seem obvious however, to establish that an advertisement is false, a plaintiff must prove five things: (1) a false statement of fact has been made about the advertiser's own or another person's goods, services, or commercial activity; (2) the statement either deceives or has the potential to deceive a substantial portion of its targeted audience; (3) the deception is also likely to affect the purchasing decisions of its audience; (4) the advertising involves goods or services in interstate commerce; and (5) the deception has either resulted in or is likely to result in injury to the plaintiff. The most heavily weighed factor is the advertisement's potential to injure a customer. The injury is usually attributed to money the consumer lost through a purchase that would not have been made had the advertisement not been misleading. False statements can be defined in two ways: those that are false on their face and those that are implicitly false. I for one, don't have what it takes ($) to fight for what is right.

Cox billing department claims that we were getting a one year 'Video Promotional Discount' that expired in December 2011. Hence the rate increase. That is total B.S.

*Offer expires 3/3/2012. Available only to residential customers in Cox Las Vegas serviceable areas who subscribe to a Cox Bundle. Cox High Speed Internet Upgrade limited to one tier from Starter to Essential, from Essential to Preferred, Preferred to Premier or Premier to Ultimate. After 12 months, regular rates apply: Cox High Speed Internet Essential ($32.99/mo), Preferred ($46.99/mo), Premier ($59.99/mo) Ultimate ($119.99/mo), DVR equipment rental ($9.99/mo) and Voicemail ($7.99/mo).

All rates subject to change. New cable modem purchase ($99.99) or rental ($10/mo) may be required for some upgrades. Modem uses household electrical power to operate and has backup battery power provided by Cox if electricity is interrupted. Uninterrupted or error-free Internet service, or the speed of your service, is not guaranteed. Actual speeds vary. Installation fees, taxes, and other charges may apply. 2011 Cox Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. 2010.02126

They seem to think it's stupid that I want a record of what I am paying them. They don't want me to pay my bill ahead of time! How idiotic can a business be? I am a good customer and have been for going on 3 years. It should be against the law for them to do this. I just don't know what to do to get them to give me my statements. I know they have them--they showed up briefly online, like for one month I saw a statement. Then they just stopped doing it again! So I know good and damned well they have them. They just refuse to provide them!

I want my statements. Bottom line: not only are they good for my own records, future credit rating, and just because I want them, it is the right thing to do. And they absolutely have refused to give them to me. They should have their ** sued off for this nonsense.

I again, a few months later, tried this payment method with my new bank account, and again the person who set it up did not change the routing number, but had the right bank account in there, and it was returned now leaving me with service fees, interruption, and a huge bill. I am peeved! I now have no home phone, no cable nor internet! And yet, I have to pay fees and the bill! This is outrageous! Especially when I have questioned them numerous times, on why my bill is so high, and what can I do to lower it. Their answer has always been "you have the best plan we can offer". What is best for their pockets is not what is best for my own! I am done with Cox Cable, and hate to suffer the Holidays with no phone to call family,, or no fun TV shows to watch over the break. This sucks, but not as bad as the service I was getting.

I no longer have services with Cox, and I am trying to find a better provider! I wish there was a way to actually let these companies see what they are doing to day to day people like me. I am not rich. I work everyday, and I have a family who depends on me! I cannot allow a million dollar company to continue to rip me off every month! Did you know you are billed for your services, before you even use them? You get your December bill before the month of December is even over, and you ask yourself why you are constantly paying bills.

A tech came on Sunday and checked the flat screen TV. But he said he could do nothing, as he was not a TV repair person, only a cable box person. He changed the box on the other, smaller CRT screen set. He left. There was no hard copy for his visit on Sunday, and no hard copy for Saturday. The $600 TV doesn't work - no picture or sound, no change from remote. Only the power light is on when turned on at the set. I called customer service. John ** said he would pass this on to the supervisor. He said that no hard copy of anything was available to anyone. Everything was in computer records and on computer screens. The supervisor Cliff said that a third visit with a field supervisor and a tech would happen soon. He said that someone would contact me as to when that would happen.

As it stands, a tech could do anything to a customer's personal property and leave. There is nothing for the tech to present to the customer, nothing to sign, no records or documents to present to any legal authority. A Cox contracted repair person could come to your house, damage furniture, blow up electronics, and kick your dog on the way out. There would be only your word against the company that the visit ever took place.

Mr. Joseph ** is a white male, likely in his late twenties, with dark hair, medium build at approximately 145 to 155lbs and about 5’ 8” tall. He was wearing business casual clothing, light tan slacks and a light grey polo-style shirt, at the time of the visit. Taking times directly from video security recordings, he arrived at 4:53 PM and rang the doorbell. That would be the one 4 inches below the prominent sign that reads: “No Soliciting”.

Mr. ** did not identify himself by name. But he was wearing a Cox contractors badge on his belt that displayed his name, and that name was later verified by the officer that responded to my contact. He briefly began the conversation by inquiring about the reception quality and our level of satisfaction with Cox’s service. I confirmed there were no difficulties and we were satisfied with the arrangement and recently had a representative install tuner cards in a new TiVo, who checked levels and settings on the entire system.

For the next six minutes (I finally had to close the door on him to get him to leave, shown at 4:59:40 PM on the recording), he attempted to promote Internet service, phone service, the Cox-type TiVo and so forth. I repeatedly declined, specifically stating that I already had five TiVo’s, we were satisfied with our IP provider, we had the on-demand service that met our requirements and I specifically did not want Cox phone service. I finally told Mr. ** firmly, “No,” and that I had specifically notified Cox we did not want any solicitation by phone or otherwise and that he was in violation of Irvine civil code that forbids solicitation from anyone without an appointment when No Soliciting signs (we have two clearly visible) are posted. He insisted that since we were a Cox customer, that didn’t apply.

The local ordinance most certainly does apply, even more so than us notifying Cox that we do not want solicitations, which we have done. Not only does Cox not honor our request, but their contractor is going to stand there on my doorstep and argue with me that he has every right to intentionally bother us after I have four times in a row told him I was not interested and did not want to make any changes!

After I closed the door, I contacted the police. Aside from being annoying and persistent, this representative is in clear violation of Irvine Municipal code 2-10-903. The police inquired if I knew which direction the man was going (door-to-door) when he left and I said I didn’t notice but I’d check. When I located him, he noticed me and gave me an odd, questioning look. I answered the unspoken inquiry by telling him that I was very displeased with his persistence and I had called the police so that they could explain the ordinance to him for clarification. He responded by taking out his cell phone and telling me to don’t bother and that he was going to call the police to tell them he had, to quote, “some kind of pedophile following him”. Those are his exact words.

So, not only is this representative obnoxiously persist and disregards our privacy, the local ordinances regarding his visit, my subsequent repeated request to be left alone, but he is insulting and defamatory.

Customers should not have to put up with this kind of thing.

*** This is probably going to get even worse on next month's invoice from Cox because I believe these calls are coming up on the caller ID as 'unknown'. If this is true, then they have already called repeatedly again and again in the last week about 7 to 10 times. My mother is being charged for something we have no knowledge of.

I called again to cancel and was told my 'promotional discounts' were only for 6 months. Also they were going to charge me 'early termination' fees for cancelling service. I would never have agreed to the 24 month contract had I known the 'Price lock guarantee' would not be honored.

I received the phone, and could not activate it. I put two together: bad customer service, and bad product. So, I decided to cancel my service with Cox. I called Cox to cancel, and it took me 4 agents and 2 hours to finally get someone that was competent enough to cancel my service. I suggest staying far away from Cox. I ended up staying with Verizon. Besides, Verizon offered me a better deal and provided me with great customer service.

When I called them about it, they said they don't do free transfers, yet this is what I was told by one of their employees. In addition when they did come out, they didn't actually hook anything up except the modem because I hadn't yet moved my stuff here. On top of this, I spent about 4 hours of my time over a 2-day period because they kept screwing up the disconnection date at my old address as I needed it. I was working up until the day it was established at my new address because I need the internet to do my work.

They also promised to give me a credit to compensate for time and cell phone minutes spent contacting them which I also never got. The people at Cox are getting a way with fraud by lying to people about what they will or won't be charged, but then that's not the case when you get the bill. Someone needs to put a stop to this as it's not right to let them get away with their fraudulent activities and ripping consumers off.

I have paid for each and every one of these boxes and cable service each month, sometimes getting to the high rate of almost $200.00 and complained about it. So many things have been done in the matter of money, we don't have to be paid for lousy cable and being lied to. Please help. We are ready to turn the box in and turn the cable off but we are told we still owe a month of cable.

After standing around for approximately 15 minutes, he said that it must be my television. I told him that the problem just started happening when Cox upgraded the box. And if it was my television, it would occur on more than just the two channels. He stated that nothing is wrong with the signals, so it must be the television. The problem continued for a couple of days after and since has stopped. Cox also insisted that all customers had to pay $3.00 more per month to get upgraded internet. The internet speed I had suited me just fine. Anyway, since the so called upgrade my computer is performing slower, the only remedy they have is to upgrade to a higher speed which of course cost more money. They are a total rip off.

I had moved out of state and was with very limited funds. I was assured I would have this refund check within 4 to 6 weeks. It may seem like a little bit of money, but for a single mother with no source of income or assistance when I moved, $108.00 is a lot. My child could have had sufficient food to eat or school supplies. After many calls telling me, "You should have it by Friday," "You should have it by Tuesday," I gave up on hoping for this check and having to borrow money or go without food for myself so my child can eat. was economic and physical damage. This company had no issue deducting this money from my checking account, but to wait almost 3 months for its return should be illegal.

Today, a month later, I get a bill for $400 from Cox. My daughter went online to her banking site and discovered they had deducted two items from her account, one for about $160 and one for $43; neither of these deductions were credited to the latest statement of $400. Sheryl spent another hour on the phone today trying to straighten out this continuing mess and incompetence on the part of the Coxbundle team.

During the transition, our phone system went down, the internet didn't work and the TV was kaput, not due to what they have billed me for today, but while they were making the transition.

Consequently we will be shopping for a better program if we have to give up the bundle feature. The right hand doesn't seem to know what the left hand is doing, and the workers who do the installing, don't seem to have appropriate training. The rep we spoke to on the phone today was courteous and sounded genuine in wanting to straighten this out. She asked if we want to have automatic bank deductions; I did have when I had my own account, but I will not authorize it now for fear they will be deducting over $200 a month when they told us the fee would not be more than $150 a month. I see on the internet there are many complaints about the Cox service.

I have missed important phone calls because my telephone is not working when I come home from work. There have been times when I am on the internet for work and my connection is lost from the digital external modem. I have complained so many times and I am tired of the same response. They will harass me about the bill, but they will not fix the problem. I am at the point now if I should take legal action because I don't believe it's fair that I am asked to pay for a service that is not available to me.

Cox Communications has shown me that they do not care about their customers or resolving the issue. They only care about receiving payment. I have lost work material and missed phone calls due to internet and telephone not working properly.

Three times since May they have switched converter boxes and that has not helped either. A company representative told me that they have had many problems with the converter boxes, but changing them out is their only answer to service problems. I believe they are charging me for the movies just to recoup the cost of rewiring my house. I use my computer for business and cannot afford to have the service cut off.

They continued to raise the prices, but they don't provide equal service. I cancelled most of the premium channels here because of the lack of choices. This appears to me as unfair practices by Cox Communication in San Diego, CA. And I am sure they are going to use some sort of city or state law that keeps them from providing the same services. I did the research AT&T, DirecTV, and Dish; and they provide the same services nationwide.

From June 15, I spoke with my local Cox customer service and billing. Everyone was informed that this account was to have been closed since February 2010 and that they were committing fraud since they were continuing to debit my banking account. Even though they claimed to stop debiting my account, on July 13, 2010, an additional $215.70 was debited from my account. When reviewing my new statement, I saw the new debit and called Cox immediately. I spoke with 2 supervisors who claimed they "understood my frustration" and promised to do something about it.

As of July 28, 2010, they told me there was nothing they could do and that I would need to have my bank reverse the charges. On July 27, 2010, I contacted Bank of the West who said I would need to pay an additional $30 to prevent further debits from Cox and that they could only go back 30 days. On July 29, 2010, I called Cox Corporate and spoke to someone in Customer Care. That was another waste of my time and only managed to upset me more.

I am absolutely upset that a company like Cox would be so lax in an issue like this. They hire absolute morons for their customer service who lack any form of common sense. Cox knowingly debits my account monthly and are refusing to do anything about it. My only recourse is to file a lawsuit on them.

Besides confusing users who forget to turn on and off their VCR, leaving appliances on unattended is a fire risk. Also, the power consumption (on my VCR) is 23 watts on, 3 watts off. Considering we try hard to economize on energy and that this new method of recording on VCR is unfair, I believe their action to be unacceptable.

I proceeded to tell them I have the letter from the agency stating the account for the cable box was paid in full. They asked me to fax the paper and I did... on 5 different occasions. I even brought the paper with me and handed it to the gentleman that I returned my router to, and he said "I will make sure I get this to the right person." That was at the retail location on Sahara and Ft. Apache. So here I am 3 weeks later and 20 phone calls to Cox and no one will return my phone call. I have spoken to managers and associates all promising I will get a phone call and not a single call back. So here I am with a balance due on something I paid for years ago and my credit in danger again because Cox has poor customer service.

I immediately went online to see what the problem was because I knew the payment could not have been rejected by my bank. I found that Cox had locked me out of the page! I had no way to review the transaction to see if I had mistyped the account number, which is what I suspect happened. I called customer service and they would not tell me how their payment page is set up, restore the page access so I could review it, or connect me with a supervisor. I phoned again the next day and was finally connected with a supervisor who stated he also did not know how the page is set up, but that it didn't matter because they have no control over the fine. I asked to speak to his supervisor and was told "she just okays my paycheck. There's no one here you can talk to."

I'd written emails to customer service that only received generic emails asking for my PIN. I'd send it and get the same request again and again. This is truly terrible customer service. There's no warning on the web page saying if you make a typographical error, the payment will still be accepted and you will be charged $50.00 and treated like a criminal. I believe that there is some law saying if a company is going to charge you a fine, they have to disclose it. I received confirmation from my bank that the online check was not rejected by them or ever presented for payment. I have an excellent payment history with this company. Not only was I forced to pay the $50.00, I am apparently permanently locked out of the pay by check page. I can get no one at Cox Communications to fairly address this issue, which has now cost me far more than $50.00 in time and aggravation.

Then I went into the Cox office to talk to a person. The first person we talked to ultimately said that “we are a business account and not a personal account” and that we’d have to talk to another person. That person (**, Cox Communication 43 Peninsula Center, Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274 310-896-1828, 310-896-1126 fax or ** cell; **) was not available and several attempts to contact that person haven’t produced any results (please leave a message). Our fax request did not stop the mailings either.

I have been to their website and followed the instruction of their privacy notice. I have mailed backed to the return address to request to be removed from their mailing list. I know that it takes a while (up to nine months) to be removed from some lists. My patience has far exceeded nine months. We are a customer of Cox; however, we just want the mail in the mailbox to cease.

I ordered Cable TV and High speed (First level). Running a Home Biz. I repeatedly called COX Service, no mean task to maneuver through the Auto answer system to get a life Agent. The system has 3 different numbers, yet each number inadvertently drops you into the same slot, very difficult to reach Tech staff. It can take 20 to 30 minutes to get through. Even the Workers point out that it takes a long time, it therefore is Corporate arrogance that allows customers to get frustrated and change Vendors. No doubt by design!

I checked my Internet service daily on Speedtest.net, a free service that allows a speed test against National and International Servers. The results were very revealing. During peek hours, I Downloaded at barely 1 Mb/s and uploaded at around .4 Mb/s. I called and called. I suspected the black overhead drop to my Bungalow, CATV standard is RG6 cable. I checked the existing drop cable and found that it was a very old Cable TV cable that COX was trying to use for High speed as well. Many Service Contractors visited. Each time, I found a total lack of Technical know-how. Each time, they tested the cables and their test showed immaculate conception. It did not matter that the cable was not even designed for Outdoor use and/or Overhead duty. Each time I was told that they would have to charge me to replace the cable. While the Office staff referred to the many Tech visits and to them the case was closed.

Meanwhile COX staff told me that my Router needed to be replaced (LINKSYS). Then it was the Modem. I spent a lot of money replacing whatever they found to be faulty. However the drop cable was only replaced 3 months prior to move out. Then 6 months prior to move out, I upgraded to the next level of COX Magic. Now, I had slightly better performance but not what I was sold and paid for. Finally, a Company employee arrived and after arguing to make the problem go away as all of his previous comrades in Arms, he also tested the overhead cable.

When I challenged him Technically, he started to listen, climbed up to look at the cable and immediately restrung the drop with an indoor CATV Cable, not as is required with an overhead cable designed to resist the overhead environment. His explanation was that I was correct, their Meters do not read the real life situation. That is why they are using them! I almost fell off my stool. I ask him if he had an opinion if this was serving the COX client justly: No comment. In my opinion, it is Consumer Fraud. I collected a piece of the cable for possible Legal Action against COX. During all this time, I received several Credits when I kept calling. I also wrote to COX twice and received no reply.

One day, I called requesting the name and address of COX Legal Dept. San Diego. Nobody would give me that contact. I was transferred to a smooth-talking Claims Adjuster who would not identify himself and used Circle Talk. He finally tried to establish a date and in his attempt he offered a 2-month refund just to calm me down so he said, As a service by COX to accommodate me. Unbelievable. Oh, he did know about my 2 written complaints. I kind of broke his circle a few times. After I moved to an Oceanside Over 55 Community, 10/29/2009. I again experienced very slow Internet Speed service, 12/21/09, 1.90 Mb/s Down and 0.82 Up to 6.18Mbs Down, 1.32 up. Also intermittent TV Reception.

I checked the Splitter box curb side when COX worked to replace my neighbor's cable and found that again my house was connected to an old Cable feed. They are forcing Cable TV and High Speed over the old CATV cable. I checked my feeder that was externally nailed to the stucco which also is an indoor class cable and showing corrosive damage being again in the Ocean Breeze. When I called COX, they now insist that Linksys does not work within the COX System, COX does not support any device in the net but the one that they rent to you or sell to you, I was told. I hung up!

I am impressed how COX is ripping off the entire Community of Seniors, just do not pay COX for a month and they cut you off. I always thought that one has 90 Days by consumer law. When I moved, I had given COX 4 days heads up, as SDGE could not restart my services. Finally, Monday arrived and COX had not come to drop off a Self-Install Kit. The previous Friday, a Cox Contractor came to the Splitter Cabinet curbside and changed services, but he did not drop off a Kit. I called COX in desperation as I needed to get onto my Computer to check activities. They promised next day morning service. Here Monday evening, a Technician arrives and he supposedly checked from the curbside to my computer outlet and also hooked up my TV.

Here I was later invoiced a $35.00 change of service Fee and $50.00 fee for installing the Self-install kit that I was not given. I also noticed that the Technician had problems adjusting the signal. I obviously complained and was given a 50% refund on the $50.00. I still did not think that this meets consumer law. COX fell flat on their obligation to provide a contract or at least explain the charges for Moving a service and as never before charged, suddenly charged me the $50.00 to make up for their own mistake. Meanwhile, the huge Community just in this 55 plus area are being defrauded by COX and I will first take COX to small claims Court early Jan. 2010. If I win I will then look for Legal Counsel to consider a Class Action Suit against COX.

It is unbelievable that this as well as so many other Corporate bodies think that they can get away with defrauding so many of their customers. Meanwhile they use their size to look good in the Communities by being seen to give to Charity. If I would be able to sell fraudulently, charge but do not deliver, then I also would give to Charities to be able to sleep nights. Meanwhile America is the 21st country when compared to smaller countries in level of Speed and reach in Internet Technology. We must stop this Piracy by a few Monopolies that do not do much for us as a Nation.

Finally, do not listen to COX Staff when they ask you to go through new Equipment and so on. Ask them to prove to you that they have the latest cable plant, take pictures of it and ask Experts to clue you in. Google the Technology. It is not Brain science, There are Specifications drawn and tested by UL and other certified Labs. These standards are repeatedly imprinted on a Cable, down to the approval code by foot. I interviewed approx. 20 Installers whenever I see them in public. I interview Cox Installers who are not aware of any other Cable but that which is on their truck. The ones I have spoken to could not answer who sets standards, what the various differences in cable coding means. Wonder why we are being screwed! While a COX customer, I recommend to keep the pressure up but it is a good practice to power your computer down when not in use. It will reset the Router and Modem automatically on a daily basis, giving you better results.

Once there, the rep told me that I no longer had that credit and that they could not apply it to my new service. I asked if they could mail me a check for it and they said no because I did not have a previous credit. 2 representatives confirmed the credit and not after processing my monthly statement, the billing department deletes it and says it no longer exists?? Ok, fine, $10, I'll live but it's the principle. So, I let it go and move on. In my new service with Cox, I applied for Lifeline phone service in which I'm told the rates and that there will be a lower charge for install and mthly rates for lifeline customers. I get approved for lifeline and don't see my credit for the service on my bill.

I call to ask Cox about this and they say that lifeline credits are not retroactive to when I signed up, just from the time of qualifying (which only took 3 days but somehow Cox kept saying they sent me the application in the mail which was "never received" by me on 2 occasions...it took me 7 weeks to receive the application but I wasn't worried because they told me the lower rates would be retroactive to my start date for the phone service). I called Cox billing to complain and get the credit to my account.

They said, "No, we don't know who would tell you that. That's not the way we work. We only credit once you get approved." Ok, there's another $23 and again not the end of the world, but if Cox steals $23-$33 from 100,000 customers that's a grand theft and a lot of money that they are robbing from American consumers. Be on alert with Cox, they will steal money from you. I no longer have their service and will never again!! Consequence: $33 lost in total.

They are now saying they do not process the rebate until after the 90 days and will take a couple more weeks before it is mailed. This is by any standards "false advertising" and I plan to contact my Attorney general’s office and possibly the TV stations. I feel that after speaking to 4 different people at Cox - Kathy in customer service, Harvey, her supervisor, who was rude and made your company sound stupid. He actually told me that Cox could not do anything about the company that was representing them. He refused to call "Mediaex” stating he could not do anything to help me and refused to transfer me to his superior. I, who have been in customer service for 25 yrs., found this totally unacceptable.

I called back and spoke to sales. I believe his name was "Harry." He actually understood my plight and connected me to his supervisor, "Gary" who after a long conversation agreed to contact this Mediaex company, who handled the rebates for Cox. Gary called me back, stated he called, and they were looking into it for him. He said he would call me back in a few days because he was off for a couple of days. Gary did not call back. I called him tonight and he gave a song and dance, of how he hasn't heard back from the other company. This seems to be a total lack of respect on behalf of your company. I feel I kept my part of the contract and Cox has not. I want my rebate now, like it was stated in the terms and conditions. I would like an answer from this company. If not then I will take other measures not in your favor, I assure you. Actually at this point, I feel Cox owes me much more than that. My time is valuable also and for a customer (who apparently is wrong) who cannot read according to you staff, I feel, besides my rebate, I deserve an apology from your company.

Okay, change of subject: How do I go about getting the last name on my account changed, now that I'm married? "Oh, we can't do that by phone. You'll have to take a picture ID into the office." Sigh. I still want to know why the payment was returned, so she transfers me to a supervisor. He couldn't tell me either! He says usually an NSF. I'm emphatic with him that this cannot be the reason. He admits he doesn't really know why it was returned. He says if I want to go ahead and make my payment, he'll transfer me again (I've been on the phone with them 25 minutes at this point). I tell him I don't want to be transferred again. He says he'll take my payment but a processing fee will be assessed! No thanks! Now I'm mad. Goodbye. I asked my daughter to take me to the Cox location to take care of this mess. Just before we leave, I say, "What good is a picture ID going to do? It only shows my present name and won't match the account name." She laughs! So, I went to pull both my old and updated passports to show the name change and we head on out.

We went four miles and there is no office where it's always been for years. She gets online on her cell and the Cox website still shows that it's there! It's not. We look for the next nearest location and drive another 7 or 8 miles to it. The clerk at Cox, looking bored out of her mind, listens to my story. She says all she can do is take my payment and re-establish my connection. She took my phone number and says she will email someone to find out what happened with my auto-payment and will call me back. I then move on to the name change. I pulled out my passports and requested an update to the account name. She won't even look at the passports. So what if I prove who I am, give the secret password, the service address, my DOB, etc? She wants my marriage certificate which the idiot on the phone didn't mention and which is not a legal or even a picture ID and is none of their business!

This is a stupid utility account, not a national security clearance background check, for Pete's sake! Now I'm ready to go postal. Daughter is trying to calm me down. She said, "Just pay and let's get out of here." So I forked over my money for all this non-service and we left. I was practically in tears and my foot, in its cumbersome cast, was aching terribly. Can you believe all this hassle? Well, here it is 3:30 pm Monday, and no one has called me back to tell me why there was a problem with the payment. No surprise to me. I will be cancelling my Cox account within the next several days.

I had to lower my plans to the lowest rate plan possible to minimize my monthly expenses until I drove from San Diego to Las Vegas to cancel my accounts in person. I had to pay for the gas there and back, a hotel while I was there, and food during the trip. In addition, I had to use hundreds of minutes on my cell phone to go through this process. All in all, dealing with this company has cost me hundreds of unnecessary dollars. I plan to take Cox to small claims court to recoup these costs.

Day 2 The cable channels above 20 go off. Called Cox and they said to restart the box. Two hours later the same thing occurred. Will send technician to fix box. Day 3 Technician arrives and changes out box. Later that night same problem occurs. Day 5 New technician sent and determines that connectors on 2 lines not installed behind plates causing low signal. Measures signal and determines main living room box wire is also deficient. Calls to have new line run around home for living room.

Day 6 3rd party contractor comes to run cable. Does not have white cable. Said that Cox gives all material and their next shipment is in 6 days. Must wait. Call Cox and ask why can't someone get me 175 feet of white cable with more than 200 employees in Tucson. Someone must have some. Spoke to 3 people at Cox and the last lady said it would be taken care of and would call back that day. Never called.

Day 7 3rd party contractor shows up and was to have white cable. Said they had no white cable but will run black cable. While they were here called local Cox number. Asked to speak to a supervisor and was transferred. Told the agent that I had two people here and gave him the problem that they said they would come with white wire. He said he would contact a supervisor right now. Told me he was in New York. Came back and said he had to fill out a form and the supervisor would not speak to me for 1 to 2 hours. I pleaded for him to speak to me while the 3rd party people were here. He said the supervisor refused.

He sent the form through. 3rd party asked what to do and I said just cancel this call as black cable will get me in trouble. I would wait for call backs to set up another appointment. They left after being here 15 minutes and speaking to their office. Filed complaint with City of Tucson over internet web page. Complaint form never stated what process it would follow and how things would get corrected. Called 791-4747 and spoke to a helpful lady - Linda **. She said the form goes through quite a few people but she will send a message to Cox and get them to do something with the white cable ASAP. Day 8 As of 10:30 AM, July 17, 2009, no one has ever called or responded knowing our address, phone number and email address.

Each time you speak to a person you are asked each time your phone number, pin# and/or address to verify. I gave this out at least 7 times so they absolutely knew who I was and how to contact me. We are now left with partial cable service paying $155.00 per month for all the Cox bundle. They even have the ability to get the money right from our checking account automated. Next call will be to the Arizona Star Daily News.

I started corresponding via email about this and was told and am not getting anything back and actually I owe them $86.00 at this point. I let the cable company know of the error and they inform me that my bill was in fact $193.55 because of additions on my account. I let them know I never made additions and my bill is supposed to be $129.00 monthly and at this point they have a total of $322.55. The customer service agent then hung up on me. I called back and asked to speak with a customer service supervisor and was told by Whitney ** that "David tried to call me back and she will go over the account because no supervisors are available." I let her know that I insist on speaking with a supervisor and will hold because I am occupied typing my complaint to consumer affairs.

After a few minutes, a supervisor named Crystal ** got on the phone and told me that I was being billed $129.00 a month and then there's another $49.00 charge for a router (this was never discussed before and I had no knowledge of anything to do with this). And I have $60.00 in long distance calls and let's not forget a pay per view movie. BUT if I am willing to pay more $ for my long distance service, she can discount and backdate my bill for phone service? I let her know that I have given their company $322.50 for less than a month's worth of service and because of this error in payment that they won't refund, my bank account is overdrawn and I can't afford to pay my rent or feed my kids. She said there's nothing they can do, it takes at least 21 days to refund. BUT the representative that emailed me said that I am getting nothing back?? THESE PEOPLE NEED TO BE DEALT WITH. THEY ARE OPERATING UNETHICALLY AND IRRESPONSIBLY!

The reason I am writing is because I was the one who requested that he order this one time telecast for me to watch. The way I see it is that if they reversed the charges earlier because it was a one time charge, then in no way should the service have been automatically reinstated. This is totally out of line with the way I think that Cox should handled its business.

When we received our bill, there was a $100.00 charge for the technician coming out in mid-December. I was not told there would be a charge to repair our internet service/router problem when I spoke to the customer service rep who scheduled the technician to come out nor at any point when the technician was here (We continued to have disruptions in internet service after the technician "fixed" the issue with the router). I called Cox Communications and finally spoke with a supervisor who finally removed the $100.00 charge. We were so fed up with the problems we were having that we contacted other internet services to have our service switched over but unfortunately the earliest we could have it switched was the second week in January (I work from home and rely on the internet for my job and, unfortunately, couldn't cancel service with Cox Communications until another internet service had been installed).

When we received our bill for services for December 1 through December 31 we paid the bill in full. In January I cancelled all of our services with Cox Communications effective January 9th on which date we were switching to another internet/phone/cable service. I also filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. The response from Cox Communications stated that we were charged the $100.00 for a technician to come out in mid-December to install internet on a new laptop (which was untrue) and the letter made it sound like they had done us a huge favor by removing the charge. Their letter went on to state that our services had been disconnected effective January 9th but that our phone service was disconnected on January 23rd (we had a NEW phone service installed effective January 9th along with new internet and cable service with another provider and when I called Cox Communications to cancel our services with them, I cancelled ALL of our services, internet, cable, AND phone effective January 9th and was not told when I cancelled our services that our phone service would be disconnected on a different date).

Yesterday, we received our final bill from Cox Communications. The bill states that we owe $124.00. I called to find out exactly what we owed $124.00 for since we only had service from January 1st through January 9th and the itemized charges on the bill don't match up to the amount they state we owe. I was told there was a previous balance. A previous balance? We paid our December bill. I was told there was a charge for this, another charge was deducted, there was a charge for something else, something else was deducted, blah, blah, blah. None of it made any sense.

Then I was told we were being charged for the remaining amount owed on the router and adapter. I asked why. I was told that we owed because we hadn't cancelled service within 30 days of activating our service, that we wouldn't have owed anything more on the router and adapter and could have returned them if we had cancelled within 30 days. I was never told not when we called to schedule to have phone/internet/cable service connected or when I called to cancel our services with Cox - that we would have to pay for the router and adapter if we cancelled our services after 30 days. So now we owe for a router and adapter that we aren't using and they won't let us return them. And, in addition, we owe approximately $70.00 for 9 days of service?!?!?!?!? (Our monthly bill was only supposed to be $116.00 for basic phone/internet/basic cable and they're charging us $70.00 for 9 days of service.) I filed a new complaint with the Better Business Bureau regarding this final bill we just received and am waiting for a response to that.

Cox Communications provided substandard service, substandard equipment, poor technical support for the equipment used for their services. They didn't inform us that there would be a charge for their repair service (and then I had to fight to have the service charge removed). They didn't inform us of their policy regarding a time frame for returning equipment when cancelling their services and now we're being charged for the balance on a modem and adapter that we aren't using. They disconnected our phone service on a different date than our internet and cable service but didn't inform us that the disconnect date for our phone would be 2 weeks after our internet and cable were disconnected even though I specifically cancelled all 3 services to be effective on the same date. We're not only being charged for a router and adapter that we aren't using but we're also being charged almost $0.00 for 9 days of service when the monthly bill was only supposed to be $116.00.

On Nov. 29, 2008, after calling almost daily to see if the coverage was active (1-800-429-9526), I spoke with Dianna, who began a more intensive investigation into the missing coverage. She assured me that she would contact the appropriate people to get answers. On 12/31/08, I called again and was advised that she would need to call me after 1/1/09. On 1/2/09, we were advised to send an additional $1102.15 to: 151 Farmington Ave., Hartford, CT, 06156 to the Attn: **- this was mailed within the next hour that very day. On 1/8/09, I called to get the status of our coverage on the 800 number- still no info. I spoke to Carol and was advised that our application was received on 12/16/08 (why it took that long to get it in the system - almost a month???- is a mystery to me) and that she was going to email ** for info. Today (1/9/09), I spoke to Dianna who said they were waiting on a response from COX and added Carol was working on it.

MEANWHILE, I am out of High blood pressure medicine, Asthma meds, Diabetes meds and am extremely ill and cannot afford to go get my prescriptions filled, go to the doctor for whatever it is I now have and feel that I have been given the runaround for nearly TWO MONTHS between Cox and COBRA. Can SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME?????

My first bill correctly reflected only the internet service. On my second bill, Cox charged me an additional $95 for cable service which I never ordered. I ended up wasting over an hour of my time arguing with Cox over the phone that they incorrectly charged me for cable which I never had ordered and wanted them to credit the full $95. At first, they said I should have called to cancel the cable service, but I told them how could I know to cancel a service which I never ordered?? I told them I did call to have a return label sent to me for the box which their technician mistakenly left. They responded by saying that my call was not documented. Then they told me I was actually given a promotional deal where the first month of cable service was free which was why it wasn't shown on the first month's bill.

Again, I never ordered the service to begin with so the runaround they gave me was completely bogus. They only agreed to credit me $50 at the end and said it was all they could do. I was so upset because this was an error on their end and now I'm being penalized for it. I feel like Cox does this on purpose to entrap customers into services they did not order. What this company did to me was completely unethical. Their customer service sucks too. They are rude and impatient and they obviously don't care whether they lose customers or not.

It is so frustrating, I have considered selling our home and moving to a location in the valley where we can receive reasonable service. We have another home in another state and have wonderful service with Qwest, which has only failed twice in the last four years. COX SHOULD BE BANKRUPTED BY ALL OF US EVEN IF WE HAVE TO ABANDON OUR PHONE, CABLE, AND INTERNET SERVICES!

They came out again 1 week later. So the Cox guy is trying to hook it up and then comes into the house and says that he's sorry it was going to take longer than thought. He had to leave and go back to the office to get some cable line, that mine had been cut. He said he would return in 1/2 hour. I asked him repeatedly if I was going to be charged for having to out new cable line in and he said, "No, not to worry." He came back with another truck and a guy and due amount, and they will take care of the bill for next month.

Now my cable bill is 199.00 with 107.00 past due... What do I do now? The bill collectors are calling, wanting to know when I am going to pay the bill and it having a negative effect on my credit rating.

Our neighbors experience the same problems as we do, so it can not be house lines. I have in the past replaced and was charged for cable lines coming into the house. We have lines all over the place around the front of the house and sides. Also they do a terrible job of putting up these lines. They just stick them where it is easy. They will not run them in the attic of the house. So you end up with a mess around the house. Looks like a student was playing around with learning how to put in new lines.

I am so disappointed with this company! We do not have access to other providers except AT&T which has very bad internet service. When Cox Cable does work, it is a good connection on the internet. Just wish they would fix the digital television service we are charged premium prices for and the phone service we have been paying for!

Fortunately, I am retired and the internet and phone service and internet access are irritants rather than business impediments. However, there should be some heads that roll at Cox for creating such a mess after trapping people into becoming dependent on their services. I wish there were other total package alternatives and I would choose to no longer do business with Cox. As I said earlier, it is almost a week now that my service has been disrupted for hours at a time.

I am not interested in hearing from an attorney. I only want the Cox service to improve or have the contract awarded to another carrier. I would also hope that Cox is planning to issue a credit for all of the time that they had people dependent on them without providing the service they seem to promise in their advertising.

When I requested a refund for the HBO and Starz charges (they have been charging me for a year and I never knew I had it), I was told there was a free three-month HBO and Starz promotion included with a new service and that since I had never cancelled them, no refund. It is my problem, not theirs. I am being charged $14.99 for basic cable PLUS $34.00 for enhanced service. Total= $48.99. On their webpage it states that enhanced service is $34.00. NOWHERE does it say that this is in ADDITION to the basic service. When I asked how much my cable would be with enhanced service, the agent stated Enhanced service is $34.00. Not until I pressed for the total charge did she mention that basic cable is required to get enhanced cable. Truth in advertising? Fraud?

The apartments where I live signed what I consider an illegal arrangement with Cox when the building was built. The apartment owners agreed to allow Cox sole access to the property so that Pacific Bell (AT&T) was not allowed to run cable to service the building. We MUST use Cox as Pacific Bell (or any other service) are NOT allowed to provide service to this property. I have been told this directly by Pacific Bell when I attempted to get Pacific Bell telephone and DSL service installed here. I complained to UCAN (a consumer group here in So Calif) but they told me they didn't see a problem. They felt it was okay for Cox to not allow any competition. I think this is illegal and a restraint of fair trade.

My sister and I were his power of attorney when he was alive. I have spoken to other companies who provided service to my brother and they were much friendlier in their dealings. I do not have Cox Communications in my area of the state, thank God, so I have other options. I am told they have terrible customer service by other family members who have no option but to use them. It is a shame a monopoly can get away with treating people badly. I also sent a check electronically for payment for my brother and it was later sent back to me stating it was the wrong address. The address is exactly the mailing address. The customer service representative argued with me about that stating he did not get the payment. I do not think it is my fault that they made an error.

I spoke to a supervisor from Cox today and she was very rude in her conversation with me. She said that our address is not serviceable, although all of our neighbors around us have Cox service. The box that provides service to all of our neighbors is right across the street and is closer to our house than to anyone else around us. As a matter of fact, during construction of our house, the neighbor’s house that is beside us had their cable run across our lot to the box, which was damaged during the construction over 3 months ago, which Cox, just 2 days ago, came out to inspect. The service manager who spoke to me on the phone today was very rude and said that it’s our problem that our lot is not serviceable and that I needed to go about calling whoever to get service and then hung up. I am very dissatisfied at the service that is being provided when we only want to be paying customers for service that Cox can supply us.

Here we are, September 1, and when we called this morning (believe it or not!), we got the same person (at least it was the same name). She said there was nothing on our account about calling in June. I was definitely not happy. She said she would send an email to their main office in Atlanta. It would take 24 hours for them to look at the email, 3 days for them to investigate, and another 6 to 8 weeks for the check to get back to me. Are you kidding me?

Immediately after this conversation, I called Cox customer service and spoke to Matt. I explained the issue to him and that this long distance service carrier ZPDI (a.k.a. New Century Telecom) was never authorized by me to change my current long distance plan that I had currently with Cox Communications. Needless to say, I just opened my most recent bill today, July 28th, and have a $594.85, $322.65 + taxes, for ZPDI-billed long distance calls. My prior bills were never more than $130.00 per month for everything including cable, phone service, internet and unlimited long distance plan. I feel that I'm being scammed and extorted, and Cox must be in on it!

I have been with Cox Cable and its predecessors for thirty years and this is the way I am treated. I suspect that the new HD converter boxes will fix the problem, but they won't give them away because that takes away the sale of new boxes, plus they wouldn't be able to charge the extra fee that HD boxes bring in. I'm sure that's why they won't answer some of the questions.

I called and they said there’s nothing we can do, that we'll just have to live with it. Also, the supervisor was so rude and didn't believe me even after I suggested I have the bank that can send a fax proving the information. He said that wouldn't help anyway because our computer says otherwise. I asked, “How does what the actual bank would say not matter”? So, I had the bank send the fax anyway. I called back but Cox said they never got it. I had them send it a second, third and fourth time, up to 17th time.

Finally, they admitted to getting one of the faxes (after I had showed proof and all the faxes were sent). They said I need to talk to a collection’s supervisor, then to the billing department, followed by the customer service department, then payment department. They said, “You'll just have to deal with this yourself and call InstaCheck because it’s not our problem.” So, I did. The manager Lacey said, “Sorry, we must have switched the numbers. Why don't you call me back on this line with the bank and we’ll rectify it?” And I did but she had given me a bogus number.

I called the other numbers and no one answered. Same with Cox, I suggested having the bank on the other line, and the supervisor said, “Go ahead, but it’s not going to help.” All the numbers were bogus or they hung up on me; even though I was so nice, calm, and not mean at all unlike them. They actually looked at the faxes and said it wasn’t proof enough and asked for an ACH transmittal from the bank and that wasn’t enough.

They said my services were going to be turned off if I didn’t pay on the 4th time and my personal banker discouraged me to give them any more money that would probably never show up in the system. I have been on the phone for 8 hours a day for 2 weeks. My business had been put on hold. My life and my sleep had all been absorbed by this situation. The fact that the reps said they’d call back within an hour but it never happened, and the other half of them would hang up on me while I was on hold, shows that they actually don’t want to rectify the situation.

I have not received one call back from them, not even one update, but a horrible customer service. With the amount of money I spent, I was so surprised on their reaction when I said, “I didn’t think I should be with Cox anymore.” They said, “Well I have to go.” They never rectified the situation or even tried to resolve it. I hear this is normal when you pay over the phone with a Cox operator. If you’re considering Cox, please save yourself the hassle. The DVR boxes don’t work half the time, and the cable and internet go out at least 3 times a week and when it’s raining.

With billing, you’ll find they will never admit they are wrong despite the proof that is in front of them. BTW, the fault was on Cox end, not on the check company, although they charged me an extra time as well. Because Cox failed to report the first payment, this had actually cleared my account for 3 times. A supervisor actually admitted to me that Cox has always had problems with billing, auto-draft and checks because the numbers get put in wrong most of the time, and there’s nothing you can do to prevent it.

The advice I was given was to eat the money I lost; this was from the Cox supervisor. It’s sad but I’ve always known there was something a little off with this company. It’s nice to know that I am not the only one, and I feel so liberated to be rid of this. I am paying on a 5th time now, so that I can close the account. But it is sad because I’ve already lost so much. Sleep over it. I have never had such a huge computer error in my life where the company didn’t even look into fixing it. This must be their way to make extra money on innocent customers. But I noticed this, unlike most. And I am not happy with Cox.

We travel abroad very often for lengthy periods, so I established a payment online and paperless. I never added any other services. Now, about to leave again, we called to suspend Cox Broadband connection and they asked us if the TV service was going to be suspended, too. In short, we have been paying for TV access without requesting it! I assumed that rates went up and that was why we were paying $66.00 monthly instead of approx. $39.00. When I talked to the supervisor, she insisted that I should have read the bill, that they had sent a letter telling us a while back, that they would start charging for TV cable connection and if we did not call to refuse it, it would automatically be charged! I never got such a letter and even so, I did not ask for additional services and I am wondering how many they gypped in this manner, in this area, where many speak very little English. This is scamming by a cable company. Incredible! And all we received for their scamming one month’s deduction of $20.00! I plan to contact the Arizona corporation commission and the city of Tempe.

Today on my scheduled install date I was informed by Verizon that Cox has refused to release my number to them for porting to the new service. They also told me that since FiOS is so new (only becoming available a few weeks ago) that Cox is doing this to all customers attempting to switch to Verizon in order to get the consumer frustrated at Verizon and keep the Cox service. I work from home and need a reliable internet connection, which Cox HSI does not provide (frequent outages and slow speeds) and switching to FiOS will remedy this situation. I took the day off from client meetings and appointments in order to facilitate the install of FiOS, but because of Cox, this could not occur.

We are not accustomed to buying inexpensive equipment with unreliable performance. Our lifestyle is quite the opposite and this lack of reliable service from a piece of TiVo equipment or Cox Communications is very frustrating. I don’t know whose equipment is at fault Cox says it’s TiVo and TiVo says it’s the Scientific Atlanta cards. I find it hard to believe that with all the cable subscribers using Scientific Atlanta cards and TiVo in this country that an incompatibility between these two pieces of equipment would be tolerated.

If the problem is with TiVo, I would appreciate some proof of that from Cox to use against them to force their prompt solution. If the problem is with Cox and their Scientific Atlanta cable cards, I want a full credit for my subscription fees for the past six months and to know what is being done to resolve this issue. I’m tired of being in the middle and paying full price for completely unreliable service and subjecting my household to these aggravating annoyances.

When calling I reported that several elderly, some on life care, had lost service & could not call 911 or paramedics or ANY emergency outfit. Their reps were totally unconcerned, & kept repeating they were sorry etc., but could do nothing. When residents have trouble, there is NOBODY who we can talk to except the person on duty who just apologizes & tells us they are working on it. No service for 7 days/nights is a fatality waiting to happen. Their service is not reliable and they admit no fault and/or concern. It seems they could/should provide some EMERGENCY service, e.g., loan cell phones to elderly, handicapped, medically recovering etc., individuals. There are almost 1,000,000 mobile home residents, mostly seniors/elderly in Ca., & approximately 40% are widows, who MUST have an emergency outlet. COX has agreed to give me/us 7-day credit, which is satisfactory money-wise but their totally NO PROVISION & rude attitude is postponing an unnecessary death time frame.

From what the customer service representative told me it is Cox Communications policy not to refund any Adult Programming charges. The rep. hung up on me while I was trying to explain that these charges were NOT ordered. Charges on my cable bill keep adding up and adding up. In the past two months this problem has racked up quite a bill that I cannot continue to pay, therefore, I will not be able to continue cable and internet services. Cox Communications is the only company in this area. I have no choice, but to keep paying these charges that are NOT mine!

I DID NOT MOVE HERE UNTIL THE 3RD OF MARCH AND THE SERVICE REQUEST DID NOT HAPPEN UNTIL THE 6TH OF MARCH. I had to take a half day off work and conspire with the technician to get the phone to work. I waited from the 6th to the 21st for internet service (which I had to take another half-day off work to finally get) and was told I was being credited for the failure. I have just reviewed my bill online and I am completely overwhelmed: Total Cable Services 42.70 (I was told this was about $26); Total Internet Services 53.60 (I was told this was about $36); Total Telephone 34.65 (I was told this was $13); Total Fees, Surcharges & Taxes $7.31; Total Current Charges $138.26. And there seems to be an outstanding balance of $40+ that I have never been sent a bill for nor has it been sent to my email address as I requested. You couldn't get the phone to work, you couldn't get the internet to work and now you can't seem to get your own accounting to work.

I have made numerous phone calls about failures of your company. Each time I get a little more convinced that your much lauded commitment to customer service is complete fiction. I feel trapped into using your very poor services as you are the only provider in this area. I am extremely dissatisfied. I want someone to take some initiative and fix this. I want to hear from someone about this. All I wanted was the History channel and Discovery. That is what I asked for in the beginning and that is what I was told I was buying. Please review my account. Please read any notes attached thereto. Please listen to my frustration. I am copying this whole tirade into a real, paper letter and sending it to as many people as I can. You have had a service failure.

Now this time I want a sincere apology. I've had more than my fair share of this distasteful company. I didn't complain when I first switched my service over to them from another provider. I was quoted one price, but have been billed something totally different. I don't complain when my internet is down for hours at a time. But something has got to give with all the skullduggery. I'd like this addressed and this time, it needs to be resolved or I'm writing any and everyone who is in a position to do something about this problem other than the workers at Cox!

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.

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 cant 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 payment that should have been autopayed but for some reason was not, and sever frustration and aggravation at the total indifference to customer service and billing integrity.

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?

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.

I ripped apart every entertainment system in my home (3) checking serial numbers on my cable converter boxes. All of which were correct with their records. We applied a block to Pay Per View Services requiring me to call in if I ever chose to order Pay Per View again. I was told to write a letter to their Pay Per View customer service department. Which I did, explaining that I had never in the past even ordered a regular pay per view movie. I also volunteered to prove by my work schedule I wasn't home when the charges were being ordered. I was told she would start an investigation at her end and I would be notified with the outcome. I received nothing.

I received a generic letter back from Cox telling me no credit would be issued. I call the office back again. To no avail, I asked for supervisor after supervisor and not one person would give me their title. They wouldn't even send a technician out to my home to investigate the line.

I informed them I would be reporting them to the FCC, and local Channel 10 News. They told me "I wouldn't be the first," and that "Other people have taken us to court over these same circumstances and we have won." I received my June bill and had once again mysteriously accrued more charges. I called the office again. I was told that these $75.00 worth of charges had accrued since my last billing cycle before I placed the block. Now just yesterday I shut off the TV from TNT, a basic channel and went to bed at 11pm. The next day at 1pm, I turned on that same set. It was on Channel 594 an Adult pay per view station. I was mortified!!

I called the office immediately asking if my block was still in place and informed them of the situation. I was informed that yet 2 more movies were ordered that night at 11:30. I was livid. I couldn't believe that the whole I had to call in to order pay per view thing was out the window. I was now being told that, "I need to be more careful with who was handling my remote control." I LIVE ALONE in a single family residence! Finally after obtaining a disconnected telephone number from him to call the Corporate headquarters, I received a call back explaining that the woman who originally put the block on my account only applied it to 1 converter box in my home. "Their mistake." The block I was assured would now be on all sets in my home.

I told him I didn't believe him and was fed up with them. I told him to get a technician out to remove my converters, and investigate the line, which again took another call back. What was supposed to be next day service, turned into 2 weeks for an available appointment. I have had it and plan to cancel all service with Cox, and they will be high and dry for the $380 worth of unordered charges.

Beware! By the way with high definition technology, DSS and Dish network is A LOT better... because Cox will try to sell you a $600.00 box plus a $50 installation fee (even though I ended up connecting it) so $50 for delivering the box and all of channels 2-100 is still analog not even digital. DSS starts around $300 and if you are a first time customer, installation is free and you get rebates for your equipment and all your channel is crisp and digital. You do the math. So Cox = analog + digital + HD = BAD resolution for your expensive TV! DSS = digital + HD = BETTER for your HDTV. Just ask any HDTV retailer. Ok that's it. I wasted enough time in behalf of those morons....

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 extremely 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.

Also our phone wires were cut in the front of our house from the utility box, and wires were hanging out onto the sidewalk, Cox claimed one of their service people cut the wrong lines. No trucks from SBC or Cox were forthcoming all weekend. We made numerous call to both to see whom would be coming to re-connect us. This went on until Monday when my husband went to a local phone booth and was on the phone for 2 hours with yet another 3-way call and the utility commission, who told them to clear this up.

We were told that at 5:00pm Monday service would be restored, didn't happen. I called a Kathy with Cox throughout 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.

It has now been two weeks. The cable is still lying in my backyard that has been marked by miss utility. I can't mow until they bury my cable. Because it will erase the paint lines. We have talked to four different sales reps. They have all given me NO answers. One told me they would give me a credit for the cable that wasn't installed that I was charged for. They said I had to make a complaint on the internet for the siding but there is no complaint section!!! But they want their first payment in one week!!!

In the meantime, I was told three separate times that evening that they would send out another technician. No one arrived. The following day, I was told that someone would connect the outside line and leave the cables in my door since I would not be home. They did, in fact connect outside, but failed to leave the cables (which I would have been unable to connect myself anyway) and therefore I still could not receive service.

I was finally transferred to a supervisor on the third day, after multiple requests, who was able to get a technician to come out and connect my cable. However, no one explained the difference between limited basic and expanded basic service and approximately five minutes after the technician left, I lost the upper fifty channels of my cable. Thinking this was a service problem, as I had been receiving all of the channels only moments before, I called Cox again to request the problem be corrected. I spoke directly with the supervisor, Michelle **, who assured me that she would "turn the box on" and that would fix the problem. She then said that I should call her when I returned home (she would be in the office until 9:00 p.m.) to let her know if I was receiving all of the channels.

When I returned home, I was still only getting the lower fifty. I called her direct number at 5:45 p.m. and did not hear back from anyone until I again called her direct number the following morning from my office. At that time, my complaint was transferred to a man named "James" who made the same assurance for the box to be turned on, but when I returned home that night, I still had no service to the upper fifty channels. I called James' direct line at 9:00 a.m. the following morning and still had not heard back from him by 2:00 p.m. I decided to call Cox's main line and see if someone else could assist me. I was, fortunately, connected to a woman named Samantha who explained that the source of the problem was not the box being "off" but that the service I had requested did not authorize the upper fifty channels. Had someone explained that "limited basic" meant only the local channels and not the cable channels (why would I pay for local channels when I can get them for free?).

I would have ordered the expanded service to begin with. In the meantime, I cannot understand why even the supervisor failed to note this oversight and felt it necessary to give me the run-around. It has taken me six days of calling every day, several times a day, to 1)get my cable installed to begin with, and 2)get the full service and an explanation as to why I lost it in the first place. My experience with Cox has been so negative that I am seriously considering switching to satellite. Why are the cable markets not open to competition like they should be?

After complaining to them and with a supervisor's approval, I was able to cancel our subscription. Which is a subscription that is supposed to be non-refundable. However the next week when we looked at the scheduled games, the Yankees were playing and they showed. We resubscribed. However our troubles continued, they did not show a KEY game the Yankees vs. Red Sox, which is a major baseball rivalry and one of the reasons we paid for the subscription. Things only grew worse when they ADVERTISED the Arizona Diamondbacks vs. the Boston Red Sox. Being extremely excited and planning my day around the game, when it came game time, the screen was black.

When I called and spoke to someone (after 20 minutes waiting to get through), I was told, "You were never told this? Since you live in Nevada any home teams or teams from California or Texas is blocked out. It is a stipulation from MLB, they think you live close enough to go to the game, and when any of those teams are playing away you will still not be able to view those games." Meaning any California team or Texas team will be blacked out. However we have seen Anaheim angels, Arizona Diamondbacks, LA Dodgers, and San Francisco games before which fall into the California and Texas "blackout". We were told there was nothing we could do about that.

However when I told them, "You advertise that you can watch your home team even if you are away from home, This is what you advertised!" They said there is nothing we can do about that, it's MLB. HOWEVER when flipping through the channels, we noticed that they showed the last inning of the game! It said on the schedule and it advertised for the game and it's not showing, I was just told yes, those games will be advertised but will be blacked out on your screen. I did not ask for a free handout, I asked since you are not keeping your end of the bargain (Showing 35 KEY games each week, and your home teams even when you are away from home), If I could receive a discount since we were only able to view LESS THAN HALF of the games advertised! They refused.

As I explained to her, the fact that this outstanding balance is still showing is NOT my fault, but the fault in your billing services. As I am on a fixed income (I live on a Widow's pension) and I have MS and epilepsy which keeps me home-bound much of the time unless I am at college), I have to pay all of my bills at the beginning of each month and then budget out the remainder for my general living expenses of the remainder of the month. Believe me, I am left with very little to live off of.

In addition to this "current" dilemma I have with Cox, I am still having a serious problem with the phone service which I used to have but which I demanded, in email, be disconnected back in March when I suddenly received a bill that had serious long distance charges on it from a telephone, which I specifically requested, NOT have any type of long distanced permitted on it. That particular telephone line was ** and was located in my brother's private bedroom. Due to the fact that he has serious emotional and mental disabilities we have had major problems in the past with his having access to long distance service of any kind. You can imagine my surprise to find bills in excess of 153 dollars in long distances charges on my bill. He was accepting long distance calls COLLECT!!! When I contacted your customer service I was informed that it was up to me to request the inability to accept long distance charges. Exactly what do you people think denotes "absolutely no access to long distance calls" means?

As a consumer, I am NOT aware of the specific requirements YOU may have in reference to long distance service... I said NONE! NONE is what I meant. I ended up paying that phone bill which was in excess of 300.00 and then learned that there is still another pending with additional long distance charges on it. At the beginning of April I demanded to know the full amount due to clear my account and felt I had done so. I cannot afford any more monies going out to a phone service which deliberately deceives its customers and then refuses to shut off their service at the time requested. I was totally out of the home as ** as of April 1 and living here. I am NOT responsible for any phone service usage which continued after that date and NOR am I responsible for a single long distance bill which occurred from the ** extension.

If some adjustment is not made and I am shut off due to the failure of Cox to bill in a timely and appropriate manner, I will suffer the loss of my ability to gain additional income as well as to attend my college classes, which will be on line thru the summer. Believe me, litigation will follow as will reports to Channel 3 News and any newspaper/magazine that cares to listen. I have had it with this type of abuse and ineffective service. Please fix it.

I will have absolutely NO problem paying the total 146.49 in by the third of June. There is NO way I can afford to pay the additional 22.55, which you claim, now, is past due by the 25th of this month. Nor will I be held responsible for phone service which I specifically requested NOT be permitted and which I also requested be terminated.

On Nov. 30th, 2001, the Cox Communications employee that was responsible for picking up the equipment did not show up on the time scheduled. My wife and myself made several phone calls during that day to the customer support number mentioning that it was very important that the equipment was picked up because we were leaving early next morning. For our surprise, the Cox employee never appeared. Since it was so late and the rental office of the apartment complex we lived in was closed, we left the equipment inside the apartment and left notes on the door, and at the rental office that the equipment was in the apartment and asking that when someone from Cox Communications appeared, thinking it would be the next day, the apartment should be opened to retrieve the equipment.

Around 60 to 90 days later, we received in California a bill of a little more than $439 dollars for equipment charges. Not only were we perplex of why we had received such bill, we were amazed that it only came after almost 90 days. Immediately, I called the accounts receivable department to get more information about the bill. After numerous conversations with the accounts receivable department during the following week of my call, it was brought to my attention that the problem was solved. What I was told is that there had been a problem in the system were the equipment didn't get credited to my account correctly but now was fixed. I was relieved that everything had worked out fine.

About a month later, I received a phone call from Credit Control, saying that I had an undue balance of $439 dollars with Cox Communications. I could hardly believe what I was hearing after around 30 days of what I thought was a solved problem. I immediately called Cox again talking to the same person asking what was going on, and I received no explanation at all either than I don't understand why this has happened and that the previous information that was given to me 30 days earlier was wrong. So I tried calling the apartment complex rental office to get a copy of the receipt that had the return of the equipment. Incredible when I found out that nobody from Cox Communications ever showed up to get the equipment and by then they had no idea where the equipment was.

Since my name was on the contract, even though I was not totally responsible for the problem, I decided to pay the undue balance, in an attempt to protect my credit that I was trying to rebuild after so many years out of the country. I requested to the person I was talking to how could I make the payments. We agreed that the total amount would be paid in four payments of $109 dollars using a credit card one at that time and one on every 18th of the next three months. Today after everything that happened, being on time with my bills with Cox communications as I always have been (never delaying one day) and having two of the four payments of the $439 dollars made, I received a credit report, a service that I have from my credit card company, showing that, and this is the reason for my e-mail, that I have 2 Collection items on file, that will be listed for SEVEN YEARS on my credit report from Cox Communications and Credit Control Corp because of this incident.

I am deeply hearten by this, if this situation will create in the future great difficulties for myself and my family. I never, in every phone call I made to Cox, mention that I would not pay. I always tried to be helpful even though I was not always receiving help from Cox neither from Credit Control. Even after I made two payments confirming MY WORDS that my intention was to pay in order to protect my credit, Cox Communications and Credit Control marked my credit. I could not believe that a respected company as Cox Communications let this pass unnoticed and unaddressed.

That evening when the technician was leaving he said he would return the next night to complete the job and clean up his mess. He left an exposed face plate, wires running across my living room and the aforementioned same service I had when he arrived. The next evening he did not show up to finish the job. I called Cox. The phone operator, I did not get his name, said he could have a tech at my apartment the next day AT ANY TIME I WANTED. I asked for a technician to come at 11AM the next day and I asked the phone operator, "If I have to leave at 12 to return to my office and he is not done can I tell him to leave? I only have an hour for lunch." The phone operator said "Of course". Needless to say I waited at my home for a technician and nobody showed up.

I then received a call at work from a woman around 2pm telling me a technician was on their way to my house, would I be there. I replied with an emphatic NO and explained the problem to her. She spoke with the head of dispatch and he (Pedro) assured me a Supervisor would be at my home the next Monday to remedy this problem. Last evening was Monday and around 7PM when nobody showed I called Cox again. Then I was told that an operator showed up at my apartment at 6:10 PM but nobody was home. I was at home from work at 5:45 anxiously awaiting the resolution to this problem.

The phone operator (Dexter) said he would get in touch with the technician and call me back. He never did. At 730PM when I called Cox AGAIN I spoke with Susan, who informed me that she was a Supervisor and had been with Cox for over 7 years. She then listened to me recant my Cox horror story until she interrupted me to tell me that they only schedule appointments in a 4 hour window of time and that she couldn't control anything that happened before but she could reschedule my appointment.

When I asked to be phoned at my office the next day by her supervisor before I rescheduled my appointment because I wanted some assurances that this would not happen again, she repeatedly explained that she felt as if we were talking in circles and she couldn't fix my cable over the phone, blah, blah, blah! No semblance of customer support, no accountability for her company’s actions NOTHING!!! Because without ANY cable I have no television reception, I relinquished any free will and called to schedule my FIFTH appointment to expand my cable service, thereby forking over additional monies to Cox Communications every month even though they don't give a damn about me or the quality of service they provide. I have lost a total of 7 hours of work. I earn $36,000 a year. I currently have a hole in my wall where the face plate used to be, a bunch of cable running around my living room and a seething hate for Cox.

Then I asked how much it was to. For two months of service I was thinking $100. Then she said something like $400. She told me I had a cable box and a remote that I was renting out. I explained I live in a condo and cable is paid for and I never agreed, had or signed for this other stuff. I had just ordered the internet service. She said it would go to a special group at Cox and they would give me a call in the next week.

I never get a call so I call back in and speak to Venessa. I had to explain the whole thing again and she said she would have a supervisor call me later in the day. I don't hear anything and get home from work to find a notice saying I owed a lot of money and to pay it. Well at least they had the address right now. I call back in and get Rob who I have to tell everything too again and I wanted to speak to a manager immediately. He tells me he is sending me to their leads VM and sends me to Vanessa's voicemail.

I call back in and get Vanessa and tell her I want to disconnect my service. She asks why. I'm boiling at this point and she finally talks me into giving her manager a chance to talk to me and to hold on the line. Or i could let the manager call me. I choose to stay on the line. She hangs up on me. Then Rob calls me and asks why I want my service disconnected. I'm to the last straw here so I wanted to find a group to vent to in hopes it can help this work.

I called to state I had paid and had presumably mailed it in time to get there. They said it not only had to reach Cox by the due date but it had to be processed and posted, so the next time I should mail the bill earlier. I was attached a late fee of 10% of the bill because they posted the bill two days after the due date during the Christmas season and with the postal service slow.

I tried to reach billing information on the internet but it wouldn't go through (apparently a number of other people were also exploring this avenue of checking their bills on-line). I tried to enter a password to gain access to my billing information which also wouldn't go through. In order to fill out the internet form to gain access to my billing information, part of the form that had to be filled out included my E-mail address, so they could sent Cox offers and propaganda to me. This has nothing to do with obtaining access to my billing information. This also would apparently not go through. I backed out of this application and went back to work on my computer. In about 20 minutes I received E-mail confirmation that my password had gone through and I could now obtain access to my billing information.

In the meantime, I had called the company and been informed that I could have one "late fee" waived per year and that, according to my past payment records, there had never been a problem with me paying. I was also informed that the payment not only had to be received by the due date, it had to be posted. I work from home transcribing reports for a hospital and was not able to work for the rest of the night. I was thus not paid and the hospital's work was done done. I am fed up with these phone and cable monopolies and the tricks and stunts they are playing.

Coincidentally, the NBA season, including the playoffs, ended about a week before this charge was applied to my account. As far as the extended basic charge, which consisted of $24.06 of the $510, I never asked for or received this service. Three phone calls to Cox Communications' customer service have not resolved this fraudulent charge. Every phone call returns the same response of "We're checking on it." Cox has recently started sending threatening letters. I have not paid the additional monies and have no intention to do so.

My appt for the technician to come out was for between 0800-1200 hours. I was home all morning. The phone rang 3 times about 1000 and when I answered there was no one on the line. At 1205 I called 703-378-8422 and was advised that the technician reported that no one answered the door or the phone. I fought that through and he returned before 2 that afternoon and they did credit my bill. I have made numerous phone calls to Cox and sent e-mail to them and no answers or repairs to the issue have been done.

Starting 8/21/01, Channel 61 has a picture but no sound. I called the help number and was given an appt for Monday 8/27/01. I have tried to talk with a supervisor several times only to be coerced to stay with the clerk I am on the phone with currently.

I expect full service to be provided from my Cable Company or at least a decent response as to what the problem is and when it will be fixed. I feel I have been receiving the royal runaround for over 6 weeks. Wish there were some cable competition in Fairfax. Can Consumer Affairs give me some guidance who I can contact or where to go from here? This is all very frustrating. They upgraded and went digital and I've had unsatisfactory service since that time. The only name I have is Jay -- who has responded twice to my e-mail.

Upon investigating the matter, I learned that there had previously been a problem with Cox payments being lost at this particular Dillons store location. I learned this from a Dillons employee. And Cox says it is too bad I will just have to "make up the difference." We went in person to Cox and Carla said she'd turn our cable back on if we paid $82.00 right there on the spot. However, she stated the $77.44 would remain on our bill as unpaid.

She refused to give us information about what happened to the other people who had their payments stolen. Meanwhile we are cable less. I did tell her I thought I should file a police report.

We are going to have to pay the bill twice apparently. I suffer from fibromyalgia and stress is bad for me and this has caused a great deal of undue stress for me. Plus, we had to drive all the way out to the other side of town and be embarrassed and humiliated by Carla as she refused to accept any of our statements or receipts.

It took me two or three months to get the matter resolved because they thought he gave me another box. Now I turned in the cable box last month which I already had $150.00 deposit on it already and the bill came in last month before I turned in the cable box in the amount of $128.96 which was two month billing that we only owed on and when I turned over the cable box to the tech the $150.00 dollar deposit should've taken care of the $128.96 bill which they're saying that I still owe that amount.

Approximately one week later, I received a phone call from Cox, advising me my bill was past due. I explained to the rep what I had done. She said she would not my account and everything would be fine. A week or so later, I came home and my cable service had been disconnected. When I called Cox's "customer service" number, the rep told me I had been disconnected for failure to pay my bill. I explained the saga to her. She told me that I couldn't possibly be telling the truth because they have not had problems with missing payments in the night depository before.

When I realized I was getting nowhere with the rep, I asked for a supervisor and was connected with Linda. After speaking with Linda, I realized where the rep learned her condescending attitude... from her supervisor, Linda. Linda was absolutely no help and used the age-old customer care line, "There's nothing I can do for you, sir." The call ended with no resolution. I waited a few minutes, cooled down, and called Cox back. I advised the rep what was going on and asked if I could give her my credit card to have my service restored and I would iron out the other issues later. She agreed. Before I gave my credit card to her, I asked if my service could be restored the next day. She said, "No problem." I gave her my credit card and she said, "The past due amount and reconnection fee has been charged to your credit card. Oh, one more thing, it will actually be next week before we can get your service back on."

I went through the roof, explaining that she had just promised next day reconnection. Again, I received the Cox Communication mission statement, "There's nothing more I can do, sir. " I asked for a supervisor and was again transferred to the Mother Theresa of customer service, Linda. Linda must have just returned from a smoke break because this time, she overrode the orders and had my cable turned back on the following day. I worked with Cox's billing department for over a month and was accused of being dishonest and naive (for placing cash in the depository) to no avail. It was becoming apparent to me that Cox had no intention of reimbursing me for the double payment and reconnection fee I was forced to pay. Finally, I wrote a letter to the General Manager of the local office, threatening a lawsuit. I soon received a phone call from a young lady who agreed, with a fair amount of animosity, to the refund.

Since the Cox office was about 25 minutes from my home, I went to a nearby convenience store and used my ATM card to withdraw the cash to pay the bill. I did not buy a money order because I assumed (mistake #1) that the night depository was secure. I returned to their office, placed the cash, along with my statement, into an envelope, sealed it and returned home.

Approximately one week later, I received a phone call from Cox, advising me my bill was past due. I explained to the rep what I had done. She said she would note my account and everything would be fine. A week or so later, I came home and my cable service had been disconnected. When I called Cox's "customer service" number, the rep told me I had been disconnected for failure to pay my bill.

I explained the saga to her. She told me that I couldn't possibly be telling the truth because they have not had problems with missing payments in the night depository before. When I realized I was getting nowhere with the rep, I asked for a supervisor and was connected with Linda. After speaking with Linda, I realized where the rep learned her condescending attitude...from her supervisor, Linda. Linda was absolutely no help and used the age-old customer care line, "There's nothing I can do for you, sir."

The call ended with no resolution. I waited a few minutes, cooled down, and called Cox back. I advised the rep what was going on and asked if I could give her my credit card to have my service restored and I would iron out the other issues later. She agreed. Before I gave my credit card to her, I asked if my service could be restored the next day. She said, "No problem." I gave her my credit card and she said, "The past due amount and reconnection fee has been charged to your credit card. Oh, one more thing, it will actually be next week before we can get your service back on."

I went through the roof, explaining that she had just promised next day reconnection. Again, I received the Cox Communication mission statement, "There's nothing more I can do, sir." I asked for a supervisor and was again transferred to the Mother Theresa of customer service, Linda. Linda must have just returned from a smoke break because this time, she overrode the orders and had my cable turned back on the following day.

Dec 25 we (the entire house) decided to go with cable once again as it was more convenient and we had to sign no long-term contracts. So we initiated the "turn back on process" with the cable company. In the interim the cable had been accruing charges against it. I settled my past due bill amount of $150.00 (Cox received the payment Jan 5th). We proceeded to discuss the $150 - $200 credit for services never received, or I guess you could say we didn't know we were receiving the cable ... and the cable was turned on with the promise that the charges accumulated during Oct 15th (est.) until Jan 8. (again the period which the cable company and myself agreed I was not liable for) would be credited.

The collection agency, Commonwealth Information Systems, Inc. and Cox Cable removed the negative information from my credit report and ARE supposed to refund me the $114.78. This was supposed to occur on 11/15/00. However, I still have not received the refund check. I have sent a letter to Cox and left several messages for Ms. Fenton to call me in regards to this issue and I have not had a response. Therefore, I am reporting the company to the BBB and plan on taking legal action if they do not respond. I will be suing the company for negligence as they should have checked the SSN before they provided service. I have also reported this company to the Better Business Bureau.

The time I have spent trying prove to the collection agency and Cox that this was fraudulent account. After not receiving my refund Cox and being totally ignored, is very stressful. I paid money in error for someone else's wrong-doing. I also had to file a financial crimes police report, as well as file a fraud alert status with all three credit reporting agencies. This never would have happened if Cox would have checked the information that was provided on their application. They would have seen that the SSN name and address did not match the name and address on the application. I have plenty of paperwork to prove they were negligent and am ready to sue if necessary.

After one failed attempt at a technician working from the other unit and mine upstairs due to scheduling conflicts, yet ANOTHER technician was sent out. Numerous calls to the 602-277-1000 number were made to discover "next steps". A supervisor did return ONE of my calls and scheduled this technician to my residence. He discovered that the line that the contractor cut had DROPPED DOWN INSIDE THE WALL and was unretrievable. Necessary action would now be to CUT A HOLE IN MY LIVING ROOM WALL. This would require my apartment management and Cox to work together to get this done, if possible.

My management company at Club Oasis Apartments made calls to Cox, but yet NO RESOLUTION OR AGREEMENT was reached. "Art" came by my unit UNANNOUNCED on a weekend morning. By now disgusted with the entire ordeal, I described the situation to Art and he took a look at my wall jack and the unit upstairs. He then informed me that he had "a tool" that he could use to grab the fallen cable and hook everything back up without cutting a hole in my wall, and would do so later in that week. He then said that he would call when the job was complete and the cable repaired. I have not heard from him since.

I tested the cable on January 18, 2000 and I am still without service. It is going on almost 7 weeks since the onset of my disconnected cable. I have made several calls to the customer service line and they have left messages with supervisors and/or managers to call me. I have only heard from one and she left me a message saying she would call back again. NOTHING.

• The week of January 10 I made a call to the Escalation Department at Cox and was told that a supervisor would be in touch with me within 48 hours. NOTHING.
• On January 17, I made yet another call. The operator I spoke to said she would put in a "ticket request" and asked me what a good time was for me to be called back. I gave her the time and telephone number and still TO THIS DATE I HAVE NOT HEARD FROM ANY COX REPRESENTATIVE.
• On January 20, 2000, I again called the Executive Offices 602-866-0072 escalation line and was on hold from 11:46am until I finally hung up at 12:37pm.

My last resort was to drive to the Executive Office and explain a portion of my dilemma to Ms. Michelle G., who said she would see what she could do about the situation and then she would "get back to me." Additionally, I have brought up the issue of credit to my account for this debacle. I have been told that considering I have cable in my bedroom, a credit is not in order -- that there is one flat monthly service rate no matter the amount of televisions within your household.

The television in the living room has a converter box (which is an additional fee to my service), a remote control for the converter (additional fee), and that the television in the living room is the ONLY one to receive pay-per-view movies (due to the converter). Thus, I have been unable to appropriately utilize what I pay for in this monthly service rate!