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Optimum review: bad billing system 5

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Author of the review
9:31 pm EST
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Today Cablevision shut off my cable service. Their story was that the bank "charged back" the last 3 months of Cablevision's charges. Confused, I contact my bank. They have no record of any "charge backs" against Cablevision. Now more confused, I start looking into my online Cablevision statements for the past 3 months along with the statements from my bank. Cablevision is showing that I've pad my bill every month, but the charges are not reflected on my credit card statement. So I haven't been paying my bills every month, but I had no idea. Furthermore there was no "charge back", because there were no charges for the bank to "charge back" (i.e. Cablevision lied). I have had no other problems paying bills with this credit card.

My conclusion is that Cablevision's billing "system" had some sort of internal error charging my account. This internal error was not caught and they credited my account anyway. After they woke up to the fact that I owe them for 3 months service, they should have called to explain the mistake, apologized, and made arrangements with me to pay the balance. Instead they turned off my service without contacting me, and when I called customer service to find out what was going on they treated my like some deadbeat.

I owe Cablevision money and am happy to pay it. When I called customer service, I asked them to charge my credit card for the roughly $600 that I owe them and turn my service back on. They refused, stating that my electronic payment privileges have been revoked and that my account is "cash only". I have to go to the office and literally hand over $600 in cash. And if I don't do this is 5 days, they are going to disconnect my home permanently. Really? Does it have to be this difficult?

The sad thing is that they are not even looking at the underlying problems here. The first is that their billing system incorrectly credits accounts when they should not be. The second is that their reaction to the mistake did not give me time to help them before they turned off my service and escalated the problem to an obnoxious level. Finally, as all Cablevision customers know, their customer service is useless by design; I don't blame the reps, I blame an organization that is arrogant from the top down.

Resolved

The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

5 comments
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Cynthia Matthews
, US
May 08, 2018 11:36 am EDT

I had my service put in on [protected] and have been having a problem since. My order said pay tech 120.95. When he got done it was 179.95 (according to his notification), he tried to call for the correct amt and stayed on the phone holding for a while. In all the tech spent next to five hours at my home. I gave him a check for 179.95 and tried to fix it on Monday 15, when the Cust. Servive rep did fix the problem. For some reason when I went online the 179.95 was still there. I sent numerous emails to them (totally ignored). They promised a total disconnection unless I pay 179.95. Tried to go cooperate, waste of time, they all have the same number, so you are stuck. I refuse to pay this bill as a matter of principle, because while speaking to customer you can feel the animosity and discontent in their voice

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Violey Kauffman RN
, US
Mar 10, 2018 6:05 am EST

Optimum has a billing scam. Charge you for services you have not received a month in advance. Will not pro-rate for services used if you move or disconnect. They bill you the whole months services if you only use 2 days of service then bully's you with threats of collection agency. They are stealing money from their customers. I smell Class Action Law Suit.

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unhappy customer996
, US
Sep 21, 2011 12:36 pm EDT

Cablevision electronic billing system is severely flawed. Shut my internet service off upon relocating. Call customer service no problem I should recieve a 30 $ credit. A week later a charge for 70 dollars. Call cablevision and they say I did not turn in my modem. I inform them that I did turn the modem in and was using my own modem. They investigate find the modem and tell me now I have 100$ credit. Ten days goes by I dont see the 100$ show up in my account yet
but I do see another charge for 70 dollars YES a second charge. I receive the 100$ credit and call about the 2nd 70 dollars. They say they have no record of it I have to prove payment. They also say they do not accept emailed documents that I have to fax them. Great now I have to drive out of my way and pay to fax documents. Faxed the documents wait 5 days and call, they now say yes there is a 2nd 70 dollar charge. I ask what for ? they say your service. I ask how can I have a 70 dollar charge when I got a 30 dollar credit? No straight answer. I ask what billing cycle is that from? No straight answer. I say I think your electronic billing system is flawed and made an error. 10 seconds of silence on the phone.
I ask am I going to be billed next month too from your ebill system even though my account is closed. No sir you will not. I ask am I going to get my 70 dollars back? No sir that paid for your service your balance is zero. I say you did not answer my questions on what billing cycle. Sorry sir I cant help you any further. If you use cablevision pay them with a paper check they will abuse your debit or credit card and rip you off.

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JParadis
Stamford, US
Jan 06, 2011 10:46 am EST

I myself have had many issues with Cablevision. I have had their service for over 20 years and in 2009 I sent off a check that bounced. Regretful. That had never happened before. Subsequently I was placed in a lock down of sorts and they placed my account in a revoked payment situation only to be handled by their high level management. Further they wanted ALL amount due not just the amount past due. They treated me with discontent and could care less that I was a long term customer. That was the final straw for me! I have always taken umbrage to their billing, stemming back to the 1990's when they promised they would lower their rates. As if. I allowed the disconnect, returned their boxes and have not looked back. Since then I have learned of others who are doing the same, and use NETFLIX, Hulu.com, the Roku Box and other sources to get their TV and news, (all can be streamed live on internet). Something needs to be done about their billing, customer service and their hijacking of cable services in the Connecticut area. The DPUC is limited in their ability to handle them from what they told me since Cablevision of CT is not regulated. C'mon people... let's take back our dignity and our money from this arrogant, could-careless cable company that hijacks our lives by virtue of our bank accounts and TV enjoyment. Enough is enough! The only way to turn this around is to disconnect their service and look elsewhere. When they see that trend, which is already taken place, they will possibly consider that they would be nothing without the paying customer. Stand up, speak up and shut off!

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billing system sucks
New York, US
Nov 29, 2010 5:02 pm EST

The same thing happened to me. The online statement stated one thing but the paper bill stated something else. When I got their error I called them and wanted to know why such a large discrepency. No valid answer was provided. I continued to make an online payment and my services were turned off hours later. I was completely baffled. I called them and spoke with a supervisor who explained to me that online payments did not take effect immediately it took a few days to reflect in their system, but she had no response when I told her that my money had been taking out of my account already though and I had received a confirmation number for the payment. She had the nerve to tell me that I had to make another payment in person at one of the locations or wait till the payment went through thier system before it was turned back on... fustrating... I waited 4 days.