TDS Telecommunications
reviews and complaints

Every day certain channels will intermittently lose signal. Channel 19 is worse during daytime programming, but isnt a lot better at night. For what i pay, i expect better service. This has been happening for about a year. I just found this site to lodge a complaint. I will continue to complain until a resolution is found, or i give up and go with a satelite company.

Last Friday we noticed we were not receiving calls and our phone was not working. We were not receiving calls and no dial tone. I looked at my bill and called "other inquiries" [protected] for repair service. When I finally got thru the computer they message said you were already aware of the problem and working on it. If I wanted more information stay on the line. After 15 minutes no response I hung up.

On Saturday it was still not working I called again. Same recording this time I waited 20 minutes and no answer so I hung up.

Same thing on Sunday I cant remember how long I waited but no response.

Today Monday I called billing [protected] to first say our land line is not working and second credit me for the days it was not working. After 10 minutes a person cme on the line and said any credit would have to be handled by the repair and they would be the one to notify phone not working. They agreed to transfer me.

Again the recording and I waited 30 minutes and finally someone answered and said they were busy. I explained my problem and he said since I have bundled service I needed to talk to the TV area. At 34 minutes he transferred to the TV bundle area. I have no been on hold for this area for 47 minutes or a total of one hour and 23 minutes to report a repair problem.

This is an issue that should be addressed! Please notify the Federal Communications Commission of this complaint!

I still do not have service and have no idea when it may be repaired. The fact anyone that answers has no idea either other than the transfer me to another number is a problem that needs to be addressed.

MY land line [protected] my cell [protected]. My area code 53562. Address 4723 Toepfer Road, Middleton, WI 53562.

Oscar Seibel

TDS states on their own website they received money from the FCC and would upgrade the network in our area, Mineral Bluff, Fannin County, Georgia. The Network upgrade was to be completed in April 2018, this year. Since the supposed upgrade, our service is worse than ever. Also, looking up internet providers in our area on the website, https://www.inmyarea.com/provider/tds?zipcode=30559, TDS Turbo Internet Service is $29.95 and TDS Mach Internet service is $39.95. We currently pay $44.25 for the tds turbo internet service compared to the advertised price of $29.95! Other communications, such as ETS Telecommunications, advertise their price but TDS does not give their price, even if you sign-in to their website. ETS Telecommunications stops about 1/4 mile from our home. TDS accepted money from the FCC for better service, so where is it? We do pay $44.25 for the DSL service but we never receive the promoted maximum rate advertised or sold to us. How can a company receiving tax-payer money not do what was promised. We are looking to possibly go to a satellite service even though satellite is much more expensive. In this day and age of fiber optics there is no excuse for the extremely poor service!

To whom it may concern I'm a loyal 5 year customer of your service and through out the years I've had OK service but when any issues come up I call my local office to only be talked to rudely and given run around answers and when asked to speak to a supervisor I'm put on hold indefinitely until I myself hang up because 45 mins has gone by and theirs no followup that I'm being transferred to anyone i was promised a new router but I have paid the $9+ monthly for a outdated router and told I can't purchase my own for use I use my internet service for an home business that I solely rely on for income and this month got behind on making my payment for the month and my service was cut off after 22 days just like that and told it's going to cost $25 reconnect fee this is how a customer who's paid my bill on time and loyal 5 years gets treated and when I disputed this issue with the 22 day disconnection and reconnection fee of $25 I wasn't even considered any leniency so I asked to speak to a supervisor about my concerns and again put on hold indefinitely. I live in St George Utah and I've been patient and tolerant and been pushed over I'm a single mother and running a home business and struggle most days to find time to do anything other than work and take care of my daughter so when making several attempts politely for what I'm promised or resolve service issues I'm treated as if I'm unimportant so this is my attempt to see if this is a company who appreciates their customers enough to keep them happy or could care less if I cancel my service for providing poor customer service if you have questions please contact me [protected] my name Kelly Lustro

Class action lawsuit needed
Tds internet does not provide services as advertised and billed for. Plans promising 5mbs download and 1mbs upload do not even come close to those speeds. Cannot load simple web pages, watch any kind of video or upload family pictures. Tech support just keeps saying it's a capacity issues and they are working on upgrades. I've been told this for months and months now. Nothing is ever done and nothing is resolved. They will not provide phone numbers to anyone that will give truthful answers about any kind of timeline for these promised upgrades. Their services in the wadesville, indiana area are horrible. If there were another provider I would be gone in a heartbeat. Worse than dialup.

TDS is a joke. I live in Morganton GA, where TDS has a monopoly on internet services. The TDS charges are outrageous, the speed you pay for is never anywhere near to what you get. After 5pm and during weekends, the speed is even worse.
Calls and complaints to TDS fall on deaf ears. Request to speak to supervisors fall on deaf ears. When you ask them for a lower price since they are overcharging you, they want to cross sell you more expensive products.
Something needs to be done to terminate the TDS monopoly in this area. Government regulatory agencies need to investigate this company's shady practices and make them stop.

Slow internet service.
I am paying for 5MG and can't remember the last time I received 3.5mg
sometimes my internet connection is so slow that on occasions I have had to make my cell phone a hotspot to download e-mail or upload a file to the internet.
Many times it is impossible to stream a movie from sites like Netflix's or Amazon because of my slow connection:
I have called your customer call center on more than one occasion with my concern for internet so slow that I can't even download my e-mail. The last time I contacted them will be the last time I call them as in my opinion it's a waist of time.
the last time I contacted them your representative told me things were running fine and that I should call back when I was having a problem; I told your representative that I had called when I was having a problem but after being on hold for 12+ minutes the situation may have changed. The answer I received from your customer service representative was things look good I can't help you.
Here is a sample of what I am dealing with

May 2017
Download Speed: 1020 kbps (127.5 KB/sec transfer rate) 1.02
Upload Speed: 517 kbps (64.6 KB/sec transfer rate) 0.52
Latency: 106 ms
Jitter: 84 ms
Packet Loss: -1%
‎5‎/‎5‎/‎2017‎ ‎10‎:‎02‎:‎07‎ ‎AM
5-5-2017 - 6:20pm Speedtest.tds.net timed out – network signal to weak to run test
Download Speed: 116 kbps (14.5 KB/sec transfer rate) 0.12
Upload Speed: 291 kbps (36.4 KB/sec transfer rate) 0.29
Latency: 126 ms
‎5‎/‎5‎/‎2017‎ ‎6‎:‎24‎:‎48‎ ‎PM

[protected] 6:02 pm Download Speed 196 kbps Upload 93 Kpbs
[protected] 6:08 pm Download Speed 0 .71 Mbps Upload 0.10 Mbps

If possible I would like a response to my concerns about your unacceptable service.
I would also like to know if there are any future plans to up grade your system in my area. (Olson Rd. 5 miles North of Iola WI 54945)
I will not be contacting your call center as I feel it is a waist of time.

thank you very
John Hielsberg
[protected]

June 11, 2017 I placed a call to TDS to inquire why my Internet service is constantly not working. I was told that our area has outgrown its self and the rep immediately informs me that they don't offer any discounts. Now mind you I had not asked for any discount at this point. I explained that I am very frustrated to have been a customer of theirs for 13 years and am paying for a service they do not provider but 10% of the time. My Internet is out 90%. When my water is not working or my electric is not working I am not charged for the services that I am unable to use. He explained that there is a project for our area to upgrade equipment in order to handle the growth, but said he could not tell me when. He stated that it could be 6 months to 5 years. I was so angry. I pay them $90 a month for crap.
I called them June 13, 2017 to cancel my service and was told the same thing by another person. Then the rep tried to bully me into staying with TDS by stating lies about my new service company. He also had me cut off within 8 minutes of my call to them. I did want it canceled but I can't even login to my account with them to pay the remaining balance. They are the only home Internet in the area which makes it worse, unless you use cellular data.

my internet service is terrible. I have complained to cust. service and they say there is a problem in my area, they are aware of it, but no time frame is set up for making repairs. what is the problem. we are paying for a service that we are not getting. im tired of hearing "we understand your situation" and" we are sorry but theres nothing we can do" I want my service, please do something. my no. is [protected]. I live in Amelia, va.

I thought this company provided service to every race, color and creed? Guess I was wrong :-( it's sad to do business with a major company that has racist people working for them. Who knows, their maybe more or maybe the whole damn company is as well. Black eye for business if you ask me. After finding this out and finding proof I thought I let people know that use your service.

There is simply no company worse than TDS Telecom when it comes to being able to manage your account online. Every single person I've ever dealt with has provided careless customer service. Every time I've tried to pay my bill online there is a new level of security to get through just so I can pay my bill. I went so far as going to one section where I could make a quick payment without jumping through all their regular hoops and it said to key in your account number and control date listed on my statement I had in front of me. No problem - keyed that in and it said there was no such account. I called and spoke to another snotty gal and she said the control number I keyed in was incorrect. I re-read it to her - it was specifically six digits. She said the last two were left off the bill for control purposes and I needed to give her my PIN number for her to give me the other two numbers. This company is brutal - I can only guess that the majority of customers are customers because they simply have no other choice of carrier. Horrible service.

For three years, I have been struggling just to maintain a steady internet. It goes down, often and I find myself struggling for hours and hours trying to switch cords, reboot circuit breakers, banging phone cords, unplugging and replugging in cords, and reseting routers and then after about 2 hours I can get it up and running for at least a month. The service technicians do nothing, say the same things over and over again, and have NEVER been able to solve the problem. I have to do it on my own. They have the dumbest service technicians - ahh I dunno, what does the static sound like? and I cant find anything wrong.. is all I get every time.

TDS is a MONOPOLY service in Leakesville, Mississippi. When your services are not what you pay for they simply do not care. The first thing they do is to offer to send you to their disconnect department to drop your service knowing that they are the only game in town. When you request to file a complaint with the executive offices, they tell you there is no contact information for their executives. THEY DO NOT CARE ABOUT THEIR CUSTOMERS IN NON_COMPETITIVE AREAS! They will go out of business when competition comes into the

I purchased TDS Telecom as phone service and I loath this company and its practices. ..buyer beware when signing contract, make sure your read it, they will tell you one thing to your face, but then later in the small print you will realize you signed a 3 year contract. Which I never never do. We had the system for a 16 mo. then had to move, our new place did not allow for our new system. There was no way out of this contract, the penalty to terminate actually costs you more than if you just kept paying it to the end of the contract. Not to mention the ongoing and pestering phone calls from the collection agency who is nasty and keeps threatening you. In sixteen years of business this was a nightmare. STAY AWAY! ..AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL, they rip you OFF. BTW, the internet speed it provided was worthless, and we had to go buy it separately just costing even more money.

We have had TDS Cable TV in our second home since April 2015. We are not always in our second home, but have had multiple instances where the TV signal will cut out, both audio and video. Sometimes it cuts in and out, sometimes it is off for hours. When I call TDS to get help I sit on hold for long periods of time. I have tried opening a ticket through their website, and on the last page of entry where one clicks on the submit button, an error message pops up saying there was an error submitting the report. After 4 attempts one night, I gave up. I found a way to submit a report via email, and did so. 24 hours later an email message came back saying "if we were still having trouble, to call..." the same number I had sat on hold for nearly 30 minutes the night before, when I gave up. We have had Comcast in our primary home (300 miles away) for years, and we seldom have TV problems. When trouble does occur, at least hold times for help are reasonable and they are responsive. I am again sitting on hold to TDS as I write, with the TV signal going on and off. I have been on hold for 26 minutes at this point.

I work from home and have for over a decade. I contacted TDS to inquire about transferring my service to a new address on June 10th, 2015. I was told not a problem and scheduled for June 17th. I confirmed my appointment on June 15th. On June 17th the day of I was contacted by TDS and asked to "reschedule" for June 19th. I did so but because no other choice. On June 19th when no one came to connect my internet I called. It was then I was told that no internet was available at all at this address...but according to the notes on my account I was told on June 17th. After many conversations with Supervisor I was then told the recorded phone call was listened to and it was proven that I was not told that. Also according to the response to my BBB complaint I was told on June 10th not available. This company LIED and then altered the notes on my account to cover that up. I was just told yesterday that it shows I was made aware on the 19th. No one with company wants to take responsibility for this and I am no longer able to work in the occupation I have for over a decade. They have a attitude of "throw a credit her way and it will be all ok" I would bet that the supervisor I spoke with yesterday makes more than the amount of the credit in a week. All I want is this company to take responsibility for it's unethical business practices not a couple bucks of credit.

My family here in Woodland has been with TDS for decades. In years past they were doable. While not the best company out there they usually gave us adequate phone service that worked even in times of bad weather. Several years ago we got DSL with TDS. At first it was consistent, while being a low end slow internet connection, downloads and uploads would usually finish. Over the years our service has constantly degraded. Whereas years ago I would be able to watch a video online during 6-10 pm, nowadays that is nearly impossible. In December 2014 a big wind storm hit our area, and many people were left without power and phone service. While the power was up the day after the wind storm, our phone was out for a few days. When we got our phone back in order, our internet dropped quite frequently. Due to the fact that TDS overloads the DSLAMs due to overcongestion, we figured that the holidays were times of high usage, which turned out to be true both in 2014 and last year. After months of bad service I finally called TDS Customer Service, in return they gave me a ticket. During last summer, for a few brief days our internet was more in line in working order during peak hours and early afternoon hours. But about two three weeks later the problems came back. Turns out that the wind storm knocked out a box that TDS had access to, and it took several months to finally get fixed. The problems are still prevalent. From 3 pm to 12 am our internet slows to a crawl. On the weekends it is difficult to even open up a simple website with TDS. I have to wait until 1 - am on Saturday and Sunday until the internet becomes usable, and even then I'm not guaranteed I'll be getting 1 - 2 MBPS. Sometimes I am at 25 - 30 KBPS speeds, which is the same as a 25K dial-up connection, along with 600-700 ms ping, making even simple websites frustrating to load. It has been this way since around 2013 or so. There are no planned upgrades, no planned apologizes or reimbursements for the crap me and so many others have to face when it comes to TDS DSL service. From what I've heard from others in my area, those who are paying for 15 MBPS connections from TDS are lucky to get 2 -5 MBPS. I am now being charged $50 a month for landline service, and that doesn't include the internet. $50 a month for POTS in 2016 is ridiculous, not to mention I can get cellular service from AT&T/Verizon. I have had to resort to Verizon mobile for internet. It's clear as day that TDS doesn't care about their reputation or their customers. I am planning to move to a new area by the end of this year, to get away from TDS and be more in touch with the modern world that views the Internet as a necessity and a utility. According to TDS it is not a utility, but a device used to gouge people for money because they know DSL is an outdated technology used for a cash cow.

Early on in 2015 we purchased a 10Mbps (1 Megabyte+=about 1 Megabit) connection, when i test it its in the 10-8 Mbps range, but actual downloads? I only get about 200kbps-1mbps. that is 10 times slower! when ever we call them it works properly for about an hour then back to slow as molasses. This is very problematic as i use the steam online gaming service very often and games that should take an hour take 3 hours! I want this fixed ASAP but TDS wont do anything. They are horrible, if they weren't the only option i would not use them. on a scale of 1 to 10 1 being horrible and 10 be great i would honestly give them a -1.

Was told when i signed up 15 gigs..What I get is 1 if lucky.Their reply..we push out 15 from the office but by the time it reaches you..yeah its nothing to brag about, can't stream HuLu half the time.Modems last about 2-3 months and need to be replaced..all in all very bad service..in the process of dropping TDS