Time Warner Cable - Legacy → [TWC] Raleigh North Carolina

Absolutely the most incompetent service I've ever experienced, aside from the city garbage collection but that's another story.

Roughly a month ago we moved into our new house and called Time Warner Cable to have them install cable and internet out here. They came out and installed, leaving wires strewn across the side and back yard, the box out back was left completely open and exposed to the elements, and they didn't install to all of the rooms we had asked.

We called them out again to fix the wires and to finish installing to all of the rooms. The guy came out and said that he could not do any of the work because he doesn't normally work for Time Warner, not sure what that was about.

Two days later I found a pink service slip on my porch stating we had missed a Time Warner service call. I had no idea we even had one scheduled as there had been no calls to us letting us know and no confirmation calls about it either. I called back and it took another 2 weeks to get someone out. I got a call last night and the guy said he was on his way. Only problem was that he was going to a house on the other side of Raleigh, literally the other side. He also had the wrong phone number associated with the account.

This morning finally a tech came out and he was very cordial and friendly however he said he could not do any work because we did not have a letter of permission from our landlord on his letterhead. First of all, over this entire ordeal we had never need a letter of permission and they had never told us we would need one. Second of all, our landlord is simply a guy who lives next door. He doesn't own a real estate agency or a rental program or anything like that so it's not like he just has his "business stationary" just laying around. I'm fed up and we're shopping around right now for tv and internet from some other company. Unfortunately we just got off of the phone with Verizon and they do not service this area.

I can not say much about the other things, but wanting landlord permission is an absolute must, even if the landlord is just some guy living next door. It is his property and TW does not want to go drilling, digging etc etc into said property with out absolute permission. Your landlord may be easy going enough but there is plenty that arent and would love a small lawsuit.

See I understand that completely. But for a month now we've had work done by TWC, including installing stuff WITHOUT having to have permission, then suddenly now they told us we needed it. So that, combined with the fact that they had never told us we would need it before sending people out, ruined it for me.

It's entirely possible that no one realized that this was a rental home. When you called and mentioned you'd moved into a new home, did you specify it was a rental? How did the latest tech know it was a rental?

If the home is a rental (even if it is a house) in most divisions it is noted as such in the billing system. This is done when a field check is completed and the address is added to the database.

How do they know it's a rental when they do a "field check". I've lived in a rental single family home in the past - how would TWC know it's not mine (unless they compare my names against the property tax records). Just curious - not questioning what you've said.

Often there are two ways this is done.

A field check is done by the engineering staff when an address is not in the billing system, but the a customer is requesting to add services. The tech will physically go out to verify that the property exists. If it does, the tech will make notes of an whether the property requires an aerial drop, or a buried drop. If a line extender is needed the tech will make notes of that as well. Often if the new property is a farther back from the road then normal TW will provide an estimate to run cable (which depending on division the customer may need to pay in order to have service).

Also, new housing developments are added in a similar fashion. The building contractor often contacts each one of the utility companies and will provided them a list of new houses (apartments).

If someone buys a house and turns it into a rental then they can contact TW and have the house noted as such as well.

Secondly, the DSR's will check the area to validate service usually once a year. They ensure that the resident is getting the services they are paying for (not stealing cable) and often will check taps to ensure the filters or traps are installed as necessary. By doing this they are also hoping to entice former customers back to TW with lucrative deals or promotions without a contract.

Yup, and then for that 2nd tech that came out. What was that all about? "I don't really work for Time Warner, I'm just helping them out." The hell is the point of that?

The DSR's job is to sell. Hence Direct Sales Rep.

So, if the owner does not call and tell TW that the house is a rental so that it's noted for that address, TW does not know about it. Based on what you've written (unless I've missed something) there's no other way for TW to know that a house is a rental.

You mention the field check procedure - is any check done at that point that the person requesting is the actual owner?

I came home today and to my surprise....residential RRBC service was cranked up. I have a 7x1 service and today....well....see below. Hope it lasts....

Yes, validation of residence is done through the engineering staff - I do not know the specifics because I am not in that position.

If the owner of a house that has converted it into a rental does not call and update - then yes one can assume TW does not know.

But you have to remember almost every house that is in the TW market will be listed in the billing system. So even if you have never had cable service before, always had dish.... the address is in there with a note on if its a rental or a home. If there is a change in the status of the residence it is up to the landlord to update all the proper companies. Just like they have to have a separate gas line, electric line, phone ect added to the house... the same goes if they want cable service they will need to have separate drops ran for each resident.

Let me go off topic here, jnc2000. Or, not quiet since the title is "Raleigh North Carolina" . Any, idea when the speed upgrades others are discussing will come to this division? Here 5/384 is considered Standard and 8/512 is Premium and has been for a while.

Well seeing I'm in NEO I don't have an answer for you at the moment... Let me see what I can find out.

I (and others I'm sure) do appreciate the effort ... thanks!

Mine is RRBC (because my employer pays for it), and I have the same old speeds I've always had.

I called today to ask about speed increase, since I am paying for the Turbo service now, wanted to see what my options are. The person I talked to on the phone, was not sure about any type of speed increase, but did say they were doing a lot of upgrades on the "head end" whatever that means.

My stats with Turbo.

I just wanted to agree with you on the city garbage collection, particularly recycling collection.

Yeah, it sure looks like they're doing a lot of upgrades up there. I mean...just look at this list of maintenance times!

»help.rr.com/HMSLogic/net ··· tus.aspx

Granted, a lot of the entries are on the same date, but it looks like they've started doing maintenance every couple of days. Maybe this means there's something in the works for the entire division...ah, who am I kidding?

When I hear about something new coming from TWC I treat it the same as when I hear that my employer is going be doing something. I believe it when it actually happens. My employer has had us all split up in 7 different buildings all over town, and has been talking about finding one big building for all of us since before I started working for them. I've been with them 11 years now, and they've finally found that one big building and have started moving all of us into that building. WOO!

How much is the 7x1 service on average? I wasn't aware that existed...

I thought it was 10x1...If your area has been switche dover to the whole "turbo" speed tier type package, it is a 9.95 per month add on.

They don't have 7M/1M service in Raleigh. They have "Lite 768" (768k/128k) for $24.95, "Lite" (1.5M/256k) for $29.95, "Standard " (5M/384k) for $44.95, and "Turbo" (8M/512k) for $54.90. Standard and Turbo have a $5 discount if you also have DIGIPiC TV service.

8 Mbps down/512 Kbps upload, it costs me 9.95 more a month