Need To Get Screwed On A Daily Basis? Cox Communication Delivers The Goods Baby
Written: Jan 08 '02 (Updated Jan 08 '02)
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Pros: Let me think about this and get back to you ....
Cons: Bad customer service, hidden charges, late bills, etc, etc, etc.
The Bottom Line: Ever wonder why they chose the name "Cox"?
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| Freak369's Full Review: Cox |
Cox Communications is the only cable provider in my area – unless you want to invest in a satellite dish service and the often-inflated monthly bills. When we first moved here I thought that Cox was the greatest thing since sliced bread and garage door openers. Sadly, and quite predictably, the romance has gone sour between Cox and I over the past few years. If there were an alternative cable provider I would divorce Cox quicker than you could say Jumpin’ Jack Flash. I have started to look at other options including DirecTV due to the recent channel changes and the loss of yet another HBO channel.
Cox Basics
Cox offers two types of cable television service; standard cable and digital. Please don’t be fooled by the fancy name – digital enhancement. Unless you have a projection television or an industrial set up you will not be able to tell the difference between the two services. You do get on screen channel guides, programming assistance and movie descriptions but I can’t justify the cost of the installation and the monthly fee for these “features”. Cox just recently announced that cable subscribers will have to upgrade to the digital platform in order to receive any of the expanded HBO channels, leaving the analog box account holders with only 1 HBO channel. Do you smell a rat? I sure as hell do.
The standard service is “average” and using the term average is being very kind. You have your choice between basic programming and extended basic [the good channels]. My monthly bill for cable only is 47.99 and this includes two HBO channels [$11.00 for both]. HBO shows some good movies but the main reason I carry this beast is for their original programming, mainly The Sopranos, Sex in the City, Arli$$ and Oz.
* Note – January 8, 2001 the new channel line up has robbed analog [cable box] users of yet another HBO channel as well as several other movie channels. In order to get HBO2 [as well as HBO Plus, Signature, Kids etc] you will have to subscribe to the digital service. This is just another stab at consumers and another way to rake in $10.00 more a month.
With the digital you receive the on screen details, a few extra channels [which you end up paying for each month], a handful of music stations and the ability to order pay per view programs without calling in and ordering them. Cox claims that the digital feed is superior and delivers a clearer picture, a stronger signal and “unsurpassed clarity”. Translation: Stupid consumers will pay through the nose for anything that a company calls ‘new and improved’
I say BLAHHHHH! I have seen my neighbor’s digital cable and truth be told – it looks exactly like mine and I am talking right down to the bone here. Since we are in San Diego – our reception is nil without cable – so they have you over the barrel both ways. I just got a letter from Cox saying that as of January 8th, 2002 they will no longer offer HBOPlus, Cimemore [Cimemax upgrade station] or Starz to customers that are not digital subscribers. So what does this mean? You will have to pay more to get the channels you already have - and no – they don’t mention that if you don’t upgrade you’ll be faced with a fee to disconnect the services. Oh, yeah, they are claiming to waive the installation fee if you upgrade to digital – but what they don’t tell you is that it is a “do it yourself” kit. So yes, you aren’t billed for installation – because you are doing it yourself. If you find yourself in this situation make sure that if you go with a digital hook up it will cover all the televisions in your household.
* Note: When I inquired about the digital service a few weeks ago I was told that there was at least a three to four week wait to have someone come and install it for me. So even with the letter being sent out two weeks before this glorious channel change, there still wouldn’t have been enough time to get the service activated.
Bottom Line: I will be missing several episodes of Oz as well as other original programming from the HBO suite of channels. Can you even start to sense how righteously ticked off I am at this very moment?
Installation
From time to time Cox Communications offers free installation or three months of a pay channel for free. Be sure you keep track of these free months – you have to call and cancel them or you will be automatically billed for them. If you already have a cable feed running into your place of residence then chances are your installation will take about a half hour. However, if you have old cable wires they may need to replace it – in that event you can look forward to about two hours.
Depending on your area you may need to pay a portion of the installation and first month’s service upon completion of the installation and activation. Keep your printed receipt and make sure that the amount has been credited to your account when your first invoice arrives in the mail.
In the past I have had some very nice, polite installers – but they aren’t rocket scientists. If you are in the mood of high scale entertainment – pop some popcorn, grab a soda and watch them at work. Most of the time they’ll have to make at least three calls to some illusive tech service agent – and I can almost guarantee that they’ll try to use as many twelve letter words as possible to make you think they actually know what they are talking about. That’s not to say that all of the installers are morons – not in the least. Some of the work is contracted out to outside installers – make sure you ask for an ID card of some kind before you let them in your dwelling. Ever see the film Cable Guy?
One more thing to keep in mind is that fact that if you want pay channels like HBO or Cimemax you will have to pay a monthly rental fee to receive the signal. Again, this is strange since you can receive them during the free weekend events they have from time to time. [$36.00 dollars a year down the drain].
Channels
The basic service plan includes local channels and a handful of sports, nature and kids programming but in order to get Disney, Nickelodeon and ESPN you have to opt for the extended basic service. [Note: on the Cox system The Disney Channel is not considered a premium channel and you are not charged extra to receive it]. Most people don’t realize that they can have channels removed from their own individual programming buy calling customer service. This is helpful if you wish not to receive sports channels or channels not broadcast in English. There is no charge for this and any channels that are blocked can be reactivated at any time.
Before you block any channels make sure that they are worthy of the block. Some channels broadcast public service announcements during the day and have local cable channel features at night [example – Wayne’s World type programs]. You might just be missing out on some great local programs if you block the wrong stations.
* Note: At the present time I am unsure if The Disney Channel will be restored to our line up. It has been out for the past 24 hours – nothing but static. I called to ask a service representative and was told to “wait until the morning”.
Pay Per View and Premium Channels
Ordering pay per view events such as wrestling, boxing or concerts is done through a automated system. I highly suggest that you call and have a code placed on the system so other people can’t call and order events without permission. That might sound silly but all someone has to do is call the toll free number, enter the customers phone number and order an event – while the event is only broadcast on that subscribers television – it can be a real shock to see a $300.00 cable bill if someone played a few pranks on you.
In order to receive any premium channels [HBO, Showtime, Cinemax] you have to have a cable box installed. Even if your television is cable ready you still need to rent the box for a monthly fee in order to receive the signal. I’m sorry but if you can receive the “free weekend” of HBO or Showtime that they offer from time to time – regardless of whether or not you have a box – then there is no reason to force people into paying $3.00 a month to rent the box. Over the course of the year that adds up to $36.00, almost an entire month of cable service simply to rent a box. You can purchase a box from a licensed dealer and have it registered with Cox Communications. You may have a fee imposed on you for using ‘outside’ equipment even though it was purchased through an authorized dealer.
The Dreaded Black Box
Have you ever wondered why cable television costs so much? Well, here is some information for you to ponder. Black Boxes [known by many names through the world] are designed to capture the signal that travels through the lines and feed them into your box. Simply put, this is fraud. The Cox system is not without compromise, black box usage runs rampant and in the end – the people who are paying for the services [pay-per-view, premium channels] end up paying even more to make up for slackers who steal the signals. Cox likes to pride itself on catching abusers and fining them – but I’ve yet to hear one incident of cable theft on the news. They offer a very nice ‘finders fee’ for those that provide information leading to those that are stealing the cable, and no, a conviction is not necessary to collect your reward.
On Time Guarantee
When I have had to call for a repair to be made due to loss of service, unclear picture or the annoying interception from walkie-talkies or police scanners I made my appointments as early as possible. Out of the seven “house calls” I have had, four of them were late. Now, Cox offers you an “On Time Guarantee”. You are give an appointment time, generally a two hour window of time, and if your service technician is not there in that amount of time you receive a $20.00 credit on your bill. Hey, that sounds nice of them. Promising the credit and actually getting the credit are two different matters. I had to call several times when my bill arrived and the credit was not shown on the invoice. My personal take on this is that if they “forget” it enough times eventually you will give up.
I started to question a few things regarding this “On Time Guarantee”. Were the credits being deducted from the technicians pay? Did they get in trouble if they were late to on site calls on a regular basis? Was this guarantee forcing them to do substandard work? None of my questions have been answered as of yet. The technicians I asked said that they could not comment on the details of the “On Time Guarantee” but they didn’t seem to thrilled when they showed up on my doorstep.
Perks
You can receive a monthly credit if you subscribe to several of the Cox offers – cable modem [high speed internet access], digital telephone and cable television. The benefits are as follows; all services are billed at one time meaning you only receive one bill and have to make only one payment, a $10.00 credit for having all three services and reduced or free second telephone line if you have the digital telephone service.
This really isn’t an option for me since we have no need for two phone lines, my brother has his own cellular phone rather than a standard telephone line and if my phone rings three times a week I feel important. They are currently in the process of starting new promotions for their new high speed internet since their Excite.com support has vanished. We were not left in the dust like some customers with the @Home service – but our connections are much slower so keep this in mind for future reference.
Customer Service
Cable Television Reps
There are two levels of help; the first level can help with most common issues [billing, pay-per-view questions, additional services etc] and the second level deal with the harder issues such as interference, lack of signal and box burn out. These techs know their stuff and I have never had to argue with them about anything.
I must admit, the cable television customer service team is much better than the cable modem reps. They don’t beat around the bush and try to fix things over the phone. Normally they will try to ‘refresh’ the cable box once or twice and if that doesn’t remedy the situation they set up an appointment for a field technician to remedy the situation.
Overall Customer Service
They get a B overall. The internet team really kills the high marks the television team would garnish from me and it doesn’t look like it is going to get any better for subscribers in the near future. In any event, when you call make sure you get a name, file number and if your situation isn’t resolved, make sure you tell them to add the complaint to your file. Accurate record keeping on your part will help you if you need to provide information or ask for a service credit.
Since Cox has expanded it’s business it should have also expanded the number of people they have working the phones – they haven’t. This means longer waits to talk to a human and even longer waits if you are experiencing something ‘technical’. Since there is only one number for San Diego for 24 hour help – and this covers telephone service, cable, digital cable and internet – you will find yourself pushing some buttons before you get to the correct set of prompts. What ever you do – don’t fall for the old “Our office is now closed, please call back during business hours” routine – there is 24 hour help available – you just have to be patient and try to find it :]
Over the past 72 hours I have had to call six times to inquire about loss of channels, loss of signal and static on lower channels. In ever case my wait time on hold was no more than 35 minutes but no less than 20 minutes. I can get that kind of service from the DMV but they give me a lollipop after waiting in line that long.
Pound For Pound
Let’s get to the meat of it – Cox Cable has cornered the market in San Diego – and this is the same in most cities. There is no choice out there unless you want to go to a dish service or satellite provider. Even then – most people are too afraid to try this since the cable companies have their little commercials stating that you won’t get local channels or have to pay extra for movie channels. Sorry Cox, but we are all feeling the brunt of your greed. Sure you throw a bone our way if we subscribe to all your services – but even then we get no follow through with customer service, billing issues or lost pay-per-view events.
The customers are often the last to know of changes in billing, program line ups or stations that are removed from rotation due to FCC regulations – and this includes sporting events that were previously broadcast. If this is the case why am I getting hit with a franchise fee for my programming? Yes folks, all these and more questions are still unanswered even though I was promised a solid answer over two years ago.
Welcome to Cox Cable!
January 8, 2002
I spoke with two more representatives about the line up changes and why the customers were not given more time to take action in regards to losing channels. No one could answer my questions after a 27-minute wait on hold.
After I hung up with Cox, I started looking on the internet for alternative cable connections and will be ending my service with them at the end of the month, regardless of whether or not I have another service installed at the time. I will also be dropping my Cox@Home internet service at the same time and going to RoadRunner.
The long and short of it – Cox can kiss my as.s before they get another penny out of me
Stats
Cost: $52.17 per month
[This includes basic, extended and 2 HBO channels]
~Make that 1 HBO channel now~
Box Rental $3.00 per month [plus tax]
Remote Fee: Yes – cost depends on service
Reception: Good to very good
Bilingual Channels: 7 [including Galavision]
Customer Service Yes, 24 hours [That’s a good joke]
Sales Staff Yes, 9 am – 6 pm
Multiple Connections Yes, you can have as many television connected as you wish however your signal will decrease with each feed off of the original line. This can be remedied with the use of an amplifier that the cable system can install.
As always, thanks for the read!
^V^ Freak ^V^
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): Too Much
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