COX cable! I did not post about this yesterday because I was simply too angry and could not post and use nice language.
So about six months ago, I was cruising along with FIOS, a happy customer using Internet, cable TV and digital telephone for something like $140/ month WHEN SUDDENLY, the next invoice was for around $225 (or something similar). My two year 'agreement' had come to and end and this was the new 'deal', and a total surprise to me of course. Then again, I knew this was a standard, slimy, business practice for these providers and so did the 1- 2 step solution: 1) call Verizon and tell them the cost is now too high, the original deal was what I wanted. They 'could not' go back to the original deal, as I assumed would occur. So step 2) Call COX and negotiate a new deal. Now because I was a loyal customer of Verizon but a 'new' customer to COX (I had been w/ COX for something like 30 years before the 2 year stint with Verizon but after a 90 day or 6 mos. period, one becomes 'new and virginal' again apparently), Verizon will punish me and COX will treat me like a prince, regarding price at least. So I cut my new deal with COX, which oddly includes a $300 gift card.... they are going to give me back some of the money I gave them but hey, the bottom line is that over two years, including the $300 gift card, COX is as good a deal as FIOS had been.
Time passes, as I said, something like six months:
It crosses my mind last week: did we ever get that card? ?? I ask my wife: nope, no card. So I call my COX rep., a neighbor by chance, and ask. She informs me I must "apply" for this credit. ?? ?? ?? OK, I will play a little.... how do I apply? She points me to a web site, which immediately asks me for my "digital offer" number. ?? I ask rep. woman and she sends me the number. I plug in number, as well as who I am where I am, my phone number and my account number, all of which we all know they damn well already have and think I am all done. I get a response from COX (corporate, not local rep.) that says they have received my 'request' (it is not a request, it is the path down which I get the money owed me per the deal entered into previously) and will process is provided, and this is cut 'n paste:
* Have requisite levels of service
* Have had at least 90 days of continuous service
* Have had no past due balances at any point during the 90 days of service
* Have submitted your application before the applicable submission date deadline
Then they provide me with a link to a site where I can 'watch my application's status': I check the site, and it wants my name, address, account number, phone number.....
If I had a COX officer w/in range, he / she / they would be leaking hydraulic fluid! So I send a carefully worded latter to local rep., stating exactly what I think of this, exactly what I know they are doing (trying to diminish payouts they have already agreed to), what I think of the company, and what I will work toward, legally, to stop this fraudulent behavior as well as inflict as much damage as possible to their company. And I state that of course I will not provide one more digit of information that we all know they already have to 'check the status' of anything and expect payment promptly. And the offer expires? First I am hearing of this, but then again I never knew I had to apply for this credit either. Lots 'o surprises, twists and turns with COX.
Now, about that FIOS fiber optic link dragging across my front yard..... I am 'new and virginal' again with Verizon and COX is doing all in their power to encourage me to switch..... again.
My point in all of this is that I find this aspect of COX business reprehensible, and on par with the 'Company store' and 'payment in credits' of coal mines of one hundred years ago, before that behavior was stopped by law. Normally I am not a big fan of more laws but in cases such as this one, I think they are needed. I am still young enough, aware enough and able to deal with this but how many elderly / slow / 'weak' people does this behavior prey on? Not a jurist but me thinks me smells a class- action suit to stop this kind of behavior and there must be a lawyer out there somewhere who wants to go fishin' in a fairly big pond (COX Enterprises had revenues of 18 billion dollars last year and 60,000 employees.... I betcha' a sharp lawyer could 'wet his beak' until it was dripping blood).
Oh and BTW: when I switched to Verizon from COX, a credit card was part of that deal too but the two differences are 1) it was $400 instead of $300, no fault there, that was the deal I cut with both companies so no complaint and 2) Verizon send me that card, rather than serve me up a hot plate of hor$hi!. OK, I am still not using 100% nice language but I am disguising the few bad words I am using. :-)
Brian (a really PI$$ED COX customer..... today)
