| Author |
Message |
Guest
|
 Posted:
Wed Aug 31, 2005 4:20 pm Post subject:
Charter Cable Broadband Support Problems |
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In my experience, Charter Communications has the worst broadband, cable
internet service of any company I've ever dealt with. Their tech
support has been lousy. I just moved into a new apartment and the only
cable broadband available in the area was from Charter. From day one
the service has been terrible. My supposedly "always on, always
connected" Motorola SURFboard SB5120 cable modem has to be reset 50
times a day because the cable signal is too weak to keep a connection.
I've even had a Charter technician sent to my home to try and fix the
problem to no avail. He simply replaced the cable running into my house
and tweaked something on the line outside. Before he left, the
technician assured me that he would call me the following Monday to
check and see if what he did helped fix the problem. And, of course, he
never called and the problem is still going.
So, in frustration I've had to call Charter back several more times.
This last time, the support person told me that my cable modem was
probably going bad and that I would have to purchase a new one. I told
him that this was ridiculous because I just paid $75 for the one I have
and it's only 6 weeks old. What a rip-off! Charter expects me to buy
another expensive modem within 6 weeks of service. I think I'm going
to try DSL and give up on Charter Communications once and for all.
I'm very disappointed in their service. |
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$Bill
Guest
|
| Posted:
Wed Aug 31, 2005 4:20 pm Post subject:
Re: Charter Cable Broadband Support Problems |
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silverfishbookstore@hotmail.com wrote:
| Quote: | In my experience, Charter Communications has the worst broadband, cable
internet service of any company I've ever dealt with. Their tech
support has been lousy. I just moved into a new apartment and the only
cable broadband available in the area was from Charter. From day one
the service has been terrible. My supposedly "always on, always
connected" Motorola SURFboard SB5120 cable modem has to be reset 50
times a day because the cable signal is too weak to keep a connection.
I've even had a Charter technician sent to my home to try and fix the
problem to no avail. He simply replaced the cable running into my house
and tweaked something on the line outside. Before he left, the
technician assured me that he would call me the following Monday to
check and see if what he did helped fix the problem. And, of course, he
never called and the problem is still going.
So, in frustration I've had to call Charter back several more times.
This last time, the support person told me that my cable modem was
probably going bad and that I would have to purchase a new one. I told
him that this was ridiculous because I just paid $75 for the one I have
and it's only 6 weeks old. What a rip-off! Charter expects me to buy
another expensive modem within 6 weeks of service. I think I'm going
to try DSL and give up on Charter Communications once and for all.
I'm very disappointed in their service.
|
Did you give them your signal levels to show them it wasn't the modem ?
What are you signal levels ? |
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Raldolpho
Guest
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| Posted:
Thu Sep 01, 2005 8:20 am Post subject:
Re: Charter Cable Broadband Support Problems |
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|
Could it be the modem? I hear more complaints from people about
having to reset the 5120 modems than the 5100. I just got cable
internet service this week and I have to reset the new 5120 I got
daily. Usually people have to start doing this after a year or two.
On 31 Aug 2005 06:46:57 -0700, silverfishbookstore@hotmail.com wrote:
| Quote: | In my experience, Charter Communications has the worst broadband, cable
internet service of any company I've ever dealt with. Their tech
support has been lousy. I just moved into a new apartment and the only
cable broadband available in the area was from Charter. From day one
the service has been terrible. My supposedly "always on, always
connected" Motorola SURFboard SB5120 cable modem has to be reset 50
times a day because the cable signal is too weak to keep a connection.
I've even had a Charter technician sent to my home to try and fix the
problem to no avail. He simply replaced the cable running into my house
and tweaked something on the line outside. Before he left, the
technician assured me that he would call me the following Monday to
check and see if what he did helped fix the problem. And, of course, he
never called and the problem is still going.
So, in frustration I've had to call Charter back several more times.
This last time, the support person told me that my cable modem was
probably going bad and that I would have to purchase a new one. I told
him that this was ridiculous because I just paid $75 for the one I have
and it's only 6 weeks old. What a rip-off! Charter expects me to buy
another expensive modem within 6 weeks of service. I think I'm going
to try DSL and give up on Charter Communications once and for all.
I'm very disappointed in their service. |
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Ron Hunter
Guest
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| Posted:
Thu Sep 01, 2005 1:34 pm Post subject:
Re: Charter Cable Broadband Support Problems |
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|
silverfishbookstore@hotmail.com wrote:
| Quote: | In my experience, Charter Communications has the worst broadband, cable
internet service of any company I've ever dealt with. Their tech
support has been lousy. I just moved into a new apartment and the only
cable broadband available in the area was from Charter. From day one
the service has been terrible. My supposedly "always on, always
connected" Motorola SURFboard SB5120 cable modem has to be reset 50
times a day because the cable signal is too weak to keep a connection.
I've even had a Charter technician sent to my home to try and fix the
problem to no avail. He simply replaced the cable running into my house
and tweaked something on the line outside. Before he left, the
technician assured me that he would call me the following Monday to
check and see if what he did helped fix the problem. And, of course, he
never called and the problem is still going.
So, in frustration I've had to call Charter back several more times.
This last time, the support person told me that my cable modem was
probably going bad and that I would have to purchase a new one. I told
him that this was ridiculous because I just paid $75 for the one I have
and it's only 6 weeks old. What a rip-off! Charter expects me to buy
another expensive modem within 6 weeks of service. I think I'm going
to try DSL and give up on Charter Communications once and for all.
I'm very disappointed in their service.
You don't mention where you are, but here (Ft. Worth, Tx.) Charter |
service is very good. Even large companies are greatly affected by the
quality (or lack of it) of local management.
As for your problem, why not just tell Charter to install a rental
modem, and if that fixes the problem, return your purchased one for a
refund. In the several years I have had cable internet service, I have
been through 8 modems. They really don't last very long, so renting
seems to be the best bet, at least in this area where thunderstorms are
the rule, rather than the exception. Note that just because your modem
is new, that doesn't mean it is working properly.
--
Ron Hunter rphunter@charter.net |
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Raldolpho
Guest
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| Posted:
Sat Sep 03, 2005 4:20 pm Post subject:
Re: Charter Cable Broadband Support Problems |
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|
Just found the booster at Buy.com for $37.99 with Free Shipping.
Newegg has it for $44 including shipping and 43.44 at Amazon. All
without rebates.
On Sat, 03 Sep 2005 06:40:48 -0700, Raldolpho <me@privacy.net> wrote:
| Quote: | Hey check this Motorola website. It will tell you your cable signal
level and all kinds of other stuff like modems errors.
http://192.168.100.1
Click on "Signal" to check your signal levels.
Also, Motorola sells a cable signal booster that people on the
CircuitCity.com website have reviewed as excellent (which is where I
got the website above). It is on sale now for $79.99 (normally $99)
plus a $30 rebate for a final cost of $49.99. Lots of good reviews.
Increases the signal up to 32 times and rated for 15 Db gain.
One guy checked his signal at the website above without the booster
and it was -17Db. When he put the booster in his signal was -2Db for
a 15Db gain as the booster is rated.
http://www.circuitcity.com/rpsm/oid/44964/rpem/ccd/productDetailReview.do#tabs
or http://tinyurl.com/exoc8
I may pick up one of the boosters as I have several splits in my house
and picture is degraded at some TV's.
Hope this helps.
On 31 Aug 2005 06:46:57 -0700, silverfishbookstore@hotmail.com wrote:
In my experience, Charter Communications has the worst broadband, cable
internet service of any company I've ever dealt with. Their tech
support has been lousy. I just moved into a new apartment and the only
cable broadband available in the area was from Charter. From day one
the service has been terrible. My supposedly "always on, always
connected" Motorola SURFboard SB5120 cable modem has to be reset 50
times a day because the cable signal is too weak to keep a connection.
I've even had a Charter technician sent to my home to try and fix the
problem to no avail. He simply replaced the cable running into my house
and tweaked something on the line outside. Before he left, the
technician assured me that he would call me the following Monday to
check and see if what he did helped fix the problem. And, of course, he
never called and the problem is still going.
So, in frustration I've had to call Charter back several more times.
This last time, the support person told me that my cable modem was
probably going bad and that I would have to purchase a new one. I told
him that this was ridiculous because I just paid $75 for the one I have
and it's only 6 weeks old. What a rip-off! Charter expects me to buy
another expensive modem within 6 weeks of service. I think I'm going
to try DSL and give up on Charter Communications once and for all.
I'm very disappointed in their service. |
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Raldolpho
Guest
|
| Posted:
Sat Sep 03, 2005 4:20 pm Post subject:
Re: Charter Cable Broadband Support Problems |
|
|
Hey check this Motorola website. It will tell you your cable signal
level and all kinds of other stuff like modems errors.
http://192.168.100.1
Click on "Signal" to check your signal levels.
Also, Motorola sells a cable signal booster that people on the
CircuitCity.com website have reviewed as excellent (which is where I
got the website above). It is on sale now for $79.99 (normally $99)
plus a $30 rebate for a final cost of $49.99. Lots of good reviews.
Increases the signal up to 32 times and rated for 15 Db gain.
One guy checked his signal at the website above without the booster
and it was -17Db. When he put the booster in his signal was -2Db for
a 15Db gain as the booster is rated.
http://www.circuitcity.com/rpsm/oid/44964/rpem/ccd/productDetailReview.do#tabs
or http://tinyurl.com/exoc8
I may pick up one of the boosters as I have several splits in my house
and picture is degraded at some TV's.
Hope this helps.
On 31 Aug 2005 06:46:57 -0700, silverfishbookstore@hotmail.com wrote:
| Quote: | In my experience, Charter Communications has the worst broadband, cable
internet service of any company I've ever dealt with. Their tech
support has been lousy. I just moved into a new apartment and the only
cable broadband available in the area was from Charter. From day one
the service has been terrible. My supposedly "always on, always
connected" Motorola SURFboard SB5120 cable modem has to be reset 50
times a day because the cable signal is too weak to keep a connection.
I've even had a Charter technician sent to my home to try and fix the
problem to no avail. He simply replaced the cable running into my house
and tweaked something on the line outside. Before he left, the
technician assured me that he would call me the following Monday to
check and see if what he did helped fix the problem. And, of course, he
never called and the problem is still going.
So, in frustration I've had to call Charter back several more times.
This last time, the support person told me that my cable modem was
probably going bad and that I would have to purchase a new one. I told
him that this was ridiculous because I just paid $75 for the one I have
and it's only 6 weeks old. What a rip-off! Charter expects me to buy
another expensive modem within 6 weeks of service. I think I'm going
to try DSL and give up on Charter Communications once and for all.
I'm very disappointed in their service. |
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$Bill
Guest
|
| Posted:
Sun Sep 04, 2005 2:33 am Post subject:
Re: Charter Cable Broadband Support Problems |
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|
Raldolpho wrote:
| Quote: | Hey check this Motorola website. It will tell you your cable signal
level and all kinds of other stuff like modems errors.
http://192.168.100.1
|
That's not a website, that's your modem. Each modem has a small built-in
webserver to display status etc. |
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Raldolpho
Guest
|
| Posted:
Mon Sep 05, 2005 2:23 am Post subject:
Re: Charter Cable Broadband Support Problems |
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|
On Sat, 03 Sep 2005 14:33:09 -0700, "$Bill" <news@SPAMOLAtodbe.com>
wrote:
| Quote: | Raldolpho wrote:
Hey check this Motorola website. It will tell you your cable signal
level and all kinds of other stuff like modems errors.
http://192.168.100.1
That's not a website, that's your modem. Each modem has a small built-in
webserver to display status etc.
|
Oh okay, cool. Thanks. |
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Ron Hunter
Guest
|
| Posted:
Wed Sep 07, 2005 8:20 am Post subject:
Re: Charter Cable Broadband Support Problems |
|
|
silverfishbookstore@hotmail.com wrote:
| Quote: | I contacted Motorola and they were more than happy to warranty and
replace the cable modem at no cost to me (except shipping of course).
It arrived a couple of days ago and I haven't had any connectivity
issues since swapping the modem out. I guess the modem was bad all
along, but that still doesn't excuse Charter from trying to con me into
buying a second modem from them at full retail cost when my existing
modem wasn't two months old.
The Motorola technician had me check my modem power levels and logs.
They showed the following:
Downstream
Signal to Noise 32db
Power Level -7 dBmV (she said it should be between -15 and 15)
Upstream
Power Level 31 dBmV
I also had 12 Priority 3 Critical Errors: No Maintenance Broadcasts for
Ranging opportunities received - T2 time-out
I must say that I'm very pleased with Motorola's technical/customer
support service. They were a lot more accommodating that Charter.
That's for sure!
BTW. I'm speaking of Charter's service and support in the
Knoxville/Chattanooga TN area.
Charter service (and probably that of other cable companies) varies |
quite a bit around the country. Ours is good, at least right now.
--
Ron Hunter rphunter@charter.net |
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Guest
|
| Posted:
Wed Sep 07, 2005 8:20 am Post subject:
Re: Charter Cable Broadband Support Problems |
|
|
I contacted Motorola and they were more than happy to warranty and
replace the cable modem at no cost to me (except shipping of course).
It arrived a couple of days ago and I haven't had any connectivity
issues since swapping the modem out. I guess the modem was bad all
along, but that still doesn't excuse Charter from trying to con me into
buying a second modem from them at full retail cost when my existing
modem wasn't two months old.
The Motorola technician had me check my modem power levels and logs.
They showed the following:
Downstream
Signal to Noise 32db
Power Level -7 dBmV (she said it should be between -15 and 15)
Upstream
Power Level 31 dBmV
I also had 12 Priority 3 Critical Errors: No Maintenance Broadcasts for
Ranging opportunities received - T2 time-out
I must say that I'm very pleased with Motorola's technical/customer
support service. They were a lot more accommodating that Charter.
That's for sure!
BTW. I'm speaking of Charter's service and support in the
Knoxville/Chattanooga TN area. |
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Jeff
Guest
|
| Posted:
Thu Sep 08, 2005 11:05 pm Post subject:
Re: Charter Cable Broadband Support Problems |
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|
I had a similar bad experience with Charter Internet.
In the morning I noticed my Internet connection stopped working so I called
Charter. They had an announcement stating there were problems in my area.
That evening it still wasn't working. I called Charter and spoke with
someone. He said there were no problems. I bought my own Motorola modem
(same model as was currently being installed), so I asked if it could be a
problem with my modem. I was told no, it was probably a connection problem.
They sent someone out the next day and verified that I was receiving a good
signal to the house (but nobody was home so they couldn't check inside).
That evening I called again and they said there was nothing wrong with the
connection coming into the house. I asked again if it could be a problem
with my modem and was told no.
A couple days later they sent two technicians over in the afternoon when I
was home. I asked them, could it be a problem with my modem. I was told
"highly unlikely". I asked if they could try a different modem to be sure.
They told me they would check some other things first. After they tested a
bunch of things outside and in, 3 hours later, they tried a different modem
and it worked.
So they told me my modem was bad and they would have to charge me for a 3
hour service call (I think they said it was $75 an hour) because it was a
problem with my hardware. They told me if I signed up for the inside wire
maintenance they wouldn't have to charge me.
I called Motorola because the modem was still under warranty. They told me I
should have called them first because they could have analyzed the logs to
find the problem. But they sent me a new modem for a small shipping fee.
I could go on and on about how bad I think Charter service is. My most
recent is with the Moxi DVR. The brochure makes it sound like the high-def
channels will be included in the DVR fee. I asked the local customer service
rep about it when I visited the local office. She did some research and told
me yes, it includes all the available high-def channels.
I schedule an install (they won't let you install it yourself). The
installer hooked it up using the S-Video connection. I asked why he didn't
use the high-def connection. He said my TV didn't have it. I showed him the
two connections it has.
I only get the local high-def channels (NBC, CBS, and ABC). No FOX high-def
because the local FOX channel wants to charge Charter extra. Charter doesn't
want to pay but yet they charge me extra for the high-def channels! I asked
why I wasn't getting all the high-def channels. They want an extra $6.99
monthly for those!
I called and explained the brochure and was told he didn't have a brochure
so there was nothing he could do.
Jeff
<silverfishbookstore@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1126066599.025406.47640@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
| Quote: | I contacted Motorola and they were more than happy to warranty and
replace the cable modem at no cost to me (except shipping of course).
It arrived a couple of days ago and I haven't had any connectivity
issues since swapping the modem out. I guess the modem was bad all
along, but that still doesn't excuse Charter from trying to con me into
buying a second modem from them at full retail cost when my existing
modem wasn't two months old.
The Motorola technician had me check my modem power levels and logs.
They showed the following:
Downstream
Signal to Noise 32db
Power Level -7 dBmV (she said it should be between -15 and 15)
Upstream
Power Level 31 dBmV
I also had 12 Priority 3 Critical Errors: No Maintenance Broadcasts for
Ranging opportunities received - T2 time-out
I must say that I'm very pleased with Motorola's technical/customer
support service. They were a lot more accommodating that Charter.
That's for sure!
BTW. I'm speaking of Charter's service and support in the
Knoxville/Chattanooga TN area.
|
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Ron Hunter
Guest
|
| Posted:
Fri Sep 09, 2005 4:49 am Post subject:
Re: Charter Cable Broadband Support Problems |
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|
Jeff wrote:
| Quote: | I had a similar bad experience with Charter Internet.
In the morning I noticed my Internet connection stopped working so I called
Charter. They had an announcement stating there were problems in my area.
That evening it still wasn't working. I called Charter and spoke with
someone. He said there were no problems. I bought my own Motorola modem
(same model as was currently being installed), so I asked if it could be a
problem with my modem. I was told no, it was probably a connection problem.
They sent someone out the next day and verified that I was receiving a good
signal to the house (but nobody was home so they couldn't check inside).
That evening I called again and they said there was nothing wrong with the
connection coming into the house. I asked again if it could be a problem
with my modem and was told no.
A couple days later they sent two technicians over in the afternoon when I
was home. I asked them, could it be a problem with my modem. I was told
"highly unlikely". I asked if they could try a different modem to be sure.
They told me they would check some other things first. After they tested a
bunch of things outside and in, 3 hours later, they tried a different modem
and it worked.
So they told me my modem was bad and they would have to charge me for a 3
hour service call (I think they said it was $75 an hour) because it was a
problem with my hardware. They told me if I signed up for the inside wire
maintenance they wouldn't have to charge me.
I called Motorola because the modem was still under warranty. They told me I
should have called them first because they could have analyzed the logs to
find the problem. But they sent me a new modem for a small shipping fee.
I could go on and on about how bad I think Charter service is. My most
recent is with the Moxi DVR. The brochure makes it sound like the high-def
channels will be included in the DVR fee. I asked the local customer service
rep about it when I visited the local office. She did some research and told
me yes, it includes all the available high-def channels.
I schedule an install (they won't let you install it yourself). The
installer hooked it up using the S-Video connection. I asked why he didn't
use the high-def connection. He said my TV didn't have it. I showed him the
two connections it has.
I only get the local high-def channels (NBC, CBS, and ABC). No FOX high-def
because the local FOX channel wants to charge Charter extra. Charter doesn't
want to pay but yet they charge me extra for the high-def channels! I asked
why I wasn't getting all the high-def channels. They want an extra $6.99
monthly for those!
I called and explained the brochure and was told he didn't have a brochure
so there was nothing he could do.
Jeff
silverfishbookstore@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1126066599.025406.47640@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
I contacted Motorola and they were more than happy to warranty and
replace the cable modem at no cost to me (except shipping of course).
It arrived a couple of days ago and I haven't had any connectivity
issues since swapping the modem out. I guess the modem was bad all
along, but that still doesn't excuse Charter from trying to con me into
buying a second modem from them at full retail cost when my existing
modem wasn't two months old.
The Motorola technician had me check my modem power levels and logs.
They showed the following:
Downstream
Signal to Noise 32db
Power Level -7 dBmV (she said it should be between -15 and 15)
Upstream
Power Level 31 dBmV
I also had 12 Priority 3 Critical Errors: No Maintenance Broadcasts for
Ranging opportunities received - T2 time-out
I must say that I'm very pleased with Motorola's technical/customer
support service. They were a lot more accommodating that Charter.
That's for sure!
BTW. I'm speaking of Charter's service and support in the
Knoxville/Chattanooga TN area.
Jeff, |
The modem thing is YOUR FAULT. First, you owned the modem, second,
you didn't try another modem, and you didn't apply common trouble
shooting techniques that would have pointed to the modem.
Now the DVR thing seems to be a communications problem within Charter.
When mine was installed, I got all the premium (not HD) channels for 6
months, at no extra charge. So WHY are you carping about paying for the
HD channels?
--
Ron Hunter rphunter@charter.net |
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Jeff
Guest
|
| Posted:
Fri Sep 09, 2005 4:20 pm Post subject:
Re: Charter Cable Broadband Support Problems |
|
|
| Quote: | Jeff,
The modem thing is YOUR FAULT. First, you owned the modem, second, you
didn't try another modem, and you didn't apply common trouble shooting
techniques that would have pointed to the modem.
Now the DVR thing seems to be a communications problem within Charter.
When mine was installed, I got all the premium (not HD) channels for 6
months, at no extra charge. So WHY are you carping about paying for the
HD channels?
--
Ron Hunter rphunter@charter.net
|
Thanks for the feedback Ron!
I don't see how the modem thing can be my fault. Sure I own the modem, but I
can't try another modem unless it is provisioned first. And I don't have any
spares just laying around.
And I did try common trouble-shooting techniques that would have pointed to
the modem. That's why I asked Charter customer service multiple times if the
problem could be with my modem.
I'm carping about having to pay for the HD channels because they told me
they would be included in the DVR fee, they told me I would get them at no
extra cost.
Jeff |
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Ron Hunter
Guest
|
| Posted:
Sat Sep 10, 2005 1:43 am Post subject:
Re: Charter Cable Broadband Support Problems |
|
|
Jeff wrote:
| Quote: | Jeff,
The modem thing is YOUR FAULT. First, you owned the modem, second, you
didn't try another modem, and you didn't apply common trouble shooting
techniques that would have pointed to the modem.
Now the DVR thing seems to be a communications problem within Charter.
When mine was installed, I got all the premium (not HD) channels for 6
months, at no extra charge. So WHY are you carping about paying for the
HD channels?
--
Ron Hunter rphunter@charter.net
Thanks for the feedback Ron!
I don't see how the modem thing can be my fault. Sure I own the modem, but I
can't try another modem unless it is provisioned first. And I don't have any
spares just laying around.
And I did try common trouble-shooting techniques that would have pointed to
the modem. That's why I asked Charter customer service multiple times if the
problem could be with my modem.
I'm carping about having to pay for the HD channels because they told me
they would be included in the DVR fee, they told me I would get them at no
extra cost.
Jeff
Your modem problems are the reason I have always rented the modem. I |
believe the current one is number 8 or 9. That should give you some
idea. If the modem is theirs, they have no reason to complain about
changing it. Next time insist the person who comes out change the
modem, if the symptoms seem to indicate that could be the problem, if
for no other reason to eliminate that as a possibility. Basic trouble
shooting.
As for the DVR and HD, did you get it in writing? If not, well, next
time, DO.
BTW, it isn't perfect, but the DVR is the best thing to happen to
television since the remote control.
--
Ron Hunter rphunter@charter.net |
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