TDS

Response to file# [redacted].
Mr. [redacted] established service in his name on 4/12/11. The primary account holder is financially responsible for the account. Mr. [redacted] was listed as a secondary on the account. We have no prior record of a request to change the name on the account. The...

bills were issued to Mr. [redacted] & [redacted] at the Denton Rd service location. On 8/14/15 we issued a disconnection notice for the internet portion of the bill, which was subsequently disconnected for non-payment. Following this, a collection agency referral was made. On 11/20/15 Mr. [redacted] contacted TDS. He indicated he thought that his name had been removed from the account and we advised him of how that would be accomplished as a change of liability. Mr. [redacted] made payment and set up the change of liability for the account. A new account was established for Mr. [redacted] as the primary account holder.
As Mr. [redacted] is a long-time customer in good standing with his other account and there was an apparent misunderstanding about the account established in 2011, we contacted the collection agency to request that they remove the referral from his credit report. On 11/23/15 our senior advisor followed up with Mr. [redacted] and left a message to ask him to discuss the account. There is a duplicate payment made on the account that Mr. [redacted] may wish to have reversed. He may also have the credit balance transferred to his active account also in his name. Otherwise if he does not contact us, the final credit balance on the account will be refunded by check in approximately 60-90 days and will be mailed to the current billing address of record for that account (Denton Rd).
Thank you.

Response to file# [redacted].
 
Mr. [redacted] contacted TDS to inquire
about fiber services, our sales advisor indicated we do not currently have
fiber in his area and discussed what services we do currently have available.
She noticed that there were fiber deployments in nearby areas...

and offered to
check if it would be possible to bring in fiber to his location. It seems then
that there was a misunderstanding. She was told it could be possible with the
property owner’s permission. This was relayed to the condo association who
initially agreed. When the construction costs were reviewed, it was determined
there would be significant construction costs. We offer aid to construction in
such instances, where TDS pays a portion and the customer or property owner
pays a potion. In this case the customer/property owner portion was $5000. The
condo association declined. Fiber deployment is very costly, of which most
customers are not aware, nor as it seems was our sales advisor. I apologize
that there was initially a miscommunication. It does not appear that any promises
or guarantees were made about providing fiber services. It was mentioned as a
possibility that we would try to get for the customer. As much as we would love
to get fiber services to all of our customers, we cannot feasibly reach all
customers in all instances. At this time, there does not appear to be a TDS
initiated project to bring fiber to Mr. [redacted] area. That may change over
time and should that be the case, our Marketing department would announce the
availability.
 
Thank you.

Follow up #2.
Again I am sorry Ms. [redacted] is dissatisfied. Our records show that we offered DSL “Lite”. Subsequent to the order being placed for “Lite”, the distance issue was found to be a problem. Though it took additional effort and delay, we did install the DSL “Lite” service. “Lite” was offered and is now provided. We cannot offer a faster speed plan than this. The only alternative we can offer is dishNet once the past due balance is resolved.

Follow up #2:
 
We were not aware that Ms.
[redacted] did not receive the shipping materials that we sent nor was it our
responsibility to check with her whether she got it or not. She did not call us
for information, additional shipping materials, or to ask about what to do with
the equipment. We provided clear verbal instruction that the equipment needed
to be returned when she called us on 9/26/17 and that the shipping materials
for the TV equipment would take approximately 2-weeks to arrive.
 
I am sorry that Ms. [redacted] is
not satisfied. Ms. [redacted] is responsible for the leased equipment.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
I do reject that response on every level. "Sorry" is not acceptable at all. I do want to clarify somethings. Yes I was given a credit of $210.00 and Yes TDS did get 1meg to this address. Now the credit was given to me to "shut me up" and no other reason. OnJune 19th was the very first time that I was aware that my services would not be transferred. I scheduled on June 10th, confirmed onJune 15th and TDS contacted me to reschedule on June 17th forJune 19th and I was never told that 5m was not available much less that no internet was available.For the first 3 weeks that I did have home phone service it did not work properly and every supervisor I spoke with knew it because it was apparent there was a issue it took me so long to have it fixed because first one supervisor told me I would be charged and 2nd was because there was no way I was going to pay for them to come out and fix it. They did once and it was working properly for 3 days and never come into the home so it was not a "inside issue" when I called the 2nd time is when they told me I would be charged and I did not agree with that. Also on June 19th I was told internet service was not available at this address at all. After many calls I finally got a supervisor that stated to me that they might be able to get the "Lite" service to this address. That took around 3 weeks to a month.I was expecting a tech on June 19th when no one showed I called. He did come back and he did call TDS and was told that "She was told on June 17th that internet was not available". After several phone calls that interaction was recorded and listened too and it was proven that was another LIE. Apparently there was notes on the account that I was made aware and I was not and the recorded phone call proved that. Another reason for the "credit" they not only lied about the services being transferred but lied on me as well.I have been doing Customer Service from home for over a decade so I depend on my internet service for my employment. I based my decision to move into this home on what TDS told me on June 10th, confirmed on June 15th and rescheduled on June 17th.I called Dish to inquire about "DishNet" and was offered 5m through TDS..no alternative services what so ever. I told the person it is not available they lie and he continued to say "Yes it is it does show available" so I let him set that up. I can go to the Dish web site and TDS web site and it shows available.Now I do have a past due balance yes, but even if I did not TDS will not provide that service so why is that a issue in their response. If I paid my bill today could I have 5meg in my home? No.My last conversation with TDS was "we did transfer your services we done what we said we would do" No that is not true. Even if we go with "we say speeds vary" I was told they had to get a field tech out here to get the 1m so it was NOT available until then and if that is the person that is responsible for determining if service is available then when I called on June 10th the person I spoke with should have said that to me, instead of "I would be more than happy to assist you with that" "Yes I am showing we can do that we can transfer your internet and phone to your new address" ..and I will mention again...TDS "confirmed" on the 15th and "rescheduled" on the 17th.This goes so far beyond just "bad customer service" a past due balance should not be in their response at all. The monumental financial hardship their "lie" has placed on me has caused that past due balance. Again I would pay it today if I could get the internet service I need for my employment and  I was told I could transfer or even go through Dish to get what they are being told I could. I am being charged just $5 less for this "LITE" service that I was being charged for 5 meg at my former address and their response to that was "TDS charges for how much work they have to do to get that service to you we have to make money" (that was the last conversation I had with a CSR the day I filed this complaint).So "Sorry" is NOT acceptable at all on any level. If they are not willing to do what they told me they could do then their policies need to be changed either way their policies need to be changed so this does not happen to anyone else. This company needs to realize that every customer is different and sometimes the internet is more important than just getting on facebook (which is barely what I can do with 1mg). I can no longer do my occupation that I have done for the past decade again I signed a 12 month rental agreement based on me having my services (5meg internet and home phone service) transferred based on what I was told by TDS.At the very least this company could provide the 1m and phone service at no charge for the duration of my lease not just for 3 months for crappy phone service. They are not willing to do anything else that would be a start since I would have never signed a lease on a home knowing I could not do my job I have had for past 10 years or more.If there was any other company available in my area that I could go to I would but TDS is the only one and I do believe that is why they have no consideration when they lie to customers about services they provide.So again "Sorry" is NOT a acceptable response.Thank you for your time and consideration.
[redacted]

Follow up:
 
It is not
correct that Ms. [redacted] is paying the same price. Ms. [redacted] is currently
billed for DSL “Lite” (up to 1MB) for $39.20/month, which is a different rate
than what she previously paid for DSL “Express” (up to 5MB) for 44.25/month.
The “Lite” plan is $5.05 less than the “Express” plan that she had previously. As
Ms. [redacted] was dissatisfied that she could not subscribe again to the “Express”
plan that we are not currently offering, we offered a $10.00/month discount for
a period of one-year. There will be no refund for service previously provided. Ms.
[redacted] may cancel service at any time. Alternatives could include satellite or
wireless providers that may be able to offer faster internet speeds.

Response to file# [redacted].
 
On 8/7/17 Ms. [redacted] ported
her services to another provider. On 8/8/17 Ms. [redacted] contacted TDS to
re-install service and port back the number. Service was installed on 8/9/17
with a temporary number while the number porting issues could be...

resolved.
 
TDS advertises that DSL
speeds and availability vary. Speed plans are ‘up to’. Unfortunately, at this
time TDS is not able to offer faster internet speeds in Ms. [redacted] area. We
have limited our sales to our lowest tier DSL plan DSL “Lite” (up to 1MB) due
to excessive demand on the network in Ms. [redacted] serving area. We have plans
to upgrade broadband services in Ms. [redacted] area as related to the Connect
America Fund; however, it is in the early in the planning stages and we do not
yet have information about the project timeline for Ms. [redacted] serving area.
Ms. [redacted] may sign up for updates at tdstelecom.com/networkupgrades
 
On
8/16/17 Ms. [redacted] contacted TDS about her dissatisfaction with the DSL “Lite”
service. Our senior advisor offered her a discount of $10.00 off for a period
of 12-months. Ms. [redacted] may cancel DSL at any time with no penalty. We partner
with DISH Network and can offer their dishNet service as an alternative. Other
alternatives for faster internet plans could include Exede, Hughesnet, other
satellite or wireless providers.
 
Thank
you.

Response to file# [redacted].
 
Service was disconnected on 4/30/15. Unfortunately there was a problem with removing one of the billing codes for service, which continued to bill past the final bill date. Ms. [redacted] spoke with our senior advisor [redacted] on 6/29/15 who investigated the billing...

problem. She made sure that the Sav-A-Check auto payment that would have gone on 7/14/15 was cancelled. On 7/2/15 [redacted] left a message for Ms. [redacted] confirming that the payment was stopped and that she was still looking into getting the final billing correction made. On 7/6/15 and 7/8/15, [redacted] left additional messages for Ms. [redacted] to assure her that we were working on the resolution and that the auto-payment was stopped. The upcoming bill dated 7/28/15 will show the billing correction and should leave a credit balance. We will expedite the refund once the final billing adjustments are completed with the upcoming bill. The billing system will adjust for taxes/fees in addition. The billing system runs on a monthly recurrence and we cannot change the bill run date so we need to wait for the next/upcoming cycle. We apologize for the inconvenience.
 
Thank you.

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and although TDS continues with inaccuracies, the final solution is satisfactory. 
Regards,
[redacted]

Response to file# [redacted].
The TDS Repair supervisor reviewed the trouble ticket history going back to 2012. While there was a November trouble that was referred to CenturyLink to repair the outside line, there does not appear to be a chronic line problem. There was one other trouble in May with...

the outside line. Should a chronic repeat trouble issue arise we have recourse with CenturyLink to resolve. On 11/19/15, 11/25/15, and 12/4/15 we assisted the customer with phone configurations so the set up meets the customer’s needs. The Repair supervisor approved a courtesy credit of $305.80 due to the customer’s frustration. The terms of the contract are in effect. We make no warranty as to the continuous operation of service and we have provided credit that far exceeds the contract terms for service interruption. Should the customer cancel service, an early contract termination fee may apply. Ms. Block may contact her TDS account manager for information about the contract terms. There has been no further trouble report since 12/4/15 where our senior Repair advisor offered her direct line should Ms. Block need further assistance with the phone configuration. I apologize that Ms. Block experienced frustration with the phone system.
Thank you.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.]
Regards,
[redacted]
Approximately Oct/Nov 2015 is when consistent connection issues arose in the Milliken & Johnstown area.  I have a lot of neighbors who had the same experiences & they were all given excuses as we were, 'one reasons was upgrades & it will be fixed in a couples of months, ' 'another excuse was it will be fixed by April, April came & went & still issues.  I do not have time to call & wait on hold for 30 minutes every week, every time the issue re-arises, which it did.  You can look back in your records of other Milliken residents to confirm the continuing issues, in addition to ours.  My time is money & every time I had to travel to another town for reliable internet cost me even more time & money.  At minimum January through May I was traveling out of town for internet (although we were paying for internet that wasn't working) because I was in college courses & had a high need for internet services to complete my homework & studies.  Our modem was replaced at least twice since Oct/Nov 2015.  Our internet speeds came in at approx 5 instead of the 50 we were paying for.  If TDS took over Baja 3 years ago, it was not announced in our area- it was approx Oct/Nov 2015 when our bills started saying TDS & we started having issues.  We did not have issues with Baja & we did not choose to change services to TDS, that was not in our control.  Our town of Milliken is approximately a population of 5,000 & we are very limited in choices for internet, therefore could not change to a new service for almost a year after having consistent issues.  I do not accept that this has not been resolved & TDS just stole our money while I paid for a specific service & did not receive that service.

Response to file# [redacted].
TDS advertises that DSL speeds and availability vary. Speed plans are “up to”. Our records show that out Sales advisor offered “Lite” DSL (up 1MB) when Ms. [redacted] asked to move her service to a new location on 6/10/15. We do our best to estimate services...

available at a location based on available records—the installer technician has the final word about what DSL speed is possible at any given location. DSL is a distance sensitive technology. DSL service is typically available up to 18,000ft which is over 3-miles. We do offer an extended range plan (up to 768kbs) for customers up to approximately 24,000ft. Ms. [redacted] residence is located approximately 24,000ft from the serving equipment. Though extended range service was more likely appropriate due to the distance, our technician was able to install “Lite” DSL. Because of the excessive distance this is the maximum speed plan we can offer. We provided Ms. [redacted] with a credit of $210.00, which appears on the August invoice, for the delay to install DSL and for any miscommunication or misunderstanding about DSL serviceability at her current location. We partner with DISH Network for a satellite internet service option as well as their TV-video subscription service. Alternatives could include Exede, other satellite or cellular internet service providers. Due to a past due balance on the account, we cannot process a DISH Network order to bundle with TDS services. A notice was issued on 10/9/15. Ms. [redacted] may contact TDS Financial Services at  1-888-225-5837.
I apologize that we are not able to provide the DSL service which Ms. [redacted] desires.

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
Regards,
[redacted]

Response to complaint:
On 10/13/15 the customer reported poor wireless connection throughout their home. We explained the limitations of wireless connections. The TDS technician tested the internet connection and spoke with the customer about getting a wireless booster or a different...

router.  On 11/20/15 Mrs. [redacted] contacted TDS about relocating some wiring inside the home and placed an order for the TDS technician to complete this work. In response to this complaint, TDS Repair contacted Mrs. [redacted] to discuss wireless limitations. Mrs. [redacted] indicated she would look into another router to use to get a better signal. On 12/19/15 Mrs. [redacted] contacted TDS Repair for additional support about wifi.
Thank you.

Follow up #2:
We are confident in our procedures and documentation that demonstrates that we processed the porting request appropriately and accordingly of industry standards. We do not agree with Ms. [redacted] assessment. No further adjustment is applicable.

Response to file# [redacted]
 
The customer recently disconnected local and internet service with TDS and installed email-only service. Unfortunately there was a technical problem with email due to a platform conversion and the email account was not able to be restored until 1/2/15. TDS...

Repair supervisor left a message for Mr. [redacted] to contact Repair if any further trouble or any questions. We apologize for the email interruption.
 
Thank you.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. 
Regards,
[redacted]

Response to file# [redacted]
 
Prior to cancelling service
with TDS, TDS Sales provided information about the early termination fee and a
copy of the contract. TDS Sales provided information about amending the
contract if the customer wished to use an alternative internet service...

provider
for faster speeds. The customer declined. Instead, the customer decided to
cancel service prior to the completion of the contract term and an early
termination fee applies. According to our records, our Billing advisor provided
a calculation of the fee on 12/17/15.
 
Should Mr. [redacted] need further
details, he may contact [redacted] at [redacted].  Thank you.

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
Regards,
[redacted]

Response to file# [redacted].
 
Our senior advisor, [redacted] left Ms. [redacted] a message to inquire whether DISH Network had been contacted in regards to the credits. TDS provides bundle billing for DISH Network, but DISH Network sets the billing charges and provides any adjustments....

According to DISH Network’s records Ms. [redacted] chatted in about disconnection in July and DISH Network informed her that she needed to call in for that. TDS has no record of a request to cancel DISH Network service until 11/13/14 when Ms. [redacted] called in. Ms. [redacted] may contact DISH Network in regards to her dispute; we can assist her with contacting DISH Network if she has any difficulty with that.
 
Thank you.