TDS

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.]
I did cancel e-pay the same day I canceled service,  yet TDS took additional funds later in January.  At the time of service cancelation,  my account was paid in full.  Why would they collect money on a canceled,  paid account?  I was told by a customer service rep and supervisor that a check was sent 3/5/16.  Now they say a check was sent 3/31/16.  Until I receive the check, I do not consider this resolved. Additionally, their references to industry standards making their delays reasonable does not address my questions.    Those standards are archaic in this age of electronic processing. 
Regards,
[redacted]

Response to file# [redacted].
 
TDS provides free email with a
DSL subscription. Email accessed via the web portal (“webmail”) may have
advertising. Most free email services (such as gmail, Hotmail, etc) have
advertising content.
 
TDS Repair put in a trouble
ticket to...

unsubscribe the mailbox from getting advertisements, which should
take the advertisements from Ms. [redacted] webmail view.
 
Also, Ms. [redacted] may use an
email client such as Outlook, Mac Mail, or others to manage her email and there
would not be advertising as it is a program running on the customer’s computer
and not a webmail platform.
 
Thank you.

Complaint response for [redacted] file# [redacted].
TDS advertises that DSL speeds and availability vary. Speed plans are "up to". TDS Engineering has a project well underway to upgrade equipment to improve Internet service in Mr. [redacted] serving area. The project is expected to be...

completed in approximately a month.
TDS had been providing Mr. [redacted] discounts due to his dissatisfaction with the DSL speeds. The total credit given over a year was $295.74. Unfortunately Mr. Powell cancelled service with TDS on 2/20/15. We hope that Mr. Powell will give us another try after the project completion. Should Mr. [redacted] come back to TDS, we would like to offer no-risk; he may cancel without penalty if he is still not satisfied with the service (note about this offer in prior account # [redacted]).
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.]TDS response to Revdex.com complaint was basically void of content.In addition to Revdex.com complaint, I contacted TDS by phone last week and they again confirmed they have been having 'capacity' issues in our area.  They have known about them for months, but have not informed consumers, nor offered compensation.  This Revdex.com response from TDS was deliberately cynical and their attitude is unacceptable.  They seem to have a monopoly on local internet connections.  The person on the phone said I would be contacted and offered options and compensation.  It has been about a week and no response from TDS.If you advertise 15 Mbps, and you convince people to upgrade, then you cannot expect them to be satisfied with <1 Mbps.  If they know about the issue, they need to clearly warn consumers that during peak hours, speeds will drop off significantly.  And since they have a monopoly, it is incumbent upon them to maintain the highest level of service.
Regards,
[redacted]

Response to file #[redacted].
 
It appears that a system issue has caused the delay with processing the final refund. I apologize for the inconvenience. We are processing the refund for Mr. [redacted] which should be delivered in about a week’s time. Again, I am sorry that this occurred....


 
Thank you.

Response to file# [redacted].
 
Mr. [redacted]’s
neighbors, Mr. [redacted] and Mr. [redacted] approached TDS about obtaining fiber
facilities in their neighborhood. Our Marketing manager prepared a “Consumer
Aid to Construction” agreement. He advised Mr. [redacted] and Mr. [redacted] that...

the
products and fiber services available in our Middleton fiber markets would be
made available to the households included in the agreement. We have made no
changes in our bundle plan offerings. Our plans are advertised on our company website
and in various print media. Our Contact Center Sales staff can go over rates
and plans during regular business hours as well. Mr. [redacted] signed the
agreement on behalf of the 19 households requesting fiber services and the
construction began. TDS covers approximately 60% of the construction costs and
the requestor(s) pay the remaining, which it seems was divided amongst the
neighbors. The construction was completed in early November. On 11/8/16
Mr. [redacted] placed an
order for fiber internet service (50MB), which is scheduled to be installed on
11/15/16.
 
Mr. [redacted] was
dissatisfied with our existing bundle options. We offered an option to set up
fiber high speed internet service (100MB) with a discount for the basic TDS-TV
requirement for the bundle. Mr. [redacted] declined the offer. He asked to
speak with a manager. Our manager, Brad Meiller attempted to reach Mr.
[redacted] on several occasions and has not yet received a return call. Brad
can be reached at 664-5718.
 
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.
The TDS technician that I spoke to on Saturday confirmed that our area did not the capacity needed to offer this service.  She specifically did some diagnostics on our modem and said that was clean, but that it was the area that did not have the capacity to support the turbo offering.  I have checked with others in my area, and they too have been having this problem where the service is super slow and is impossible to have more that one device working at a time.  I am also disappointed with TDS as when I spoke to them on Saturday, they assured me someone would call me Monday (10/19/15) and it is now Friday, 10/23/15, and I have yet to hear from them on the ph# that I provided to them.  I really think they do not have this ability to offer this service, and yet myself and other customers are paying for it.
Regards,
[redacted]

Response to file# [redacted].
 
It appears that there is some confusion, which is understandable. The Tennessee Regulatory Authority (TRA) has their own Lifeline application and does approvals of Lifeline eligibility for Income only. TDS Telecom has our own application and TDS does approvals of...

Lifeline eligibility for Benefits Programs (eg. SNAP, LIHEAP, SSI, TANF, FHPA, Medicaid). Both applications are sent to Tennessee customers who contact TDS for Lifeline service.
 
TDS does not have a record of receiving the TDS Lifeline application (for Benefits Programs). We contacted the TRA and they confirmed that they received the TRA application which indicated the customer was seeking approval via Benefits Programs. The TRA sent a letter to inform the customer that they must apply through TDS since they had indicated Benefits Program participation. The letter that the TRA sent to Ms. [redacted] is not an approval letter. If the customer had been approved by the TRA for Income eligibility, then the TRA would notify TDS of the approval and then TDS could add the Lifeline credit. The final step would be verification in the National Lifeline Accountability Database (NLAD) to verify that Lifeline services are not already received in the household. The NLAD system was created approximately a year ago to ensure that there was only one Lifeline service per household.
 
We sent another Lifeline application to Ms. [redacted] on 11/20/14. Ms. [redacted] should disregard the TRA Lifeline application and only send in the TDS Lifeline application which can be returned by mail or by fax. The TDS application requires proof of Benefits Program participation. Details about how to apply are on the application itself.
 
Upon receipt of the TDS Lifeline application and verification of Program eligibility and confirmation in the NLAD system, then TDS will be able to add the Lifeline discount.
 
I understand that this is confusing and seems like a lot of steps, but there are Federal requirements that must be met in order to receive this Federal benefit. Our senior advisor, [redacted], left a message for Ms. [redacted] about the Lifeline application on 11/21/14. We would be happy to assist Ms. [redacted] should she have any questions about the Lifeline application and the approval procedure at [redacted]
 
Thank you.

Response to file# [redacted].
I checked with our Field Service manager in Mr. [redacted] area and he indicated the temporary drop cable had been placed on 11/13/15 and had originally been scheduled to be buried on 11/18/15. He checked with our contractor who does the actual burying of the cable and the...

contractor indicated it will be done next week. I also asked if there has been a history of the contractor not completing the job in a timely manner and our Field Service manager indicated that was not the case. If there is a problem with an exposed cable not being buried in a timely manner, we would appreciate that the affected customer contact our Repair department to let them know and then we will contact our contractor. Of course weather can play a role in when the cable can be buried. I apologize for the delay.
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.I have scanned and included the sales order for my account.  On September 30, 2015, TDS installed/connected the new fiber optic service to the property.  At that time, the original business phone [redacted] was to remain active on the original business account.  The internet service (DSL) was to be terminated because the new service was installed.  A new phone number, TV service and internet service was set up under phone number [redacted]. This is a residential account because their TV service is not allowed on a business account.  This is the reason for the two accounts.  The two accounts should remain - the [redacted] for the business which only has the phone service on it, and [redacted] for the residential account that has the TV, internet and phone on it.  I have called TDS twice with the number provided to reach [redacted].  But the customer service representative who answered does not know which [redacted] to transfer me to as there are several people employed in that office with the same name.  She did not leave an extension.  My last attempt was at 4:16 pm on February 1st.  [redacted] only left one voice mail message and that was on the that same day.  I will not accept anything less than a full amount for the four months of internet service that I was double-billed for the months of October, November, December and January.  This should be just a simple request and I don't know why it is creating such a problem.   
Regards,
[redacted]

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.
As is typical, they have totally glossed over the total inconsideration to the customer.  I was told I would get a call back from a supervisor who would explain why the problem existed and how it was going to be fixed.  All I got was someone who only would tell me it would be installed.  This is despite multiple promises of install dates and call backs that never came.I see that this is the methodology to cover up what a customer says and just use blanket statements to "make it go away".
Regards,
[redacted]

Response to complaint file #[redacted].
 
The $3.95 fee is charged to the customer’s credit card or banking institution by the payment agency—FIS (Fidelity Information Services). This is not the same as TDS. This is not a charge that appears on the TDS bill or is a fee that is collected by TDS....

It is the cost to the FIS payment agency to make a rush payment.
 
If regular payments were made by or before the due date, then there would be no need to make a rush payment and the customer would also avoid late payment fees. I understand that there is a financial hardship and there are government programs that support telecommunications service to offer a discount called “Lifeline”. The Federal Lifeline discount is $9.25 and the State of California Lifeline discount is $8.63, for a total of $17.88/month if found eligible. If no one else in the household already receives the Lifeline discount and the Lifeline applicant is found eligible by the State of California’s Lifeline agency, then this discount would be a big help to cut the monthly TDS bill by nearly half. I have asked that a Lifeline application is sent to Mr. [redacted].
 
If Mr. [redacted] is not eligible for Lifeline or the household already receives Lifeline from a cellular carrier, then I would recommend that Mr. [redacted] contact TDS Consumer Sales to remove optional  features (Caller ID, Wire Maintenance) from his plan to reduce the bill. We offer Deferred Payment Arrangements if the account is up for suspension. Also, TDS offers at no cost an electronic payment and billing called “E-Pay”.
 
Thank you.

Response to file #[redacted]
 
Our senior advisor contacted Mr. [redacted] and conferenced with DISH Network who indicated that there was 10-months of their contract remaining. The customer agreed to cancel DISH Network, which would result an early terination fee. Our senior advisor agreed to...

provide a credit to the TDS account of $202.78 for the DISH early termination fee. The DISH termination fee will be billed directly by DISH Network and not via the TDS bundle account. They will handle the equipment return and final billing.
 
Thank you.

Have not filed a complaint yet, but it is an eventuality. No customer service whatsoever! Cannot complain about service outages and receive no compensation for the same. Impossible to speak with an actual cs representative!

Response to file# [redacted].
Our Consumer Sales advisor made a mistake in offering our Turbo DSL plan (up to 15MB). Due to network capacity constraints, we had limited sales of DSL service to no more than 1.5MB DSL plans. It seems that the advisor missed seeing the decimal point. Our advisor...

contacted Mr. [redacted] on 2/3/16 to explain the error and got permission to make an exception to add back the prior DSL plan “Express” (up to 5MB) that Mr. [redacted] requested. I apologize for the confusion with plan options and that the service has not met Mr. [redacted]’s expectation. Unfortunately, we cannot offer faster speeds in Mr. [redacted]’s serving area at this time. TDS advertises that DSL speeds and availability vary. Speed plans are “up to”.
Thank you.

Unfortunately, we will not be able to satisfy Mr. [redacted] and have provided multiple explanations for the same issues. I do not believe that there are any new questions or issues to address with the latest comment from Mr. [redacted].

Response to file# [redacted].
 
On 8/9/16 Mr. [redacted] defaulted on
his Deferred Payment Agreement. This is the fourth default this year on such of
an agreement. On 8/12/16 Mr. [redacted] requested cancellation of service. The
account balance increased monthly due to current monthly...

charges being added to
the past due balance. The May bill showed pro-rated charges for changes made to
service in April and thus was larger than the normal monthly bill. There are no
billing errors detected nor has there been any dispute of specific charges. Our
Customer Service team would help Mr. [redacted] go through the bill charges and
answer any questions about any charge. Should Mr. [redacted] wish to reinstall
service, payment will be required for all outstanding accounts. 
 
Thank you.

Response to file #[redacted]
 
Ms. [redacted] is no longer a customer of TDS Telecom. Her new provider, New Florence Telephone (Direct Communications), has been in contact with Ms. [redacted] to assist her with her concerns including providing her with bill copies.
 
Thank you.

Response to file #[redacted]
 
TDS advertises that DSL speeds and availability vary. Speed plans are “up to”. Since Mr. [redacted] is not satisfied with the speeds received with his current plan, we recommend that he change to the Express DSL plan. Mr. [redacted] may cancel DSL without penalty....

I am sorry that Mr. [redacted] is not satisfied. TDS’ Broadband Capacity team regularly reviews the network to determine whether a project is needed.
 
Thank you.

Response to file# [redacted].
 
TDS advertising and web ordering system includes a disclosure that there are additional fees and taxes that apply. And, that they may vary based on the community and state in which the customer lives and could include 911 charges, as well as other locally...

assessed taxes and fees, etc.
Some of the fees are collected and remitted to government entities: 911 – Dane County, state USF (Universal Service Fund), Federal Excise Tax, Federal Universal Service Charge, Police & Fire Protection Fee, WI Sales tax, Dane County Sales tax, and Cross Plains Franchise Fee.
 
Two fees are recovery charges billed by and retained by TDS: Federal Subscriber Line Charge and Federal Access Recovery Charge. These recovery charges are approved via our FCC Tariff and apply towards the telephone company infrastructure.
 
TDS does not offer TV and Internet plans without a telephone component. As a telephone company, we have decided that all of our internet and TV plans are bundled with a voice plan. We offer the bundle with either a feature-rich call plan option or with a basic phone option with no call plan or features called ‘Security Line’. Mr. [redacted] subscribes to the ‘Security Line’ with internet and TDS TV bundle.
 
As a courtesy, when Mr. [redacted] disputed the monthly modem charge, TDS provided a courtesy credit of $4.95/month for the modem charge for a period of one year. Customers select whether they want TDS to supply the modem at the time of the order or they would supply their own. Our records show that the TDS-supplied modem was selected.
 
I am sorry that Mr. [redacted] was not satisfied with the amount of disclosure of the fees and taxes that apply to the service bundle at the time of the sale.
 
As no payment had previously been made, even for undisputed portions of the billing, service had been temporarily disconnected on 1/26/15. Mr. [redacted] may contact TDS Financial Services at 1-[redacted] about the account and payment issues. I would suggest Mr. [redacted] request to speak with a senior advisor when he calls to discuss the various aspects of the account and the payment.
 
Thank you.