Charter Communications: The Reality of Only Having One Cable, Phone and Internet Company

Ellensburg doesn't always seem like a small town, especially when the students come back to Central Washington University. However, when one is trying to choose who to go with for phone, internet and cable service, the unfortunate realization comes crystal clear when you are given one choice: Charter Communications.

Coming from Woodinville Washington on the other side of Snoqualmie Pass, I am spoiled my Comcast, and it was a hard transition into a "lesser" company. Maybe I dislike Charter Communications so much because I am used to a company who deals in larger volumes, has more employees and usually great customer service, and now am faced with the reality of a small, hometown company with few employees, and horrible customer service.

For a first time customer, you are faced with scheduling your appointment in an eight-hour (at least) block of time. If the technician shows up in that time frame, it is not unheard of for them to not be sure of what they are there to install, or that they don't have what they need.

If you need service, you are better off to just figure it out yourself. I spent 13 hours on the phone with them in ONE weekend and I still had to fix the problem myself, because a person in the Philippians couldn't figure it out.

Charter, like most other companies, offers specials, though not competitive, because there is no competition. However, when you call customer service to upgrade or change to a special package, you will discover that they almost never do it correctly in their system, and when you receive your bill you will be forced to call them once again to fix the rude shock you opened up from your mailbox.

The best thing about Charter Communications is their local office in Ellensburg. The Ellensburg office has been the only thing that has probably kept me sane in dealing with the call centers. They understand that the customer service line has large quantities of incompetent people and are quick to offer solutions that work and credits that help take the anger out of you.