New Contributor
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3 Messages
Internet & Telephone Modem Rental - For Modem I own.
While I've seen you can't discuss specifics in this forum, I've already contacted customer service and have an escalation to get my issue researched. I was simply doing some research on DOCSIS 3.0, and happened to look at my bill on the site, and noticed the "Internet & Telephone Modem Rental"
KSR000001369137
I'm curious to just how slow is your purchasing / aquisitions dept that it takes 7-15 business days to research that Cox does not own my modem, that I purchased it namely because I thought it was silly to rent a modem. and I purchased a Motorola SB5120 mostly because I looked to see what other Customers I knew were renting and paying for from Cox, I mean the only excuse I would be willing to accept would be that you're so inundated with requests asking other customers to prove they own their own property that it takes that long to get a response.
And through what process does Cox "accidentally" take ownership of my property
I've been charged for at least the last 18 months, and admittedly there is some fault of my own for not investigating line items on my bill more closely. But when I chatted with a Rep tonight, I was told I can't even remove future charges, without severing my current service.
I'm not trying to be salty but I work in IT so I have some notion of how large databases work, and if I were a massive communications provider, it doesn't seem like it would be difficult to add something into my billing system that referenced a master table of serial numbers and MAC addresses that my company had purchased legitimately, and it would again not be unreasonable that my CRM/ BIlling systems are able to reference this and do a simple "IS NOT" query to determine whether a serial number is present in the [MyISP].[dbo].[Things_That_I_Own] Table, and again it would not be unreasonable that my Billing system is able to read that simple boolean and not charge people who own their equipment, because charging people money for services they don't receive is wrong, right?, and putting the burden of proof on the customer is wrong, right?
AllenP
Valued Contributor
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1.7K Messages
10 years ago
Are you serious? Based on your post, you have been paying rental on a device you own for at least 18 months and now are upset because it will take Cox 7-15 days to go back and research the purchase???? The SB5120 is a very old (in tech time) DOCSIS 2 modem, probably older than the 18 months you say. My 5120 was at least 4 years old when I replaced it with a DOCSIS 3 modem more than a year ago. BTW, Cox billing system does handle customer owned equipment, I have never been billed for the modem I own.
I would think if you bought a DOCSIS 3 modem and returned the 5120 to Cox the rental charges would stop. I doubt you would have to sever your current service, just return the modem in question. It's so old it's worthless anyway and if you own it you would have to purchase the upgrade anyway. That would stop the bleeding and all you would need to do is negotiate the back charges.
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matth12582
New Contributor
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3 Messages
10 years ago
I admitted some of the fault is on my end for not investigating the charge, I'm not wealthy by any means but my ISP bill is on the same footing as a water bill, something I look at the bottom line, if the total doesn't seem disproportionate pay and move on. Yes there is some negligence on my part for not catching it, so I can understand I may not get all of this back, but I can definitely try.
Namely, because it's still inexcusable to charge a rental fee to someone to operate their own stuff.
They didn't charge you to use your own modem, awesome it shows me at least they do some things right, but they're definitely charging me, and at the current moment I can't even stop the bleeding.
Part of the whole reason I even caught the charge was because I was researching DOCSIS 3.0, yes I'm aware my modem is very old, yes I'm aware DOCSIS 3 has multiple channels, and is capable of achieving higher speeds and better stability and I was considering getting one of the 8x4 modems. I've known what DOCSIS 3 is for quite some time, but despite this I've been very much of the "Ain't broke don't fix it" mentality on that because it's been enough for my family to do everything they want most days. Only in recent months have I noticed a lot of sporadic blips in connection, knowing DOCSIS 3 uses multiple channels I was thinking this might help stability and less blips, so I was looking at finally swallowing the upfront cost to get a newer modem. ($70-90)
And yes it did occur to me I could purchase a DOCSIS 3 to stop the bleeding, but even then what assurance do I have that Cox doesn't expect me to return my old modem like a cable box, because according to their records, they own it. and "In Principal" IT NEVER SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED. so while you may take the attitude it's my fault, Sorry I tend to disagree, not knowing you're being taken advantage of does not make it OK, that's the kind of blame the victim mentality our world could do with a lot less of, Companies do have some responsibility to treat their customers fairly and ethically, so just because it took me a long time to catch an error, doesn't make it my fault, that's Ridiculous.
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AllenP
Valued Contributor
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1.7K Messages
10 years ago
Nobody said it was your fault. A mistake was made several years ago by someone at Cox. I have to assume it was a mistake as each month you received a statement clearly showing the charge, there was no attempt to hide it. Now they have to go back through the history of your account to find the original purchase. Do you have a receipt or statement showing the purchase, if so, maybe you can send Cox a copy to expedite matters. As you stated, your only fault was not catching it sooner.
I would let them do their research but keep on them to be sure it happens. If you have Preferred or higher plan, I would invest in the DOCSIS 3 modem, you are not getting what you are paying for with the older device. Even if Cox wants the 5120 back, it is only worth $10 on ebay, no big deal, IMHO. Good luck, hope you get all of the back rental credited.
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ChrisL
Former Moderator
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7.1K Messages
10 years ago
I found the account and was able to correct the error. I also issued credit for the past 60 days for the charge as per our bill dispute guidelines. This should appear on your next statement.
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matth12582
New Contributor
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3 Messages
10 years ago
ChrisL
When should I see this drop off my statements it still shows on the "My Accounts" page
and don't see a credit, If my current cycle is 7/11 - 8/11 I would assume it shouldn't be on the current statement.
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