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Noconflicts's avatar
Noconflicts
New Contributor

PLEASE upgrade your phone number blocking feature!

When our phone service was recently upgraded with new equipment (a modem specifically for the phone) we were promised that there would be a new, easier method to block incoming calls by phone number (sales calls, etc.).  Well this is apparently not the case (big surprise)!

We are being harassed day and night by call after call; sales calls, scams, and so on. I know I'm not the only Cox customer experiencing this and I know that we have been after Cox for years to give us something better than their outdated "Selective Call Rejection" which is limited to 30 numbers and requires manual input of every number we want to block. I need to maintain an Excel spreadsheet just to keep track of the numbers I've blocked!

Please don't tell me about the "Do Not Call" registry. It's a joke as most businesses ignore it.

If Cox spent as much money on upgrading their phone services as they do on commercials trying to convince us that they are our "Friend in the digital age" then this wouldn't be an issue and they would have more happy customers.

So how about it, Cox?

16 Replies

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  • yak's avatar
    yak
    Contributor III

    I filled up the 30 Cox blocked-numbers  in 2 days.   I finally bought a home phone that allows me to block 250 numbers.  The 2017 models block 300 numbers.  Most people are switching to cell phones and can block unlimited numbers ( I think). 

  • Noconflicts's avatar
    Noconflicts
    New Contributor

    Yep, I've had the same experience. Cox has been unhelpful in the extreme,  Could you share the brand of the phone that you purchased? Thanks.,

  • Hi Noconflicts, thank you for sharing your feedback with us, however, the forums are for customers to discuss technical topics related to residential Cox Digital Telephone services with other customers. For issues like this or billing or other account specific issues, please reach us on Twitter at @CoxHelp, visit us on Facebook, or at cox.help@cox.com.

    I forwarded your comments to our Phone Development team.


  • Elizabeth44's avatar
    Elizabeth44
    New Contributor

    Wow. I got online to see if theirs a way to block incessant robo, sales or bill collector calls. It's been a rough year, so there are plenty. I agree with all the complaints and that Cox being our "enemy of the digital age" would be a more accurate commercial. The national "Do not call" is a joke as I get no less than 10 a day. We should NOT have to pay even more to control this problem. After job loss and having to cancel my cell phone, I decided to use my landline for the first time in ten years. I'd only kept it on after the "loyalty" department stated my internet and TV would INCREASE in price if landline were cancelled. It's truly an unethical sham and I'm confident Cox doesn't care that customers are bombarded by these calls as it leads to more customers having to upgrade to the digital plan. Having kept my landline active without touching it for years, I just realized my account was charged $15 for exceeding my monthly call allotment. I'm sure these calls didn't cost Cox a dime, yet another way to hustle loyal customers. When reading another disgruntled customer mention a home phone that allows us to control incoming sales calls, I was eager to get the brand. Lo and behold, a Cox moderator chimes in refusing to allow her to mention it. If only Cox were half that efficient when it comes to actually helping their customers. I also agree the money spent on incessant TV commercials could be put to better use by providing a service that is worthwhile. My internet is subpar, I have to reset my cable box at least monthly and my landline is inundated with unwanted calls on a daily basis. I've lost an obscene amount of programming due to DVR problems, in addition to "currently off air" error messages when trying to record. Needless to say, Cox does nothing to compensate for this inconvenience. I'm a single mom, out of work and have increasingly grown sick of the categorical indifference Cox exudes. One would think the sweeping leap toward cutting the cord would compel Cox to change their greedy ways, but that doesn't seem to be on the agenda. In August, I'd finally had enough and removed my automatic payment information from my account. At the very least, hoping I'd pay more attention to unsrupulous charges. Somehow,my account was still charged for September. I'd finally had enough and requested my service be cancelled after an exceptionally frustrating month.I did so via "chat" and was pleased to speak with someone that actually seemed concerned and conscientious. I expressed I was unable to call customer service and had no interest in being sucked back in by loyalty. He stated my credit card information was removed from my account and that it would indeed be cancelled after the current month. (October). While not surprised, I was furious when my account was charged again for October. Based on history, I shouldn't have counted on my account not being cancelled, but times are tight and I did. That debit resulted in 9 NSF overdraft fees from Wells Fargo. Each costing, $35. Ultimately, I believe our "friend in the digital age" will lose enough customers that it's either forced to change its ways or close its doors. I'm confident I'll be told this rant is "off topic" or be otherwise removed, but I'm no longer going to tolerate the complete disregard for consumer interest. I will find another forum that's not monitored by big brother and join forces to put an end to this nonsense. 

  • Elizabeth44's avatar
    Elizabeth44
    New Contributor

    Wow. I got online to see if theirs a way to block incessant robo, sales or bill collector calls. It's been a rough year, so there are plenty. I agree with all the complaints and that Cox being our "enemy of the digital age" would be a more accurate commercial. The national "Do not call" is a joke as I get no less than 10 a day. We should NOT have to pay even more to control this problem. After job loss and having to cancel my cell phone, I decided to use my landline for the first time in ten years. I'd only kept it on after the "loyalty" department stated my internet and TV would INCREASE in price if landline were cancelled. It's truly an unethical sham and I'm confident Cox doesn't care that customers are bombarded by these calls as it leads to more customers having to upgrade to the digital plan. Having kept my landline active without touching it for years, I just realized my account was charged $15 for exceeding my monthly call allotment. I'm sure these calls didn't cost Cox a dime, yet another way to hustle loyal customers. When reading another disgruntled customer mention a home phone that allows us to control incoming sales calls, I was eager to get the brand. Lo and behold, a Cox moderator chimes in refusing to allow her to mention it. If only Cox were half that efficient when it comes to actually helping their customers. I also agree the money spent on incessant TV commercials could be put to better use by providing a service that is worthwhile. My internet is subpar, I have to reset my cable box at least monthly and my landline is inundated with unwanted calls on a daily basis. I've lost an obscene amount of programming due to DVR problems, in addition to "currently off air" error messages when trying to record. Needless to say, Cox does nothing to compensate for this inconvenience. I'm a single mom, out of work and have increasingly grown sick of the categorical indifference Cox exudes. One would think the sweeping leap toward cutting the cord would compel Cox to change their greedy ways, but that doesn't seem to be on the agenda. In August, I'd finally had enough and removed my automatic payment information from my account. At the very least, hoping I'd pay more attention to unsrupulous charges. Somehow,my account was still charged for September. I'd finally had enough and requested my service be cancelled after an exceptionally frustrating month.I did so via "chat" and was pleased to speak with someone that actually seemed concerned and conscientious. I expressed I was unable to call customer service and had no interest in being sucked back in by loyalty. He stated my credit card information was removed from my account and that it would indeed be cancelled after the current month. (October). While not surprised, I was furious when my account was charged again for October. Based on history, I shouldn't have counted on my account not being cancelled, but times are tight and I did. That debit resulted in 9 NSF overdraft fees from Wells Fargo. Each costing, $35. Ultimately, I believe our "friend in the digital age" will lose enough customers that it's either forced to change its ways or close its doors. I'm confident I'll be told this rant is "off topic" or be otherwise removed, but I'm no longer going to tolerate the complete disregard for consumer interest. I will find another forum that's not monitored by big brother and join forces to put an end to this nonsense. 

  • Hello Elizabeth44,

    Please email us at Cox.Help@cox.com with your name and address, so we can see where we've been and where we're at with your billing and account concerns.

  • "Hello Elizabeth44,

    Please email us at Cox.Help@cox.com with your name and address, so we can see where we've been and where we're at with your billing and account concerns. 

    DustinP

    Cox Support Forums Moderator"

    At the least Cox should reimburse Elizabeth44 for the overdraft fees.

    By the way, Elizabeth44, Panasonic makes phones that block calls.

  • Noconflicts's avatar
    Noconflicts
    New Contributor

    MikeJ, with all due respect, I think that this IS a technical issue.  Cox spends millions on advertising their products and services as being on the cutting edge, yet falls far below the standard for what many other phone services provide. The archaic method of adding and deleting blocked numbers and the onerous process to do so is definitely a "technical topic."

    And I am not the only customer who has complained about this. Scanning the forums I see many others with the same issue (including the person who replied to my post).

    There is a simple, existing solution called Nomorobo (https://www.nomorobo.com/). Many other phone service providers support this service, e.g., Comcast, AT&T, uVerse, Voipo, etc. Cox does not offer this option for residential customers because it requires support for "Simultaneous Ringing" which is only available to Cox business plan customers.

    This would be an easy fix for Cox customers and negate the need to keep a running list of blocked numbers.

    In the past, I have seen a discussion of this as well on your forums, but to no avail.

    I have been a Cox customer for over 20 years, but at this point, I am seriously considering switching all of my digital services to another provider.  It saddens me greatly that Cox corporate will not do simple things to actually service and support their customers.

  • Noconflicts said:
    ...I have been a Cox customer for over 20 years, but at this point, I am seriously considering switching all of my digital services to another provider.  It saddens me greatly that Cox corporate will not do simple things to actually service and support their customers.

    Sadly for most, the only real way to switch would be to relocate to another address and this works very much in the favor of a cable provider (not just Cox) and is a major disincentive for enhancing services for paying customers.  We may need tto hold our noses and see if government is willing to change regulations to allow competition on the same physical cable or fiber backbone but if there's anyone who will muck up a system worse than a big corporation like Cox, Charter, or Comcast, it's the federal government... so proceed with caution there.

  • Noconflicts's avatar
    Noconflicts
    New Contributor

    A quick search of the forums reveals that customers have been asking Cox for years to support Nomorobo. The standard "we'll look into it" or "I've forwarded your comment to our phone development team" has produced no results and, frankly, is insulting.