Unresolved Connectivity Issues After a Month of Support Calls & Tech Visits

Hi Cox Communications,

I’ve been having an absolutely terrible time trying to get a month-long connectivity issue resolved. I wanted to take some time to document the process I’ve gone through with the intent of making you aware of issues inside your tech support processes and hopefully move towards an actual resolution. I’ll plan on sending this post through as many of your different support channels as possible.

I intend to give your system a few more chances but beyond that I’m not sure what options you’ve given me other than to switch providers and send out my story/complaint to as many relevant federal/local regulatory bodies, local networks, and consumer advocacy groups as I can to help others avoid this experience.

Please see my issue and support history below.

Issue Overview:

Starting around October 11th I began encountering issues where my connection would drop for anywhere between 10 seconds and a few minutes, occurring at random through the day. Over the last month the length and frequency of these disconnects has increased. My initial research based on the event logs from my modem suggested an infrastructure issue (upstream power fluctuations) at the tap, and later Cox Communications tech calls (see below) have independently confirmed the same after meticulously checking each aspect of the system.

I operate a freelance service business in the technology industry from this address, and these issues have drastically interfered with my ability to communicate online with clients. Streaming shows or transferring files are often impossible as well. I’m currently on the $72/month tier.

Tech Support Interaction Timeline:

Call 1 - Level 1 Support. Standard modem reset and confirmation of issues. Scheduled tech call.

Tech 1 - Contractor. Switched out the modem but told me he was unable to do anything else. No improvement in connectivity issues.

Call 2 - Level 2 Support. Confirmed issues and went through standard web-based troubleshooting. No resolution and scheduled second tech call.

Tech 2 - Contractor. Confirm seeing the issue, and told me he made some “small changes outside” but connectivity issues did not improve.

Call 3 - Level 2 Support. Once again confirmed issues and went through standard web-based troubleshooting. No resolution and scheduled third tech call, specifying an in-house tech.

Tech 3 - Shirted Tech. Analyzed each part of the connection and came to the conclusion that there was an infrastructure issue at the tap. He created the first maintenance/tap repair team ticket.

Maintenance 1 - I didn’t interact directly with this group, but I learned from later support calls that the ticket was “resolved”. Obviously the connectivity issues remained.

Call 4 - Level 2 Support. Verified connectivity issues and recommended sending out another tech, as he couldn’t contact the maintenance department directly.

Tech 4 - Shirted tech. Came to the same conclusion as the previous shirted tech, with the issue being documented, unresolved, and related to infrastructure issues/issues at the tap. Scheduled another maintenance team ticket.

Call 5 - Level 1 Support. Attempted to check on active tickets to see if there was any news. Transferred to another area, which then instantly dropped the call.

Maintenance 2 - In the same manor as before, I had no interaction with this group but the ticket was “resolved”.

Call 6 - Supervisor. Explained the entire history to a level 1 tech support supervisor. Was told that open tickets were resolved. At this point the supervisor manually contacted the maintenance department, and I was told that I would hear from a supervisor from the maintenance/main line repair team within 48 hours to escalate the issue. This call never came.

Call 7 - Disconnected. Spend 20 minutes escalating through tech support levels and repeating the same identity verification processes, only for the system to drop my call before speaking to a level 2 supervisor.

Call 8 - Level 2 Support. Once again confirmed the same issues as before, and told me their only option was to send yet another tech out to the address and repeat the same process which has failed me several times before. They mentioned a supervisor being flagged for the call, but I’ve been told that at 3 points now, so we’ll see.

Outside of the documented interactions above, the system dropped my calls at least 6 times, several times after being on a lengthy hold.

Note: Everyone I’ve interacted with has been very understanding and kind, just ultimately unhelpful. I’ve never raised my voice in any interaction, and have tried to be as patient as possible.

Summary:

I’d love to continue using Cox as I have been for years, but I’ve invested over 15 hours trying to fix these issues and made no progress for almost a month.

My perception at this point is that either the issue resolution process is broken, or that it is a conscious decision on Cox’s part to not resolve the issue because my continued support as a customer doesn’t justify repairs to the infrastructure. (For 3rd party observers, please imagine this scenario with an electric or water company instead). This has truly been the most frustrating service issue resolution process I’ve experienced.

I would love to talk to someone outside the standard tech support process to get this fixed and will be monitoring my email and phone in case I get a response. Thanks.

T