MediaOne to explain rate hikes tonight
Andrew Glazer
COSTA MESA -- A representative from the city’s primary cable
provider is scheduled to tell the council tonight why it will raise rates
next month despite a growing number of customer complaints about poor
service.
MediaOne announced last month it plans to raise rates for Costa Mesa by
nearly 5%, starting in February, to improve services and cover increasing
program costs.
The cable company began upgrading its facilities this June to allow
eventual high-speed Internet access and digital telephone use.
The council asked MediaOne to explain why residents seem to be on hold
for a long time when calling for customer service, why its employees were
missing appointments and why its operators couldn’t answer questions
about inconveniences related to the equipment upgrades.
Stephen Sawyer, a MediaOne employee who will speak at the 6:30 p.m.
meeting, said he acknowledges some problems with customer service. But he
said many can’t be avoided.
“It’s the growing pains of transition,” he said.
Sawyer said MediaOne would probably finish the upgrades by early April.
He said some of the money from the rate increase will help finance
improvements in cable service. But he said most of the rate increases
come because popular cable channels, such as ESPN, are charging MediaOne
more money to show their programming.
The company closed its Costa Mesa customer services office in the summer
and directed customers to call a toll-free number for a Los Angeles-based
office. Sawyer said the Los Angeles operators were better trained to
handle questions about the upgrades. He also said there was a bigger
staff there to take calls. Many of the customers who complained about
being on hold were dialing the old Costa Mesa number and weren’t aware of
the change, he said.
Gerry Verwolf, the city’s telecommunications manager, said certain
inconveniences were justified. The company moved many of its boxes above
ground to make it easier to upgrade and repair in the future.
“Some people have objected to that,” he said, “but MediaOne has been very
cooperative in covering them to satisfy customers.”
But he said the city will ask MediaOne to reopen its Costa Mesa customer
service office.
“The Los Angeles office serves so many different areas,” he said. “The
staff isn’t as personal.”
And Verwolf said the city would ask MediaOne to hold off on raising rates
until it finished upgrading its equipment.
FYI
The City Council is scheduled to meet at 6:30 p.m. today at City Hall, 77
Fair Drive.
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