Readers Respond -- Costa Mesa customers want cable change

How is this giant of a cable company allowed to take so many liberties

with its users (“Cable woes have customers lining up for change,” Dec.

28)?I have only had some sketchy problems that were settled in a matter

of minutes, however, lately, due to the new changeover from basics to

preferred and you name it, the only answers I have gotten from any of the

representatives are unjustifiably wrong. I have called numerous times to

ask what my new billing would be and received four different rates. Go

figure.

I just got my new bill, and it was so far off base that I called again

only to get busy signals for over seven minutes and finally an answer and

a wonderful melodious holding of 22 minutes. How’s that for customer

service? I then got a representative, and she went over the billing again

and within a matter of 14 minutes she disconnected the service on the

box.

I had to call back again only to be placed on hum-hum hold for another

11 minutes until someone came along and put me back in service with no

explanation of how this happened. He was indeed a nice fellow, and I

would recommend him highly. Seriously. In fact, he was the best thing at

AT&T;, and that’s not saying much.

What in the name of sanity will happen when this conglomerate merges

with another? Higher rates? More busy signals? What?

SALLY BROWN

Costa Mesa

I am responding to your question as to what my experience has been

with AT&T; Broadband. Well, to sum it up, not good. Every time I turn

around, it seems they are raising the rates by adding channels I don’t

want (which is their justification for raising their rates) and

periodically one or two of the channels will go out.

Like the article said, getting ahold of them is a nightmare. I think

your article should have told people they have another option, satellite

service, which is what I am going to do. This last increase was the straw

that did it.

JIM SWENSON

Costa Mesa