Thames Valley Communications

Reviews 4

SU

Susan Myers

Cant believe Im writing this, but we liked Comcast (when we lived in Old Lyme) better. TVC was recommended to us by our realtor when we moved to Mystic, but weve been extremely dissatisfied. 1. their customer service, while pleasant, is extremely limited. You cant get technical support after 6 or 7 p.m. on weekdays. If you have a problem at night or on a Sunday, IF you get a human being, theyll tell you that a rep will call you the next day. This ridiculously assumes that the average working person is home on a weekday morning or afternoon to be on the phone with TVC and mess with the cable box. We work from home, so we ARE here, but even we find that limitation presumptuous and annoying. 2. Your monthly bill is almost immediately (like, within a few days of due date) rolled into the next months bill, and your on-demand services, (including for "free" regular programming) is instantly rescinded. Our bill is due the 3rd of the month. I hadnt paid by the 8th, and my on-demand was already gone, with an "error" message, which is really disingenuous. Its not an error. You want your money. Just say that. Were never more than 5 days (a week, on the outside) late with payment, but TVC is incredibly quick to yank services. Comcast (at least, when we had it) had a more generous "grace period." With TVC, it feels like were always begging for our services back. 4. Speaking of "services", the selection of "free" on-demand sucks. The only regular network they carry is NBC. Lame and cheap. 5. DVR space is ridiculously low compared to the other cable companies (Optimum in New York and Comcast in Old Lyme, CT) weve used. 6. The online payment interface is archaic and unnecessarily complicated. If I want to pay the bill online, I cant. Why? Because I dont know my husbands (the account holder) SS# by heart, or have it lying around. Worse still, you can only use their automated phone payment system if youre paying the entire balance (which is usually double what I can currently pay because of TVCs almighty hurry to roll one months bill into the next). You have to pay a $2.95 fee if you choose to pay with a phone rep. Yep, thats nearly three bucks to talk to a human being. I have to pay a penalty for trying to pay YOU. Thanks, TVC. 7. And finally: NO HBO GO! TVC doesnt participate. Seriously, TVC? Unbelievable. In conclusion, TVC, a local business wed like to support, has proven itself a worse option than impersonal behemoth, Comcast. Nice going, TVC. The minute we can get high-speed internet sorted out, were yanking you.

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CR

Craig Staunton

The worst cable company I have ever dealt with (I have been with Cablevision, Cox and Comcast not to mention Directv). I have Internet with them and I had to use them for cable temporary until I could get my dish installed for Directv (the snow was preventing the install). The Internet works when it wants to, always going in and out. And when we had cable, half of the channels didnt work, the DVR could only record two shows at once (it was 2015, get with the times) and their customer service was awful. If you had a tech problem, no one after 6 could help you. After two months, I got my Directv installed. I went to return my cable box at the office and the very first thing the lady says to me is "you have to pay your bill, in full." Even though it wasnt due yet. So I paid my bill and asked when I was going to get my $50 deposit back. She had no idea and I would have to call customer service. I got home and called customer service and was told I couldnt get my deposit back because I still have the service. I said I only have Internet service, not cable, so I would like my cable box deposit back. She said they would put a "claim" in. I received a phone call telling me my claim was denied and I wont be getting my deposit back. It was because I still have an account and they only give deposits back when the account was closed. (I was not told this when I signed up, I was told I would get it back after I returned the cable box). They are basically keeping money from me for something I dont have anymore. It is ridiculous. And the only reason I dont switch is because we are moving soon so there is no point to switch providers just to cancel again in a few months. The only good thing is that the service is cheaper than Comcast and Frontier. But its cheaper cause they suck, so you get what you pay for. STAY AWAY AT ALL COSTS!

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HO

Holly Cosgrove

Horrible! Worst cable company Ive ever had! First of all they have absolutely NO respect for military members! My husband was deployed and was unable to pay the bill. They cut off the cable and when he called to pay it when he returned home they had him pay for the month he missed but they also had him pay for a month in advance as well plus late fees and after he had already done so they told him they would not turn the cable back on unless he paid $300 for deposits to turn it back on, to re rent the equipment we already had and another deposit. So basically they had him pay for a month that they would not give him unless he paid the $300 . He explained to them that he was deployed and they simply did not care and told him if he refused to pay the $300 on top of Everything they were going to bill him $125 for cancelation. So not only do they screw over military members fighting for our freedom but they are also a horrible company just based on the cable and internet itself! I had to return 2 boxes because they were broken, the internet only works when it feels like it and the picture is absolutely horrible. Compared to xfininity TVC is completely outdated. If you live in military housing do not feel obligated to use this company, Dish is also allowed and they are much cheaper with a lot more to offer!! The only reason this company doesnt have a 1 star rating is because they left some of their own reviews.. its pretty obvious. You can also go on YELP and read the other horrible reviews!

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HA

Hannah Skinner

I would not recommend TVC. I had recurring problems with my cable service - the On Demand frequently had picture but no sound, channels I know were included in my package would sporadically say they arent authorized, and there are no primetime shows available on demand. Then the box stopped working via HDMI connection to my TV all together. I was extremely dissatisfied by TVCs customer service. I received a guide when I started with them stating they have 24 hr customer support -- not true. They are not open for any reasonable hours to assist someone who works during the day. If you call after hours someone does answer the phone, but cannot provide any technical support and just tells you someone will call the next day. Then no one calls you. Ive had this experience twice. In addition, theyve increased the fees multiple times since I started my service a year ago. Ive decided to get Comcast because of how difficult TVC made this whole process. When I called to request a statement credit because I was paying for cable I wasnt receiving, they claimed they couldnt help me because their records show I had never called the help desk, which certainly wasnt true. Then, despite my objections that I wasnt trying to trouble shoot my device the customer service individual transferred me to the help desk, and I waited on hold for ten minutes. Overall, mediocre service, horrible technical support, horrible customer service.

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