ComplaintsforSparklight

• Initial Complaint

  08/25/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My mother (****************) is 87 years old, and she lives in the low-income elder home (Address: *******************************************************************). she has internet service (account # ************** with ************************** (Optimum) for basic TV service. She was paying $20.98 each month with government low-income program, but since March 2024, Cablevision has charged her $30.99 on 3/18/24, and $30.99 on 4/18/24, and $46.99 on 5/20/24, and $60.99 on 6/17/24, and $75.99 on 7/18/24, and $75.99 on 8/16/24. I contacted Cablevision (Optimum) to find out why they charged her so much more than before, they told me that they have changed her internet plan to the higher speed. I asked the *** why you change her internet plan without her permission. They couldnt give me a reason, but they said they would change back to her original internet plan, but they refused to make correction on the extra charges for the past 6 month. My mother requests Cablevision (Optimum) to issue a refund for the unauthorized extra charges.My contact info: ***************** ******************* / ************

  

  Business response

  08/26/2024

  Our company is Cable One, **** dba Sparklight. We are not affiliated with Cablevision and we do not provide service in **********. Please redirect your complaint to Cablevision. Thank you!

• Initial Complaint

  08/20/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Hargray/Sparklite have the worst customer service. I have spoken with them about 20 times on the phone over the last few weeks. Each time they say the problem will get resolved or someone will contact me to get it resolved. First our internet line was put in on 14Jun2024 and it took them 6 weeks to bury the line after I called ***** times to get it resolved. They made an appointment to bury the line 25Jul2024 and they no called no showed. Second our internet is out and the earliest they can come fix it is 27Aug2024. Completely unacceptable. ****** is the technical support representative and her supervisor is ****. I am completely dissatisfied with their lack of customer service and I am tired of having issues that take too long to be resolved. Do better. Treat your customers better and do the work you say you are going to do. If this gets resolved I will be satisfied, but until then I want this complaint to be seen by the business so the right people can see it and fix the issue. Thank you.

  

  Business response

  08/23/2024

  Following the receipt of ******************** complaint, the customer was contacted and a technician was sent out to the residence to test the lines and the signal throughout the home. There were no issues found. The technician believes that the issues **************** was experiencing were caused by a storm that came through the area. A credit in the amount of $10 was issued to the customer's account for the outage. We apologize for the issues **************** experienced and we appreciate him for bringing them to our attention. Thank you!

• Initial Complaint

  08/03/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Sparklight cable/internet service is extremely sub par. As a former repair technician for Time Warner, I was involved in the high speed internet launch in **********. In order to be approved, (over 20 years ago) certain upgrades needed to be completed in order to offer the internet service and even more requirements by the *** in order to offer VOIP. (Telephone). I can easily see on the utility pole outside of my house that Sparklight has ignored and somehow avoided these mandatory regulations as the cable on the poles is outdated and considered substandard for over 20 years. The result is inconsistent service and slow speeds at best. Outages are regular, and they make false claims that it is due to fiber upgrades. (Fiber is in place and the node is less tha 100 yards from my location. ). Their down time is excessive for their requirements, they have no on call service, and they charge more than double when all is taken into consideration. ( up to 1 Gb for ***** a month compared to most operating systems offering 5-10Gb for approximately ***** per month) Their service often does not even meet the minimum requirement for streaming due to the poor equipment. Complaints are met with false statements, and they do not issue credit for time down. Trying to run telephone on their system would be dangerous as one may not be able to contact emergency services when needed

  

  Business response

  08/06/2024

  Following the receipt of ************************ complaint, we were able to make contact with the customer on 8/5/2024. We found his main issue was due to an outage that occurred on 8/3/2024. The outage was resolved that day and was caused by a cut made to the cable as a result of vandalism. ******************** also believed that the main coax cable was the incorrect size. Our Technical Supervisor explained the difference in the cables and ******************** seemed satisfied with the explanation. We consider this issue to be resolved and appreciate ******************** for bringing it to our attention. Thank you!

• Initial Complaint

  07/29/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Fidelity who is owned by Sparklight who bought out our old cable provider has provided poor services including a lack of channels and poor connection.

  

  Business response

  08/07/2024

  Following the receipt of ****************************** complaint, our Supervisor of ************* reached out to the customer. ************************** stated that the main issue was with channels 199 and 194. The issues with these channels took place approximately 3 weeks ago and were network related and were not a result of any issues with Cable America's service. ************************** stated that her service is currently working properly. We consider this issue to be resolved. Thank you!

• Initial Complaint

  07/23/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I switched my 86 year old mother from satellite TV to streaming. I moved her from ATT DSL which was slow to Sparklight. Big mistake. Every time it rains she loses service. Issues with cables in her area. I had a number to the regional director after my last BBB complaint, but he must have been fired because his number is out of service. I can't get them to fix the bad cable in her neighborhood. The rain issue is one thing. Every storm takes them out, and they have no redundancy in their system to provide alternative routes in case of a fiber cut or other frequent issue. The absolute worst internet provider I've ever dealt with!. I'm ready to fly back to ***** and get her off this horrible service and put her on Starlink since that is my only other option for internet.

  

  Business response

  08/01/2024

  Following the receipt of **************' complaint, a technician replaced the line to the residence on 7/26/2024 and informed the customer. Our technician made sure the customer's service was online prior to leaving. The customer's service was working properly and a credit was applied to their account for the outage. We apologize for the inconvenience this issue caused and we appreciate ************** for bringing it to our attention. Thank you!

   

  Customer response

  08/02/2024

  They did replace the line. A contractor did the work. The service is still intermittent. They did not ensure my mothers service was restored before leaving the job site. Per their own customer service representative the line has a lot of noise on it and the signal levels are bad. I have left several messages for the supervisor that called me one time, and he will not return my calls. I spent 1.5 hours on phone yesterday and he told me it will be over a month before they send out a technician. 

  

  Business response

  08/02/2024

  Following the receipt of **************' rebuttal, our technicians visited the residence and replaced the tap to the home, which had water inside of it. After receiving no answer at the customer's door, our technician called ************** to ensure that their service was working properly. ************** stated that their service was working properly and that he would let us know if they continued to have any issues. We sincerely apologize for the miscommunication received earlier and appreciate ************** for following up with us. Thank you!

  Customer response

  08/04/2024

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved. We will not know if problem was fixed until it rains. I have dealt with issues with bad lines since I had my mother put on their service. My biggest complaint has been lack of communication. The original BBB response was that they replaced the cable and ensured it was working. That was not true. No one checked anything. Yesterday I got a call from a technician that said due to wide area issues from the storm they had contractors replacing cables with issues (although my issue was not storm related and over a year old), and later within a month Sparklight techs would come through and balance the levels and ensure it was working. A month without service is okay with Sparklight? Bad customer service.  They claimed they tested the line and replaced the tap. Time will tell. So far her modem has remained connected. The next time it rains will show me if they fixed it. We still have high levers +9 dbm coming into the modem. I was told that was acceptable. If they didn't fix it I will file another complaint.
  
  Regards,
  
  *********************
  
   
  

• Initial Complaint

  07/19/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I have an ongoing problem with internet connection that happens several times a week. I get a message of connected without internet. I fo through the recommended troubleshooting steps to get the same result. I put in tickets through my online account, but they do not get actioned.

• Initial Complaint

  07/19/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Since 7/08/24 I have been without ***************** I am getting no updates from the company as to when it will be restored. I have called customer service multiple times since the 8th with no resolution offered. They refuse to give an estimated time to fix the issue. According to their outage tracker online I should have service. I have verified with multiple neighbors that they are affected by this problem as well.

  

  Business response

  08/01/2024

  Following the receipt of ******************** complaint, one of our technicians contacted the customer and was informed that **************** had turned in his equipment earlier in the week due to moving out of the area, but that he was concerned for his neighbor whose service was still out. Our technician found a broken distribution and fixed the issue at the pole. The customer was given credit in the amount of $54.26 for the time his services were down. We apologize for the inconvenience this caused and appreciate **************** for bringing it to our attention. Thank you!

   

• Initial Complaint

  07/17/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Sparklight internet supplier has not had service to my home for 10 days. They have not attempted to communicate with me about the outage and when I call customer service they share no information other than agreeing that i have no service. Their online outage list shows me having service I suspect to hide the fact of their horrible service.

  

  Business response

  08/01/2024

  Following the receipt of ********************** complaint, repairs were made to the coax cable on 7/19/2024. However, when we activated the new repair, we encountered electrical damage on our system power supply. An electrician completed the repairs on 7/25/2024 and a credit in the amount of $45 was applied to the customer's account. We apologize for the inconvenience these issues caused and appreciate ****************** for bringing it to our attention. Thank you!

   

  Customer response

  08/01/2024

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.
  
  Regards,
  
  *************************
  
   
  

• Initial Complaint

  07/17/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  For two years Sparklight has been on my credit report negatively. I did not have this service for the billing period they are billing me for. I live in an apartment complex. They do not have readings of usage because I had another means of service. They are saying I owe ****** for services I did not receive.

  

  Business response

  07/25/2024

  Following the receipt of **************************** complaint, our **************** Manager contacted the former customer to explain the usage history, the billing dates, and the $100 equipment charge. **************************** service was disconnected on 9/21/2022, the data usage is shown in the history until 9/20/2022 and billing for her account stopped on 9/13/2022. The final charge of $234.43 included the $100 charge for unreturned equipment. ************************ stated that she will be returning the equipment. Once we have received it, $100 will be credited to her balance. We encourage ************************ to call us directly if she has any additional questions. Thank you!

   

  Customer response

  07/25/2024

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.
  
  Regards,
  
  ***********************************
  
   
  

• Initial Complaint

  07/15/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Continual internet outage with a service technician cannot be scheduled for over 3 weeks.Multiple calls have not resolved any issues with connection being stable.We lose internet service 5-10 times daily over the last couple of months. Still paying full price for internet that cannot stay connected for a full day. We bought a more expensive modem that is on their approved list. Still have issues with keeping connection. Phone technician tried to explain it is a WI-FI issue when the modem is not getting internet. Seems like the entire company is incompetent. In our town, internet is very limited on internet providers. I tried to get ******** home internet, but my employer's programs do not work with it.I would like to get internet that doesn't disconnect. After being told that it would be at least three weeks before I could get a technician to our house, that same day, there was a technician parked outside our house two hours later, but never came to our door.Pathetic display of valuing customers.

  

  Business response

  07/18/2024

  Following the receipt of ****************' complaint, one of our Advanced Technicians was dispatched to the area and discovered the issue, which was affecting several customers in the neighborhood. After making the proper adjustments and changing out the mainline equipment, service was restored. We have verified with the customer that the service is working as it should be. We apologize for not being more proactive when handling this issue and appreciate the customer for bringing it to our attention. We have issued a credit in the amount of one month of service ($72.05) to the customer's account. 

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩