Business Profile

Internet Services

Astound Broadband powered by RCN

Headquarters

This business is NOT BBB Accredited.

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Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Astound Broadband powered by RCN's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see

Customer Complaints Summary

740 total complaints in the last 3 years.
302 complaints closed in the last 12 months.

If you've experienced an issue

Submit a Complaint

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. 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.

Initial Complaint
Date:08/25/2025
Type:Billing Issues
Status:
ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
As a customer for over 10 years on the current account and over 30 years under my ex husband’s name, this company requires me to call every year to request that my rate be lowered. The service is unreliable, consistently dropping service for short periods multiple times a day. Today, Aug 25th, I called to cancel and they first offered to lower the rate. I chose to continue with cancellation and was advised they wouldn’t cancel until 9-16 and that I would be receiving another monthly bill for service I requested to be cancelled and won’t be using. I then asked them if that was the case, the bill should be at the reduced rate they offered. I was the. Told they won’t reduce the rate for a customer they know is cancelling. This is not fair business..I’ve clearly been paying double what they charge new customers and now a being required to pay for services that I requested be cancelled and have stopped using.
Business Response
Date: 09/02/2025
Reached out to the customer to go over options regarding rate and final billing. No answer, left voicemail with dept contact.
Customer Answer
Date: 09/09/2025
[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

Better Business Bureau:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********* and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

Regards,

**** *******
Initial Complaint
Date:08/16/2025
Type:Service or Repair Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
The signal for our internet constantly stops operating, we have gone to the business and they have replaced the modem multiple times also rewired the home connection a couple of times. They are failing to fix the issue,and their customer service agents on the phone have been nothing but rude. I want this fixed
Business Response
Date: 08/25/2025
Reached out to the customer, no answer, left voicemail advising of the work order for today, and I will follow up once completed to confirm how it went.
Initial Complaint
Date:08/15/2025
Type:Billing Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
I received a credit on my June bill for restoration fee of $40 and financial services reversed the fee without any notification. I didn't find out that it was reversed until I reached out to inquire about a payment arrangement. I paid $148 on 6/26/2025. The service was never interrupted. They then stated the fee was for non-payment which is untrue as well. I noticed the $40 fee. The bill was credited. I then paid $111.00 which was what was listed as due. Both the customer service agent and supervisor admitted to the misinformation and rather than honor the credit to allow me to make the payment arrangement did nothing. I would like this rectified before the interruption date on 8/22/2025. I don't know how financial services is always allowed to adjust a bill without notification. This company preys on the poor and struggling.
Business Response
Date: 08/26/2025
Reached out to the customer, no answer, left voicemail advising of honoring the sup waiver of restoral fee, and educated future fee (if applied) is valid and not waivable.
Initial Complaint
Date:08/15/2025
Type:Billing Issues
Status:
ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
7/27/25: notice of past due balance 8/5/25: duplicate notice 1. two calls to customer support asking for an explanation of the bill 2. both calls were over 45 minutes long (one on 8/6, the other don't know)3. both customer service representatives (one got a supervisor on the phone) walked through the bill with me but could not explain the charges, just relayed the same information I was able to access online 4. all said they'd escalate the request to a manager for a call back 5. no call backs 6. posted to the Astound's ******** page hoping someone would see it to help resolve 7. I haven't gotten any response 8. asked for local office to go in person, told the Chicago office has closed
Business Response
Date: 08/20/2025
Spoke to the customer, went over the billing together, and sent an email of a breakdown of the billing history to address concerns.
Customer Answer
Date: 08/26/2025
[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

Better Business Bureau:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is somewhat satisfactory. Astound failed to provide an accounting what a layperson would understand. The customer service staff acknowledged this, said she'd been advocating for changing the system, and for giving the frontline staff access to more information. She offered credits on a future billing. Having spent more than three hours to obtain somewhat useful information, I do not want to pursue the matter further.

Regards,

***** *****
Initial Complaint
Date:08/03/2025
Type:Service or Repair Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
I am filing this complaint due to long-term issues with Astound Broadbands internet service, deceptive pricing practices, and extremely poor customer service.I am paying for Gig-speed internet (940+ Mbps), but I consistently receive only around 260 Mbps, even with full Wi-Fi signal strength and using a wired connection. This has been tested multiple times and never approaches the speeds Im paying for.On top of this, the company ***eatedly misleads customers about pricing. I was told my plan and loyalty credits would be locked in for 12 months, but after just a few billing cycles, the discounts were removed without explanation. Calling customer service is exhausting it takes over an hour every time, and each *** gives different information or denies prior promises.The combination of unreliable service, broken promises, and a complete lack of accountability has caused major inconvenience and wasted both my time and money.I am seeking a resolution in the form of either: A full credit or adjustment based on the speeds Im actually receiving Or the ability to cancel my service without any penalty or early termination fee This kind of treatment and inconsistency is unacceptable from a utility provider, and I hope the BBB can assist in resolving this matter.
Business Response
Date: 08/12/2025
Spoke to the customer, went over billing and their current rate, and reviewed service concerns the customer has had with the speed. Scheduled tech visit for 08/14 and will be following up to see how the visit went and work on any service issue credit.
Customer Answer
Date: 08/18/2025

Complaint: 23695170

I am rejecting this response because:

The business has not resolved my complaint. A technician came and replaced my equipment but the speeds remained far below what I am paying for. He could not determine the cause and submitted the case to higher-level technicians. A few days later, someone worked on the outside wiring but since then, no one has followed up with me. I have not received any resolution, no credits, and no communication about adjustments.

I am still not receiving the gigabit internet service I am being billed for, and the company has failed to provide a solution or honor their promise of a follow-up. At this point, I am requesting either:

A recurring credit that reflects the lower speeds I am consistently receiving, Credit compensation for the previous months paid for a service I did not receive.
I do not consider this matter resolved.

Regards,

Khamis Elminawi
Business Response
Date: 08/27/2025
Spoke to the customer regarding their tech visit, this was escalated for further work, reaching out to the local market to see what steps are being taken to resolve this. Submitting out of service credit.
Initial Complaint
Date:08/01/2025
Type:Billing Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
I cancelled this account on June 20, four days into the next billing cycle, because, with no notice, my account charge jumped from $50/mo to $65/mo. My contention has been that an honest business practice would be to prorate the charge. I was not originally a customer of this company but ******************** bought ****** which was my original company. My monthly charge then was $***** my efforts to cancel I talked with 3 different ***resentatives and was given various responses like, "we don't cancel" or "it doesn't matter when you cancelled, we charge for the whole month," or, when asking to speak with a supervisor I was told "there is no-one in this company who can give a different response." *********** **** were unhelpful and almost rude.Several days later I received a phone call from a *** of Astound asking what they could do to get me back as a customer. I have also received five for six mailers with the same plea. Today (Aug. 1) I tried to call to talk to a *** yet again. The wait time was ********************************************************** a cue. That function was not working so there was no way to get in contact with a ***. ** the meantime there was a message that said not only was the $65 due on August 5, but there would be charges for any unreturned equipment.. ** all these conversations and interactions there has been no mention of equipment or information on how to return it. I live on a fixed income and that is why this increase matters to me.This has been one of most negative experiences I have ever had with a company and they want to know why I don't come back?
Business Response
Date: 08/07/2025
Spoke with the customer, went over her concerns with the billing and disconnect policy in place. I've taken this feedback for the customer. No other questions or steps to be taken.
Customer Answer
Date: 08/19/2025

Complaint: 23688257

I am rejecting this response because:
The company did not accept responsibility for money they owe me for charging for services after the account was cancelled.

Regards,

******* *********
Business Response
Date: 08/26/2025
Spoke to the customer, recapped what we had gone over from previous call, advised I passed along her feedback but at this time there are no changes we can make. No further questions or concerns.
Initial Complaint
Date:08/01/2025
Type:Service or Repair Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
Within the last 3 months my internet has cycled off and on while the lights on my modem show its not the modem. Context customer support had said it was my modem and router got a new one and the issue has persisted. In addition to losing an hour of internet throughout the day every time I have called customer service I have had to wait a minimum of 25min to get ahold of a person. Thats if I get to talk before the call ends from the bot ending the call. As of 1Aug2025 I have been waiting for a person for 40min.
Business Response
Date: 08/07/2025
Reached out to the customer in regards to service issues and trouble getting resolved. I see there was a tech appointment completed as of today 08/07. I wanted to follow up and see how the appointment went and if this resolved the issues they were experiencing. No answer, left a voicemail and provided department contact.
Initial Complaint
Date:07/25/2025
Type:Billing Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
About a year ago I canceled RCN (astound broadband) for another provide due to endless fee increases. they billed me for an entire extra month for a service I already canceled. I called an attempted to rectify the issue but they refused to remove the charge or even prorate the bill. Fast forward a year and it appears they had a debt collection agency hit my credit report for a $96 bill. As I have no been an RCN subscriber for a year or a little longer I no longer have any receipts, bills or accounting information.
Business Response
Date: 08/01/2025
Reached out to the customer to go over closed out account remaining balance, no answer, left a voicemail provided my department contact.
Customer Answer
Date: 08/29/2025

Complaint: 23652374

I am rejecting this response because:
Astound did reach out to me on a Friday late afternoon and left a message. I returned the call and also needed to leave a message. I never received a return call.

Regards,

****** ********
Business Response
Date: 09/05/2025
Reached out to the customer to go over remaining balance and the disconnect policy. No answer, left voicemail, provided **** contact.
Initial Complaint
Date:07/22/2025
Type:Product Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
Date of problem, ongoing. RCN is my email provider. I have been RCN/Astound's customer since 1999. I have generally been happy with their service. Recently, last two months, I have been having email problems. Presently, my email is completely non-functional. I cannot contact anyone at Astound after trying many times; I am put on interminable hold by their computer. Nobody answers the phone; there has been one exception, I chose add/remove service and a *** did answer. He told me to delete my email items and the system would free itself. I did, and there was temporary, one to two days service. ************* soon failed. Everything has frozen up completely. I need email to access bank accounts, health providers, etc. I want someone from RCN to contact me so I can free my email service. I also want some way to contact Astound/RCN if I have this problem again.
Business Response
Date: 07/31/2025
Reached out to the customer to see if we can proceed with a trouble call ticket to work on resolving the email issue. no answer, left voicemail with my department contact.
Initial Complaint
Date:07/21/2025
Type:Billing Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
On June 6th my husband and I cancelled our service with Astound over the phone. On June 24th I returned the modem to the business. They then billed us for service on July 5th after we paid the due bill for July in full. They then credited back the bill for the July month and then charged us $15 for no reason. It's impossible to get a hold of them over the phone - wait times in HOURS instead of minutes. No clear reasoning for the charge laid out in the bill.
Business Response
Date: 07/29/2025
Reached out to the customer, no answer, left a voicemail providing my department contact as well as a request for either service address or account number in regards to the account we will be looking into.
Customer Answer
Date: 08/01/2025

Complaint: 23631165

I am rejecting this response because:

At no point did me or my husband receive a phone call. When I called they told me that they had reversed our cancel order which I submitted on 6/7 which is why we were charged that $15. They refused to accept that it was their fault and forced us to pay the remaining balance. Please contact us at **************. My husband does not accept voicemails so I'm not sure who you left it with.

Regards,

******** *****
Business Response
Date: 08/12/2025
Reached out to the customer at the provided contact given. No answer, left voicemail. Acknowledged their concern about a charge, advised in the voicemail I would need an address and or account number to pull it up and review to assist in resolving any billing concerns. Provided my department contact.
Customer Answer
Date: 08/20/2025

Complaint: 23631165

I am rejecting this response because:

at no point was an attempt made to contact me at my cell, **************.

Regards,

******** *****
Business Response
Date: 08/26/2025
Reached out to the customer today at their provided cell **************, no answer, went straight to voicemail, left a message and provided **** contact.

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Astound Broadband powered by RCN is NOT a BBB Accredited Business.