ComplaintsforFarmers Telephone Cooperative

• Initial Complaint

  12/08/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Farmers Telephone Cooperative (FTC) was my service provider for cable and internet. I have security cameras installed that utilized their services. I work from home so I am home daily. The security cameras stopped working. I made multiple attempts to get them fixed with FTC. Each time I was told that someone would come check them. No one came. I placed several tickets like I was advised to do and the cameras still does not work. I contacted Lynn Cox through the mobile app and never received the call back. The problem did not start until I switched internet providers. Once I switched the cameras stopped working and no one would help. Each time I called I was told someone would contact me in a few days. I went to the local FTC and was told it takes 72 hours before some one would reach back out. This has been going on for months. Now after I received a bill of $317.71 I draw the line. My service was $50 a month. I explained to the customer service rep at the local FTC that I was not going to continue to pay for a service that does not work. She placed another ticket for me and took the cable boxes back so that I would not continue to get charged for them. This makes no sense. I am being told that the services was cancelled for non payment in October and I am responsible. How can I be held liable for paying for services I can not use. I would like this bill corrected because I did not utilize the services. This whole company has done nothing but cause emotional stress. I live in a neighborhood where cameras are needed and mine do not work. This places me in danger.

  Business response

  12/16/2022

  First, the supervisor of our Contact Center spoke with the customer last week when she called in. After that conversation, one of our technicians went out an replaced an older camera.

  
  At the end of the day on Dec. 14, after talking with the Contact Center supervisor again, we agreed that he would try to call her the next morning. He reached out at 10:04 a.m. on Dec. 15 and left a voice mail, which asked for her to call him back. As of this writing, she had not responded.

  
  It is also important to note that her issues apparently began when she changed from FTC as her Internet provider to another provider.

  
  But in order to get her back on the right track, we were willing to make certain compromises. It is more important to us to keep our customers and make sure they get what they pay for.
  First, of her $317.71 balance, $179.70 were early termination fees. Essentially, she violated the contract she signed. The contracts generally include equipment and we re-coup some of those costs over the term of the agreement. If she is willing to get her service turned back on and get back to being a customer in good standing, we will waive that charge.

  To get the service turned back on, it would be at least a charge of $80, which we would also waive.

  
  Finally, we would give her one month’s credit of $55.80 and waive the $13.02 in past due charges, giving her a balance of $69.19 to get her service reinstated. Her monthly charges would resume.
  Again, this is only if she is willing to get her service back up.

  
  If not, she is still due the $317.70 because, going back to what I wrote previously, her trouble started when she changed Internet carriers.

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