BEWARE OF THIS COMPANY. I am in collections with Cablevision for $300 when I actually have a CREDIT on my account. Why, you ask? Well, there is another person with the same name at a different address that has not paid their bill. After about 2 hours on the phone, cablevision advised us to go to the police department as it was a case of identity theft. (No, it's a clerical error). Police told us the same thing. Police also told us that they employ companies that use the "Pay and Prey" scheme. That is, the company calls all the 'Sally Smith's they can find, not just the debtor, and tell them that they owe the $$. They make you prove you are not that person by tricking you into giving them your ss# for verification. now they have your social and can write off the debt (goes on your TRW), so they threaten you to 'pay the debt and we'll sort it out after'. No thank you. As of today, I've spent over 5 hours on the phone, have gone to cablevision physically to show ID, have FAXED said ID and bank statements and last 4 of social to them and STILL cannot get them to get the collections agency off of our backs. We have to prove we are not deadbeats because of incompetance and bad business practice on their part. Next step for me is the BBB and possibly a lawyer for harrassment. Stinks, because my condo has a contract with them that includes basic cable so if switch companies I pay for basic cable twice. They still get my $$ and I still get screwed.
And by the way they also provided me with the other person's account number and driver's license number.

For over 20 years, I have subscribed to Cablevision cable TV service on Long Island. Since I am not a huge TV nut, I have only Family/Basic cable which gets all the broadcast networks and a decent variety of cable stations. I have no use for any of the premium packages and many of the channels that come with my basic subscription, I never watch. All of my TVs are older and not HD compatable. I was very happy with my set up and not interested in any of the promotions and decline all mailings and marketing calls from Cablevision to upgrade to another package.

So imagine my anger when I received a letter the other day stating that 10 of the channels that I do enjoy watching will no longer be available under my basic plan without renting digital converter boxes for each of my TV's for a monthly fee (plus remotes which will have separate monthly fee) AND I must purchase the IO Navigation package to the tune of $10.95 a month...just to be able to view these 10 stations that I have received for years. Additionally, my old, non-HD TVs probably render most of the fancy features with the IO Navigation package that I must buy, unusable.

Of course, if I do not rent the boxes or upgrade to the Navigation package, I suspect I will not receive a credit for the 10 less stations on my current package.

I feel that Cablevision is forcing people who have refused in the past to upgrade, to purchase equipment and services they do not want by moving channels from basic cable to a format that is not viewable without an upgrade. In addition, those of us who do not choose this forced upgrade are effectively then getting 10 less channels for the same monthly fee.

This is another example of corporate bullies pushing the little guy around and forcing unwanted services down our throats. I am currently looking into DISH and Verizon TV services.

Cablevision
Attn: Commercial Sales
6 Corporate Center Drive
Melville, New York11747

Re: Account number: 07870-489660-02-9

Dear Commercial Sales Specialist:

I am in receipt of your invoice with a due date of September 15, 2009 with an amount due of $563.90. This is incorrect and I dispute any prior “invoices” that were sent to my office for the following reasons:
1. In the middle of July, 2009, we moved our law office from Ramsey to Midland Park. “Ross” one of your sales persons contacted me about service prior to the move. I advised him that I was not pleased with Cablevision and that I was concerned that the well-established numbers we had would be available in our new location. He assured me that they could be preserved. During my discussions with Ross, he assured me that there would be no rewiring fee. Our new office was previously occupied by an engineering firm who had their workspaces wired. All that was required was to connect our office to the outside world. No internal wiring was needed. We were charged incorrectly for “rewiring” and a credit of $250.00 is due.

2. We own three numbers: 201-512-4400, 201-512-4401, and 201-512-4403; 201-512-4403 is a dedicated fax line. To avoid a long missive, please review our file concerning phone number 201-512-4401. This belongs to us, but it was not ported over when we moved to Cablevision. This was an omission on Cablevision’s part, and it still has not been corrected. This caused both a loss of a line and calls for over two weeks. That precipitated a loss of business to my office for dropped calls, incorrect busy signals, etc. I estimate that Cablevision’s failures and negligence caused my practice damages of over $10, 000.00 for lost clients.


3. During the “seamless” transition we were promised, we had no telephone service for over one week! Being a law office of a sole attorney, it is vital to our economic well being that we have telephone service. This loss of service has affected our business and livelihood, and is the responsibility of Cablevision to rectify and reimburse me for the lost of services.

4. While trying to correct these problems, I and my assistant spent more than 40 hours on the phone and in the office speaking with your service department and talking with the more than seven different repairmen sent to our site. This loss of productivity must be made up, and averaging the rates of myself and assistant to be $200.00/hr, it amounts to $8, 000.00 that Cablevision has cost me in lost time. I expect Cablevision to provide an appropriate credit for that lost time.

5. Because of prior problems with the Internet service, “Ross” promised to give me the Optimum Boost for free. I expect the charges for this service to be deleted from my bill and not to reappear.

I never ordered or agreed to pay for Cable TV. Therefore, a full credit must be issued.

At this time, our services are minimally working and I would like to keep it that way. Unfortunately, whenever someone attempts to make things better, new problems arise and old problems that were thought to be corrected reappear. The following is what I would like to see happen going forward:

1. We need to know the status of our number 201-512-4401; we own this number and would like to utilize it. During this long process, we were given a “dummy” number so that we could have to outgoing lines and a second line to hunt for when our primary number (4400) is being used.

2. This alleged amount due of $563.90 has to be revisited. All of the above points should be reviewed, including the amount of time we needed to get a minimally functioning business service. In fact, it is our position that Cablevision owes my firm far in excess of that invoice.

If you would like to contact us to discuss this situation further, please do so. I trust that you are guided accordingly.

I received a notice from Cable Vision on August 16th dated August 7th stating that my bill was overdue. It stated that a payment of $34.00 would aviod any service interuption . I said fine . That was the beginning of telephone calls DAILY regarding this. Each time I spoke to a rep they said if I pay the 34.00 everything would be taken care of . I spoke with at LEAST two reps who assured me this was okay. Finally I was called and was put on HOLD for 20 minutes before speaking to a live rep. Well readers. that was it !!!I let those scumbags have it. Now they wanted the FULL payment of 162.00 . When I clearly explained that one I had been mis informed, they( like they always do) apologize but they also threatned to shut my service off and I have their HIGHLY advertised triple play. For those who are unaware this includes telephone, internet, and television. I got no break from the late notice, the misinformation from the reps but a LOT of BS about their system. Cablevision are like loan sharks calling you to get payment but are long on rhetortic when THEY are at fault. Now with todays' economy they should be flexible. I have been with them BEFORE their competition( direct tv, dishnetwork, and now verizon.) I was willing to pay the 34.00 until they flipped the script on me. I am on a fixed incme and these fools don't care. I intend to give them continuous hell with their shabby treatment of the people they allgedly service.

Cablevision found another way of their customers paying more. Instead of increasing their already high rates, they now have removed access to approximately 20 formerly inclusive channges (such as Lifetime, BET, MTV, AMC, AMC, etc).

Now they are requiring "monthly rental fees" for digital cable boxes, HD digital cable boxes or CableCARDs on each TV. So, I am paying for Family Cable is $55/month, with almost half the channels - - will their be a price adjustment?????

I find it quite funny that they cut these channels in the midst of the Didital switch so consumers think that buying the TV converter boxes would work.

I would like to find out who we need to contact for these unfair consumer practices.