Ed and I being NewlywEd and all last year (and trying to be all budgety in our new adult life) had to prioritize where we wanted our disposable income to go. Although I was perfectly content with where my money had previously gone (American Eagle, GAP, Macy’s, the occasional manicure and massage, etc), I had to be all grown up and allot some funds to the power company and the gas company because electricity, heating and air conditioning were high priorities on the list of things we thought we might need.
When it came to luxuries (i.e. things we can live without but choose not to live without) we were more interested in a life with DVR (I love you DishNetwork! and I love the episodes of Little House on the Prairie that you tape 3 times a day for me) than with Internet. However, when a Charter promotional ad promised us a good deal for 6 months – we thought why not? So at the end of 09 – December I think - we splurged for some internet. 
Sweet I thought! Facebook, Itunes, email, Google, the WORLD WIDE WEB…would be at my beck and call any time of the day.Or not. The internet worked so well…the first day it was installed. After that we had sketchy, unreliable internet for days…weeks…and then months at a time. Call after call. Service tech after service tech. Those guys performed magic while at my house and made the internet work, but after they left…and after a little tease of being online – the magic internet fairy dust they used would lose effect and we would lose signal yet again.
Calling Charter’s customer service has felt similar to what I believe medieval torture felt like. My head has nearly exploded each and every time that I have attempted to resolve our internet problem. Now I realize and understand that a lot of major companies like Charter outsource some their customer service to countries like India or Pakistan. What I don’t understand is how I am always transferred to them instead of someone I can actually have a dialog with without trying to translate in my head what they actually mean.
Not only am I always connected with someone who is still in Learning to Speak English 101, but I am always connected to someone who I think hates their job and isn’t one bit invested in helping to solve my issue. Not to mention, the 15 minute phone menu that Satan himself created that never gives me an option to “SPEAK TO SOMEONE WHO CAN HELP ME OUT WITH A PROBLEM” so I find myself saying “Agent” over and over again to try and override the system and get me to an actual HUMAN BEING. 
To make this long story even longer, we cancelled internet service at the end of June. I should really said we cancelled them sending us bills since we never really had internet service when it comes down to it. They owe us $70 dollars. We have been told different things each time we have called to find out when our check would be arriving in our mailbox.
The check was apparently cut/processed July 3, Aug 4, and this latest time Aug 12th. We haven’t received anything. I have confirmed our address multiple times. We have received reimbursement checks from insurance companies with no problem since then. Every day I check the mail, and every day I am disappointed to see that my check still hasn’t arrived. Each time I call I feel like I’m losing minutes of my life. I repeat my sob story over and over to Charter agents who could care less and apparently have no historical log of what I have said to the agent before them. I have probably gone over my minutes on my phone plan after being on hold so many times. I’m guessing I’ll eventually have to use gas money and a vacation day to drive to our local Charter to see if they can help – though I imagine it will just be a real life version of my hopeless telephone calls.
Funnily enough though, I keep receiving those Charter bulk mail-outs telling me they miss me as a customer. I have probably received about 6 of those since we have cancelled.
Charter – I hate you.
