21.60.820 Customer
service
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E. Customer
Information.
Upon (1) installation; (2)
annually; and (3) at any time the Customer requests, the Cable Operator shall
provide the following information, in clear, concise
written form:
Products and services offered
by the Cable Operator, including its channel lineup. Thirty (30) days prior to
the Cable Operator changing its channel lineup, the Cable Operator shall
provide subscribers with the revised channel lineup;
The Cable Operator’s prices
and options for programming services, conditions of subscription to programming
and Other Services, and policies concerning changes in services offered, notification of changes, disconnection and service
downgrades. Thirty (30) days prior to the Cable Operator changing any of the
above, the Cable Operator shall provide subscribers with the changes;
These
Standards, with Schedule A, and any other applicable Customer service
standards. A written copy of these Standards or a summary approved by
the City shall be provided to Customers at installation and annually; an
on-line version shall be considered acceptable annual dissemination of the
standards to cable modem Internet Customers;
Installation and service
maintenance policies, including the Customer’s responsibilities for equipment;
Instruction on the use of
cable TV service, remote control and on standard VCR hookups;
Instruction on the use of
interactive television if provided by the cable operator;
Instruction on the use of
cable modem service;
Billing and complaint
procedures, including the address and telephone number of the Cable Operator’s
offices, the Cable Operator’s policies on deposits and credit balances,
returned check charges, refunds for disruption of service or poor reception,
and telephone numbers and descriptions of services of the FCC and the City’s
Office of Cable Communications;
Policies
concerning protection of Customer privacy. The Cable Operator shall
include a postage paid self-addressed mail back postcard for opt-out purposes;
Use and availability of
parental control/lock out device;
Special services for Customers
with disabilities including any other discounts required by the franchises;
Days, hours of operation, and
locations of the service centers;
A sample of all notices
provided to the Customer shall be filed (by fax acceptable) concurrently with
the City;
The Cable Operator shall
provide Customers with written notification of any changes in programming,
services or channel positions as soon as possible in writing and, when it
becomes technologically feasible, through announcements on the Cable System.
Customers shall be given a description of the changes, their options for
changing services they receive, phone number for questions and effective date.
Notice must be given to Customers a minimum of thirty (30) days in advance of
such changes if the change is within the control of the Cable Operator. In
addition, the Cable Operator shall notify Customers thirty (30) days in advance
of any significant changes in the other information required by the preceding
subsection. Channel lineup changes that result from Cable Operator’s rebuild of
its Cable System are exempt from the thirty (30) day notice requirement;
All officers, agents, and
employees of the Cable Operator, its contractors and subcontractors who are in
personal contact with Customers shall have visible identification cards bearing
their name and photograph. The Cable Operator shall account for all
identification cards at all times. Every vehicle of the Cable Operator used for
providing services to Customers shall be clearly visually identified to the
public as working for the Cable Operator. All CSRs
shall identify themselves orally to callers immediately following the greeting
during each telephone contact with the public. Officers, agents,’ and employees
of the Cable Operator, its contractors and subcontractors shall identifying
themselves to the Customer when making a service call or installation;
All CSRs,
technicians and employees of the Cable Operator in every contact with a
Customer shall state the estimated cost of the service, repair, or installation
orally prior to delivery of the service or before any work is performed, and
shall provide the Customer with an oral statement of the total charges before
terminating the telephone call or before leaving the location at which the work
was performed;
All promotional materials
advertising cable services shall accurately disclose price terms. For
non-automated orders, the CSRs shall make clear the
price of pay-per-view and pay-per-event programming before an order is taken.
The Cable Operator shall distribute promotional material in multi-unit
buildings only with the approval of the building owner. The Cable Operator
shall not condition the provision of Cable Services on the receipt of such
approval;
The Cable Operator shall not
charge Customers for any services they have not affirmatively requested;
provided that, this subsection shall not prevent a
Cable Operator from adding programming to an existing tier.
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