21.60.820 Customer
service
***
C. Responsiveness.
1. Guaranteed Seven-day Standard Installation and Service. The Cable
Operator shall complete all Standard installations and Service Repairs requested
by Customers within seven (7) business days after an order has been placed,
unless otherwise requested by the Customer. This standard must be met
ninety-five (95) percent of the time under Normal Operating Conditions measured
on a quarterly basis. If the Customer requests a Non-Standard Installation, or
the Cable Operator determines that a Non-Standard Installation is required, the
Cable Operator shall provide the Customer in advance with a total installation
cost estimate and an estimated date of completion.
All underground cable drops
from the curb to the home shall be buried at a depth of no less than twelve
(12) inches, and within no more three (3) calendar weeks from the initial
installation, or at a time mutually agreed upon between the Cable Operator and
Customer.
2. Residential Installation and Service Appointments. Customers
requesting installation of cable service or repair service to an existing
installation may choose any available four (4) hour block of time for the
installation appointment during Normal Business Hours. The Cable Operator shall
provide Customers the option of service or installation appointments weekday
evenings until
The Cable Operator shall
contact new Customers by telephone, mail, e-mail or in person within two (2)
weeks after installation or provide a self-addressed stamped response postcard
to all Customers in its installation materials to assure overall Customer
satisfaction with the work completed. The Cable Operator shall maintain records
of a reasonable sample of Customer responses.
The Cable Operator shall be
deemed to have responded to a request for service under the provisions of this
section when a technician arrives within the agreed upon time. If the Customer
is absent when the technician arrives, the technician shall verify the
appointment with his/her dispatcher by telephone while at the Customer’s door
and leave written notification of timely arrival. A copy of that notification
shall be kept by the Cable Operator. In such circumstances, the Cable Operator
shall contact the Customer within forty-eight (48) hours. In the event that a
technician arrives without a prior appointment, and the Customer must be
present for service to proceed, and the Customer is absent, it shall not be
deemed that the Cable Operator has responded to a request for service.
If a Cable Operator
representative fails to keep an installation or service appointment for any
reason, the Cable Operator will contact the Customer before the end of the
scheduled appointment, and reschedule the appointment at a time convenient for
the Customer.
3. Outages. In the event of system outages (loss of reception of
sound or video or interactive television, or failure of Internet or e-mail
connections) resulting from Cable Operator equipment failure affecting five (5)
or more Customers, the Cable Operator shall initiate repairs within two (2)
hours after the third Customer call is received. All Customers who call the
Cable Operator to report an outage shall receive credit for the entire day on
which the outage occurred and for each additional day the outage continues. The
Cable Operator shall notify the City of any outage of at least four (4)
continuous hours that affects at least ten (10) percent of its Customers.
The Cable Operator shall
initiate repairs to all other service interruptions resulting from Cable
Operator equipment failure within twenty-four (24) hours.
A Cable Operator shall
initiate repairs to Customer reported outages and service interruptions, for
any cause beyond the control of the Cable Operator, within twenty-four (24)
hours after the conditions beyond its control have been corrected.
4. TV Reception and Cable Modem Internet Connection. The signal
quality provided by the Cable Operator shall meet or exceed technical standards
established by the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Cable
modem Internet connections shall meet performance specifications advertised by
the Cable Operator. The Cable Operator shall render efficient service, make
repairs promptly, and interrupt service only for good cause and for the
shortest time possible. Scheduled interruptions that the Cable Operator
anticipates will last more than four (4) hours shall be preceded by at least
twenty-four (24) hour’s notice to affected Customers, and shall occur during
periods of minimum use of the system, preferably between
If a Customer experiences poor
signal quality or interruptions of Cable or Other Services attributable to the
Cable Operator’s equipment, the Cable Operator shall respond and repair the
problem no later than the day following the Customer call provided that the
Customer is available and the repair can be made within the allotted time. If
an appointment is necessary, the Customer may choose a four (4) hour block of
time during Normal Business Hours. At the Customer’s request, the Cable
Operator shall repair the problem at a later time convenient to the Customer.
The Cable Operator shall provide Customers the Option of service or
installation appointments weekday evenings until
5. Problem Resolution. A Cable Operator’s CSRs
shall have the authority to provide credit for interrupted service or any of
the other credits listed in Schedule A, to waive fees, to schedule service
appointments and to change billing cycles, where appropriate. Any difficulties
that cannot be resolved by the CSR shall be referred to the appropriate
supervisor who shall make best efforts to contact the Customer within four (4)
hours arid resolve the problem within forty-eight (48) hours or within such
other time frame as is acceptable to the Customer and the Cable Operator.
6.
The Cable Operator shall allow
at least thirty (30) days from the beginning date of the applicable billing
cycle for payment of a Customer’s service bill for that period. If a Customer’s
service bill is not paid within that period of time the Cable Operator may
apply an administrative fee to the Customer’s account. If the Customer’s
service bill is not paid within forty-five (45) days of the beginning date of
the applicable service period, the Cable Operator may perform a “soft”
disconnect of the customer’s service. If a Customer’s service bill is not paid
within fifty-two (52) days of the beginning date of the applicable service
period, the Cable Operator may disconnect the Customer’s service; provided, it
has provided ten (10) days notice to the Customer that such disconnection may
result.
If a Customer requests
disconnection of any or all services, billing for affected services shall end
on the same day, or on the future date for which the disconnect is ordered. The
Customer shall not be responsible for Cable Services delivered after the
request. The Cable Operator must refund any credit balance owed the Customer,
less any owed or disputed amounts, within fifteen (15) business days after the
close of the Customer’s billing cycle following the return of the equipment and
request for disconnection. The Cable Operator shall issue a credit or refund to
a Customer within fifteen (15) business days after the close of the billing
cycle following the return of the equipment and request for disconnection.
Deposits shall accrue interest
at a fair market rate. Within ten (10) days after termination of service, the
Cable Operator shall repay any deposit with a statement showing accrued
interest to the Customer, less any sums owed to the Cable Operator.
7. Treatment of Property Owner’s Property. Trees and shrubs or other
landscaping on a Customer’s property that are damaged
by the Cable Operator, or any employee or agent during installation or
construction for the Customer or in the process of serving adjacent structures,
shall be restored to their prior condition or-replaced. Trees and shrubs shall
not be removed without the prior permission of the owner of the property on
which they are located.
The Cable Operator shall, at
its own cost and expense, and in a manner approved by the property owner and
the City, restore any property to as good condition as before the work causing
such disturbance was initiated. The Cable Operator shall repair, replace or
compensate all property owners for damages resulting from the Cable Operator’s
installation, construction, service or repair activities for a Customer.
Except in the case of an
emergency involving public safety or service interruption to a large number of
Customers, the Cable Operator shall give reasonable notice to property owners
or legal tenants prior to entering upon private premises, and the notice shall
specify the work to be performed; provided that, in the case of construction
operations such notice shall be delivered or provided at least twenty-four (24)
hours prior to entry. Nothing herein shall be construed as authorizing access
or entry to private property, or any other property, where such right to access
or entry is not otherwise provided by law. If damage is caused by Cable Operator
activity, the Cable Operator shall reimburse the property owner one hundred
(100) percent of the cost of the damage or replace the damaged property. For
the installation of pedestals or other major construction or installation
projects, property owners shall also be notified by mail or door hanger notice
at least one (1) week in advance. In the case of an emergency, the Cable
Operator shall attempt to contact the property owner or legal tenant in person,
and shall leave a door hanger notice in the event personal contact is not made.
The Cable Operator shall clean
all areas surrounding any work site of debris caused by the Cable Operator’s
activities and ensure that all cable materials are disposed of properly.
***