BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — New York State Assemblyman Sean Ryan (D) is asking Charter Communications to credit Spectrum customers following this past weekends outage.
Spectrum tells 7 Eyewitness News the cause of the damage was due to weather-related fiber damage to primary and redundant networks.
A spokesperson with the company says customers may qualify for a refund on a case-by-case basis. The company is asking customers to call and speak with a representative. Ryan is asking the internet and cable provider to automatically credit customer bills instead.
"Instead of providing automatic bill credits to customers that were impacted, Spectrum is forcing customers to proactively call their customer service line and ask for a refund," Ryan said in a letter addressed to Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Charter Communications Thomas Rutledge. "Many customers are reporting frustrating experiences with the system Spectrum has established."
You can read the full letter below.
Thomas M. Rutledge
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Charter Communications
400 Atlantic St. Stamford, CT 06901
Dear Mr. Rutledge:
I write today concerning a recent outage of Spectrum’s fiber-optic network that impacted more than 2 million Spectrum subscribers in New York and the New England Region. These customers lost Spectrum’s cable television service from Friday, February 7th until 5pm on Saturday, February 8th. Spectrum is offering refunds to customers impacted by the widespread outage, which is certainly appreciated, but I am concerned about how the refunds are being managed.
Instead of providing automatic bill credits to customers that were impacted, Spectrum is forcing customers to proactively call their customer service line and ask for a refund. Many customers are reporting frustrating experiences with the system Spectrum has established. Spectrum should make this process as easy as possible instead of forcing more than 2 million customers to go through an onerous hassle to get a refund.
Providing customers with an automatic bill credit is the best way to resolve this and I urge you to take this action immediately. In the best interests of customer service, I believe this is the best path forward. Thank you for your consideration, and I look forward to hearing from you regarding this important matter.
Sincerely,
Sean M. Ryan New York State Assembly
### Assemblyman Sean Ryan represents New York's 149th Assembly District, which includes portions of the Cities of Buffalo and Lackawanna, the Town of Hamburg, and the Villages of Hamburg and Blasdell. For more information, please contact Assemblyman Ryan’s Buffalo office at 716-885-9630.
