Connecticut attorney general opens investigation into another cable company for slow internet speeds, poor customer service - Hartford Courant

HARTFORD — Prompted by repeated user complaints, authorities Attorney General William Tong launched an probe Monday into dilatory net speeds, mediocre method responses and hidden fees by the Altice Optimum cablegram company.

Under the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act, Tong volition analyse astir 500 complaints by consumers implicit a play of years.

One of the astir communal complaints is consumers are protesting that they are not getting the accelerated net speeds that they paid for. Some consumers who signed up for 300 oregon 400 megabits per 2nd recovered retired that they consistently got lone 120 megabits per second, Tong said. One lawsuit connected the 400 megabits program said she received lone 10 to 40 megabits per second, Tong said.

“We received complaints from galore consumers who ran velocity tests. These are radical that are overmuch much technically savvy than I am,’' Tong said astatine a property league successful Hartford. “They discovered that they are getting overmuch little speeds than they paid for. And erstwhile they telephone Optimum looking for assistance — if they tin get done to idiosyncratic — their problems are not resolved.’'

A longtime Stamford resident, Tong said helium personally is an Altice Optimum customer, which has a wide footprint successful Fairfield County. Tong said the institution had “not yet’' responded regarding the investigation.

“This should travel arsenic nary astonishment that customers are unhappy,’’ Tong told reporters. “We’ve learned, arsenic consumers, to enactment up with immoderate magnitude of mediocre work from immoderate of our cablegram providers due to the fact that you telephone up and you’re connected clasp and the telephone gets dropped. Then the telephone gets transferred, and it gets dropped. Many of america person had that acquisition personally, but this goes good beyond immoderate of those changeless complaints and refrains. This is radical who truly request these services to enactment and spell to schoolhouse and negociate their lives. The net is truthful important successful each facet of our lives.’’

After aggregate calls, Optimum officials could not beryllium reached for remark Monday astatine their Long Island headquarters.

Technician visits to the location tin outgo $75, but the complaints are continuing, Tong said.

“Customers person the close to person and expect to person the net speeds that they paid for,’’ Tong said.

Besides problems with speeds, Tong’s bureau has handled complaints astir lawsuit service, method support, and work fees.

“Our probe seeks broad records dating backmost to January 2017 to find precisely what Altice Optimum knew and what they were doing to present the net speeds and work they promised,’’ Tong said. “If our probe finds that Optimum violated Connecticut law, we volition not hesitate to clasp them accountable.’’

The broader problem, officials said, is that accordant net entree has go a necessity crossed the authorities and is often arsenic important arsenic services provided by nationalist utilities.

In a akin case, Tong’s bureau reached a colony with Frontier Communications successful August that had been prompted by much than 1,400 complaints — astir 3 times the fig for Optimum. Some of the issues were the same, specified arsenic mediocre lawsuit service, mediocre net quality, precocious charges, and problems with instrumentality returns.

“Frontier Communications, which besides had a reputation, successful information did not present connected the promised service,’' Tong said.

Frontier settled the civilian lawsuit for much than $60 million, and the statement is designed to “dramatically grow entree to high-speed net for Frontier customers successful economically distressed communities, extremity a hidden monthly $6.99 net surcharge, and unit important improvements successful Frontier’s selling and lawsuit service,’' Tong said.

State Sen. Norm Needleman, an Essex Democrat who co-chairs the legislature’s vigor and exertion committee, said astatine the quality league that helium is acrophobic astir companies that are “over-promising and under-delivering without immoderate explanation. ... All of them person an work to their customers, whether you classify them arsenic ratepayers oregon not.’'

Needleman added, “As the net has go a captious portion of mundane life, households relying connected these services for employment, acquisition and amusement tin acquisition important harm if they deficiency reliable net service. If Altice Optimum contributed to that harm, they should look the consequences.’'

Christopher Keating tin beryllium reached astatine ckeating@courant.com