More than a month after Mediacom promised customers their e-mail glitches were solved, problems continue to plague Mediacom customers in Iowa who continue to discover missing e-mail, inaccessible accounts, and delayed messages.  The problem has worsened to the point it merited coverage on the evening news in Des Moines.

Mediacom’s efforts to switch to an “in-house” e-mail system to improve service have caused repeated problems for Mediacom customers who simply can’t get to their e-mail.  The company blamed the problems on “software upgrades” which bring the system down while updates are installed.  Mediacom claims to try and limit downtime to the early hours of the morning when most customers won’t notice.

But they do.

Consumer Reports just released rankings of cable operators in its February 2010 issue and Mediacom rated near the very bottom — 15th of 16 companies providing TV service, dead last among 23 cable “digital phone” providers, and 24th out of 27 Internet providers, and that was only because the very worst-rated Internet providers deserve a special place in hell for their fraudband satellite service.

Mediacom’s worst ratings?  Their lousy reliability and customer service.

“We recognize that we have to continue to do a better job in customer service, and in the past year we committed significant resources to service improvements,” Phyllis Peters, a Mediacom spokeswoman, told the Des Moines Register.

While those service improvements work their way through the system, Mediacom customers don’t have to wait.  They can obtain a Gmail address in seconds and bypass Mediacom’s e-mail nightmare for good.

WHO-TV in Des Moines, Iowa tells the story of an ALS sufferer who depends on e-mail service contending with Mediacom’s inability to provide it. (3 minutes)

Other stories of interest:

1. Mediacom vs. Sinclair: Consumers Stuck In The Middle As Companies Fight For Your Money
2. Special Report: The Lessons of FairPoint – A Tragedy in New England – Part Eight
3. Windstream’s Acquisition of Iowa Telecom Continues Telephone Company Consolidation, Worries Employees
4. Special Report: The Lessons of FairPoint – A Tragedy in New England – Part Eleven
5. Bug Swatters