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Time Warner Cable is sending apology letters to former customers acknowledging the company’s cable service has not always lived up to expectations, but improvements have been made that ex-subscribers should consider.
The effort is part of a $50 million marketing campaign that will push a 30-day money back guarantee and claims their competitors’ promised savings have not materialized.
“The Better Guarantee”-campaign will target customers who have dropped the cable operator in favor of competitors that include AT&T U-verse and Verizon FiOS.
Although both AT&T and Verizon offer attractive introductory rates, Time Warner Cable says the savings disappear after the promotion expires. The company’s new ad campaign will attempt to entice customers back with offers of lower rates, a $200 reward card, and better service, including faster broadband speeds and new products like online apps for video streaming and home security services.
The New York Times reports the campaign was announced one week before the cable operator releases its latest fourth quarter earnings, which may show a growing number of customers canceling their cable television service. Jeffries & Company forecast Time Warner will report 140,000 subscribers lost during the last quarter, up from 129,000 in the same quarter of 2011.
Customers are invited to sample Time Warner’s offerings for 30 days. If they don’t like the service, the company will send their money back.
That may not be enough. The American Consumer Satisfaction Index has top-rated Verizon FiOS for three years in a row. Time Warner Cable received a below average, but improving rating.
http://www.phillipdampier.com/video/TWC The Better Guarantee 1-21-13.flvTime Warner Cable’s new television ad promoting its “Better Guarantee.” (1 minute)
Other stories of interest:
- Verizon FiOS TV/Broadband Arrives in Suburban Syracuse: Incumbent Time Warner Cable Says “No Price War” Coming
- Time Warner Cable Will Increase Standard Broadband Speed to 15/1Mbps Nationwide
- First Take: Time Warner Cable Adds Broadband Customers, Sees Higher Revenue, Costs Plummet in 2nd Quarter
- Competition Breather: Verizon FiOS Rate Hikes Ease Pressure on Cablevision, TWC
- Turner Introduces New TV Everywhere App for Everyone But Time Warner Cable Customers
If they just got a functional DVR I’d be happy! I’m a Signature Home sub and its a solid package EXCEPT for the Whole Home DVR. The software is horrid and full of glitches. I’ve asked numerous time for the Arris Whole Home Gateway with 6 tuners and Moxi software.
How many millions of advertising dollars are spent by these companies trying to gain “new” customers? It is just one big round-robin.
Since their ex-customers may have signed 1 or 2-year agreements with their new provider, how long are they going to keep this campaign running?
If Time Warner Cable would have fixed the numourous problems withe their cable VoIP service locally and not raised the rates because they could I might have stayed with them..
In August of 2012, I moved the phone and internet to At&t U-Verse [IP-DSL] based. Their service, especially for the phone is far more reliable then TWC… [The last week with TWC cable phone service, I was having calls appear on the caller ID on tv, yet the phone was not ringing... I was missing calls from friends and family.] From 2006 – 2012 I probably called TWC 10-20 times [or more] I had 2-4 techs come out in 2012 because of problems with the phone and the internet services. If TWC had a 3 Tuner DVR I would happier with their tv service because of the recording conflict issue that sometimes shows up.
I have yet to call At&t because of service problems… It just works.
Do they have a 3 tuner DVR?
No, they don’t … but they have a 4 tuner version.. made by [Cisco] / Scientific Atlanta…
I’m not signing up for the whole house DVR service just to get it…
Time Warner doesn’t have any DVR’s with more than two tuners at this time.
Actually, they will…
http://www.fiercecable.com/story/time-warner-cable-deploy-souped-dvr-second-half-2013/2013-01-31
This is a 6 tuner, 1 terabyte dvr…. that is being deployed sometime this year by TWC.