SubscribeCharter Communications customers that fall past-due on their cable bills can expect a personal visit from a contractor looking for payment or your cable equipment if you refuse to pay and get disconnected.
Spectrum’s designated “door collector” in several states is Makotek, which claimed in a Craigslist ad recruiting new workers that it “is contracted by Spectrum to handle non-pay work orders for their entire New York footprint. We are now hiring for our office in all areas in Central N.Y.”
While its recruiting and training videos emphasize its workers should be polite and professional, the firm prominently displays a shark in its logo.
“Door collectors” are usually sent by cable operators after service is disconnected from the office for non-payment. Their mission is to collect past-due payments anyway possible, even if it takes a post-dated check. A training video emphasizes the psychology employed by door collectors to get paid or retrieve the company’s equipment from customers who won’t or can’t bring their account current.
Employees are advised to park their truck near a utility pole to send an impression permanent service disconnection is imminent. They are also advised to repeatedly return to a customer’s home to find someone authorized to cut them a check or make a credit card payment. The training video details how to respond to the myriad of excuses customers can give for not paying, and what to do when a customer becomes irate. At all times, employees are told to stay focused on one thing: payment in full.
Makotek is not the only door collector employed by the cable industry. Boxco manages door collections for Comcast and its help wanted ad suggests the caliber of candidates it apparently attracts:
REQUIREMENTS- If you have worked Comcast, you know the drill. ** Excellent Verbal Communication skills – SPANISH SPEAKING is a plus! **Weekdays til 9pm and Saturday work hours ** NO FELONY or Aggravated Misdemeanor Conviction in past 10 Years ** Pass yearly or on demand Drug Screen ** YOU WILL NOT ENTER ANY HOME WITHOUT AN ADULT PRESENT ** Clean Cut Appearance with friendly attitude. ** Presentable Car or Late Model Truck/Van in good running condition ** Active Cell Phone-(with Text Messaging)
Here is how Makotek trains its workers to rescue past-due cable accounts. Take away message: They have already heard every excuse. (18:03)
Nice. I laughed when I seen the shark. These kids are going to find out quickly, that most of these people who are “past due” are in fact in the middle of a billing dispute and angry for getting bills past the closing of their service and return of equipment.. or getting strange charges like the one for the Indian reservation those people were getting (that didn’t live on a reservation). If that isn’t bad enough, they, as usual for these companies, put these made up charges in the “Taxes” section. “Convenience fees”, “Technology fees” and “Service fees” …lol.