MediaOne to explain rate hikes tonight

Andrew Glazer

COSTA MESA -- A representative from the city’s primary cable

provider is scheduled to tell the council tonight why it will raise rates

next month despite a growing number of customer complaints about poor

service.

MediaOne announced last month it plans to raise rates for Costa Mesa by

nearly 5%, starting in February, to improve services and cover increasing

program costs.

The cable company began upgrading its facilities this June to allow

eventual high-speed Internet access and digital telephone use.

The council asked MediaOne to explain why residents seem to be on hold

for a long time when calling for customer service, why its employees were

missing appointments and why its operators couldn’t answer questions

about inconveniences related to the equipment upgrades.

Stephen Sawyer, a MediaOne employee who will speak at the 6:30 p.m.

meeting, said he acknowledges some problems with customer service. But he

said many can’t be avoided.

“It’s the growing pains of transition,” he said.

Sawyer said MediaOne would probably finish the upgrades by early April.

He said some of the money from the rate increase will help finance

improvements in cable service. But he said most of the rate increases

come because popular cable channels, such as ESPN, are charging MediaOne

more money to show their programming.

The company closed its Costa Mesa customer services office in the summer

and directed customers to call a toll-free number for a Los Angeles-based

office. Sawyer said the Los Angeles operators were better trained to

handle questions about the upgrades. He also said there was a bigger

staff there to take calls. Many of the customers who complained about

being on hold were dialing the old Costa Mesa number and weren’t aware of

the change, he said.

Gerry Verwolf, the city’s telecommunications manager, said certain

inconveniences were justified. The company moved many of its boxes above

ground to make it easier to upgrade and repair in the future.

“Some people have objected to that,” he said, “but MediaOne has been very

cooperative in covering them to satisfy customers.”

But he said the city will ask MediaOne to reopen its Costa Mesa customer

service office.

“The Los Angeles office serves so many different areas,” he said. “The

staff isn’t as personal.”

And Verwolf said the city would ask MediaOne to hold off on raising rates

until it finished upgrading its equipment.

FYI

The City Council is scheduled to meet at 6:30 p.m. today at City Hall, 77

Fair Drive.