Cable Internet Service Question

[TJN23]

Hey guys

So the cable guy just came to figure out what was wrong with our newly acquired Cable Internet (hasnt been working for the past 2 weeks). He had to fix a connection coming in from the sidewalk, then replace a splitter on the side of my house and up in the attic. He then clipped off and replaced the ends of all cables that eventually go to my cable modem.

If they charge us for this service, can I dispute it? I mean, I didn't ask him if we'd get charged, but if it shows up on our next bill, can't I tell them the problem was out of our control (i.e. a bad wire coming in from the sidewalk)?

While he did replace splitters/end connectors on the cables in our house, he also did have to fiddle with a connection on the street. Based on that, I think it's unfair if they charge us, since we shouldn't be responsible for wiring issues not pertaining to our house.

Let me know what you guys think, thanks

Tim

 

[Lord Evermore]

If he just did all those things without testing after each one, then there's no proof that it was caused by either one of you. If they charge you, you can probably argue your way out of the fee, however if he didn't ask or say anything about doing work that would result in an extra charge, they may not be able to charge you at all. It would depend on whether they have a disclaimer when you call that says if the problem is internal they'll charge you. If they did say that, then he wouldn't necessarily have to ask you.

If he tested the service after each change, then they should be able to say which of them actually fixed the issue.

Either way, calling and complaining is often enough to get the fee removed no matter what.

 

[Davem556]

More than likley the problem was outside of the house and he just changed terminations inside the house to be safe. I was having a problem with my service and the tech came out and found the problem right away. The first place he looked was on the side of the house where there is a connection point called a grounding block. He saw that there was a little slit in the rubber boot that is supposed to keep the connection dry. He saw the slit, pulled the connection apart and then took the end of the cable and hit it in his hand a couple of times and we both watched the water come seeping out of the cable. Not a lot mind you but just enough to start some corrosion to cause the service to stop working. He was pretty good and afterwards came in the house to take some signal strength readings at all of my termination points. He said everything looked fine and sure enough we've had no problemas since then.

It sounds like your guy wasn't sure where the problem was so he replaced everything that could be wrong. If you do get a charge on your bill I think if you dispute it there should be no problem getting it removed since he never found an exact cause to the problem inside your house.

 

[TJN23]

whats more is that now 12 hours after he came, my connection has dropped again! here's my wiring scheme setup:

main line coming in from the node box on the sidewalk goes into a 3 way splitter.

the 3 way splitter sends 3 cables to each floor (basement, main floor, and attic)

the cable in the attic eventually leads to the cable modem in my room, HOWEVER, that cable is attached to a two way splitter, one of which goes to my cable modem, the other of which goes down to my mom's room's cable TV.

I've read on DSL Reports that it's not wise to share the cable modem with a TV, and furthermore, it should be split as least as possible....if the tech wanted to do this right, shouldn't he have sent a new dedicated link to my modem?

Now I can definitely dispute this charge because he fixed my problem for 12 hours, but now it's not working again!

<--- hates being on dialup

 

[Praetor]

Yeah. He screwed up.

As you've already read, the ideal setup for high-speed cable internet (HSI) calls for as few splits as possible to the modem. Meaning, from the network feed (tap) to your house, then to a (ideally) a two way splitter. One leg for the HSI the other leg for any other splitters/amplifiers feeding the televisions in your house.

Ideally yes, the best solution would have been for him to run a new outlet strictly for the modem. Without actually having been called out to the job myself and not knowing the technician, I can't say why he didn't do that. Lazy? Shortcut? Short on time? Dunno.

It is very possible that your connection is dropping out because of the number of splits, or the line could have been damaged somehow in the attic, it could be older, lower grade cable, anything.

Regarding whether or not you can dispute the charges, more than likely yes. Especially if you are still having problems. Cox (the system I work for at any rate) has a policy of standing behind our tech's work. If you have a problem, we send someone else out (usually requesting their supervisor) at no charge and depending on the original call, may or may not waive the original trip charge. Each company/system is different though.

Regarding his changing out the fittings/splitters everywhere, well, that's just good sense, IMO. It's amazing what a new fitting will do. In my case, we just officially switched over to compression fittings about two months ago (I've been testing them for eight now) and I have the tendancy to automatically replace all fittings, everywhere. They work better, are more longer lasting, more weather resistant, etc. It could be that he was of the same mind. Or he could have genuinely seen problems with some of the fittings (explosed dialectric, sucked out fittings, etc). If that's all he did, didn't actually trace the lines, check signal levels and charged you for the call, definately dispute it.

Anyway. 🙂 Sorry for rambling. I just had a discussion with another guy from my crew about how so few people take pride in their work and actually do the job properly. I hate having to go back to other tech's jobs to correct what they screwed up or were too lazy to check. Oh the stories I could tell. 😉