Edited on May 8th, 2023 to add a phone call conversation from Optimum Corporate Office Agent named Austin.
Summary of phone call: An @optimum corporate office agent named Austin called me this evening to argue with me that since I did not complain about paying for an equipment box earlier that I had agreed to the charges. Anyone here that has an @optimum account, go to your @optimum profile page. Scroll down to your equipment list. This list ONLY shows the equipment serial number AFTER you return a piece of equipment. Not before. Not while you are using and paying on it. So, if you have multiple rooms set up with Optimum service with modems, cable boxes and boosters…and the situations change over the years….you have no way of knowing what equipment you are paying for if the list does not show the serial numbers to audit your own equipment.
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Copy of letter sent to Optimum Corporate, New Jersey Consumer Affairs and New Jersey Board of Public Utilities
April 15, 2023 I contacted Optimum through their online chat feature about the increase in my bill. There was no other discounts or promotions I could add to my account. I told them I could not afford these increases and was going to find another provider.
April 16, 2023, I added T-Mobile Internet and an additional line to support my telephone service I needed to port over from Optimum. I unplugged all my Optimum equipment and we set up the new T-Mobile Internet service. I then called Optimum‘s retention department to cancel my service.
Optimum has implemented a new cancelation procedure forcing customers that want to cancel service to be subjected to an interview process. This process forces you to argue your way out of each question from the interview. The retention agent Josh, told me we are still connected to Optimum and are actively using their service. I told the agent I unplugged all my equipment and we are logged in through T-Mobile. Since I was unsuccessful in arguing my way out of each retention question, I was put on call back for April 17, 2023 for 6:00pm. I was unable to prevail in canceling my service.
April 17, 2023 @ 6:00pm came and I did not receive my call back. So I called in. They’re were not able to cancel my service at that time.
April 25, 2023, I drove to the Optimum Store and returned all my equipment and devices. I called the retention department from the Optimum Store to cancel my service. I was told I still had connected devices and still using Optimum and was unable to cancel my service. I went back to the Optimum Store agent. The young man went to his supervisor. The supervisor contacted someone at Optimum. The young man came back out and said my account was canceled.
I went home and was still able to log into my Optimum account. I pulled the list of equipment assigned to my account. It shows (and still shows as of writing this up today, 5/7/2023) that the original cable box ending serial number ending in #b20E installed at my house July 13, 2017 was still active on my account.
I have been paying $10.00 per month plus metered use for this box since July 13, 2017.
I had opened a technical ticket with Optimum August 2019 and returned this cable box for a replacement. The Optimum Store never canceled and removed the cable box ending in #b20E from my account. I went back to the Optimum Store April 30, 2023 and the Optimum Store Agent Onan, opened a ticket Control #10048161 to investigate this missing cable box.
I have since called Optimum asking for copies of my previous technical support tickets so I could show the instructions I was given on this box that I brought back to the Optimum Store for a replacement. I was denied by each department I have called into requesting my ticket history.
I am still unable to cancel this Optimum account. I am still being billed by them.
I absolutely insist on being reimbursed for all the monies I have paid on this cable box that was returned to Optimum years ago and for my account to be fully canceled.
