Frontier Communications: Terrible Customer Service!

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scottm
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Frontier Communications: Terrible Customer Service!

Post by scottm »

This was/is my terrible customer service experience with Frontier Communications (Internet).

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Home internet is more important than ever these days. A few of the main needs for our household:

* Work -- I'm nearly 100% working from home (WFH)
* School -- Kids' homework is typically all done online
* Security -- Home cameras and security require internet
* Entertainment -- Everything is a streaming service nowadays

I have been a Verizon/Frontier customer for 9+ years. The service generally has been great, very few issues. Not Frontier's fault, but this changed on the morning of Thu, Jan 19 when a crew replacing a fence in my neighbor's backyard cut a couple fiber cables. They cut my fiber cable (Frontier) and my neighbor's fiber cable (Xfinity).

I contact Frontier support and they will send someone out first thing in the morning on Fri, Jan 20. Great. I can limp through the rest of Thu until we can get a temp fiber cable dropped so I'm back online. No complaints with Frontier at this point.

The Frontier tech arrives first thing on Friday morning. He's going to go find the Frontier junction box and run a temp fiber cable. Perfect. Although he comes back and says the neighbor has a dog in the backyard and isn't answering the door. He left a note so if they come home and call the number he can come out and run the temp fiber long. Not great, but understandable. No complaints with Frontier at this point.

I get in touch with the neighbor (I don't know them) and learn he's not home until Mon, Jan 23. This means no home internet for me until at least Monday, which makes for an inconvenient weekend, but it's understandable. On Sat, Jan 21, I get in touch with Frontier and we re-schedule a tech visit for Mon, Jan 23. It's afternoon, but it's progress. No complaints with Frontier at this point.

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I asked my neighbor to stay home from 1-5pm on Monday so they would be available to provide access to the junction box for the Frontier tech. He doesn't know me, but I explain I need this so I can get online -- remember, I need this since I work from home.

This is where the frustration with Frontier begins.

Per the above notification, we had an appt on Mon, Jan 23 between 1-5pm. No technician from Frontier ever shows up. Near the end of the window, I'm chatting with Frontier support asking if the tech is going to show up. It's about 4:45pm and I'm told they will check. Around 5:15pm I'm told they could not reach anyone since they've closed for the day.

Early Tuesday morning I'm in touch with Frontier again letting them know no technician showed up for the appt, and there was zero communication about why it might have been missed. I'm unable to work, so I'm pleading (which I did many times) with Frontier that I at least need a temp fiber cable run so I can get online and back to work. I'm told dispatch will reach out to update me.

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Apparently when dispatch reviews my case, I'm given an appt for Fri, Jan 27. I'm going to be without internet all week? I had coordinated with a neighbor to stay home to provide access, and no technician shows up. I was pleading on Monday night and Tuesday morning for a tech to come install a temp fiber cable on Tuesday, and I'm given a new appt for Friday.

I voice my frustration (again) and request (again) a temp fiber cable so I can return to working. The Frontier person I'm talking with is going to talk with some other department about getting a temp line setup. I get nothing back from Frontier. No new appt dates, no update on whether they can get a temp line installed, nothing. No communication at all about what's going on.

I'm getting beyond frustrated with Frontier at this point.

I feel like working with Frontier isn't getting me anywhere. While I'm waiting for either an update or the Fri, Jan 27 appt, I check with a competing provider. They can come setup new fiber service on Wednesday! (And more speed for less money!) It's a no contract deal, so I've got nothing to lose, so I have them come out on Wed, Jan 25 and they get me online. I can finally work again!

Fast forward to Fri, Jan 27 which is the 2nd appt which Frontier has given me to repair their fiber cable. Friday evening rolls around and no Frontier tech has ever showed up. No communication at all from Frontier on why this 2nd appt was also ignored. On Saturday I ask about why this recent appt was missed but they defer to their service wire department and they "understand my urgency".

As of right now, it's Sun, Jan 29 and my Frontier fiber has been down for 10 days. To be fair, the first 4 days weren't necessarily their fault, but SKIPPING TWO APPTS on Monday and Friday are entirely on them. What is really frustrating is the complete lack of communication from Frontier while skipping these appointments.

At this point I'm happily on a competitor, but I'm curious if Frontier will ever fix their fiber line?

#Frontier #FrontierCommunications #FrontierFiber #CustomerService #NoCustomerService
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scottm
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Re: Frontier Communications: Terrible Customer Service!

Post by scottm »

It's Mon, Jan 30 and there's finally been some progress. (No communication about it, though.)

Although I'm not sure why the new fiber cable was run over 3' from the broken fiber it's replacing? My assumption was they would run the new fiber cable somewhere near their existing ONT box for easy connecting. I guess I shouldn't make assumptions.

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I do not find this to be an acceptable fiber cable installation. So hopefully the next tech who plans to connect it to the ONT is going to be able to move the conduit and cable, otherwise I will need their wiring guys to come back. Would that mean another 10 days?

We're on 11 days without my Frontier fiber service. Hopefully correcting the cable is a quick fix.

#Frontier #FrontierCommunications #FrontierFiber #CustomerService #NoCustomerService
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scottm
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Re: Frontier Communications: Terrible Customer Service!

Post by scottm »

It's Tue, Jan 31 and there's been a little more progress (although not yet complete).

The Frontier tech arrives with 2 minutes advance notice, although I'm not home. So I'm unable to communicate with the tech about not connecting the fiber until we address the location of the fiber conduit. See previous post.

Instead, I get what you see below. A very unprofessional job which I would be embarrassed to do for a customer. I will be submitting another ticket with Frontier to have this fiber conduit situation corrected. It's a very unsightly installation.

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That said, the "FAIL" LED was lit in the ONT, so I don't think the tech completed the connection. I connected my modem to verify and it wasn't able to make a connection. I will be reaching out to Frontier support again for another tech visit.

We're on 12 days without my Frontier fiber service. Hopefully there's an end in sight?

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scottm
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Re: Frontier Communications: Terrible Customer Service!

Post by scottm »

Alas, my Frontier service is finally back online!

I scheduled an appt for Thu, but the tech had availability and came today. (The first call I've received from Frontier during this process.)

The tech yesterday didn't connect the fiber correctly to the ONT box. :roll: It was a quick fix for this tech, and I'm back online again.

Total downtime was 20-Jan to 1-Feb. The cable burying group was really the only delay. The fiber techs responded pretty quick.

#Frontier #FrontierCommunications #FrontierFiber
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