FEW CHALLENGES presented to University students moving off-Grounds can be as confusing and difficult as investing in telecommunications technology. Currently, Sprint and Adelphia are the two primary providers of in-home telecom services in Charlottesville. Sprint controls local phone and DSL service. Adelphia reigns over the cable Internet access and cable TV market. Dealing with these companies is not an easy prospect for students.
Bills for phone and cable service are typically higher than most students should expect to pay, due to taxes, fees and extra service charges. Negotiating with customer service for these technologies can be trying as well. Getting to speak to a real person, either on the phone or in person at one of their respective stores, literally can take hours. All this translates into major headaches and frustration for students. In the interests of the sizable clientele base that University students represent for these corporations, Adelphia and Sprint should make an extra effort to cater to students' wants and needs by improving customer service response to maintenance requests and service inquiries.
|
Using a very unscientific, somewhat random, and heavily biased survey of students at the University using Adelphia and Sprint's services, one can't help but get the feeling that the bitter sentiment against these companies among University students runs far deeper than one might realize.
Billing errors with these respective companies is a source of much frustration.
Regarding Adelphia, second-year College student Emily Mollick said, "One month last year we had a billing error - we were billed too much. I called Adelphia to see if they could correct it or at least give us a credit. Instead, they told us to go ahead and pay the whole thing, and we'd be taken care of next month. Next month, the bill was again too high. At this point I've just given up trying to get the money back."
Even the basic functioning of these services sometimes is called into question. These corporations could greatly benefit by immediately attending to such simple problems, rather than shuffling customers through corporate bureaucracy and red tape.
A second year Engineering student who wished to remain anonymous said, "It took like two months for us to finally get our Internet access working at our place on JPA. The guys Adelphia sent over didn't even know how to install it! I ended up having to install it myself."
Customer service seemed to be an undeniable headache for students, and by far the greatest source of animosity toward Adelphia and Sprint. Ian Cohen, a fourth year in the College, said of Sprint's phone service, "I moved into a new apartment and kept my old phone number, but they took away my phone service five days before I told them to do it. I had to call them for service from a pay phone. On average, I talked on a pay phone for a half hour each day for two weeks being told I hadn't called the previous day. It's surprising that a company so hated can stay in business."
Third year College student Sole Salvo said of Adelphia, "The cable TV goes out constantly - sometimes you'll turn on the TV, turn it off, then turn it back on - and nothing happens."
Al, a third-year College student who withheld his last name, said of Adelphia customer service for Internet access, "You literally have to call and wait at least one and a half hours - there's no other way. The local office [of Adelphia] doesn't give out their local number, so you have to call the national number. Since they don't have competition here, they don't have to give a damn about service. I would have more fun slapping myself with a wet trout than calling Adelphia."
When consumers find it painful to call a corporation for technical support, a problem is clearly present which needs to be given quick attention. Re-examining and localizing customer service, for example, will at least give consumers easier access to quick answers about service.
In an ironic twist, requests for information and a statement from both Adelphia and Sprint for the purposes of this column were ignored.
Adelphia and Sprint need to shape up their attention to consumers immediately. Business practices which ignore the inherent value of individual consumers in any marketplace are unworthy of our support. Customer service needs a fast and thorough improvement. Creation of local customer service areas and expanding field maintenance teams may be costly, but the retention of business and good word-of-mouth advertising it would generate would more than satisfy this cost.
On a personal note, if you're reading this and you're dissatisfied with Adelphia or Sprint, I recommend you file a complaint. Write a letter, though - odds are if you call, you'll just be put on hold.
(Austen Givens' column appears Mondays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at agivens@cavalierdaily.com.)
Read More
KURTZWEIL: True financial aid must be transparent
By Paul Kurtzweil | 3 days agoThe implications and revelations of the lawsuit should inspire greater transparency at the University in order to ensure that financial aid is properly and equitably distributed.
SULLIVAN: Ramp up physical accessibility on Grounds
By Scarlett Sullivan | 5 days agoThe University must take responsibility for the inaccessibility of Grounds and work to promote accessibility for all students despite misguided laws.
EDITORIAL: Scapegoating students will not stop hazing
By Editorial Board | April 25, 2024Instead of retroactively responding to extreme hazing allegations, we, and especially the University, must begin asking more probing questions about the role of fraternal organizations on Grounds.
