Complaintsfori3 Broadband

• Initial Complaint

  09/30/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My internet service went out on Friday morning at 11:15am 9/27/24. I waited around 40 minutes before inquiring on the business’s chat feature if there was an outage in my area. The rep advised there was no known outage and asked me what lights were indicating red on my router. I told them and they said this was a service issue that would require a technician. They then let me know they were inputting a “high priority ticket” with notes of “no service” to get my service restored quickly. I said great, the chat ended, and I proceeded to wait around for the technician for 4 hours. At which time I reached out by phone to ask for more information as we have quite a busy weekend ahead. The phone rep told me that it appears this is an “outside wiring issue” and they likely would not need to come into my home, so I probably wouldn’t need to be home to provide access. He then commented that he was chatting in their group message and can see my ticket and it will be resolved “hopefully this weekend”? Um, what? Of course that didn’t happen which is why I’m now reaching out here- nearly 72 hours without service. I work from home. I require an internet connection. I also have home security in the form of cameras that have not been functioning for 3 days. My lack of service obviously is not a priority for this company as I’ve also reached out via ******** to express my frustration and Saturday night at 4:44pm was told they would update me “soon”. Why use this verbiage if it’s a lie? How can this company tout “reliable” service in their ads and branding? Further, these service lines are 1.5 yrs old and I’m already having issues that result in a 3+++??? Day outage? Reviews on ****** and ** echo these same sentiments. I want out of my 2 year contract without penalty. I also want a prorated refund on the prepaid monthly payment they withdrew from my account on 9/26 - of which one day of service was used. I’ve now made a decision to go back to my old provider.

  

  Business response

  10/14/2024

  Good afternoon,

  We reached out to ******** ****** on 10/10/24 leaving a message for a return call. We have not heard from ******** as of 10/14/24.  We are happy to help in any way we can.  We would like to discuss the complaint in further detail.  Please return our call when you have a moment. 

  Thank you,

  ****** *****

  Customer Care Director 

   

• Initial Complaint

  06/22/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Internet service provider has system wide outage, does not proactively communicate with customers and will not respond to requests for information. No explanation of the issue or estimate of when service will be restored are attempted. Communication from provider is only provided via social media, contains no details, and service outage continues through the weekend. Service went out around 5 AM, Friday June 21, and has not been restored. I work from home and could not work on Friday as a result of the outage but have no ability to work until service is restored.

  

  Business response

  07/01/2024

  Good afternoon, ******,

  My sincerest apologies for your interruption in service.  We are very sorry for the lack of communication you received.  I would like to offer you a $30.00 credit on your bill if that would be acceptable.  If you have any further service issues, you may reach out via, phone, email or chat.  

  Thank you,

  ****** *****

  Contact Center Director

   

   

  Customer response

  07/01/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

   

  Regards,

  ****** ******** 

• Initial Complaint

  05/18/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  In late 2023, i3 Broadband began installing lines in our subdivision, the ****** ** ******* *****. The workers did so without regard for the yards they were digging up. Our property is a corner lot as you will see from the photo. The workers tore up a significant stretch of grass in our yard. I contacted the local i3 Broadband location, ************ and was told to speak with the supervisor ***** ******* ** ************. I called and spoke with ***** (Nov 2023), who assured me the yard would be taken care of in the early spring of 2024. By March 2024, nothing had been done. I called ***** (March 1, March 5 multiple times, April 2) and ***** would not answer the phone or call me back. I called the i3 Broadband mail number April 2 and they said they'd get a message to *****. ***** did not call me back. I called the main number again and escalated the issue. Someone from the home office called me, ************: This lady said she would have the yard taken care of. Days later I discovered seed was put down. I called back stating this was a mature yard and seed was ridiculous. She said she'd get back with me. But she didn't. I called her back. She informed me they don't put down sod. So what, they will come and gladly tear up my beautiful grass and not care what the aftermath of their damage is? So apparently they came out and threw down more seed. Big deal. It looks horrible.

  

  Business response

  05/31/2024

  Good morning,

  ***** has reached out to the customer and there is a meeting set up on Tuesday June 4th at 9am to resolve the customer complaint.  Please let me know if you are not satisfied with the outcome of this visit.  

  Thank you,

  ****** *****

   

   

   

  Customer response

  06/04/2024

   I am rejecting this response because:
  I met with ******** ******** and someone besides ***** ******* who was supposed to be here. ******** ******** is a "Neighborhood Ambassador" for i3 Broadband. ******** pretended to be so nice and friendly with me - until it came to resolution of the problem. She told me she could "tell I had done a lot for my lawn" and how beautiful it was. But then when we talked about the horrible condition the big cut in the yard was - oh all of a sudden she is telling me I didn't water it enough. What? We have had nothing but rain for two months! Then she tells me "rain is not the same as watering"! Is she a scientist? Then she tells me I "have to give it 21 days"! It's been months since someone came out and threw down seed. I told her it looks like random bits of grass have been stuck in. Again I was told I "have to give it time". I said "Why can't you just put sod in" - and first I was told "we don't do sod" and then I was told "well you'd have to water sod even more" - I reminded her I have a built-in irrigation system, to which I was again told they would only "put down more seed". When I talked about having a beautiful mature yard, ******** whips out her cell phone and points to a photo from ****** Maps, from June 2022, showing my lawn had brown spots. So ******** tells me "your yard was not mature". So you see: Their mission was simple: Come out and screw over the homeowner. That's all. No matter what, they do not care. They asked if I wanted seed. I told them do what they want but I want sod, which they will not do. They simply do not care. Oh and by the way, there was a drought in Missouri in June 2022. Read here: The U.S. Drought Monitor recorded roughly 30% of Missouri was experiencing some form of drought in June 2022. **************************************************************************************************************
  

  

  Business response

  07/01/2024

  On 6/6/2024, i3 has been back and re-seeded the property to Mr. ********* liking. He is happy now and no sod was needed. The seed is already starting to take. It was also discovered that part of his sprinkler system was not turned on, which is controlled by the HBA so that has also helped.

  Please let us know if there are any further questions or concerns.

   

  ****** *****

  Contact Center Director

  Customer response

  07/01/2024

   I am rejecting this response because:

  i3 Communications tore up my yard willfully and with complete disregard for the damage that was done. As a result, their company owes me proper care and replacement.

  I asked for sod and they have fought me every step of the way: From blaming me to shaming me.

  Their latest "quick fix" is NOTHING as you can see from the photo. NOTHING. That is equal to their solution: NOTHING.

  They cannot blame me. Why? I invested in two sets of garden hoses that total 200 feet and stretch from one side of the house to the other side. I have soaked the grass many, many time since their "seed solution" was put down. I have even done this despite having a bad hip, a bad back, and walking with a cane - which limits my ability to hook up a water hose and stretch it 200 feet around the house. This has far exceeded my capacity for range of motion and bodily functions, which has resulted in extreme pain. But I am not about to be victim blamed by them ever again!

  ***** ** *******
  

  Customer response

  08/21/2024

  Dear Better Business Bureau:

  I've been in contact with ****** ****** with i3 Communications. He arranged for sod to be put in the damaged section of our yard. I have maintained watering every other day and 90% of the sod seems to be taking and doing well. There is only one small piece near the end that is not doing very well and they promise to look into it.

  ***** *******
  

• Initial Complaint

  10/17/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  i3 drilled conduit line in my neighborhood. Shortly after, I noticed a water leak in my front yard. I contacted the City of Edwardsville and i3 on 10/11. City of Edwardsville came out on 10/12 and stated it was i3s fault and I would need them to correct it because it was on my service line. i3 did come out and check things under the road on 10/12, but that is not where the issue occurred. I have since contacted them after the fix on 10/12. Had to make a second call on 10/13 and finally got a call back from the construction manager. He stated they would be out Monday. They did not come out Monday, 10/16, and they did not call me for an update. I texted the construction manager that evening with no response. I have called them and the city back today with no response. The water is continuing to leak and is worsening. My water is now brown and I am starting to lose water pressure. I cannot get a return phone call from the company to discuss my concerns.

  

  Business response

  03/01/2024

  Contractor spoke with the homeowner on 10-11-2023 to let them know he will continue his investigation for the water leak.  Contractor stated they have confirmation that i3 is not at fault for the water leak and a rep from the City of Edwardsville confirmed the water leak was not the fault of i3.  Please let me know if you are needing more information.  

• Initial Complaint

  10/09/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  i3 Broadband through a contractor damaged two irrigation lines on our property on July 12, 2023. I called and sent photos of the damage to both the contractor and i3 Broadband. i3 and the contractor determined that the rock and soil in our street/subdivision (*** *** **********) were not suitable for the project and filled the holes about 1/10 mile and abandoned the project. The contractor failed to fix the lines and we had our irrigation company, **** ****** ********** repair the lines for $113.00. i3 assured us that the contractor would "bring a check by" for the damages, but we have not been reimbursed to date. To include initially reporting this, I have contracted i3 over 12 times by email, voicemail, telephone and text message over the past 4 months, and each time I've been told the contractor would "deliver" a check although I've told i3 the check could just be mailed to our address. I have copies of my email and text messages and my voicemail from this matter. My contacts at i3 Broadband: ****** ********* ***** ******** ** ***** ******* ***** ********* **** ******* ** ***** ********** ***** *********

  

  Business response

  10/11/2023

  We contacted the contractor responsible for this yesterday (10/10/23) - they apologized for the delay and delivered a check to the homeowner this morning.    We appreicate her patience and apologize she was compelled to escalate this complaint.  This is not the level of service the majority of our customers and communities experience, and we are committed to providing excellent services to all homes and businesses we touch through our expansion work.    Thank you again for all you do. 

  Customer response

  10/11/2023

  A representative came to my home this morning and delivered a check and asked me to sign a makeshift release. A copy is attached.  It's unfortunate that so much effort is required by a consumer to be reimbursed for damages. In any event, as long as the contractor's check clears my bank, This satisfies my complaint.  Thank you to the BBB for your assistance.  Without BBB's intervention, I am confident I would not have received this result.

• Initial Complaint

  09/28/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Beginning on June 28th they were installing  fiber optic in my yard. They damaged a drainage area between me and my neighbor's house, and it created a sink hole that's 2 feet deep. They came back 4 times to attempt to repair it. The first time they attempted to repair it and they put in rock.  I asked them to remove it. The last time they attempted to repair it they removed some of the rock, but did not fully complete the repair. I've had to get the city of St. Peters involved. I've contacted them multiple times about the issue and the issue has not been resolved.

  

  Business response

  10/10/2023

  Our team has been working with this homeowner since June to repair damage done during construction.  It is our commitment to provide excellent customer service and part of that includes managing construction damage that sometimes inadvertantly results from our fiber network expansion efforts.  In this case, this homeowner’s property was restored 3 separate times, and all restorations were performed correctly. The homeowner has not cared for the restorations, causing them to be unsuccessful after the work was left in his hands.
  
  1st restoration performed by contractor on 6-30-2023
  2nd restoration performed by i3 OSP on 08-07-2023
  3rd restoration performed by i3 OSP on 09-25-2023
  
  All three restorations were performed correctly. Nothing appears to have been watered  by the homeowner as instructed by the restoration team.  He has stated that he would be ok with a landscape company performing another restoration, however we have no assurances from the homeowner that he will perform required steps to maintain the restoration.   
  
  There is still an issue with a tree that the contractor damaged some of the roots. The tree according to the homeowner was already in bad condition prior to the contractor work.   An aborist report was received 10/09 and i3 is reviewing taht at this time. 
  
  The city of St. Peters has removed themselves from the situation as the area in question is not in a city Right of Way.   

  As soon as we complete the review of the arborist report around the tree in question, we will reach back out to the homeowner.     

   

  
  

  Customer response

  10/13/2023

   I am rejecting this response because:
  
  
  I3 Initially entered my yard on June 26th, 2023. In which your team of contractor and subcontractors laid a line from my yard to the adjoining subdivision of ******* ***** ** ******* ******.  Damage was caused to my property. 
  1. The 16 plants I planted that spring were destroyed.
  2. Approximately 5 feet of my elm Tree root was ripped up.
  3. The ***** ***** vibrations and rain later that week caused a sink hole by my drain.
  I contacted the main 877 number of i3 in which I was given the contact information of ***** on June 29thth 2023.  He took all my information down and offered me money for (1.) The ripped-upplants. It was more than plenty. I also sent him photos od the damage root and tree. On Saturday July 1st it started to rain and (3.) The sink hole problem occurred. I went out back to rearrange my in the slumping ground that was caused by the ***** ***** vibrations. I asked for dirt to be brought in and for the area to be leveled out a little. On July 3rd is when I found out that 100 lbs of fine rock was placed 1 inch under a layer of fill dirt. This was poor fix to the problem. Grass will not grow, and rock was visibly showing through. This was also not how the area was before the initial install and damage to my property. I contacted back via text knowing that I would wait for a response (it was July 4th ) which was totally fine. After going back and forth with ***** and ******* and not getting a response out of them of who and or when the repairs were to be done, I contacted the main number again. In which I received no response or phone call from any one until the third call I was transferred i3 Peoria IL Engineering Dept. 
  After 3 weeks of calling and frustration to get something accomplished, I finally got on your radar July 31st, 2023. In which another repair was attempted on August 7th, 2023. It did look good except the rock was still there. We were texting back and forth on issues until August 17th to look over the restoration. In which you canceled, and the rest of week did not work for me. I reached out the following Monday August 18th, 2023, and you scheduled out to May 5th at 4 pm. This is when you no showed me. Finally, after going back and forth you attended my property on Tuesday September 12th.
  On September 12th, 2023, you surveyed my restoration issues, even though it looked great, you agreed that it was done incorrectly and that the grass was dead.  So, you said, “I want to make this right.” I thought great, I can be done with this, and we are on the right track. Until Monday September 23rd, 2023. This is when I showed up to my house and there were a few issues:
  1. The front yard and side of house has damage from the mini excavator- I was told plywood would be laid down and this was not the case.
  2. The drain area looks way worse than it did before July 30th, 2023.
  3. The landscape net that was laid down on August 7th,was thrown to the back fence and not reapplied.
  4. THERE IS STILL ROCK AND NO FILL DIRT-Job obviously not done correctly.
  All of this is why I am causing you issues; I will continue to press forward until done correctly. For you to claim in your email to me, “Your team has made several attempts to make restorations” and “That you (I) not think that they have been done properly”. That is shameful in my eyes, I have been wanting this done correctly since the first week of July when I asked ******* and ***** to let me hire a landscaping crew, which was denied. Also, how can you claim anything was done correctly when you have been to my property once? (You agreed it looked Poor that day)
  This is an overview of what I have been dealing with and I am agreeing to the Independent Landscape company in the terms that I am there to oversee the job. I have been going back and forth between multiple employees and now the city of Saint Peters and this is where we are. I also am asking for $2750 for the damage tree that ******* **** ******* wrote a report on.
  If we continue to go back and forth, I will continue to press for it to be completed or compensation. I have plenty of pictures, text messages, and information to send forth to anyone that would like to see. 
  In my eyes i3 and the failed attempts have gone on for long enough, please get this done.
  
  

  

  Business response

  11/20/2023

  I have the settlement amount that the contractor has agreed to. They have indicated that they have spoken to Mr. ******* as of Friday of last week and he was happy and thanked them.
  
  See below for restoration costs. ********** has reached a $2000.00 settlement with the homeowner for the tree damage.
  
  1 st restoration performed by contractor on 6-30-2023
  
  **** handled this restoration.
  
  1 bail of straw
  
  5 lbs. of seed
  
  Estimated Cost $80.00
  
   
  
  2 nd restoration performed by i3 OSP on 08-07-2023
  
  i3 OSP performed this restoration. The homeowner did not want to deal with **** after this point.
  
  8 bags of topsoil
  
  3 hours of labor (2 @ 1.5hrs)
  
  1 Erosion blanket
  
  5 lbs. of seed
  
  1 Bail of straw
  
  OSP team was **** ******* and ***** *******
  
  Estimated Cost $400.00
  
   3 rd restoration performed by i3 OSP on 09-25-2023
  
  i3 OSP performed this restoration. The homeowner claimed that there was a large amount of rock that was placed by **** and that was
  
  why his grass was not growing.  This is when I was made aware of the issue. I met the homeowner at his residence to look at the issue with
  
  ***** from **** and ***** ******** the field inspector for i3. We spoke with the homeowner about the previous restorations and he wanted
  
  the area excavated to remove the rock from the area. I agreed that we would excavate the area and remove any rock and replace it with topsoil.
  
  I was also informed of the tree root damage that was cause when the initial install was done.
  
  We performed the excavation approximately 4' deep and found one hand full of decorative rock, which would not have been installed by **** nor would have been significant enough rock to hinder the growth of the grass seed.
  
  We replaced the area with topsoil and reseeded and laid straw and also re-installed the erosion blanket.
  
  I spoke with the homeowner after the 3rd restoration, and he was still not happy and claimed that there was still rock in the area.
  
  I informed the homeowner that we had done all the restoration that we could and that he needed to water the area and give the seed the opportunity to grow. I got **** re-engaged to settle the issue with the tree, and the homeowner and **** settled on $2000.00 for the tree damage.
  
  Mini Excavator Rental
  
  10 bags of topsoil
  
  8 hrs. of labor (2 @ 4hrs)
  
  3 sheets of plywood
  
  5 lbs. of seed
  
  1 bail of straw
  
  Estimated Cost $1200.00

• Initial Complaint

  09/09/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  During the month of June 2023 I3 Broadband began laying fiber in our subdivision. They drilled under the driveway at one of our properties and the process caused one of the driveway slabs to raise higher than the others. We had this driveway poured in 2016 and there were no issues. I contacted I3 on August 4th and was told to submit a support request which I did and asked someone contact me. I3 responded and requested photos which I provided to them on August 5th. On August 18th our tenant told us someone showed up at their house during the week and took photos of the driveway and then someone else came by later and told them they were doing an estimate for repairs. The tenant told both parties that they rented the home and provided them with our contact information. On August 21st I contacted I3 again and advised that I still had not heard from anyone and requested that someone contact me to discuss the damage. They said they had escalated the request and someone would contact me. No one did. On September 1st I contacted I3 again and requested someone to provide me with the claim information and status, a contact person, etc. and was told they didn't have that information and would escalate the request again. To date no one from I3 Broadband has contacted me to discuss this claim.

  

  Business response

  09/13/2023

  Just quick FYI - we have scheduled a meeting with the contractor responsible for handling investigation and resoultion of this situation and reimbursement settlement.       That meeting will take place on 9/14/2023.   Will provide response following that discussion.    

  

  Business response

  09/25/2023

  This customer brought a valid concern; one that should not have taken this long to resolve.  Our standard is to provide timely service at all times, and that means holding ourselves accountable to be responsive when these rare situations arise. That said, the contractor responsible for repairing the area of concern has made an appointment to make the repairs and the customer has responded that she is happy with the plan.   Our field inspector will be at the home on the 5th and our head of construction management will provide an update on 10//6/2023.   

  Customer response

  09/26/2023

  Thank you for you assistance in this matter. I3 Broadband contacted the day after the BBB reached out to them. They have scheduled the repairs for October 5th and after speaking with their managers I am optimistic this situation will be resolved. I will update this complaint once the work has been completed. 

  Customer response

  10/02/2023

   Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

  I3 has been responsive since I filed the original complaint and the work is scheduled to be completed later this week. I will update once the work has been completed. 

• Initial Complaint

  08/26/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  We had a power issue where it went out for just a moment, and now the modem has been displaying the alarm light for the entire day. None of the basic restarting methods have worked, and calling customer service has resulted in us being told we would have someone to help by Wednesday at the latest. All we want is a new modem and we can't even do that because it's the weekend, and this happened early Saturday morning, so the location is closed. We rely heavily on internet for work and school, and are unable to do anything we need now because of this issue.

  

  Business response

  09/05/2023

  We are always frustrated when our internet network fails to provide the customer with the reliability and stability that they expect and we provide under most circumstances.   Mr. ****** experienced an outage during a weekend when i3 staff was fully involved in handling both customer installations and customer trouble tickets.   Unfortunately, we did not have a working number on file or no voicemail when we called, so the communications were a bit delayed.  

  As the support tickets come in and fill the calendar,  our service pro team monitors them and handles them based on priority and sensitivity. "All Services Down" - also known as ASDs -  get the highest priority and we move those up to within 24 hours response. Usually same day. In this case, the ASD ticket was received on Saturday, was completed on Monday. Overall,  Mr. ****** was without internet for aproximately 48 hours.  We verified their number when we arrived because they hadn't been answering and their voice mailbox was full.  Our local market manager reports that  the customer is all set and were very happy with our response.  

  i3 continues to look for ways to make our customer experience the best in the industry and view this incident as an opportunity for continual improvement.    

  Customer response

  09/16/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. We were given a month of free cable as an apology, along with a new number to call. While my first complaint was due to frustration and anger, I would also like to add that you should look into your customer service, as the number we first contacted, which was * ************, the branch we first reached out to, and they were the ones who first handled our call. When I tried a different customer service number, we able to have someone sent out sooner. We were also told that the branch of the previous number given, didn't like Saint Louis, and was the reason why our date was put all the way to Wednesday (despite being told Wednesday AT THE LATEST, we found out we were put down for Wednesday). It would be greatly appreciated if you took steps to make sure this does not happen again to any other customers in Saint Louis that may reach out to this branch. Otherwise, we are satisfied with the response given to us for an apology, and will be staying with i3 Broadband.

• Initial Complaint

  08/24/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I3 Broadband severed one of my irrigation lines over a month ago. I paid for the fix and they promised to refund me. I sent them a copy of the invoice. They’ve ignored me for over 3 weeks. Horrible customer service.

  

  Business response

  09/05/2023

  i3 has verified the customer complaint, identified the root cause of the missed refund and assured the refund would be processed in the next few days. This is not our expected standard of service and has been addressed with the contractor who did the work and is handling the reimbursement.     i3 called the customer,  apologized for the issue and received an email back from them acknowleding that the contractor has since reached out to them and they expect to work through this over the next couple of days.  

  Customer response

  09/06/2023

   I am rejecting this response because:
  I’ve not received compensation. I got 3 phone calls in an hour over a week ago saying they were sending me a check. Never came. Complete lack of professionalism 
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  02/17/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  i3 Broadband Service was granted rights to install fiber service to all municipal residential homes by the city of Jacksonville, IL with advertisements and verbal guarantees from installation technicians and customer service representatives that the price would never change. I can't stress that enough. It was a price guarantee "forever". As a person with a disability and on a fixed income I subscribed to a 200Mb down / 50 Mb up service with a service price of $49.99 per month guaranteed by i3 representatives to never increase. My i3 bill at the start of this year (2023) was increased to $54.99 per month from the $49.99 per month that was "guaranteed to never change". Upon reaching out to a billing representative at i3, their response was as follows: 1 - i3 hasn't raised rates in 17 years so I should "understand" that and be ok 2 - i3 decided to eliminate the service I was installed with for a new service at 250Mb down / 250Mb up so I should be happy with more bandwidth 3 - They understand they promised $49.99 per month forever, but i3 decided to discontinue the package with that guarantee and put my household on a different plan, so I have no choice but to pay the higher rate. 4 - They will NOT honor the promise of $49.99 forever even though i3 made the decision to change/remove the package installed and increase th fee. 5 - i3 simply repeats "Unfortunately, we can't change the price of the (new) package" even though they happily changed my price and package. 6 - Furthermore, any price guarantee is shielded behind their willingness to offer a package that they've installed, meaning these packages could change at their discretion voiding ANY guarantee given to the customer. I've reached out to our Mayor as well. His secretary said she'd just called i3 about service. They promised NO price increases forever. I guess until they decide not to.

  

  Business response

  02/22/2023

  We're saddened to hear that the customer has not had the flawless experience we expect and that is our standard.   We have reached out to the customer, with voicemails being left by our area General Manager in hopes of quickly resolving the concern.   The customer purchased i3 Broadband at 200/50 for $49.99 in March of 2021.   The company has not advertised a "Price for Life" and unfortunately, we have no record of an exception being made for this customer.   We do see a record showing he has been given a $5/month credit which brought his cost down to $49.99 just this past month.   However,  in order to resolve this matter,  the area General Manager has reached out to the customer and is hoping for a response to his voicemails. 

  Customer response

  02/23/2023

   I am rejecting this response because:

  I am even more saddened to hear that business has not provided the truth that is expected. No voicemails have been left...AT ALL...by an area General Manager.I am also saddened at the insertion of the term "Price for Life" in an attempt to make the complaint look outrageous and diminish the customer's credibility and concern. The company stated very clearly when "purchasing" Broadband at 200/50 for $49.99 in March of 2021 that the price would "never go up". This very clearly implies that the service and price are good unless changed by customer request. Unfortunately, while continuing to diminish the customer, the company makes it appear the customer is looking for an "exception" instead of the truth. The customer expects not only flawless service but a company that is truthful and willing to stand behind it's commitments.  What the company is failing to disclose is that there was no clear driver or need to eliminate the package in question other than to increase the price/profit ("customer value").Do not be fooled by the claims of: - CLAIM - This is better for customer since company changed service to 250/250 instead of 200/50. Synchronous vs Asynchronous services are only beneficial if asked for, and for two people in a house the 200/50 package was correct. With respect to bandwidth, 200 Down is important. 50 Up is plenty. Unless a household is hosting an environment where data is being sent in large amounts consistently or in bursts, there will be little value in a higher upload number.

  **Illustration/Analogy. To wit, if a highway speed limit is 55 MPH (no matter what) and you are driving a small car that requires a road lane width of 50 feet, adding four more lanes in the direction you are traveling for a total of 250 feet is absolutely useless. You only have the one car so you're paying for something you can't use just because the builder wants it there and can charge for it. The road back may be much bigger since you may request several "cars" come back with things you purchased. There are certainly more ways to slice up the numbers, but again this is a simplistic example.
  

  - CLAIM - There would be an undue burden on company to keep the 200/50 package, but it's ok to put undue burden on the customer. The infrastructure that was put in place two years ago is fiber and does not need change or upgrade. Unless the company is incompetent in their area of "expertise" then they installed and configured the infrastructure appropriately.

  ** Company indicated that the price increase should be acceptable because they hadn't increased the price in 17 years. They didn't need to now either.
  

  ** Illustration - "Packages" provided by the company (in simple terms at the network level) are group policies (buckets) tied to nodes (homes). A "bucket" is created via routing software to assign Up/Down metrics to nodes in the bucket, as well as rules on where to forward/return requests to/from the next router (or HOP). The company purchases a certain amount of bandwidth (car lanes from the example above) in order to allocate those lanes appropriately to their customers.

  **example - If company has 10 customers in the "bucket" set up for 200/50, then it must ensure it has purchased AT LEAST a multiple of 10 or 2000/500 to satisfy it's requirements. As long as customers use their "single car" in the "road" everything stays "flawless" as expected.

  **example - If company wants to provide more to customers that request it (especially businesses), it creates a new bucket (say 1000/1000) along side the 200/50 bucket and assigns the new customers into that. The company must then add more capacity to meet that increased demand.

  -In this instance, company, created their own burden by changing the original bucket (200/50) to 250/250). The company states this a a benefit to the customer (even though I've illustrated that it isn't), but in truth it only benefits the company. They charge individuals for bandwidth they aren't going to use, but then use the excess as a means to cover heavy usage or spikes in usage from other customers.

  -Company will claim increasing costs, but as illustrated above, company chose to increase costs with a goal to make money from existing customers and new customers. Company wins two ways while customer loses.

  -Company will claim they can't change it. How did they change it to the new package if it isn't possible to change it? Simply put, they CAN change it, but they just DON'T WANT to.

   

  Alternative

  What could/should i3 have done is leave the 200/50 "bucket" in place at the price guaranteed for those customers, created the new 250/250 bucket for new customers and promoted the new service. This would have actually saved money for the company since they wouldn't have had to provision additional bandwidth (lanes) for the 200/50 bucket of customers. But that doesn't fit for a company looking to "unlock customer value".

   

  Summary

  - Company is lying about voicemails. NONE have been left. They also have email but the concept of "calls and voicemails" are more difficult to audit. Kind of like saying "we mailed a letter"
  

  - Company is looking to use diminutive language to attack customer complaints and minimize people with real concerns

  - Company could have avoided this issue and remained faithful to their promise of no price increases WITHOUT UNDUE BURDEN

  - Company can change plans back and forth, because they had to make the same types of changes to get where we are now. The company is the company. They can do what they want within their organization
  

  - Company has the means to stand behind their price guarantee but CHOSE not to

  - Company HAS provided a one year price reduction back to the promised price, so it is clear they can do this even as a "one off". Again, they can do these things. The company is just CHOOSING not to.
  

   

  Conclusion

  The company is behaving irresponsibly toward it's customers, and is now providing false/misleading statements to BBB regarding their implication of multiple unanswered voicemails further trying to minimize the customer/complaint. Company is attempting to use outrageous terms in response to further minimize their customers. With company assigned a contract with the local municipality allowing company to install service across the entire municipality creating compression for competing services, the Company expects to be the dominant provider and to implement changes "at will" to their own "true" benefit. Company had the ability to maintain package/price but chose not to, and expects to bully customers into a compliant state. If they are not called to account for their services and promises this does not bode well for what is more and more being considered a critical utility. If company has the audacity to provide false/misleading or ambiguous statements to the BBB in order to silence a watchdog organization then there will be no limits on them from this point forward.  Sad indeed.
  

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩