It's just a regional snapshot, but the latest news out of the Better Business Bureau in Charlotte, N.C., isn't going to burnish the fractured customer service reputation of Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC).
According to the BBB, TWC led all Charlotte-area service providers in complaints in 2014, totaling 187 official customer gripes. It's a substantial number, considering there were only 13,642 service complaints logged in the area last year.
The news comes as TWC remains in regulatory limbo in its quest to be bought out by Comcast, and as both MSOs deal with the fallout of terrible customer service reputations.
For its part, Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA) has responded aggressively of late, instituting a major service improvement initiative under newly crowned "customer service czar" Charlie Herrin.
Time Warner Cable responded to the Charlotte Observer that it has spent $345 million on its North and South Carolina networks last year to improve its overall customer experience.
"We take the referrals we get from the BBB very seriously--whether they're service issues, simple questions or misunderstandings--and we work to resolve them to our customers' satisfaction as quickly as possible," said TWC spokesman Scott Pryzwansky told the Observer.
For more:
- read this Charlotte Observer story
Related links:
Comcast's Smit: 'Customer service will be one of our best products'
Comcast's summer of bad customer service
Fast Wi-Fi, nifty interfaces are nice, Comcast, but customers clearly want better manners