Cable companies have impressively poor customer satisfaction ratings. A recent rash of insults from the employees that deal directly with consumers certainly isn't helping the situation.
The most recent example centers on Esperanza Martinez, a Time Warner Cable customer from California. She received a letter from TWC concerning her cancellation of service. The letter started, "Dear Cunt Martinez."
Esperanza told Ars Technica that she never attempted to cancel her service. TWC told Ars that an employee changed Martinez's first name in the system. The company has since apologized, and offered her free service for a year.
This episode is just the latest in several bad interactions between cable companies and customers. Recently, Comcast had to apologize after a customer's name was changed to "Asshole." In another example, a Comcast customer received a bill that changed her name to "SuperBitch." Travel site BoardingArea has compiled a list of similar behavior.
The timing could not be worse for Comcast and TWC. Comcast agreed to buy TWC in February 2014 for around $45 billion, an acquisition that would give the company a huge portion of U.S. commercial cable and Internet services.
That deal has come under intense scrutiny from regulators. Critics have focused on what a combined TWC and Comcast would mean for competition, and also whether it would result in a continued deterioration of customer service. The two companies have already been ranked last and second last, respectively, by the University of Michigan's American Consumer Satisfaction Index.
While you're waiting for a @comcast @timewarner cable guy.. @PhillyDailyNews @PhillyInquirer http://t.co/8yQw8eZ83X pic.twitter.com/dmzrGBRXmf— Signe Wilkinson (@SigneWilk) February 13, 2015
Predictions of the merger's approval have grown more pessimistic lately. Analyst Craig Moffett said earlier this week that he believes the deal still has a 60% chance of going through, but that is down from his initial prediction of 70%.