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jsuncha's avatar
jsuncha
New Contributor
2 years ago

Customer Service lied and to did the tech

Our internet went out during our last big storm in Edmond. My son and I were trying to get our router to work. We have a desk top computer so we have a router that is about 10 years old. My husband called Cox to have a service tech come out and find out why we weren't getting internet. Tech came to our house and said our router was dead, took the old modem and gave my husband a white router modem combo. Then my husband calls me at tell me with the new router modem combo our monthly bill will increase $50 a month, he followed up with he talk to someone at Cox and said we weren't paying for a router before and some times that happens because customers "fall through the cracks", so she tells him he will him $25 off a month. Well I am super upset. My bill was $77 month for a internet and for a land line we don't have a phone connected to which I think Cox is just trying to make an extra $11 a month off of every customer they have and the reason why we weren't paying for a modem is because we have had it for so long, it paid for itself so the billing for that stopped a long time ago. I want my original modem back because there was nothing wrong with it and WE PAID for it. Technically it no longer belongs to COX because we now own it. I. I don't want this white rectangular router modem combo that was given to us we don't need it. My son works in IT and told us that COX basically screwed us over so they could get more money and the tech gets a commission for giving out Cox modems regardless whether or not a household needs one. Why do you guys do this??? Our router was fine, our modem was fine. Why?? 

  • Bruce's avatar
    Bruce
    Honored Contributor III
    2 years ago

    Was your previous unit a combination modem and router?  You were supposed to be renting this combo unit, but Cox had forgotten to charge you a rental fee every month...for the past 10 years?

    Since you have landline service, Cox must freely loan you a telephone modem.  These telephone modems are also combination Internet and telephone modems.

    Return the new modem/router, get your free issue and purchase a router.

    Why'd your bill increase $50?  Isn't the rental fee for a Panoramic $10-12 per month?

    • WiderMouthOpen's avatar
      WiderMouthOpen
      Esteemed Contributor
      2 years ago
      Since you have landline service, Cox must freely loan you a telephone modem.

      Good point! I missed that. I am curious if the old "modem" was actually a phone/internet gateway in bridge mode. 

      jsuncha The modem you want to trade your gateway for is the TM3402. You might want to double check your router is working before you trade it in though.

      • Bruce's avatar
        Bruce
        Honored Contributor III
        2 years ago

        It reads like the OP previously had the Panoramic.

    • jsuncha's avatar
      jsuncha
      New Contributor
      2 years ago

      The original modem I received in 2011. We have NetGear router that we purchased a long time ago and that still works. The technician took our modem and replaced it with a combo router modem. My husband and I are older, we are not gamers; we just like to read the news on our desk top and a play solitaire. We use wifi for our Roku TV and our lap top. My son (who doesn't live in this state) is going to send me a link to a NETGEAR modem for us to purchase and install so we can take Cox back there equipment. I feel like I'm in a state of panic. I do not know anything about Panoramic. I wasn't aware of it's existence, nothing. I do not know why it increased by $50 or why the customer service person told my husband they will do us a favor and take $25 off it. 

      • Bruce's avatar
        Bruce
        Honored Contributor III
        2 years ago

        What did you mean with "fall through the cracks"?

        For Internet service, you had two things:  an Internet modem and a router.

        The tech took the previous modem and replaced it with a modem/router combo.

        You still have the operational Netgear router.

  • WiderMouthOpen's avatar
    WiderMouthOpen
    Esteemed Contributor
    2 years ago

    What model modem and router was it? What kept you offline to begin with? Trying to understand the issue. Why would a technician take a retail modem? Are they selling them on eBay or something?

  • Bruce's avatar
    Bruce
    Honored Contributor III
    2 years ago

    Keep the Netgear router.

    Return the combo router/modem (Panoramic) to Cox.

    If you want to keep your landline service, Cox will freely loan you a combo device:  telephone & Internet modem.

    If you want to cancel your landline service, you’ll need to purchase an Internet modem, which your son appears to be researching.

    Ensure your son had verified if his choice of Internet modem is compatible on the Cox network.  Cox will only allow certain modems on their network.

    Isn't this fun?

    • WiderMouthOpen's avatar
      WiderMouthOpen
      Esteemed Contributor
      2 years ago
      Ensure your son had verified if his choice of Internet modem is compatible on the Cox network. 

      Give your son this link. It shows what modems are compatible, which is most. However it's probably easier to swap the gateway for a TM3402 at a Cox store if you are keeping phone service. If you have 500Mbps or above speed, make sure the modem is DOCSIS 3.1.

      • jsuncha's avatar
        jsuncha
        New Contributor
        2 years ago

        Wow!! That's what my son said! He said if I buy a modem, it has to be at least a DOCSIS 3.1. You are AWESOME!

  • Bruce's avatar
    Bruce
    Honored Contributor III
    2 years ago

    It appears you don't have cable-TV service, so you could overhaul your service.

    Cancel your rental fee for the Panoramic.
    Cancel telephone service.
    And if it's just you and your husband steaming on a Roku, reduce your Internet plan to 100 Mbps.

    What else can we remove...Cox Complete Care?

    Cox Internet plans:  www.cox.com/.../speeds-and-data-plans.html

    • jsuncha's avatar
      jsuncha
      New Contributor
      2 years ago

      I tried to cancel the telephone service. They said that we can not, they said we had to have and there is no way to cancel it. We stream Roku and have WIFI for our laptop. 

      • Bruce's avatar
        Bruce
        Honored Contributor III
        2 years ago

        Did the rep provide any other reason besides you "had to have" it?  Without a valid reason, you can definitely cancel telephone service especially without cable-TV service.

        What Internet plan do you have?  Is Cox tying your forced telephone service to an Internet plan?  Reduce your plan.  Based on how you described your Internet habits, you and your husband do not need much bandwidth.

  • Darkatt's avatar
    Darkatt
    Honored Contributor
    2 years ago

    He could have tested and verified the modem working, told you to buy a router, and left charging you 75$ for as tech visit for a non Cox issue? I don't think it's 50$ a month, it's 14 or 15$ a month to rent a Cox WiFi modem, sounds like he was trying to save you some money, a decent router costs between 150 - 400$, at 150, that's 10 months of Cox WiFi modem rental. 

    • Bruce's avatar
      Bruce
      Honored Contributor III
      2 years ago

      If the tech suspected the OP's personal router...without even testing it, mind you, so it was a guess...why didn't the tech give the OP a choice:  either buy a new router or rent one from Cox?

      Since the tech had replaced everything, the OP wouldn't have known what had fixed the problem.  It could have been the modem, router or just a network reset to have fixed it.

      You do know there is nothing wrong with the OP's router, right?  At 10 months, the OP could have actually kept the $150.  With your thinking, however, at 20 months, the OP would have spent $300+ and still not own a personal router.

      • Darkatt's avatar
        Darkatt
        Honored Contributor
        2 years ago

        At 24 months he barely would have paid for the router I went with. (RAX120) It sounded from original post, that OP router had failed. Tech was WRONG in taking customer equipment though, and it should be returned to the OP.