CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The state Public Service Commission is pleased with the progress they’re seeing from a cable-internet provider who had faced massive fines and had received multiple complaints regarding their service.
On Feb. 9, 2022, the Commission found that Optimum, formerly Suddenlink, “has failed to provide safe, adequate and reliable service to its West Virginia subscribers.” The PSC received 1,005 complaints against the company in 2020 and 768 in 2021. Suddenlink was also fined $2.2 million a year ago for its “inadequate service.”
“It is fair to say the Commission is pleased to see that Optimum has taken our order to heart and has made serious efforts to comply,” PSC Chairman Charlotte Lane said. “We will continue to closely monitor the progress.”
The PSC had directed the company to open a call center, which they did at Scott Depot in Putnam County, to deal with their customers needs. The call center employs more than 75 people. It has new retail locations in Parkersburg, Vienna, Princeton and Ronceverte. Optimum has also launched a new customer app, another way to communicate better with customers and address their needs.
In 2022, there were 687 customer complaints. So far this year, there has been against the company, according to the PSC. Statistics show that informal complaints have been cut down to 301, while formal complaints have dropped from a dozen to 10.
“Optimum’s attitude seems dramatically different from before,” Lane said. “The Commission takes note when a company is obviously trying seriously to remedy past problems and wanted to publicly acknowledge Optimum’s efforts.”