Austin360 blogs > Digital Savant > Archives > 2009 > April > 07 > Entry
TWC Price Lock customers excluded from tiered pricing?
I’m running this by Time Warner’s PR channels to confirm whether it will apply to all customers, but according to an e-mail that was forwarded to me by an Austin Road Runner customer, Price Lock Guarantee customers may be excluded when a summer test ushers in charges for bandwidth overages.
The e-mail the customer said they received from a Time Warner customer service rep reads in part:
Thank you for writing. I understand you would like to express your displeasure with the current plan to test a bandwidth capping model. Time Warner values their customers and the opinions they express. Customer feedback is very important, even when it is not positive. Rest assured your feedback is being forwarded to the proper management team.
It’s very important to know that consumption based billing is not currently in effect in your area. We are in the beginning stages of planning for this trial and will keep customers informed on our progress. You will receive advanced notice before any changes are made in the pricing of their Road Runner service, and this new billing plan will not be officially introduced until the fall. If you are a Price Lock Guarantee customer prior to the launch of consumption based billing, you will be excluded from any additional charges.
No word in that on whether customers will be able to break a Price-Lock contract entirely, but if the pricing doesn’t change and tiered pricing isn’t introduced to you within the contract period, I don’t image you’d have much moral high ground to do that anyway.
For those who were asking, that’s the most recent news I’ve gotten so far. I’ll let you know if Time Warner Cable confirms this as its official policy.
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By Kenny
April 9, 2009 1:32 PM | Link to this
I received the same email response. I called to make sure I WASN't price locked. I want the flexiblity to bail without penalty when the meters start to be read. I'm sure I don't use 40gb a month but I don't want to get caught up in watching a meter when they already enjoy cashing my 180 Dollar check each month.
By jessica
April 8, 2009 10:17 AM | Link to this
I too would be interested to see what you can dig up on Earthlink. If they will not cap, I'm just about ready to drop cable TV, phone and internet service with TWC for Earthlink internet.
By Carrie
April 8, 2009 9:22 AM | Link to this
I called TWC yesterday to leave a complaint regarding the metering and to ask them about the price lock. I was told that anyone who has a contract will not be affected by the metering. I asked how long I have to decide on a contract before the price lock will include caps, and I got the impression that new contracts will be done in August to include the metering. As for Earthlink, I'm kind of leary of them. I know they say they aren't going to cap, but TWC (Alex Dudley) is saying they will make Earthlink cap their lines. I found that info from here: http://stopthecap.com/2009/04/07/breaking-news-alex-dudley-from-time-warner-claims-earthlink-customers-will-be-capped/
By Jeff
April 8, 2009 12:14 AM | Link to this
I switched to Earthlink, when I asked their CSR they said it wouldn't be effected that they lease the lines from TimeWarner. When I asked a guy on sales at TimeWarner, I believe he said Earthlink shouldn't be effected by caps, when I asked TimeWarner's technical support he said at first it would then when I said I heard differently I think he tried to ask and said they still don't know.
By Lex loves Clark
April 7, 2009 10:54 PM | Link to this
Omar,
Will you look into what the situation will be with people who are using Earthlink over the Time Warner bandwidth? Will/can TW force Earthlink to go with their caps? What does Earthlink have to say about all this officially?
By john
April 7, 2009 9:35 PM | Link to this
I don't care if I'm excluded because I was dumb enough to agree to a price lock. That's just protection money - pay me now so I won't send my thugs to rough you up (at least, not for another 2 years). What a total load of crap.