(A) Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to prohibit the enforcement of any federal, state or local law or regulation concerning customer service or consumer protection that imposes customer service standards or consumer protection requirements that exceed the customer service standards set out in this chapter or that address matters not addressed in this chapter.
(B) The grantee shall maintain a local or toll-free telephone access line which is available to its subscribers and shall have courteous, knowledgeable, and qualified representatives available to respond to customer telephone inquiries regarding billing, service, and repair, 24 hours per day, seven days per week, including legal holidays. Under normal operating conditions, telephone answer time, including wait time and the time required to transfer the call, shall not exceed 30 seconds. This standard shall be met no less than 90% of the time as measured on a quarterly basis. Under normal operating conditions, the customer will receive a busy signal less than 3% of the time, measured quarterly.
(C) Customer service centers and bill payment locations shall be open for walk-in customer transactions a minimum of eight hours per day Monday through Friday, unless there is a need to modify those hours because of the location or customers served. Where the grantee has located a bill payment or customer service center within the service area, the grantee and Municipality by mutual consent shall establish supplemental hours on weekdays and weekends as fit the needs of the community.
(D) Under normal operating conditions, each of the following standards will be met no less than 95% of the time as measured on an annual basis:
(1) Standard installations will be performed within seven business days after an order has been placed. A standard installation is one that is within 125 feet of the existing system.
(2) Excluding those situations that are beyond its control, the grantee will respond to any service interruption promptly and in no event later than 24 hours from the time of initial notification. All other regular service requests will be responded to within 36 hours during the normal work week for that system. The appointment window alternatives for installations, service calls and other installation activities shall be: "morning" or "afternoon"; not to exceed a four hour "window" during normal business hours for the system, or at a time that is mutually acceptable. The grantee shall schedule supplemental hours during which appointments can be scheduled based on the needs of the community. If at any time an installer or technician is running late, an attempt to contact the customer will be made and the appointment rescheduled as necessary at a time that is convenient to the customer.
(3) In those instances where a technician has conducted a service call in the absence of the subscriber, the technician shall leave a door hanger on the front door of the subscriber's residence or notify the subscriber by phone message of the service call.
(E) In the event of a service interruption, the following standards for subscriber credits shall be applied by the grantee:
(1) If a subscriber experiences a service interruption totaling four hours or more on one, two, or three days in any calendar month, then the grantee shall provide a credit to that subscriber equal to one-thirtieth (1/30) of one month's total fees paid by that subscriber for each day on which such a service interruption occurs; provided, however, that such credit shall not apply to a subscriber disconnected because of non-payment or excessive signal leakage. Such credit shall be provided by the grantee automatically upon notice from that subscriber of such service interruption, regardless of whether that subscriber requests a credit.
(2) If a subscriber experiences a service interruption totaling four hours or more on four or more days in any calendar month, then the grantee shall provide a credit to that subscriber equal to one month's total fees paid by that subscriber; provided, however, that such credit shall not apply to a subscriber disconnected because of non-payment or excessive signal leakage. Such credit shall be provided by the grantee automatically upon notice from that subscriber of the fourth such service interruption, regardless of whether that subscriber requests a credit.
(F) The grantee shall provide written information for each of the following areas at the time of installation and at any future time upon the request of the customer:
(1) Product and services offered, including its channel lineup;
(2) Prices and service options;
(3) Installation and service policies;
(4) How to use the cable services;
(5) Customer privacy requirements;
(6) The cable operator's billing, collection, and disconnection policies; and
(7) Use and availability of A/B switches;
(8) Use and availability of parental lockout devices;
(9) Special services for customers with disabilities; and
(10) Days, times of operation, and locations of customer service centers.
Copies of all notices provided to the subscriber shall be filed either by U.S. Mail or fax, with the Municipality and the consortium.
(G) Bills will be clear, concise and understandable, with all charges for cable services itemized.
(H) A grantee may not impose a late, administrative or other fee on a customer for non-payment of a bill until 30 days have elapsed after the end of the billing cycle which is the subject of the unpaid bill.
(I) Credits will be issued promptly, but no later than the customer's next billing cycle following the resolution of the request and the return of the equipment by the subscriber to the grantee if service has been terminated.
(J) The grantee shall notify customers a minimum of 30 days in advance of any rate or channel change.
(K) The grantee shall maintain and operate its network in accordance with the rules and regulations incorporated herein and as may be promulgated by state or federal regulators.
(1) The grantee shall continue, through the term of the franchise, to maintain the technical standards and quality of service set forth in this chapter and the franchise. In the event that the Municipality finds, by resolution, that the grantee has failed to maintain these technical standards and quality of service, and should it, by resolution, specifically enumerate improvements to be made, the grantee shall make such improvements. Failure to make such improvements within three months of such resolution will constitute a breach of a condition for which penalties contained in § 115.999 are applicable.
(M) The grantee shall keep a monthly service log which indicates the nature of each service complaint received in the last 24 months, the date and time each complaint was received, the disposition of each complaint, and the time and date thereof. This log shall be sent to the Municipality monthly upon request.
(N) The grantee shall provide a copy of the customer service standards included in this section to every subscriber via a bill insert at least once every calendar year. The grantee shall also provide a copy of these customer service standards to every new customer within 30 days of connection.
(O) Services for subscribers with disabilities.
(1) For any subscriber with a disability, a grantee shall at no charge deliver and pick up converters at subscribers' homes. In the case of a malfunctioning converter, the technician shall provide another converter, install it, and ensure that it is working properly, and shall return the defective converter to the grantee.
(2) The grantee shall provide TDD service with trained operators who can provide every type of assistance rendered by the grantee's customer service requirements for any hearing-impaired customer.
(3) The grantee shall provide free use of a remote control unit to mobility impaired (if disabled, in accordance with subsection 4, below) subscribers.
(4) Any subscriber with a disability may request the special services described above by providing the grantee with a letter from the subscriber's physician stating the need, or by making the request to the grantee's installer or service technician, where the need for special services can be visually confirmed.
(P) All officers, agents, and employees of the grantee or its contractors or subcontractors who are in contact with cable subscribers shall wear on their outer clothing identification cards bearing their name and photograph. The grantee shall account for all identification cards at all times. Every vehicle of the grantee shall be clearly visually identified to the public as working for the grantee. Vehicles belonging to contractors or subcontractors of the grantee shall be clearly identified with the name of the contractor or subcontractor and the grantee. Such identification need not be of a permanent nature. All customer service representatives shall identify themselves orally to callers.
(Ord. 767, passed 4-25-00)