(A) Local business and complaint office.
(1) During the term of this franchise, and any renewal thereof, the grantee shall provide a system to receive and respond to customer complaints in a reasonable and cost-effective manner.
(2) As a minimum, the grantee shall provide the following:
(a) Grantee office and technical personnel to receive and respond to customer calls during normal business hours (9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.), Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays.
(b) A qualified and trained local answering service to receive calls after normal business hours and on weekends and holidays. Training for the personnel of the answering service shall ensure that the personnel will be able to knowledgeably discuss certain limited aspects of typical cable-related customer problems.
(c) Trained technicians to respond to all customer complaint calls until 10:00 p.m. on any day should five or more calls be received from a given service area.
(B) The general manager shall be responsible for implementing and maintaining a comprehensive procedure for handling all complaints. Individual company department heads shall be responsible for the immediate resolution of complaints concerning their department.
(C) Grantee priorities for handling complaints.
(1) Grantee complaints concerning billing, employee courtesy, programming, safety, or company policy shall be handled immediately. If the employee initially contacted is unable to resolve the problem to the subscriber's satisfaction the appropriate department manager or the general manager shall have the responsibility for doing so.
(2) Service complaints involving a loss of service or affecting more than one subscriber shall be dealt with immediately. All other complaints relating to service shall be handled in sequence. Whenever reasonably possible complaints shall be rectified in the same day as the complaint is received. In no instance shall the system's response be more than 24 hours after the complaint is received.
(3) All service calls shall be centrally dispatched and controlled by the dispatcher contacting the nearest service technician and relating all the pertinent information concerning the complaint (as described in recordkeeping procedures).
(D) At the time cable service is installed, the subscriber shall receive a package designed to forestall as many problems as possible. The package shall contain an illustration of the monthly statement which explains the different charges, instructions on how to use the converter, an explanation of the system's service and complaint procedures, and the number to call for service. The address and telephone number of the town office responsible for the administration of the franchise shall be given to the subscriber. This package shall be sent to all new subscribers and each subscriber upon request.
(E) The grantee will initiate prompt corrective action if any is needed to satisfy unresolved complaints. If a customer is not satisfied with the solution of a complaint, that customer shall automatically be referred to a management person. Local management shall work with the person to resolve the problem within 48 hours. Credits may be extended at the local management's option. In the event that local management does not satisfy the customer's complaint, the complaint shall be referred to the district manager.
(F) All complaints shall be recorded on a service request form which shall include name, address, phone number, date, and time of call, nature of complaint, person to whom the call was assigned, how the problem was resolved, and the time and date of resolution. These records shall be retained for three years from the date of the resolution and shall be made available for periodic inspection by the town.
(G) Service calls shall be promptly dispatched to appropriate technicians. The following procedure shall be observed among others:
(1) If the subscriber is not home, the technician shall check signal levels on a grounding block outside the subscriber's home. If a problem exists, the technician shall identify, locate, and resolve it.
(2) If no problem exists or after a problem has been fixed, the technician shall leave a door hanger stating the fact that he has been there and the time, the name of service technician, and request that, if there is still a problem, the customer call the service office. The service call log shall be completed, and the service call work order shall be placed with those of other completed calls of the day.
(H) When there have been several similar complaints made, or where there exists other evidence, which, in the judgment of the town, casts doubt on the reliability or quality of cable service, the town shall have the right and authority to require grantee to test, analyze, and report on the perform- ance of the system. Grantee shall fully cooperate with the town in performing this testing and shall prepare results and a report within 30 days after notice. This report shall include the following information:
(1) The nature of the complaint or problem which precipitated the special tests;
(2) What system component was tested;
(3) The equipment used and procedures employed in testing;
(4) The method, if any, in which the complaint or problem was resolved; and
(5) Any other information pertinent to the tests and analyses which may be required.
(I) The town may require that tests be supervised, at grantee's expense, by a professional engineer, not on the permanent staff of the grantee. The engineer should sign all records of special tests and forward to the town this record with a report interpreting the results of the test and recommending actions to be taken.
(J) The town's rights under this action shall be limited to requiring tests, analyses, and reports covering the specified subject and characteristics based on the complaints or other evidence when and under those circumstances as the town has reasonable grounds to believe that the complaints or other evidence require that tests be performed to protect the public against substandard cable service.
(Ord. passed 7-21-86) Penalty, see § 111.99