(A) Nothing in this subchapter 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 subchapter or that address matters not addressed in this subchapter.
(B) The grantee shall maintain a local or toll-free telephone access line which is available to its subscribers and shall have knowledgeable, qualified representatives available to respond to customer telephone inquiries 24 hours per day, seven days per week.
(C) 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.
(D) Under normal operating conditions, the customer will receive a busy signal less than 3% of the total time that the office is open for business.
(E) Customer service centers and bill payment locations will 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. The grantee and village by mutual consent shall establish supplemental hours on weekdays and weekends as fits the needs of the community.
(F) 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 will 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.
(G) Upon service interruption of a subscriber’s cable service, the following shall apply.
(1) For service interruptions of more than four hours and up to four days, the grantee shall provide, at the subscriber’s request, a credit of one-thirtieth of one month’s fees for affected services for each 24-hour period service is interrupted for an accumulated four or more hours for any subscriber, with the exception of subscribers disconnected because of non-payment or excessive signal leakage.
(2) For interruptions of four days or more in one month, the grantee shall provide, at the subscriber’s request, a pro-rata credit for affected services for all affected subscribers.
(H) 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;
(2) Prices and service options;
(3) Installation and service policies; and
(4) How to use the cable television services.
(I) Bills will be clear, concise and understandable, with all charges for cable services itemized.
(J) 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.
(K) A grantee may not disconnect a customer for non-payment of disputed bills until such a time as the dispute has been resolved, in accordance with the grantee’s customer service policies.
(L) 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 grantee if service has been terminated.
(M) The grantee shall notify customers a minimum of 30 days in advance of any rate or channel change.
(N) The grantee shall maintain and operate its network in accordance with the rules and regulations incorporated herein or as may be promulgated by the Federal Communications Commission, the United States Congress or applicable laws of the state.
(O) The grantee shall continue, through the term of the franchise, to maintain the technical standards and quality of service set forth in this subchapter. Should the village find, 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 § 113.047 are applicable.
(P) The grantee shall keep a monthly service log which indicates the nature of each service complaint (excluding programming complaints) 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 made available for periodic inspection by the village.
(Q) 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.
(2000 Code, § 113.25) (Ord. 1678, passed 7-21-1997) Penalty, see § 113.999