Additional correspondence with TWC

[borghe]

WOOHOO!!! Another satellite convert!!

*Note* This post is in no way meant to bash or demean Time Warner Cable or their lousy service or horrendous customer support. Thank you.

Seriously though.. I am an HD DirecTV DVR away from getting all of my local channels solely OTA...

[GJC]

Originally posted by borghe


Seriously though.. I am an HD DirecTV DVR away from getting all of my local channels solely OTA...

So you are still about a year away?

[mr_yeti]

Actually, I had planned to go with satellite all along, but cable is the most cost-effective (in terms of initial investment) means of getting HD signals right now, and I wanted an HD Superb Owl. It's worth the $500+ for the HD box so I don't have to deal with the reprehensible service (and worse picture quality) from TWC. Not to mention the monthly fees are lower for DirecTv.

Probably the best part will be not having to watch the endless Digital Cable commercials:

"But what if it's raining...?"  :bang:

[borghe]

Originally posted by GJC
So you are still about a year away?

A year away, but it will be worth it..

Tivo chanegd the way I watch TV, HDTivo will change the way I watch HD. :cool:

[Tosan]

For what it's worth, about a year and a half ago, I was having some significant difficulties with TWC's billing & (lack of) customer  service departments (Roadrunner issues).   After repeated attempts to get the matter resolved locally, I fired off a letter to the CEO and 2 EVP's at Time-Warner Corporate (New York) to let them know that they have "serious issues in Milwaukee".

A week later, the President of TW Milwaukee called us from his home on a Saturday morning to assure that the problem was resolved and he bent over backwards to make sure that we were a satisified customer.

I'm new to the HDTV scene and am a little frustrated by the lack of options currently available on TWC.   Would it be effective if the HDTV-savvy moderator of this very fine forum shot a letter of concern to TW Corporate execs so that those of us in SE WI might be able to enjoy HDTV broadcasts from Channel 58, Fox 6, and others on TWC?   It sure could be!   At a minimum, it feels pretty good to drop the envelope in the mail.   Who knows?  TWC is not our only option!   Maybe they need to be reminded of that.  Your letter may be the catalyst to get them off the dime.  

This is a great website (I just registered yesterday).   Thanks for giving us the forum to vent and share information.

[GJC]

It couldn't hurt to send them a letter or five!  If you could provide us with the names and addresses, I'd be willing to send a letter on my own (or as a member of MilwaukeeHDTV.org if the powers that be would allow).

Great suggestion!

-Gary

[Tom Snyder]

Bev Greenberg
Vice President, Community/Gov't. Relations
TIME WARNER CABLE
1320 N. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive
Milwaukee, WI 53212
Phone: (414) 277-4190
FAX: (414) 224-6155
Email: bev.Greenberg@twcable.com

[mr_yeti]

I think we were looking for TWC corporate addresses, not TWC's local office. I've emailed Bev Greenberg on several occasions, and did not receive any reply. It's time to go to the top of the organization nationally and see if they'll do more than feed us the party line. I would be willing to write a letter or two in support of this effort.

[Tosan]

I forget which 3 people I sent my letter to, but here's a link to the whole executive team at TWC Corporate.    I'd go with the 3 B's if I were you:   Britt, Billock, Baxter.

http://www.aoltimewarner.com/corporate_information/time_warner_cable.adp

This is further info from Hoovers:

Time Warner Cable  

Company HQ Address
290 Harbor Dr.
Stamford, CT 06902-6732
Phone: 203-328-0600
Fax: 203-328-0690

Key People
Officers & Employees
    Chairman and CEO:  Glenn A. Britt, age 53
 
    Vice Chairman and COO:  John Billock
 
    President:  Tom Baxter
 
    EVP and CFO:  Landel Hobbs
 
    EVP:  John R. Bickham
 
    EVP:  Fred Dressler
 
    EVP:  Charles W. Ellis
 
    EVP:  James D. Fellhauer
 
    EVP:  William Goetz
 
    EVP:  Barry Rosenblum
 
    EVP:  Carl U. J. Rossetti
 
    SVP, Secretary, and General Counsel:  Marc J. Apfelbaum
 
    SVP Human Resources:  Tom Mathews
 
    VP Corporate Communications:  Mark Harrad
 
    VP Strategic Procurement:  Jim Jeffcoat
 
    President and CEO, Time Warner Cable Ventures:  Christopher P. Bogart, age 35
 
    President, Time Warner Cable Advertising Sales:  Larry Fischer
 
    Regional VP Advertising Sales, Mid-Atlantic region:  Carol Hart
 
    VP Sales, Time Warner Cable Adcast:  Steve Miller
 
 

Thanks a bunch!

[mr_yeti]

Would anyone here have concerns if those who choose to write letters to these people included information about the site and general information about the membership (i.e. numbers, demographic-type stuff)?

[Gregg Lengling]

Just remember the posting rules (at the top of each topic page), use these as a general rule also for writing TWC or anyone else.  You get much more with Honey than Vinegar.  I think it is important that the industry knows that we as a group are out here, and we're not a bunch of dummies.  Just look at all the good that has come from having representatives from 4, 10, 12 and 58 on board.

[joetwc727]

I know how frustrating it can be to deal with managment and pr people for twc. As a technician for twc i've been doing my part for them to provide truthful information abuot hdtv, as well as our "digital cable" services. I do know for a fact that a fiber link between our hub and cbs is complete. I've been told by my supervisor that within the next week or so it will be available. That may be a week short with the nfl playoffs this weekend.



Hitachi 57SWX20B

[GJC]

Probably the most frustrating part is that we can't get a straight answer from anybody.  Why the secrecy?  Wouldn't this be something they would want to promote?  

"CBS in HDTV on Digital Cable beginning January XX!!!"

Thanks for the information.  I hope it's accurate!

-Gary

[mr_yeti]

That's certainly welcome news, but unfortunately a couple weeks too late to merit any real interest from me. Would it have killed the customer service people to at least make some kind of attempt at communicating that the process was underway? As discussed in another thread, cable systems have a bandwidth advantage over satellite providers. It's too bad that, in this instance at least, our local cable office seems determined to squander an opportunity to generate positive PR amongst their most progressive customers.

[wxndave]

Originally posted by joetwc727
I know how frustrating it can be to deal with managment and pr people for twc. As a technician for twc i've been doing my part for them to provide truthful information abuot hdtv, as well as our "digital cable" services. I do know for a fact that a fiber link between our hub and cbs is complete. I've been told by my supervisor that within the next week or so it will be available. That may be a week short with the nfl playoffs this weekend.



Hi Joe,

That is very interesting about the fiber link.  Do you know where the fiber is installed?  Is it there transmitter site or their studio site?  Since you are a Headend tech can you tell me, are they sending it as HD video or some type of digital stream?   Can you also explain why WISN-DT and WTMJ-DT look worse on TWC than they do over the air?  Just wanted to get my questions answered by someone at TWC who knows something.

Dave