Do you feel that you have been ripped off by your Seattle cable provider, well you probably have! Even if you can't get anywhere with them, you may be able to to take it to their Seattle cable regulators, and one up them.
According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), local franchising authorities regulate cable companies. A franchising authority is the local, municipal, county, or state government organization that regulates certain aspects of the cable television industry at the state and local level.
Complaint topics heard by franchising authorities include:
- Rates for basic service and equipment.
- Installation and service charges related to service.
- Customer service problems, including billing disputes, office hours, telephone availability of personnel, installations, outages and service calls.
- Franchise fees, which are determined and retained by local governments.
- Signal quality, including interference and reception difficulties.
- Use of public, educational, and governmental (PEG) channels.
The name of your franchising authority should be on the front or back of your cable bill. If this information is not on the bill, contact the cable company or city hall.
You may also wish to view answers to frequently asked questions about television and cable or information on filing a complaint against a cable or satellite television provider..
If you would like further consumer information, please visit the Consumer Action web site. The Consumer Action web site provides useful addresses, telephone numbers, and samples of complaint letters to help consumers with various types of complaints.