Recently, Time Warner Cable, which was acquired by Charter Communications, rebranded itself as Spectrum. Since Spectrum does things slightly differently than Time Warner, there have been questions from readers. I reached out to Bill Morand, Charter Communications’ communications director for the Great Lakes region, to get some answers to common questions.
Q: What is Spectrum? Is it a totally different service than what I’m used to with Time Warner?
A: Spectrum is Charter’s suite of TV, internet and voice services. It’s a new company with Spectrum as the brand, but the customer’s way of interacting with Time Warner hasn’t changed. You’ve still got your same technicians and same customer service number: 877-772-2253. Channel lineups also haven’t changed.
The Spectrum platform of services features nationally uniform pricing and internet service with no modem fees, data caps or contracts.
One notable difference is with voice service: Spectrum Voice is a fully featured service, which includes such things as voicemail, caller ID and call forwarding without an additional charge. The service includes all relevant taxes and fees for $19.99 per month when bundled with a Spectrum service.
Any features you had with Time Warner Voice, such as Nomorobo, a free robocalling-blocking service, will still work with Spectrum and you don’t have to do anything different. You can call Spectrum or still go online to your www.timewarnercable.com account to turn it on.
Q: I am an existing Time Warner customer. I am seeing a lot of advertisements and getting promotions in the mail to get Spectrum deals. Am I eligible or am I considered an existing customer and that’s only for new customers? What if I only have one or two TWC services now and want a bigger package?
A: Much of the advertising that you may be seeing or hearing is aimed at noncustomers. For the most part, our promotional offers are for new customers, but I would recommend contacting Spectrum anytime to see what packages are available to you. You can use the pricing on the website, which are prices mostly for new customers, as a guide: www.charter.com/packages.html
We take time to understand a customer’s priorities and budget — and work with them to find the right solution. Our goal is to keep our customers satisfied and, in doing so, extend the longevity of our relationship with each customer. That’s the ultimate driver behind Spectrum packaging and pricing. Simplicity and a straightforward approach — and no contracts.
We feel that the best value for customers is to bundle services. To this end, we feature “Triple Play” (TV, Phone, Internet) packages that start at $29.99/month for each service for the first 12 months: TV Select (125-plus channels), for $20 more customers can get TV Silver (175-plus channels) and for $20 more they can get TV Gold (200-plus channels). All Triple Play packages come with our flagship 60 Mbps internet speeds, Spectrum voice with all the popular phone features and unlimited nationwide calling.
Q: I found out that Spectrum only offers two internet speeds, a 60 Mbps and 100 Mbps. I had to call Spectrum and specifically ask for the slower speed, and it turns out I’ve saved $10 per month from my Time Warner bill. I am also going to save money because I can get a free modem for Spectrum when I had to pay for one for Time Warner. Do people specifically have to call to get these deals? If I don’t call TWC/Spectrum, will I continue to pay the higher rate?
A: Customers can choose a new Spectrum package or remain in their current TWC package — we’re not automatically forcing anyone to change packages. Many customers find Spectrum internet a better value because of the starting speeds of 60 Mbps —with no modem fees or data caps — for as low as $49.99/month if you bundle with other Spectrum services. Time Warner internet speeds ranged from 3 Mbps to 60 Mbps.
Q: I have seen news reports that Spectrum internet speeds may not be as quick as they’re supposed to be with the Spectrum modems and Wi-Fi routers and that there’s a lawsuit in New York. Is that true? Should I use my own modem?
A: We are disappointed that the New York attorney general chose to file this lawsuit regarding Time Warner Cable’s broadband speed advertisements that occurred prior to Charter’s merger.
Charter made significant commitments to New York state as part of our merger with Time Warner Cable in areas of network investment, broadband deployment and offerings, customer service and jobs. In addition, Charter was among the highest-rated broadband providers in the 2016 FCC broadband report.
Charter has already made substantial investments in the interest of upgrading the Time Warner Cable systems and delivering the best possible experience to customers. We will continue to invest in our business and deliver the highest-quality services to our customers while we defend against these allegations involving Time Warner Cable practices.
Q: I am being told that my new Spectrum bill is going to skyrocket. What’s going on?
A: Spectrum is no longer offering current customers deeply discounted promotions as TWC often did. When customers’ promotions expire, the regular price for their TWC package takes effect. Many customers will find that our highly competitively priced Spectrum package is a better value, but it remains the customer’s choice. We provide clarity on the front end about what standard rates will be when promotional periods end. The concept with this simplified pricing strategy is uniformity and consistency in what our customers pay.
Betty Lin-Fisher can be reached at 330-996-3724 or blinfisher@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow her @blinfisherABJ on Twitter or www.facebook.com/BettyLinFisherABJ and see all her stories at www.ohio.com/betty.