Frontier Communications: Florida Receiving Formal Complaints

As issues related to Frontier Communications’ April 1 takeover of service from Verizon in Florida continue to be reported, the state’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Service has said it has received a number of formal complaints from customers in the Tampa Bay area.

As of Thursday, the agency had received nine formal complaints from Bay area residents, according to documents sent to Patch. Those complaints have come in from a combination of business and residential customers. It is unclear how many complaints the agency has fielded from across the state, but Aaron Keller, press secretary for the department, told Patch the agency is looking into the complaints it has received.

What action, if any, the state might take on consumers' behalf remains unclear at this time.

See Also:

• Frontier Communications Issues: Where To Get Help

The complaints shared with Patch cover the gamut of issues customers have reported since Verizon pulled out of the state earlier this month. Those issues range from a loss of some services and technician no-shows to a complete lack of service.

A business owner in Tampa, for example, filed a formal complaint with the state on April 6, noting that he had lost FiOS service entirely. Despite assurances a tech would be out on April 5 to restore service, the complaint says “Frontier failed to appear.”

Residents in Plant City, Trinity, Tampa, Sarasota, Valrico and elsewhere have also complained to the state. A Tampa man reported on April 6 that his home phone was out and he called Frontier for help.

“I explained to the lady in customer service the problem,” the complaint reads. “She tells me they are backed up and she does not have access to my account. It will be the 11th before they can do anything for me.”

The man went on to explain that he works from home and cannot be without his service. The call taker, however, “was unconcerned and simply said they could not help me before the 11th of April,” the complaint document states.

Meanwhile, Frontier Communications continues to field complaints on its Facebook page. A string related to the company’s takeover of Verizon services in Florida, California and Texas had more than 9,000 comments on Thursday. By Friday afternoon, the number of comments was over 10,000.

“Absolutely a horrendous disappointment,” wrote on Florida woman on Friday. “Service is limited, and yet somehow they are charging me more than I was paying Verizon for getting all my services. CSR’s are useless. They seem to wander off, leaving you on hold for 20 minutes or more at a time. Looking for a new provider.”

“The best part of my 20-plus minute hold time is when they suggested to like them on Facebook,” wrote another woman.

“After two weeks of waiting, two installation no-shows, over 20 hours of phone calls, endless hold times, empty promises in emails, and a dozen juke-n-jive Facebook messages, I’ve switched to Time Warner,” another customer wrote Friday afternoon.

Frontier is acknowledging customers who post on Facebook with offers of help. It has also acknowledged problems with on-demand services on its website. It promises a fix by mid-April. No other issues have been acknowledged on the website, including the multiple reports of technician no-shows.

Consumers who want to file formal complaints may do so through the following agencies:

• Federal Communications Commission – This agency has an online complaints form that can be filled out. Consumers may also call 1-888-225-5322 to file complaints.
• Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services – While the Florida Public Service Commission might seem like the place to turn for help within the state, that agency says a 2011 legislative change put regulatory authority over telecommunications issues in the hands of Commissioner Adam Putnam’s office. With that in mind, consumers may contact the agency at 1-800-HELP-FLA or they may also file complaints online.

Customers who wish to reach out directly to Frontier Communications may reach the company’s customer service department at 1-800-921-8101. Online live chat and technical support is also available via the company’s website.

Have you had any issues since the Frontier Communications takeover? Tell us about them by commenting below!

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