I have Time Warner’s Road Runner internet service through my employer. The discounted fee is withdrawn from my paycheck every month automatically. Which is why I was surprised to get a phone call yesterday informing me that my service was going to be cut off for nonpayment.

I told the guy I was a little confused about this and explained why. He seemed to understand my point. He said that he’d look into it further and would get back to me if he needed more information.

Apparently he didn’t need any more information. Upon arriving home this evening I found my service disconnected. Naturally I called up customer service.

The representative who I spoke with was sympathetic and polite. I cast no aspersions on her professionalism. For the organization itself, however: Shame on you.

It seems that they had charged me–separate from my monthly paycheck deduction–$10 for the “installation fee.” I have to admit that when I see mail from Time Warner I throw it out, believing it to be advertising. Why would I think it was a bill? I pay through my employer! I haven’t received a bill from them in how many years?

But in addition to the $10 installation fee, they wanted to ding me an additional $10 “reconnect fee.”

I told them no. I suggested that they could do better by me than that. After all, the guy yesterday said he’d look into it. Did that happen?

Then they offered to split the difference. I pay the $10 installation fee from October, they waive the reconnection fee.

I’m still not feeling great about it, but I figure maybe it’s time to just suck it up for the sake of getting my shit turned back on. I say that I might be willing to do that if they can restore my service tonight. Then they tell me that they can’t really say when it’ll be turned back on but it would probably be “within the week.”

I advised the representative that she could go ahead and let my service be canceled. I reminded her that AT&T offers a competing internet service in my area and that I’d be looking into it immediately. To think they are willing to say goodbye to my account, hundreds of dollars a year for well over a decade, over a ten dollar misunderstanding.

A lot of what I do is customer service. I spend a great deal of my time answering questions, resolving problems and generally making my customers as happy as I can make them. When I find out one of them is unhappy I see it as an opportunity for what’s called “service recovery.” We failed you, but maybe we can make you whole again.

Time Warner seems not to understand this practice. So tomorrow I call up AT&T. I’m sure they’ll be glad to hear from me.