"Triple play" morphs into triple nightmare: dropped calls, clicks, hums, surprise service breaks haunt Time Warner's VoIP rollout

America's Network, Sept 1, 2004 by Al Senia

Delivering the "triple play" service of video, voice and broadband to customers has been the dream of service providers across the United States, especially cable companies forced to compete with increasingly aggressive regional Bell competitors.

What happens, however, when that dream turns into a customer's nightmare?

Welcome to the world of Dr. Eric Berger, a dentist in upstate Rome, N.Y., who decided on Friday, August 13 to bite on an attractive mail offer from cable company Time Warner Cable to add discount VoIP phone service to his home cable television and RoadRunner high-speed cable modem services. The lure? Unlimited local and long distance phone calling for $39.95 per month for existing customers, discounted to $19.95 for the first three months. Berger's Verizon phone bill alone averaged $90 per month. Total monthly cost for phone, modem and cable service? About $135, excluding sign-up discount.

LINE WOES

Time Warner promised an efficient, inexpensive telephone alternative to Verizon. After phone service started to run through a Motorola Surfrider modem, however, Berger experienced frequent dropped phone calls, line clicks, a high-pitched line hum, static, a recorded message to callers that his phone number was disconnected, and a five-hour telephone and cable modem service outage, not to mention two truck roll-outs from Time Warner Cable technicians. And that was just in the first four days, all before the cable company decided it needed to dig up the cable outside Berger's home and overlay thicker coaxial.

"This has been ridiculous," recalls the agitated Berger, recounting his ordeal in a 10-minute phone interview interrupted by two 15-second service breaks. "All these companies want to do is sign up new customers and take their money before the technology is proven and their people are properly trained."

After repeat visits, Time Warner service technicians discovered the original installation was improper, which led to feedback that caused the high-pitched phone line hum. Using a dial-up modem automatically triggers the service disconnection message. Their solution? Bag AOL dial-up.

As for the shaky phone service, technicians theorize the cable laid outside the 30-year-old home, while suitable for television and modem use, is simply inadequate for the high demands of reliable Internet phone service. "Basically, they said if the TV signal degrades slightly, you'll get (TV) snow... but if the phone signal degrades slightly, that's it," said Berger. "You need a perfect signal."

He appreciates Time Warner's efforts, but wonders why it didn't spot that problem before offering VoIP service. "Basically, their service guys are saying 'We are learning this as we go along,' " says Berger.

NATIONAL PLAN

A Time Warner Cable spokesman says such situations are "very rare" and likely caused by the need to overlay new cable in older service areas. "In order to deliver this customer high quality service, we'll do whatever it takes," he says. The cable company expects to introduce VoIP phone service to its entire customer footprint in 27 states by year's end. It launched VoIP service in Portland, Maine last year, and has 13% of its base, or 18,000 customers, signed up. It signed multiyear deals with Sprint and MCI in December, 2003 to interface with itsVoIP service, which runs over the company's own backbone.

Berger will wait for the cable overlay before deciding whether to stick with the new service. His experience with "bleeding edge" technology won't end the industry's ongoing love affair with VoIP. Shortly before Berger made the switch, the Yankee Group research firm released a report about cable industry VoIP technology. It's conclusion? "After many years of testing, the VoIP technology is finally available and ready for prime time." Berger couldn't agree less.