[Ord. No. 2003-12, 9-21-2003]
(a) When used in this section:
(1)
"Normal business hours" mean 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday
through Friday and some hours on Saturday, excluding holidays.
(2)
"Normal operating conditions" means those service conditions
which are within the control of the grantee. Those conditions which
are not within the control of the grantee include, but are not limited
to, natural disasters, civil disturbances, power outages, telephone
network outages and severe or unusual weather conditions. Those conditions
which are ordinarily within the control of the grantee include, but
are not limited to, special promotions, pay-per-view events, rate
increases, regular peak or seasonal demand periods and maintenance
or upgrade of the cable system, open video system or other multichannel
video provider using or occupying the public right-of-way.
(3)
"Service interruption" means the loss of picture or sound on
one or more cable channels.
(b) Nothing in this section is intended to prevent or prohibit:
(1)
The Township and a grantee from agreeing to customer service
requirements that exceed the standards set forth in this article.
(2)
The Township from enforcing through the end of the franchise
term preexisting customer service requirements that exceed the standards
set forth in this article that are contained in current franchise
agreements.
(3)
The Township from enacting or enforcing any consumer protection
law.
(4)
The establishment or enforcement of any ordinance or regulation
concerning customer service that imposes customer service requirements
that exceed or address matters not addressed by the standards set
forth in this article.
(c) A person holding a franchise awarded under this article is subject
to the following customer service standards certified quarterly:
(1)
The grantee will maintain a local, toll-free or collect call
telephone access line which will be available to subscribers 24 hours
a day, seven days a week.
(2)
Trained representatives shall be available to respond to customer
telephone inquiries 9:00 a.m. to midnight seven days a week. From
midnight to 9:00 a.m., the access line may be answered by a service
or an automated response system, including an answering machine. Inquiries
received from midnight to 9:00 a.m., shall be responded to by a trained
representative on the next business day.
(3)
Under normal operating conditions, telephone answer time by
a representative, including wait time, excluding calls routed to automated
response units, shall not exceed 30 seconds when the connection is
made. If the call needs to be transferred, transfer time shall not
exceed 30 seconds. These standards shall be met no less than 90% of
the time under normal operating conditions measured on a quarterly
basis.
(4)
Under normal operating conditions, the customers may receive
a busy signal less than 3% of the time measured on a quarterly basis.
(5)
Reasonably convenient customer service center/bill payment locations
will be open at least during normal business hours.
(6)
Under normal operating conditions, each of the following five
standards must be met no less than 95% of the time measured on a quarterly
basis:
a.
Standard installations will be performed seven business days
after an order has been placed. Standard installations are those that
are located not more than 150 feet from the existing distribution
system.
b.
Excluding conditions beyond the control of the operator, a grantee
shall begin working on service interruptions promptly and in no event
later than 24 hours after the interruption becomes known. The grantee
must begin actions to correct other service problems the next business
day after notification of the service problem.
c.
The appointment window for installations, service calls, and
other installation activities will be either a specific time or, at
maximum, a four-hour block during normal business hours. The operator
may schedule service calls and other installation activities outside
of normal business hours for the express convenience of the customer.
d.
A grantee may not cancel an appointment with a customer after
the close of business on the business day prior to the scheduled appointment.
e.
If a representative is running late for an appointment and will
not be able to keep the appointment as scheduled, the customer will
be contacted, the appointment rescheduled, as necessary, at a time
which is convenient for the customer.
(d) A grantee shall provide written information on each of the following
areas at the time of installation of service, at least annually to
all subscribers, and at any time upon request:
(1)
Products and services offered.
(2)
Prices and options for programming services and conditions of
subscription to programming and other services.
(3)
Installation and service maintenance policies.
(4)
Instructions on how to use the cable service.
(5)
Channel positions of programming carried on the system.
(6)
Billing and complaint procedures, including the business address
and telephone number of the grantee.
(e) Customers and the Township will be notified of any changes in rates,
programming services or channel positions as soon as possible by any
reasonable means. Notice must be given to subscribers and the Township
a minimum of 30 days in advance of such changes if the change is within
the control of the grantee. In addition, the grantee shall notify
subscribers 30 days in advance of any significant changes in the other
information required by the preceding paragraph.
(f) Bills shall be clear, concise and understandable. Except as otherwise
required by a franchise agreement, bills must be fully itemized with
itemizations including, but not limited to, basic and premium service
charges and equipment charges. Bills shall clearly delineate all activity
during the billing period, including operational charges, rebates
and credits. In case of a billing dispute, a grantee must respond
to a written complaint from a subscriber within 30 days.
(g) Refund checks shall be issued promptly, but not later than:
(1)
The customer's next billing cycle following resolution
of the request or 30 days, whichever is earlier, or upon the return
of the equipment supplied if service is terminated by the grantee.
(h) Credits will be issued no later than the customer's next billing
cycle following the determination that a credit is warranted.