Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry is leading a coalition of state attorneys general in pushing for better customer service from phone and internet providers. The group has written a letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) advocating for stricter customer service rules. Henry said that her office receives complaints daily from consumers about “deceptive, confusing, and unfair interactions with service providers.” She emphasized that internet, cable, and broadcast satellite services are part of daily life for many Pennsylvanians, so customer service should meet the expectations of consumers.
The coalition, which includes attorneys general from 14 states and Washington D.C., is calling for comprehensive improvements. They recommend better training for representatives, shorter wait times, and more accessible bill-payment and customer-service-center locations.
Michelle Henry pushes for service improvements
The officials stress that representatives should receive ongoing training to provide accurate information to customers. They also suggest that recordings of conversations should be available to customers upon request. Additionally, consumers should more easily receive credits for service outages, disruptions, or other inconveniences, and companies should address issues with missed service appointments.
One particular concern raised in the letter is the practice of charging a fee to skip the virtual queue to talk to a representative. The coalition argues that this practice “rewards service providers for providing service that is not universally prompt, and it negatively impacts those consumers who are unable to pay the fees.
The efforts by the coalition of attorneys general aim to ensure that customer service meets the needs of consumers and enhances their overall experience with phone and internet providers. They hope that the FCC will implement stricter rules to address the concerns raised by consumers and improve the quality of customer service in the industry.
