Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Astound Broadband powered by RCN's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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• 

  Astound Broadband powered by RCN

  650 College Rd E Ste 3100 Princeton, NJ 08540-6629

• 

  Astound Broadband by RCN

  28 West 23rd Street 11th Floor New York, NY 10010

• 

  Astound Broadband by RCN

  1133 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10036

• 

  RCN

  2124 Avenue C Bethlehem, PA 18017-2120

• 

  Astound Broadband

  2124 Avenue C Bethlehem, PA 18017-2120

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/07/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I made a complaint about being treated rudely by a customer service rep. I was supposed to receive a phone call back about the issue and no one has contacted me in weeks

  Business Response

  Date: 02/15/2024

  I spoke to the customer and addressed his concerns. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/05/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with the recent experience I had with Astound Broadband. On the 24th of January ****, I purchased their highly advertised $30/month broadband plan for my apartment in ********, ******, with the account number ************************************ receiving the setup package a few days later, I encountered significant difficulties in connecting to the internet. In fact, despite my best efforts, I was never able to establish a connection. To add to my frustration, on the 1st of February ****, Astound sent me a bill totaling $57.96, a figure significantly higher than the initial price.When I questioned Astound regarding this discrepancy and asked why I was being billed more than what was clearly stated in the promotion they claimed that "the promotional period had expired." It is deeply concerning that within a mere seven days of signing up for their advertised promotion, they decided to unilaterally change the terms.This deceptive practice is highly unethical, especially considering the fact that I was unable to access the ************* from the outset. Given this alarming revelation about the company's business practices, I promptly requested the immediate cancellation of my account. ******************** assured me that they would process the cancellation and provide me with a prorated bill for the services.Yet, I find myself grappling with a crucial question: which services are they truly referring to? As I mentioned earlier, I never had access to the purported *************. Instead, all I received was a malfunctioning piece of equipment and a bill that exceeded the originally agreed-upon amount.Frankly speaking, such conduct by Astound Broadband shakes my confidence in their integrity, and I am seriously concerned about their ability to engage in such deceptive practices without being held accountable. Given the circumstances, I am more than willing to pay a premium to their competitors than to continue doing business with Astound.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/13/2024

  Spoke with the customer explained billing. Offered 1 month free service since the internet is not working and scheduled a tech to fix the internet. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/02/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My internet and telephone service went out on January 15. They sent a repair person on January 22 who was unable to make the repair and stated they would need to send out a different repair crew to do a "tier" repair. On February 1, the same repair person came and again stated that he could not do the repair and that Astound would need to send out a different repair crew. I have not had telephone or internet service for 2.5 weeks.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/07/2024

  The tech came out on 2/5 and resolved the issue. Gave a credit for the services being down 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/07/2024

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  ******** **********

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/01/2024

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  RCN / Astound charges different rates from what I established with them monthly with no rhyme or reason. I feel like it is worthwhile to look into whether this is a pattern. I find myself constantly contesting my bill. It's unfortunate because they are the only provider for my address.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/12/2024

  Explained he was on a promotion when he started services and the bill before before a rate increase there is a message on the bill stating there will be a rate increase. Gave a one time credit and customer service already added new promotions. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/26/2024

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I returned all of my equipment in one box through ****** and the box was received but they claim that 1 eero was not returned. I went to the ***** to see if anything happened to the box on security footage, but they say it just shows the box being taped and then shipped. I contacted eero and they said the eero is not being used by anyone. I dont know what else to do, I returned everything together. I am not going to pay over $200 for something I returned.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/08/2024

  We were able to resolve the equipment issue with the customer 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/08/2024

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
  
  Regards,
  
  *******************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/25/2024

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Dear BBB,
  
  I am writing to bring to your attention an issue I have been experiencing with Astound and RCN regarding my ACP benefit and Lifeline Program benefit. Recently, I received a letter from Astound stating that I had moved my ACP benefit away from them. Despite my attempts to contact them, I was never provided with a reason. I had to reapply with LifeLine and submit the application again to regain my ACP benefit. However, Astound has refused to honor or apply my Lifeline Program benefit of $9.25 per month to my account, stating that since I am receiving the ACP benefit of $30 per month, I do not qualify to have my phone service benefit applied. I have questioned this decision multiple times, but they have not applied the discount.
  
  Furthermore, due to the issue above, I decided to leave RCN for Xfinity by Comcast, as they did not alter or lie about the federal program to force customers to rent their equipment to qualify. However, both Astound and RCN have continued to deny that this was the case. I have been met with shady, uninformed customer service and multiple data outages.
  
  I believe it is unacceptable that companies engage in these deceptive practices, preying on underserved, economically challenged customers. I request that this issue be addressed and resolved as soon as possible.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** ********

  Business Response

  Date: 02/05/2024

  I have called the customer and left messages and emailed the customer I have not received a response 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/25/2024

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I discontinued service with Astound on 17 October 2023 after being a customer since September 2020. I prepared to turn in the equipment personally to the local office (an Eero 6 Pro router and a small black modem issued from the company). When the technician came to end my service, he stated that he could take my equipment to turn in for me. I hesitated and called Astound Customer Service to confirm this was possible without penalty. The representative I reached confirmed that I could indeed give the equipment to the technician without any financial penalty. I then confirmed with the representative that I then would do just that. After this call, I placed the two pieces of equipment into a plastic bag for the technician. Subsequent to the account being closed and the equipment turned over to the technician, I received emails and hard copy statements indicating that I had not turned in my equipment. I have had numerous conversations with them to resolve this issue.
  
  In the conversation with Astound again today, I am now being told that the equipment I am being held for is a wifi extender which allegedly was install on 18 Jun 2022 according to the representative I spoke with today. I explained that I never received an extender with the exception of when my account was first opened. That extender did not enhance service in my apartment and was turned in personally to the local office sometime in the fall of 2020. Since that time, the only pieces of equipment issued from them to me was a modem and router. Over the course of my service, several technicians had come to troubleshoot issues and changed out the router and the modem.
  
  While they assert it was installed, I would not have agreed given the prior experience early on with my service with the initial extender. I cannot turn in something that did not come into my possession. Further, they would not consider any possibility of error of misattributing the equipment to my account. Not sure of next steps.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/05/2024

  I have called and left messages and sent an email. I have not received a response yet 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/23/2024

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Hello, I am referring to my account: ***************. This is in reference to an issue, confirmation number: *******.
  
  I was promised a $100 virtual visa gift card for 90 days of services and on-time business.
  
  When my ninety days was nearly concluded and I called for clarification on the gift card, two different people gave me two different answers. One said I wouldn't because an automatic payment failed, but I paid on time manually. I was not under the impression this would be an issue so long as I paid on time. Another person said that wouldn't matter because it would be ninety days of services without interruption. I fulfilled ALL requirements.
  
  Ninety days of good service and on time payment have passed. I called twice to follow up about this gift card and one person said two weeks, and another told me they escalated it, hence the confirmation number. Now, I am told after th 14th when my ninety days ended, they stalled processing my gift card because they told me I didn't pay on time but are trying to make the exception????????????????????????????
  
  I am entitled to that gift card. If it is not delivered ot me by the end of the 14 days, which is Sunday, I will cancel service and report this fraud to FTC.
  
  It isn't my fault. I did everything I was supposed to. I WANT MY MONEY. the 100 dollar virtual visa gift card.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/01/2024

  I have called the customer on 1/29 and 1/31 and left voicemails. I sent an email on 1/31 letting her know I have not been able to get ahold of her by phone to please call me back. I have not gotten a response from the customer 

  Business Response

  Date: 02/15/2024

  I have left messages with my direct line and have sent and email with my number. I have not been able to get in touch with the customer to help resolve the issue

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/20/2024

  
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. The issue has been resolved as I have received the promised incentive just shortly after I made the BBB complaint. So everything has been fulfilled and it’s OK and I’m satisfied with the outcome.
  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  ***** ****

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/22/2024

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Hello: I want to complain against my internet and cable provider (Astound, formerly RCN). My residential bill for internet and cable -although I did not change any of my options or requested any additional services- went up from an already high price of $243.50 a month in August 2023 to $266 a month in September 2023 (first increase) and then up again to $326 a month in November 2023 (second increase in 3 months). Isn't there any law protecting consumers against these repeated, unjustified, and unfair increases? My bill went up by $82 per month or ****% increase in just 3 months. I wish my income would increase by a third every 3 months, or even every year. It of course does not. Why do internet providers think they can increase their charges so much and so frequently? Again, the service provider is Astound Broadband by RCN. My account number is ***************. My name and address are: ****************************** *****************************************************************************. Looking forward to hearing from you. Thank you and best regards, *****************************.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/29/2024

  I spoke with the customer and explained that his promotion had expired. I told him I could add new promotion to lower his bill. He said he did not want new promotions that he was going to report us and hung up.  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/29/2024

  
  Complaint: 21183318
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  I do not recall being offered any new promotions. ******* used the expiration of past promotions to justify an increase that is excessive by any standard. No one I know pays in excess of $300/month for cable and internet. Verizons offer is half that amount. The bottom line is that both the increase and what Astound charges me are unfair and excessive. I did say that and that I was reporting Astound to several relevant organizations. And I did hang up after saying good bye That part is true. 
  Regards,
  *****************************

  Business Response

  Date: 02/07/2024

  I have tried multiple times to call the customer to add promotions that would bring the the monthly total down to about what he was paying previously. I have sent emails asking him to call me. He can also schedule a time I could call him to discuss his billing. He can also call into customer service 24/7 and ask for new promotion. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/21/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  **** has jump from ***** for 8 months to ***** for 2 months and now has jumped to ****** for the Last 2 months

  Business Response

  Date: 01/31/2024

  Received email from the customer stating he spoke with an agent and was explained his promotion expired. I emailed him back to contact me and I would be happy to add new promotions to lower his bill 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/01/2024

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. Also it would be nice for the agents are trained properly before dealing with customers .the lady I spoke with ************; was very knowledgeable and kinda hearted and understanding.some of their employees  should be trained how to do their  job from this lady they'd get alot farther in the company 
  
  Regards,
  
  *************************