THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, March 2, 1995 TAG: 9503020450
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LON WAGNER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 60 lines
Cable television companies know they have an image problem, so they've rolled out a new offer. Installation will be on time or the customer will get free hookup. And if service calls run late, there will be a $20 credit.
Cable companies in southeastern Virginia said Wednesday that they are participating in the new public-relations push, which is being coordinated by the National Cable Television Association. They're doing so in part to fend off competition in the increasingly competitive cable-TV delivery business.
``We know where we stand and we know where we have to go, and this is just one vehicle to take us there,'' said Angela Donohue, state marketing manager with TCI-Virginia. ``We know what the perception is, and it's a national perception.''
Although federal rules mandate that cable companies set up an appointment within seven days of a customer's request and give customers a four-hour window for the appointment, those rules are rarely enforced.
Cox began its ``on-time'' program Feb. 1, a month ahead of most cable operators. During February, Cox met the on-time requirement from 98.5 percent to 99 percent of the time, said Franklin Bowers, vice president and general manager of the 203,000-subscriber Cox system,the largest in Hampton Roads.
Technicians are considered late if they arrive after the four-hour time window.
``We'd like to get that down to less than that,'' Bowers said.
Participation in the new program is voluntary, but National Cable Television Association spokesman Rich D'Amato said that the ``vast majority'' of the country's 11,000 systems agreed to participate.
``I think it would be a mistake if a cable-TV company doesn't participate,'' said Jim Stewart, vice president of operations for Insight Communications Co., the cable company in Isle of Wight, Sussex and Southampton counties.
``The cable-TV industry has had a reputation for poor service, and we want to prove to people we can provide good service,'' Stewart said. ``So we're putting our money where our mouth is.''
The move to restore the image of cable systems' service comes as cable companies are preparing for competition within the industry to intensify. Satellite-television systems are going after video customers served by the cable companies in the form of pay-per-view movies and sporting events. Phone companies plan to start offering similar services.
Viewers will choose a video server based on which company gives them the better cable-TV service, D'Amato said. ``We feel this is a way of showing people we are prepared to be competed against, and we are preparing to compete with others,'' he said. ILLUSTRATION: CABLE TV
Graphic
JOHN CORBITT/Staff
[For a copy of the graphic, see microfilm for this date.]
KEYWORDS: CABLE TELEVISION by CNB