cable and internet go out frequently and the cost is much higher than it should be, considering how unreliable it is

Optimum located at 3723 Nelson Rd, Lake Charles, LA 70605 formally located on W Prien Lake Rd, Lake Charles, LA is scamming consumers. I purchased a cell phone from them on Mar 8, 2024 and when I called in to upgrade my services I found out they are selling the customer's internet and phone services to an Indian company in Long Island, NY. Not only that, I personally went into the store on Nelson Rd at 3723 and purchased a new phone thinking I was adding a cell phone to my existing account and today, March 9, 2024 I found that my internet and phone line was additionally sold to the Indian company and there was no way I could speak with the local office in Lake Charles, LA because their lines are routed out to the Indian Co. in New York, this is not to be prejudice. Optimum local number in Lake Charles is non-existent on their website. Beware!!! Now I will be reporting them to the (FTC) Federal Trade Commission for deceptive trade practices, the (AG) Attorney General for fraud and the (IG) for deceptive trade practices and fraud as a back up. Let me not forget the (BBB) Better Business Bureau. Scammed Customer and Mad as Hell !!!!!!! read more

I was having problems with Buffering on Netflix/Hulu .......I talked to Optimum and she told me my Modem was maxed out, and i could not upgrade and needed a newer model.......she told me I could take it in to the office and exchange it for a newer model ...... At the Optimum office, Modem in hand, I was told I could not exchange it and a technician had to come to my house and swap it out and there was a service fee for that.............well, I lost it on that one.......I had the modem, I was at the office, with the modem.......no good......a technician was needed and they was going to charge me a service call......ARE YOU SERIOUS?...........WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE??? This is at the Optimum office on Prien Lake Road in Lake Charles, La. read more

Sudden link sucks! I had a missed payment so I tried to take care of it via their website only to find out I had to go in person to pay for it. When u miss a payment they require you to pay in person. That's ridiculous. Are we living in the 90's or something. When I arrived 10 minutes before opening, their were people waiting in line already. Once inside, I waited in line for 25 minutes before I was seen. I was there thinking to myself, am I at the DMV? It's almost as they want to make you suffer for late payment. On the flip side, the sales associate gave me a number to call to get my bill lowered since she felt I could get a better deal. That was nice of her. The associates service was good, sudden link as a business on the other hand sucks! read more

Optimum - Waiting in like I'm at the darn DMV. Smh - Television Service Providers Near Me - Lake Charles, Louisiana

A huge company bought out a local company. Made it worse somehow. 0/1000000 stars. No customer service, expensive prices. Service drops out of nowhere. POS company. You pay for 1 gig, you get maybe 400mbs max, if it even holds it for 30 minutes top. It's 3am right now and they can't even hold it up. Shifty company. read more

Just moved here, was warned by other locals not to get with suddenlink... did anyways to save money. Awful business, terrible customer service. A fricken nightmare and luckily I didn't sign up with them, this was just while inquiring and attempting to set up. I'm literally shocked how bad this company is, only can get connected to a foreign person and they all play games and stuff, when I'm just trying to get internet connected- went to at&t, very reliable and helpful, worth the extra $5 a month to not have this suddenlink BS- read more

They are quite honestly my least favorite company. I have waited for greater than 4 hrs past my scheduled time every appointment I've ever had set up for service. They have a monopoly in my area so there is nothing we can do about it. I hate them, and I don't say that lightly. read more

I'm giving them one star because I can't give them zero. Their cable is over priced and the internet service is sketchy at best. I feel like I'm living in the twilight zone while attempting to get someone to help. The company they contract their service out to is incompetent and lazy, don't expect to get any help from a contacted service person. It's a shame that they hold a monopoly in this industry, competition is seriously needed. read more

I would give 0 stars if that was an option! I canceled my service and turned in my equipment on Oct 4th when I moved out of state. I have the receipt showing $0 balance due. They are now tryin to charge me $89.99 for the entire month of October when I used the internet for 4 days. When I called to rectify the situation, they told me they only bill monthly and that I have to pay that ridiculous amount After askin to speak to a manager several times and bein placed on hold several times they told me one would have to call me back. When the "manager" finally called me back, he would not tell me his name and he told me that I "had no choice" and I "had to pay this amount" That if I didnt want to pay $89.99 for October, I should have cancelled on Sept 30th. I work from home, cancelling early was not an option and they will not work with you and demand outrageous amounts - Will NEVER do business with such a shady, crooked company again that charges you bogus and fraudulent charges Response from the owner an hour ago (on google) Hello, Emily. Something definitely doesn't sound right there and we'd really like to help! Please reach out to us via BrandReviews@Alticeusa.com with your account information so we can best assist you. Thank you so much. ^Antonette ***UPDATE TO REVIEW**** Don't bother responding / emailing when they pretend to care and want to rectify the situation. They blow the same smoke up your ass and continue to rip you off - I will dispute these charges after they go through the headache and process of sending this to collections read more

Today I returned my equipment to the store in lake Charles. I had a brief encounter with a woman at the main counter. Even though it was not my turn, since I was in a hurry she took a moment to explain what I needed to do. If the call center I an actual knowledgeable person instead of referring all calls to a "sales" person I may not have discontinued my service. I just want to thank the woman that helped me in store, however I never got her name. If everyone was like her I'm sure more customers would stay. The store has a poster for something called altice or something of the sort. If suddenlink cared as much about their existing customers as they act towards potential new customers maybe we would have known this existed and would have had an option other than leaving. read more

Customer service is horrible. You can't file a complaint against anyone and it's always someone new you speak with. They open different accounts and disconnected my equipment when all I wanted to do is change my address. They can't delete that old information and get my equipment working. Incompetent people no customer follow up. read more

I am trying to get service set up and there is a suddenlink line on a pole in my yard, but I am being told they can't hook up service. I need help!! read more

If there were any other options for fast internet where I live I would be done with this garbage company. 1st appointment they show up with only one TV box. Four were ordered. 2nd appointment no one shows up. 3rd appointment a week later. Guy shows up and I hear him say "I don't have time for this s##t" .... Then goes to his truck and just leaves and does no work. So I call and call and call. Finally someone says they put in a new work order and someone will come out and take care of it. Well no one shows up and no call. Absolutely terrible company. Terrible employees and they don't care because they have the only fast internet around. read more

For one can you get someone in the call center who speaks clear english rather than broken whatever it is.... Two why is it that there is such a disconnect between the customer and support. When you call asking to cancel your service all they do is offer to escalate your call and says you will receive a call back in a couple days. Two weeks later and still no call back. I will be using my hotspot for internet now, because my phone company actually gives more of a s*** than suddenlink. I honestly wish I could get every last cent I wasted on this company back. I wish I could give less than 0 stars. read more

Sudden(lyUn)link(ed) . . . Absolutely the WORST "service company" in the US . . . possibly the world. They DESERVE NO STARS . . . but you have to give at least one. Better television is available by simply buying a $40 antenna and pointing it west. Now... the "internet". I don't have TV or phone service through them (Why? It would never work.) All I have is their "big bandwidth" internet package. Well... I say "I have"... that's only true a fraction of the time when I don't have constant service interruptions or bandwidth speeds approaching 1.0 Mbps . . . . yes. They call 1.0 Mbps "acceptable" on a line that is supposed to be receiving 50-80 Mbps. I can't remember ever having worse internet connections even going back 25 years ago to dial up! DSL was more reliable. EVERY system in EVERY town I've lived in or visited over the past 20 years had better, more reliable service. Please pray, hope, wish, etc. (whatever your flavor of belief) that someone like Time Warner pays the biggest bribe to Lake Charles next contract renewal. NEVER USE SUDDENLINK IF THERE IS ANY OTHER OPTION. UPDATE : 2016/11/30 Well, thinking it can't get any worse . . . think again. Now, in addition to constant service interruptions and service degradation, now, they are assigning WAN IPs that reflect CANADA as your location!!! So . . . now when I CAN get access to the net, several places either recognize Canada as my location and structure prices, product availability, etc. to only Canadians OR refuse access because I'm "not in the US" . . . This not only makes things difficult, BUT . . . SOME services WILL NOT function at all since they can only legally operate in the US!!!! SO . . . SuddenlyUnlinked is throttling access to legitimate sites. Violation of Federal Communications Commission Laws! LET ME REPEAT . . . NEVER, NEVER, NEVER USE SUDDENLINK IF THERE IS ANY OTHER OPTION. If you live in the Lake Charles area, Call John Cordone with the City and let him know about your SuddenlyUnlinked experience and DEMAND a better negotiated contract next year! read more

Suddenlink billing, call center and local walk-in office have a huge disconnect. Went into suddenlink, Paid final bill, turned in equipment and spoke with representative at the store ensuring my account would be closed and all is good with final payment being made. 2 months later I receive a collection notice saying I owed a whole month plus fees almost additional $300. I logged on to my account and said 0 balance, I then called the 1-877-694-9474 number and the first gentleman Anthony could only refer me to call the collection agency. I said there is a mistake, but that is all he could say, he said he was unable to review my account. I asked for supervisor, she answered "escalations", kind of offending, but told her what was going on, she took time and went over the account. Said even though I canceled on August 3, I still had to pay the full amount plus fees. I told her that is not what the customer service rep said in person when I closed my account, but fine I will pay it. I paid it right then. She told me I would need to check the credit bureaus and report payment or dispute it. The biggest question, I had is WHY was I not notified, called or anything like that, yet it was sent to collections to hurt my credit? there seems to be a break in communication, I thought account was closed and paid as I was told it was, so why would I need to check and check again? The escalations lady sent me to Cathy in collections to see if we can get an answer as to why it was sent to collections, Ms Cathy, said I needed to "read the residential handbook", over and over, she wouldn't even hear my issue,I said if she could please help me, if not for myself but better the process, she said " it is not her job or suddenlink's job to hold the hand of our customers." I asked to speak to a manager and she said that her boss does not take calls. I told her that since she will not help with the situation or for better customer service, then I will call again and again, plus get reviews out there so that no one will have to deal with this. There is a simple fix to this on suddenlink's side. Their clients are in a sense blind- in limbo during a move, there needs to be better communication if something changes when a client cancels service. Plus it needs to be said to the client at the time of cancelation. It is unfair when someone truly believes they have "checked out and is square" to later have a unknown bill sent to collections. I have received other mail at my new address, it is being forwarded, I have received phone calls, so why couldn't I be given the courtesy from Suddenlink? When we first signed up 5 years ago, the bill was $105 for cable, dvr and internet, by the time we left it was $256 for the exact same services. The practices and service truly do not lean toward doing the right thing by the customer and making things right. If you must use them or are current clients, Please if you cancel your account know that they will bill you for a whole month in advance still, also please call them every 15 days to make sure there is No new charge. My balance was showing 0, but she said it can be added a month later, which then at 30 days is sent to collection agency. Just be careful if you use them. read more

Just recently changed my cable services to this company, it's been 4 days and I have had to call this everyday to be left on hold soo long my battery lost charge ,the automated system is just that that instructs you to leave your number for a call back which never happens, several trips to the local store here in LAKE CHARLES LOUISIANA is an even bigger joke no one mandates the desk @ lunch time , Soo sorry I made this switch DIRECT TV does answer the customer right away ..... Not even worth 1 star read more

The only good thing about Suddenlink is their internet. Other than that, their customer service is horrible along with their technicians. Ordered a four room install, technician showed up with one box. I had to go stand in line for an hour so I could reschedule. I got an automated call last weekend that said the technician couldn't make it. Had it rescheduled for today. Technician showed up and complained about having to his job. I got a little irritated with him and told him, to do what he bedded to do to make it happen. Next thin I know, he's gone, not a word. Left the attic open and the cable box open and poof! He's gone. What sucks is their the only cable provider in the area. Horrible company and technicians. read more

This company is in Lake Charles doing the restoration. Their employees are staying in various campgrounds. We are also here working on restoration at the mall. One of my coworkers is staying at 12 palms rv park. Last Wednesday night right before storm #2 some of sudden link employees were driving the company trucks impaired I assume and hit his truck on the passenger door. He got up early Thursday morning to evacuate per mandatory evacuation and left before sunrise and did not see the damage until Thursday morning. He tried calling the police but there was nothing they could do. When my coworker was asking questions of the man he assumed hit the truck and to make a long story short had all the sudden link employees around 15 men to intimidate my coworker. The police said he should probably move bc of the immediate threat. I'm not sure what kind of company that allows this type of behavior but then I looked at the company reviews and all my questions where answered. Terrible representation of your company. Or is it? read more

I love suddenlink and had no issues in texas or here up until this 2020 mess. my bill is over $1000. and yes i do have my equipment and its not damaged for i had intended to continue with the service. we do not have fiber optics in our area so im stuck. i tried to arrange a payment plan. i reached to the workers from out of town. i have callled and spoke to so many dumb representatives that i gave up. my daughter is online private with Connections Academy and is 3 months behind, THEY ARE NOT HONORING ANY DISSASTER SPECIALS OR THE STUDENT PROGRAM CONNECT 2 CONNECT. ALL THEY CARE ABOUT IS A DAMN SALE. which i will struggle more. be broke, be disgruntle and pissed off at the system for not giving to rats about my child and the EDUCATION SHE NEEDS. WELL DONT BE MAD WHEN SHE GROWS UP HATING THE WORLD. FIX MY DAMN INTERNET SUDDENLINK ID RATHER PAY YOU SOMETHING THEN NOTHING TANYA SMITH ACCT#0770433462605 CODE 7245 read more

worst line up i have ever seen!! day time tv and night time. seriously 3 channels with the same football game !!!!! how about 3 different games guys !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 11AM Infomercials start ??? Really there is nothing else to put in this time slot. Dr Oz 3x a day Steve Harvey 3x a day read more

Worst cable company ever. Non stop outages, nothing but sports stations. Go to Wal * Mart and buy an antenna you'll get more channels.

Terrible experience for the final year and a half. So bad that I have switched at the first available opportunity and am very happy that I did. I do not write reviews or critiques often, but the frustration with Suddenlink has been worth the hassle of signing up and warning others to avoid this service. Suddenlink is constantly slowing down and requires technical service often. I have lived in other areas and have never experienced the level of inconsistency that they have to offer. In addition to this, they have increased prices which would make sense to upgrade infrastructure, but I have seen no benefit to the increased cost and have actually seen a reduction in channel selection and service speeds. My parents are ready to switch also once they see how the other option works out, but their frustration with costs with decreased service has been similar as well. My sibling will likely be doing the same also. read more

ABSOLUTELY FUCKING USLESS! The biggest excuse of a company I've ever seen. They schedule service and charge you because they didn't show up. I've been having the same issue for two years and still isn't fixed. Currently trying to get another company in town to finally get rid of this cancer of a internet provider from our city. read more

TiVo constantly restarts, at least twice a week. "That is normal." No it is not! Time to go back to directv.

Worst customer service and prices ever! Can't wait for another internet provider to step in and run them out of business!

How can you put a negative 1 horrible customer service horrible price jumps they say one thing when they mean another they are dirty little crooks my bill was supposed to be 75 dollars and it jumped to 341 dollars cause we used WiFi to much and watched netflix read more

Worst company ever. Two weeks since paying and have yet to actually have service installed. The first initial attempt was a no-show after the technician attempted to extort a cash payment for installation/service(despite already having paid this). Multiple people at my workplace here have absolute horror stories about his awful company. read more

We originally set up an appointment to have internet installed on a Monday afternoon. I leave work early to make sure that I'm available. Monday evening rolls around and no installation techs show up, and there are no phone calls to let me know what's going on. We reschedule over the phone for Tuesday afternoon. Again, I leave work early and again, no installation techs show up, no phone call from them. I reschedule by phone for Wednesday afternoon. Wednesday morning I call to confirm Wed afternoon installation. They have no record of the appointment, have no open slots for installation that afternoon, and I'm told "We'll call you to let you know if one of our techs is available". At 4:30 pm I get a call from a rude installation tech who is apparently waiting for me at my house. I rush home from work, he installs internet, writes down the wrong password, and leaves without testing the equipment. I spend the next hour trying to determine the correct password and set up the modem properly. For the next three days wifi is spotty, going in and out. I call Suddenlink to determine the problem. The representative on the phone tells me that the tech had installed our modem incorrectly, and that I need to go turn the modem in. She states that we should be able to get the cost of the equipment taken off of our bill. I drive to Suddenlink, turn in the equipment, and the representative there states that not only can they not take anything off of our bill for faulty equipment or refund us for improper installation, our monthly bill will actually go UP $34 if we do not exchange the modem for another of their low-quality modems and install it ourselves. She finally conceded that because we were without internet for the past few days, they would refund us a grand total of $4.50. If I had any other choice for an internet service provider, I would go with them in a heartbeat. read more

This company went from great to a waste of money. The support line is utterly disgusting and does not ask appropriate questions to help one to advance to what is really needed. It puts one into a continuous loop. Most support numbers allows the "0" for operator option if none of the choices are appropriate and an option to do an end survey. My modem has been reset so many times for a problem that does not apply. The only way to advance is if you are calling to addon eventhough the current plan is not worth a flip. Everytime you watch a good show, the service freezes. We need competition in our area. Too many customers and not enough employees to supply decent service in a timely manner. The monthly cost is through the roof and increases monthly eventhough we are getting less for our money. The 1950 shows are on every channel. The premium channels are not premium any more due to movie content. I am no longer happy with this company. We as the customer deserve more. read more

this is the worst internet service in lake charles, internet service is constantly going out, my internet bill constantly goes up, i have been with them for 2 years now my bill started at 60$ a month it is now at 98$ a month, i never receive the promised mbs i pay for 200mb i only get 50mb. i would give them 0 stars but it won't let me. read more