An open letter to Hawaii Telcom - Updated with conclusion

Dear Hawaii Telcom Leadership,

I called December 7 to subscribe to your service, order I0E1503. The lady on the phone was nice, I was a bit sad that the install date was 8 days away, but OK

They said they would come the 15th, but I had to be there ALL DAY. OK.

The installer did not come on the 15th, nobody called. We called Hawaii Telcom and was told the new install date was January 2.  But, he would ask for an expedited install.

I called back, no word on the expedited install. Everything has to go through a supervisor named Joe. Joe is in a meeting, Joe is not here. Joe will call you back in 24 hours. No call back, it is now 72 hours. I called back on the 20th and they dropped the call. And BTW the nice lady on the phone was kind enough to tell me my password which makes my cybersecurity DNA cringe for: telling me my password and the fact that is possible means Telcom must keep it in the clear. Remember, some people actually still use the same password for more than one account, keeping it in the clear makes it that much easier for hackers.

I fully realize there are only a few Internet providers on Kauai, limited fiber on and off island, we are a captive audience, but that should not be a reason to provide substandard service. For one reason, it is hard on the front line support people, who were all nice, and all very disempowered, they are unable to fix the issue from their perspective.

At the end of the day, I either will or will not get Internet installed by your team, understand that. When I was a CEO, I did everything I could to find out how my customers were being treated, to understand their frustrations. That is the spirit of this note. You can do better and you need to.

Respectfully,

Stephen Northcutt

1/19/18 Conclusion: I finally asked the person on the phone, what would you do? How many days can you take off from work to wait for someone. She got it. I asked her to escalate. She/they allowed me to speak with a supervisor. They gave me a new date, came and installed service, I am a thankful customer. I still wouldn't run my business like that, but it sure is nice to have Internet.