Suddenlink customers in Geauga County ask 19 News for help with ongoing service issues

AUBURN TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WOIO) - Several Suddenlink customers in Geauga County say years-long cable and internet interruptions are only getting worse as many people are forced to work and study at home.

A customer of the service provider, which is owned and operated by Altice, reached out to 19 News to help with their ongoing battle.

Fran Bursic, of Marysdale Drive in Auburn Township, said she lost service on July 17. She told 19 News that when she called to request a technician, the company said one couldn’t be provided until August 24.

She was able to track down the president of Altice USA, Hakim Boubazine, on LinkedIn. She told him she was reaching out to 19 News and explained her situation of having to wait more than a month for service.

“That’s what did it,” she said.

Bursic said a technician was able to address the problem on July 24.

“There are multiple problems. Every single day, they drop our service,” she added.

A neighbor, Janet Rosinski, provided 19 News with the results of an informal neighborhood survey of more than 20 households on the block.

They were asked how many days, within the last 100, that they experienced service interruptions? The average number, based on the 16 households that responded, was 53.

The same survey asked neighbors to rate their satisfaction with the service on a scale of 1 to 10, with higher numbers representing a higher level of satisfaction.

The average number was 1.3.

“There is some very clear statistics that show us that Suddenlink doesn’t care about us,” Rosinksi said.

19 News reached out to the corporate office of Altice, and included some of the survey results provided by the customers.

A spokesperson responded with the following statement:

“Suddenlink is committed to providing reliable service and support to all of our customers in Ohio. We are currently looking into these matters to ensure any potential service issues are addressed.”

Meanwhile, concerns are mounting with so many people working or attending school from home.

Rosinski herself is a teacher.

“[With] the anxiety and stress that they’re already under, [this] just adds to it,” she said.

Christopher Jordan Fauts is studying computer information systems at Kent State; he lives in the neighborhood with his parents and has concerns about his upcoming online courses.

“Am I going to be able to be in class? Am I going to be able to participate, listen to the lectures [and] get the notes I need to succeed?” he wondered. “I fear I could be just starting a test, or get halfway through and [the internet] cuts out.”

Bursic, whose family also relies on their internet service for work and studying, said she simply hopes for a long term resolution, rather than patchwork repairs that she and other neighbors believe are being made by technicians when they do take service calls.

“I was told that [for] the frustration I was dealing with, they were going to give me a discount on my bill. It was two dollars,” she said, before repeating herself. “Two dollars? You’re kidding me.”

The customers said Suddenlink is the only option for internet.

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