Optimum — Local services in Lake Charles

Where do I even begin. We are relocating to Lake Charles and recently purchased a home. I wanted internet and cable so went I with Optimum since that was the service the house already had. It took quite a long time to establish an account and set up a technician appointment for install but felt confident with my choice. I was originally going to be sent the equipment to set up ourselves but after the customer representative realized that the house did not have previous cable a technician would need to come out for an additional $100 which was no problem. I asked the representative if I needed to pay that right now and she said no it would appear on your first bill so I went ahead and set up auto pay. I received an email confirmation of my account and of my auto pay. I scheduled for Saturday between 2-5pm for installation. I received a text confirming my installation appointment so I felt very confident about my choice. The day before the install I received yet another text confirming my appointment. I also received an email. The morning of my install I received yet another text confirming my appointment. I also received an email. I decided to add the sports package so I called customer service and added the sports package. When I called, they recognized my phone number and an automatic message came on telling me that the technicians were running late. We added the sports package and she said as soon as it was installed, we would have it. I am not in the state of Louisiana right now, so I let my husband know that the technicians were running late. 45 minutes past the show up window, my husband let me know that no one had showed up. I called customer service and after the representative looked through my account, she said the appointment was canceled because I did not pay the hundred dollar fee. I explain to her that I set up auto pay that I offered to pay the hundred dollars and was told that it would appear on my first bill. I also told her that I had received at least six text messages, confirming my installation and even one on the morning of install. She wasn’t rude, but she was not very pleasant at all, and basically blamed me for the entire incident I was extremely frustrated and ended up hanging up the phone. I decided to call back and see if we could rectify the situation. I talked to yet another customer representative, and after digging through, they said that the technicians would not show up because I did not pay. I got out my credit card and paid the $100 installation fee even though I had already received a bill in my email with the hundred dollar fee on it for installation. I was so frustrated at this time and needed to call my husband and let him know that no one was showing up today because we missed the window. I called back to customer service and that’s where I spoke to Brianna, who is very pleasant with me. I explained the entire situation and after digging through, she saw where I had Indeed set up auto pay had had a confirmation of a technician and an email confirmation of a technician to install. She admitted that someone dropped the ball on their end. At that point it was too late to get the Internet and cable installed and we set up yet another appointment. I set it up for the following Saturday because my husband does not want to miss work. He then decided he needs the Internet so that he can work from home in the evening and I had to call back to reschedule again for the earliest appointment. This time the customer service rep was extremely rude to me and told me that the reason my appointments keep getting canceled is because I haven’t paid my bill. She then informed me I owed another $157 and that if I didn’t pay it, I would not get my service turned on. I explained to her that I already have auto pay. I already have a bill and I already paid the installation fee. She change the date for me, but was extremely rude and hung up on me. So now I have an install date for this Saturday and hope someone shows up. I have been a customer for less than 5 days and am already not the...

If you are an Optimum (formerly Suddenlink) customer, I strongly recommend having a technician inspect your service at least once or twice a year. Otherwise, you risk the same situation we’ve been dealing with for years due to their negligence.

We built our home and moved in December 2020. Optimum installed our service that same month. From the very beginning, every time a storm caused our lights to flicker or power to go out, electronics in our home would be damaged—whether it be routers, modems, speakers, Apple devices, even our security system. We initially assumed it was a wiring issue within our house. My husband even rewired and rebuilt the system in his office closet (our home’s control hub), but the problem persisted.

Earlier this year, my brother-in-law—a tech professional—was visiting from up north when a storm hit. Sure enough, our router, modem, Apple box, HomePod, security/camera system and more were all destroyed in that one outage. He was shocked and, knowing more than we do, went looking for the root cause. That’s when he discovered the truth: our house had never been properly grounded. The installation had been done incorrectly from day one.

We called Optimum, and the technician (really nice guy - wish I could remember his name) who came out was stunned when he opened the box. His exact words as his jaw dropped: “Well, that’s not right.” He fixed the issue on the spot and reported it to his supervisors. We then provided Optimum’s management (Lucas) with a detailed list of every loss—backed with receipts—all of which lined up with recent power outages.

And then? Silence. After MONTHS of unanswered calls, emails, and voicemails, the supervisor finally responded—only to claim Optimum has no responsibility. The excuse? That because we hadn’t had technicians out since the original install, they couldn’t be sure we hadn’t ungrounded it ourselves. 😐 (Why would we have an internet tech called out when the internet service was never the problem? I certainly would not have put those two things together because in my head, this is an electrical wiring issue, not our internet service provider!)

So here we are: THOUSANDS of dollars lost, years of frustration, and a mega corporation refusing to take responsibility for a mistake previously made by one of their employees.

Bottom line: Optimum does NOT stand behind their work, and unless YOU proactively schedule service checks, you may end up paying dearly for their negligence.

2 star rating because the actual internet speeds are good, but their customer service/time to resolve an issue...

Optimum is the worst! Go with vexus! The only reason I’m not with them they don’t service my area. I had service connected and the tech didn’t give me my login details . Was told the app wasn’t working ..hours later I’m told I’m active and now not! I still can’t enjoy my services ! Please do not go with this company ! Update: 48 hours and NO ONE from optimum can provide me with my network id and password! I hate this company to the core! It sucks Louisiana is limited to internet providers. Canceling service and rather run off my phone hotspot than deal With this! Why do I need a tech to come out to give me my id and password?!! I have spoken to 8 reps since yesterday of my services being installed! Update 12/13/24: It seems I need to get police involved ! I have spoken to 3 people including a supervisor just to cancel service that never worked! I keep saying no and they keep transferring me! These are scammers! Filing a FTC report and with the BBB! I was told my account would be pending cancellation until 1/6/25! That makes no sense! What they are trying to do is drag the 60 day money back guarantee deal so I won’t get my money back!

Update: 1/7/25 Optimum been received their equipment I have proof of delivery and now trying to charge me for devices I never had as well as add fees! I never received my money back! They are scammers and will be reported to FTC. I tried calling Optimum to get the in...