Alice and I moved house recently. The house we moved into is brand-new. It doesn’t have things like telephone or cable hooked up yet, but there are conduits running from the street underground to our house already in place. As such, I called Hawaiian Telcom, our local monopoly telephone company, to schedule a hookup. This hookup was scheduled for March 3rd, conveniently between the hours of 8am and 5pm.
March 3rd rolled around and the installer showed up. She opened up the box, looked at the conduit, and said that it was too small for her to run wire through. Fair enough, the conduit has a 1″ inner diameter and they need a minimum 1.5″ conduit. We got a pay as you go cell phone to tide us over until we got this straightened out, and unfortunately we don’t get very good reception out where we live.
I called our property manager, who called the owner, who called the electrical contractor, who said that he’d already run wires from the street to the house. I went out to the box, and lo and behold, there’s some string coming out of the conduit, presumably tied to the wire. All an installer has to do is pull the string and out comes a wire.
Strike one for Hawaiian Telcom: their first installer sucks grapes. I called them back to have a bit of a bitch at them. I demanded a different installer come out for the next installation as well as some sort of credit to make up for the inconvenience of Alice having to stay home for the whole day to wait for these monkeys to show up. A new installation date of March 10th was set up, and they credited our account with $50, which barely covers the installation fee of $45.
March 10th rolled around. No installer showed up. I only got home just after 6pm, which is conveniently when their customer service line closes, so I couldn’t even call them to find out what happened. Strike two.
On the 11th we drove into town. Alice checked the messages on the voice mail of the new phone number, which luckily Hawaiian Telcom didn’t screw up. There was a message on there from Hawaiian Tel saying they were backed up and couldn’t come out to hook up the phone line.
Let me say that again: they called us on a line that hadn’t been hooked up to let us know that they couldn’t hook up the line.
They’re supposedly coming out to hook it up today. We shall see.
As soon as Oceanic Time Warner Cable offers digital phone service in our area — rumoured to be happening in July — I’m jumping ship.
Edit: For the continuation of this saga, see Hawaiian Telcom Sucks, Part 2.
#1 by Mike on 17 April 2006 - 2:56 pm
Wait until you try to get dsl working. The conversion from Verizon has caused Hawaiian Tel to suffer a melt down.
#2 by Brad on 17 April 2006 - 3:07 pm
I wouldn’t touch Hawaiian Tel DSL with a ten-foot pole. I’ve been on broadband through cable for the entire time I’ve lived in Hawaii and that’s not going to change. Oceanic Time Warner’s customer service is far and away better than Hawaiian Tel’s. Leaps and bounds better.
#3 by Aaron on 04 May 2006 - 8:56 am
I’ve had Verizon (now Hawaiian Telcom)
DSL for 2 years now. I’ve been very happy
with their service. I consistently get
good speeds day and night. HT’s customer
service is light years better than OTW’s
#4 by Malia Broome on 15 May 2006 - 11:45 am
HTC is screwing up left and right..I cant even begin to explain..I just know I called there 3 time last week and was on hold for 20 min. then I got hung up on before they answered. I tried today and it said estimated wait time is 81 min. Aaron..jus wait until you have to call them for something on your bill or some tecnical issues etc. I dont forsee a great rep for them here on the islands.
#5 by Joe on 13 June 2006 - 7:33 am
I hate hawaiian tel com with a passion. I called them 2 months ago to close my account. It took me 20 minutes to reach them and their attitude sucks!
Just went I thought it’s done, they sent me another statement combined with a late fee… I went to the local office for anwsers and they told me I never requested an account closure….
>_
#6 by Brad on 13 June 2006 - 9:17 am
Joe: During the transition from Verizon to Hawaiian Telcom, they actually lost a week’s worth of customer orders. A co-worker here had their request to move their service to a new house lost.
Another co-worker had phone calls to his mom in England charged as if she lived in Bermuda. Long distance rates to Bermuda are significantly higher than those to England. He’s with Hawaiian Telcom for long distance.
I haven’t heard anything good about Hawaiian Telcom.
#7 by zuma on 16 June 2006 - 2:45 pm
HTC sucks ! They screw up the billing fir april then we have to wait 30 min for a rep who switches us off.another 20 min wait and they still don’t get it right. Oceanic here I come
#8 by annonymous on 30 June 2006 - 12:54 pm
hawaiian tel sucks!!!!! the customer service is unbelievable! a wise punk name blane uyeda gave my parents lip when all they were trying to do was close their account. he told them that he wouldnt serve them and to “go.” then their so-called manager (who didnt have a name tag on and was prob. a co-worker) came out and assisted my parents. there was no apolygy, no customer service whatsoever.
so i call hawaii tel to file a complaint. what do you know…kai is extremely friendly up until i tell him that im filing a complaint. he then totally became a punk and was extremely rude. i told him that i wanted his supervisor to take action from my complaint by calling me back. did they call me back? nope. but i wont stop until someone takes responsibility!
#9 by Kurokat (not my real name) hehe~! on 30 July 2006 - 4:31 pm
I AGREE with all of the above. You should try and work for this LAME ASS company. I QUIT because of managements stupidity, and refusal to return customers calls.
#10 by Phil Jackson on 09 August 2006 - 6:44 pm
ditto,ditto,ditto
I am willing to put together a class
action suit against them. I run a business and have lost money due to them. It is time people stand up for there rights. Write me at islnd_cln@yahoo.com
#11 by anon on 18 August 2006 - 11:30 pm
AND THE GRASS IS GREENER WHERE YOU FOLKS WORK. AND I’M SURE YOU FOLKS GIVE GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE YOURSELF!! ALL OF YOU FOLKS ARE PERFECT $%^&*( PEOPLE!!
#12 by Brad on 19 August 2006 - 8:25 am
Hi anon.
I don’t work in the service industry, nor do I have to deal with “customers” in the traditional sense (my “customers” are astronomers who use my software). Thus it’s hard for me to say whether or not I give good “customer service”, but given I’ve received praise on my recent annual staff review, I think that I do.
But this isn’t about me, it’s about Hawaiian Telcom, whose goal is to provide me with telephone service. To do this all they had to do was come out and hook up a line to my house, a simple task that they failed to do twice. Not only did they not do that, they charged me for the time that I didn’t physically have a phone line hooked up to my house (see part two, linked in the story above). Not only did they do that, they still charged me the $45 hookup fee until I complained enough.
That’s not good customer service. That’s bad customer service, and that’s why Hawaiian Telcom sucks.
PS: If you’re going to try to insult other people, at least leave your name. It lends credence to your thoughts. See, I’m saying Hawaiian Telcom sucks and I’m willing to put my name behind it. I suppose you’re a little too cowardly to do the same.
#13 by Mike on 30 August 2006 - 3:07 pm
I moved into a house in Kaneohe where somone just moved out of. There are phone jacks all over the house and the prior tenants had a line. I called Hawaiian Tel to come hook me up and they said they would. The day they said they would hook me up – I came home to no dial tone in any of the jacks. I called customer service and they said they show a line being active at my house. I told them that I tried two different phones on all the jacks to no avail. They told me to go up to the part of the house where the electric and phone comes from the street and look for a green box mounted to the side of the house. Once I locate the green box I am supposed to overcome the vandal proof screw and open it which I finally did. They told me to try my phone in that box on the various plugs. The only active line I got was my neighbor (duplex) who was talking on the phone at the time and started to go “hello, hello” after hearing my intrusion. I unplugged the phone and called Hawaiian Tel to tell them I had no luck and I wanted someone to come and hook me up. They said they would have to charge me for a service call if they came out. I asked to speak to a manager and was told I would get a call back. I never did. I called one more time for a manager and never got a call back. Then I received a bill for the first month of service which I called to dispute. I received another bill at month (2) for the same including a charge from Sprint for long distance service – mind you there were NO calls on my bill anywhere – incoming or outgoing – because my lines do not work. Hawaiian Tel then sent me to collections for those (2)months and I had to tell the collection agency to pull the phone records of my calls to customer service (since they are all documented)and to look at the bills which also show no activity. The charges were dropped but I never got a call from Hawaiian Tel – ever. Had they come out and got me connected – I would still have a landline today as I had with Verizon for years in town prior to moving to my new place. There is no excuse they can give at this point and I keep a prepaid cell phone at my house instead – about $20/month in additon to the cell I carry with me each day.
So today I look in the largest phone book in the world that they sent me – and they don’t even have a Government Listing Section like all other phone books have. The book is over 3 inches thick and fails to include the most critical information. This company is ALL OVER THE ROAD. I feel sorry for paying customers! I came across this site on my search and wanted to share the truth.
Down with Hawaiian Tel. Mike 489-8529
#14 by TOM on 31 August 2006 - 4:22 pm
wHAT DO YOU EXPECT FROM A COMPANY OWNED BY THE sAUDI’S. tHEY HAVE PROMISED ME A HOOK UP THREE TIMES AND i HAVE HAD TO SIT AND WAIT 8 HOURS FOR NOTHING. AS A SMALL BUSINESS I GUESS WE JUST DON’T COUNT.
iT REALLY TICKS ME TO HEAR ALL THE GREAT SERVICE THEY WILL GIVE US AND ALWAYS SAY ALOHA.. bULL i WOULD BE ASAHAMED TO WORK FOR THEM.
#15 by Brad on 31 August 2006 - 4:38 pm
Hey. Don’t be racist.
And turn off your caps-lock.
#16 by Geof F. Morris on 01 September 2006 - 10:58 am
I thought he was being nationalist and not racist. I mean, if I crap on Canada … well, I’m just a cracker like you, Brad. ;)
#17 by Josh on 06 September 2006 - 9:23 pm
I’m currently working on cutting all ties to Hawaiian Tel Com. I have a friend that worked for them for four months. He told me that everything was chaotic. He said it seemed like everyone was learning on the job.
I also heard that the coversion from Verizon to Hawaiian Tel Com wasn’t thought out. Some bonehead from HT didn’t read the contracts correctly and assumed that Verizon would leave them their proprietary software. Guess what? Verizon dug out with the software and HT was left twiddling their thumbs trying to put together code that will work for their system.
Seems as if there’s another programmer here, so he can probably confirm what I’m about to say. When making software, there’s ALWAYS a testing phase. In the case of HT, they were caught with their thumbs up their butts testing software while USING IT!!!
They also have crap for cell phones. Their purchasing director or whatever title they bestow on him/her, doesn’t know what he/she is doing!!! They package software on their phones that aren’t compatible with their policies!!!
I can also concur with all the others on here that are very upset with the customer service they recieve from HT. After learning some inside info, I can see how it has to be true they take so long. I remember when I was having issues with my cell phone. What do I do? Call the boneheads. Then guess what happens, they put me on HOLD FOREVER. Guess what? I find out that they were charging me for customer service!!! So I had to pay for their incompetance!!!
#18 by GPMix on 11 September 2006 - 7:40 am
I own a business that heavily relies on HT’s network for circuits and phone services. I haven’t had any problems like you all mentioned. My bill had an error, I called customer service, and they fixed it right away. I got no “lip” from them; they were very friendly.
Pains me to see all the frustrations on this board. HT is a fine company that’s trying to start new here in Hawaii and finally becoming a local company. This should really be a benefit to Hawaii.
Let’s all try to be patient and have the Aloha spirit towards HT and other businesses in Hawaii. We are all on the same island and makes no sense to bash one another.
Aloha!
GP
#19 by Bi on 11 September 2006 - 10:45 am
I am also frustrated with HTC. We ordere a line to be hooked up. We set-up a schedule on the 29Aug..waited all day—no one showed up. Second appointment 1Sep…waited all day again—-no one showed up. Not only that one of our line was disconnected with no warning. According to them it was a software glitch. Someone came to fix it the next day and it only work for 1day. The next day the same thing happen. We currently have no phone service because when you dial our number, you’ll get a busy tone. According to HTC its something wrong with the line inside our house. We have 2 phone hooked up on that line and they told me to unplugged them which I did but it still not working. For them to come and check the lines inside the house, the initial fee to come is $92.00 and the first 1/2 hour is over $40.00 and the next 1/2 hour would cost over $30.00. What kind of service is that. We did not do anything different from when they fix the line and they’re telling me something wrong with the line inside the house. That’s full of crap. Are they just trying to make money out all of us or what? This really sucks.
#20 by Brad on 11 September 2006 - 12:52 pm
Aloha spirit is helping out your neighbours in time of need. Aloha spirit is smiling at people you pass on the sidewalk. Aloha spirit is holding doors open for people.
Aloha spirit isn’t meant for faceless corporations who not only screw you out of money but also waste your time and energy when you have to deal with them.
Aloha spirit? When it comes to Hawaiian Telcom, fuck aloha spirit.
#21 by GPMix on 12 September 2006 - 10:56 am
Brad, I appreciate your feedback, and I respect your opinions.
I just think about it this way: Hawaiian Telcom is in it for the long haul. They are focus on the big picture and are committed to serve Hawaii. They screwed up extremely since the purchase from Verizon because of the systems migration/switchover. This screw up will and has affected thousands. But still, this is the small picture that will occupy or inconvenience our lives for several months.
Let’s be patient and support them because of their commitment and efforts for the big picture. They have supported dozens of our local nonprofit groups and local events (including one of mines).
Has your issues been addressed? Indeed you have a lot of resentment towards HT. If they are not addressed, I would suggest contacting them either by mail or phone. I hope you get taken care of.
Aloha,
GP
#22 by Brad on 12 September 2006 - 11:24 am
GPMix: The deal was finalized over a year and a half ago. I think a year and a half is plenty of time to get problems sorted.
I have a hard time trying to support them in the here and now, when you say I should be trying to support them for their “long haul” efforts. Unfortunately I need telephone service now, and when they screw up appointments and can’t get lines hooked up now, I don’t really care about the long haul.
And yes, the issues I’ve described here have been addressed. I’ve been on hold with HT numerous times to get these problems sorted. Unfortunately every time I have to deal with HT in some fashion that doesn’t involve sending in a cheque to pay my bill, they find a way to screw it up. We just moved house again, and again HT managed to make my wife waste a day of her time sitting at home waiting for an HT tech to show up to hook up the line. A tech who wasn’t even scheduled to come out even though two weeks prior I’d called them and they said they’d be out to hook up the line on that date.
Supporting the community does not excuse their poor behaviour.
I’ve given HT chance after chance after chance, and every opportunity they get they screw it up. Sure, they’re apologetic after the fact, but that doesn’t change the fact that they screwed up in the first place.
#23 by GPMix on 12 September 2006 - 2:46 pm
Touche. Best of luck!
#24 by Geof F. Morris on 13 September 2006 - 4:05 pm
And besides, GPMix: as a business customer who spends more money with HT, you’re likely to get better service. Chances are that you spend more on telecom services than your average residential user. [Chances also are that you have a different set of customer service representatives, too.]
#25 by Noa on 15 September 2006 - 9:27 am
Aloha All,
Today’s 09/13/2006 the time has come for HTC to clean up there act!
What’s up with that stupid greeting when you call 808-643-3456-(res) or 808-643-4411-(bus) as “Hawaiian Telcom transitions it’s services back to Hawaii we should anticipate long wait times and delays!”
Well you’d think an adequate amount of time has since past and their shit should have been ironed out or somewhat ironed out! Well lo and behold HTC stills sucks!
You see, being the contact liaison for a major Airlines in Hawaii we like all residents or businesses located throughout the State of Hawaii are forced to depend on a presumable service commitment by which HTC some how promises to provide and is barely able to keep or uphold!
My work depends on my ability to maintain a constant contact with HTC and to have working phone and static dsl service at all locations which we serve, and to be frank it’s been an uphill or for argument sake a down hill battle which is never ending from the looks of things.
I’ve been dealing with them since February with system issues from multiple B1 lines along with multiple Static IP address issues and it would be totally fair for me to vent my irritations here.
You see for a company like HTC to hold a major part of a monopoly in our State Airports infrastructures it leaves us helpless and unable to use a viable product like VOIP.
A while back at one time or another we were placed on a list for Voicewing (VOIP) service under Verizon and when Verizon decided to sells it’s Hawaii market to the Carlyle Group dba as HTC we were left out in the COLD. We shocked HTC when we called and asked about this service and when the service was planned to be implemented? The HTC business reps told us they could not accommodate this service as it would have put HTC out of business as for the lack of pork fat subsidy they get from us the consumers would ultimately have put them at a loss tremendously or out of business.
I’d wish TWC (time Warner cable/oceanic cable) would some day lay down the infrastructures at the State’s Airports making way for dependable service items like data/voice opportunities.
Than we all could benefit from using VOIP and avoiding the plaque which HTC has become to be!
Mahalo,
Noa
#26 by Gabriel on 15 September 2006 - 11:01 pm
Aloha,
Hawaiian Telcom is yet another company taking over our local telephone company. Basically it’s a new name with the same employees. These employees are family, friends, neighbors, people in the community that we come in contact with daily. Customer service is so important yet its worth nothing if the systems are not up to par. Customers generate revenue which equals to jobs in Hawaii which affect us all. It takes years to get loyal customers and seconds to lose them. There are many frustrating situations because of this new company taking over and we as customers need to do what works for us. Please remember, as frustrating as it is, the grass is not always greener on the other side. Life is too short, just do what you need to do to make yourself happier.
#27 by GPMix on 18 September 2006 - 9:01 am
Noa, Have you tried escalating your situation to the higher-ups?
Gabriel, Very well said. The grass is not always greener on the other side. All companies (big and small), even mines, have gone through growing pains, major issues, and problems.
Aloha,
GP
#28 by Friendly HT Tech on 21 September 2006 - 9:10 pm
I’m a service tech at Hawaiian Telcom and I have heard every horror story out there. I was referred to this site by a customer and it has been fun reading. I also am a customer and have to wait on hold to talk to the billing department when my bill gets messed up. I see a lot of irate customers. Usually theyr’e happy by the time I leave but not always. But I don’t really care because if I tell someone that the trouble is being caused by a short in their inside wire or a corroded jack, it really is. People don’t think that they should pay for anyone to fix it but I ask them if they expect Hawaiian Electric to fix their inside wiring if they have troubles. The answer is no. They will have a licensed electrician fix it and they will pay a good amount. The thing is that phone jacks can go bad easier because of moisture and dirt than your electrical outlets. And as far as pulling cable through 1″ conduit, I’ve pulled some that have gone ok but at other times they don’t. People will spend millions of dollars on a brand new house but they won’t spend the extra hundred or whatever to put in decent facilities for utilities. If they had doubts when building their house they can always call engineering and get the specs. I’m sorry to hear that so many people here hate my company because I don’t hate my customers even when they are yelling at me because someone else in the company never called them back. Wer’e all people like you with a job I know for a fact that there are many people in the company who really care and try go the extra mile. Sorry if your experience was bad but if you call me yelling at me, I can gaurantee that I will not be as inclined to help you than if you keep your composure and know how to treat your fellow human beings with respect
sincerely
Your friendly neighborhood HT Tech
#29 by Randall Wright on 31 October 2006 - 7:59 pm
I have Hawaiian tel com DSL in my ohana shack and have had no problems at all with lack of speed, I have even done tests and found it to be above average. And as far as the tech who hooked me up the guy was A1. I did have to get some money taken off the first bill that was not due, But thats with verizon also. I’m known as a big grumbler around town cause you do get sick of the island B.S. at times, but I cant get mad at hawaiian tel yet…
#30 by bobi on 13 November 2006 - 7:28 pm
This dsl hookup is for the birds.
I am paying for email that does not
work with outlook because of my security software.
Hawaiian tel’s response to my situation.. “sorry, that’s the way it is”….I cannot believe that a large company like hawaiian tel will advise their customers TS……
#31 by mikail on 16 November 2006 - 6:42 pm
I hate this company’s service with a passion! Half the time you can’t get into your email, and when you do – you’d better hurry up and compose your email – because the service will not be working when you try to send it. Heaven forbid that it rains – you can kiss your DSL good bye. The connection consistency is horrible. Trying to do business on the internet with this company as your ISP is a joke. The only thing this company is consistent with is bad service. As soon as I find a reasonably priced alternative – I am out of here! I can’t remember ever dealing with a company with service this spotty and poor.
#32 by Frank on 16 November 2006 - 10:41 pm
I’ve never seen so many whiny people in one place. I am embarassed to see how people on this blog can rip on one another. I think everyone here that has brought a complaint and negative blog seems to forget that people make mistakes and that they themselves probably make mistakes as well. As a business its HT’s job to make life good for you. It’s not their intention to , piss you off, screw up your bill, slow you down, drop your call, or simply ruin your day. They don’t wake up in the morning, go to work, and say, “Hey, let’s be late, hell, better yet, let’s not even show up to the house!” They do the best the can with what they have. Could they have done things differently? Perhaps. Don’t you think you could have, too? It’s easy to write a blog and say, F— HT, blahblahblah. So sad. Business in Hawaii is about relationships, and if you don’t know that, then you really should pay attention. Businesses make a mistake with a customer, then they need to find a way to work it out to make the customer happy: but in the meantime, the customer needs to be open to suggestions and be aware that the company had no intention of messing up. You can be as upset as you want, however, you need to show compassion, the same way you would hope your customers would want to “work” with you if you messed up. Then you need to work together to find a solution. Your customers might not be the traditional idea of a customer: it could be a coworker that depends on you to deliver your part of the job, or a subordinate that relies on your support as a manager. Everyday you find yourself ready to shoot of a quick complaint, stop and think before you speak. The person you are talking to or complaining about is a local person just like you. This could be your best friend’s family member, or your favorite aunty’s best friend. This place is too small for stupidity and ignorance. I feel bad for the HT rep that took verbal abuse. His name was posted and I am sure that he was probably pushed to a point that was unbearable. Not everyone can take the same amount of abuse, and no one really deserves it. The story that was written might have been overly dramatic, and now everyone wants to bring up their “horror” story. HT does not do a bad job. They do a job, the best they can, and like anyone else, they deserve many chances. The same way you do. Life’s too short to complain: you miss too many good things while pissed off in your own little pissed off world. If you don’t like it, move on and find something else that makes you happy. Nobody needs to hear your your negative experiences. Nothing can grow from negativity but more negativity. HT may not be the one for you. Shut up and move on.
BTW, I have a business that utilizes RR, DSL, and Clearwire. I have a Nextel phone, Sprint phone, and a Cingular phone. My landline is through HT. My tech was late to install phone jacks to my newly built home, but he did the best he could. I thanked him with a beverage, because I knew he did the best he could. I was a bit upset as I took off a while rom work to be available for him, however, I realized that he had a reason why he was late. These reasons we don’t need to know, we just need to know that they are there. I’ve had my share of problems, but my attitude makes the difference.
Good luck to you all.
Aloha,
Frank
#33 by Charles on 11 January 2007 - 4:07 pm
Yes, HawaiianTel DLS service sucks. I’ve called them 40+ times the past 6 months trying to get my billing correct on 8 different units. It’s a mess. I’m sure they have stolen millions of dollars from consumers by making billing mistakes in their favor.
#34 by Mike on 06 February 2007 - 8:15 pm
Hawaiian Telcom still doesn’t have their act together and continues to demonstrate gross neglect in my opinion. I have not been able to get an account closed that should have been taken care of over 9 months ago. Continuous bills with erroneous amounts keep being sent out despite repeated requests to close out the account.
I found out that the HI Public Utilities Commission (PUC)is investigating Hawaiian Telcom in 2007 and could result in penalties or fines levied by state regulators. (See reference article at: http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2007/Jan/15/bz/FP701150308.html)
If you’ve got issues with Hawaiian Telcom, let the PUC know! Check out…
http://www.hawaii.gov/budget/puc/pucformscomplaintspage.htm
#35 by Paul 186 on 20 March 2007 - 11:27 pm
After reading these posts I feel a
lot better. I saw some with similar issues. I tried to shut my account
down over a year ago.
9 Phone numbers and numerous calls to
people..some were cool and some were
pretty unprofessional. One didn’t
even understand their own terms and had to re-read it to herself..
Bwahahahaha..whadda nightmare.
I was even charged on one bill for Yellow page advertising in Maui and on the Big Island for one month.Then in the next bill,
it was returned to Oahu.
Wow..they must have had a phone book on those islands for 30 days , then had a recall..hahahahahah.
How you figgah?
Face it, these people need the job and we need the phones. Will that mischievious menehunes of billing and
high tech go play someplace else.
My solution: Hire customer service
trainees, trained like those Mormon
guys in the white shirts and ties to come to your
house to listen to your problems specifically (with one dozen malasadas)..maybe the problems won’t get solved any faster, but it beats
the insane robot recorded voice going round and round.
Emotional compensation: priceless
#36 by Brian on 02 April 2007 - 6:13 pm
Hawaiian Telcom… wonderful company… NOT!! We disconnected fall of 2006. Credit of $24.00 remained on the Bill. Called monthly about getting the credit back via check. FINALLY in Feb 07 I was guarenteed that a check would be cut but would take 6 – 8 weeks to arrive. Well 8 weeks went by… got a “bill” stating that my check had been cut.. I also received an actual bill starting on the day that I called to request my check for the 5th time. Now I cannot get ahold of anyone at Hawaiian “NO TELL” com.
#37 by Joe on 10 July 2007 - 8:36 am
Hawaiian Telcom’s customer service sucks. The first guy I talked to was sassy. Now I cannot even contact anyone. What’s Up with that? I sent an e-mail and got an “Out of Office Reply” WTF is that about?
#38 by Eric on 12 August 2007 - 4:41 pm
Anyone remember when RR came out and all the problems they had with speed and connections? how bout that long wait time to talk to tech support? Heck it’s still a long time to talk to a person. Same with Verizon. I never got a live person very fast. I know we live in the go go world but remember Verizon is one of the 2 largest telecommunication companies in the world and was transitioned to basically a start up business on the island of Hawaii IN THE SPAN OF 9 MONTHS! Look at when the sale occured(8/05) to the transition(4/06. Who thinks it’s easy for a change like that to occur? When HT gets their stuff together everyone will be happy. I wish I could say when that is but it won’t be like this forever.
#39 by Harley Hightower on 24 September 2007 - 11:02 am
Guess what? Hawaiian Tel. is in violation of State Law, by refusing to release hone records to customers. I had a number of harassing phone calls and H.T. refused to release my records, even though according to Law these records are my property! I’m sure they’re selling these records to outside sources, and got records lost in the shuffle, which is why they won’t release the records. These bastards think they are a law unto themselves and should be brought up on criminal charges!
#40 by Steve on 03 July 2008 - 7:02 pm
Hawaiian telcom sucks donkey. Rip off mania. Just switched to Time Warner digital phone and it’s great. They do not use regular Voip through internet to your home, but through a separate network of its own piped through the cable. Hence, none of the problems that plague traditional Voip through home internet.
#41 by Marc on 14 June 2009 - 9:52 pm
The internet service sucks in Hilo. I am constantly getting disconnected. It really isn’t worth it. Is there something the public can do to force the company to provide better internet service? I can’t believe how bad the service is.
#42 by Mike on 29 July 2009 - 10:14 am
Here on Oahu my Hawaiian Tel service is and has been working great. I signed up for the new 7mb service and it is working great too. Most of the time coming in a little higher and the upload speed is great too at 1.33 average.
My experience with the tech guys (came a day early) was good also. They had a problem with a new brand of modems (westel) that kept slowing down. Once we put in a standard modem and router, thie thing works great.
Not at all like the crappy service from Road Runner and Oceanic. The Road Runner kept slowing to a snails crawl and dropping off. (a network cable is unplugged) After years I got tired of it and switched. Glad I did.
#43 by sklomw on 04 December 2009 - 8:22 pm
haw.tel still suks huge bag, they havevent updated their hw
#44 by sklomw on 04 December 2009 - 8:22 pm
haw.tel still suks huge bag, they havnt updated their hw
#45 by obamaonvac on 28 December 2009 - 5:10 pm
haw.tel after nearly a decade of dsl still suks i.e. outdated hw
#46 by Gamer on 11 August 2010 - 4:24 am
2 years. I live on O’ahu, the most populated island. I use the internet for extended periods of time every day to relieve stress, I have to say HTC are lacking reliability.
Often I would have several disconnects during the night. Sometimes even periods of dead time where the net isn’t usable at all. It’s not my side, because if something were go to down, it would stay down. If you have anything that relies on a consistent solid internet connection, HTC will disappoint you without fail…or with fail depending on how you look at it.
#47 by kyu sun ariola on 11 December 2010 - 2:11 pm
ME TOO I JUST GOT HAWAIIAN TEL CELL PHONE FOR MY SON AND MY SELF AND THEY CHARGE ME TWICE AMOUNT AND IT IS NOT FAIR
I THINK TAKE POLICE TO HAWAIIAN TEL WHILE I GO THERE TO FIX THE PROBLEMS AND ALSO TAKE MY SIGN CONTRACT PAPER AND BILLS THAT MADE MISTAKE OVER CHARGE ME BEFORE I PAY THE BILLS
I WANT TO MAKE SURE POLICE IS THERE TO KICK THEIR ESS