Congressman Collins says, “Windstream’s response is more of the same”
Windstream’s Chief Executive Officer says he will appoint a President of Georgia Operations and establish a Rapid Response Team to deal with consumer complaints. Tony Thomas announced the initiatives today in a written response to a letter from Ninth District Georgia Congressman Doug Collins. Collins wrote to Thomas on February 12, 2016 demanding answers regarding the telecommunication firm’s “unsatisfactory” and “substandard” Internet service to residents in Northeast Georgia.
READ: Congressman Collins Demands Answers from Windstream
Now Habersham obtained a copy of Thomas’ response from Windstream Vice-President of Corporate Affairs, David Avery. In the letter Thomas writes, “I appreciate your concerns and take them seriously. As you know, Windstream also employs 380 talented professionals in the Ninth District, all of whom take immense pride in serving our customers and are determined to address these concerns.”
In addition to touting recent network upgrades, Thomas outlines the following plan for improving customer service:
- Communication — We will pursue broader customer outreach initiatives to ensure that more households become aware of new speed tiers in their local area. This outreach will include local advertising, direct communications to upgrade-eligible households, and more frequent announcements when upgrade work is completed.
- Local Leadership — I will appoint a President of Georgia Operations to ensure a single point of accountability as we work to deliver on our commitment to excellence. In addition to a primary focus on operations, this executive will work in tandem with our Government Affairs team to respond swiftly to concerns and questions of you and other officials.
- Rapid Response Team – Finally, I will establish a team, based in Cornelia, to respond specifically to any Ninth District customers who contact your office. Individuals who believe their needs have not been addressed should contact this team directly at 706-894-1330. Customers may also visit any of our local retail locations in Blairsville, Dahlonega, Cleveland, Commerce, or Cornelia. Our retail associates stand ready to support the needs of our customers between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
READ Tony Thomas’ letter to Congressman Collins here
Reaction from Congressman Collins
Within hours of receiving Thomas’ reply Congressman Collins issued a press release calling Windstream’s response “more of the same”:
“I appreciate Windstream’s response, but unfortunately it is more of the same. I appreciate the establishment of a ‘rapid response team’ in Cornelia, but this isn’t simply an issue of poor customer service. CEO Tony Thomas wrote me in January of 2015, that they “have some catching up to do in some areas” of my district, and yet despite this admission nothing has improved. As a recipient of federal funding, and preferred tax status, Windstream is accountable to Congress, and their customers in Northeast Georgia, for their business practices. Customer service is not the problem – I’ve talked to many qualified professionals who work for the company, who understand that the real problems are with woefully inadequate infrastructure. Windstream can establish all the hotline phone numbers they want, but until they take their responsibility to rural communities seriously, I will continue to hold them accountable for how they spend federal funding.”
Persistent, boisterous consumer complaints and inquiries by elected officials have plagued the Arkansas-based company for years. Consumers, particularly those in rural regions such as Northeast Georgia, routinely complain of slow and dropped Internet connections. Multiple social media campaigns have been launched against the company by disgruntled consumers and in 2014 Windstream paid $600,000 to settle claims it advertised high-speed Internet service it could not deliver.
