Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Hawaiian Telcom Communications, Inc.'s headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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• 

  Hawaiian Telcom Communications, Inc.

  1177 Bishop St Ste 3 Honolulu, HI 96813-2808

• 

  Hawaiian Telcom Communications, Inc.

  PO Box 30770 Honolulu, HI 96820-0770

• 

  Hawaiian Telcom Communications, Inc.

  711 Kapiolani Blvd Suite 800 Honolulu, HI 96813

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/10/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  First Transaction: March 17, 2023 Phone call to customer service number: ************** Representative: **** We have three phone numbers with Hawaiian Tel for over 25 years+. There are two billing accounts.For the first account, we requested three things:1. add an authorized user 2. delete one of the two phone lines 3. drop the second line service to just basic Received an order no: C033I71 Was told it changes would take effect the next billing cycle. Received next invoice. no changes made. Phone Call to ************** on 4/5/2023. Spent one hour and 18 minutes with still no resolution. Was told to delete the one number would mean a change from primary to secondary first. Then, this would mean a different rep would call back in ***** hours to confirm this change and discuss options. Second Account: Requested two things:1. add authorized user 2. drop service to basic Received order no. C033I66. A check on 4/6/2023 shows the requested drop to basic was not performed. On 4/5/2023, I requested basic fee of $18.99 as per the pricing shown on the website and was told that was only for new customers. At no point on the page where these plans are listed does it state the pricing is for new customers only. Even the pop-up disclaimer box does not indicate this. Rep **** stated the best she could do was to drop from the current $67 to $40. We requested to cancel the account entirely and were put on hold 3 different times. Finally received order no. O ******* with an effective cancellation date of 4/10/2023. It is a shame that we have to delete a long-time number because of these dishonest practices. On 3/1/2022 I requested this same change through the online request form and never heard from anyone. I would like an explanation of why the basic fees are not available to longtime customers and why this is not stated on the website and 2) why I was not contacted in March of 2022.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/11/2023

  Hawaiian Telcom Customer Relations spoke with and apologized to the complainant. Actions were taken to address her concerns and contact information provided should she need further assistance.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/07/2023

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  We called for 3 times for activity the *** (Affordable Connectivity program) #B36803-01879 on Jan-27 (the latest call date). but until now that 2-billing cycle , we still didn't receive the discount bill. I am only limit income but we need a internet connection to access the email for work. Every time we need to wait and talk over half an hour but it was solved. the Hawaiian Telcom company is really bad business service for our Oahu now a day.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/07/2023

  Hawaiian Telcom Customer Relations spoke with an authorized representative for the complainant and provided contact information should they have any questions. ACP discounts will be reflected on the invoice dated 3/16/2023, effective date is 1/31/2023.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/12/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/13/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On Feb 4, a tech from HawnTel came to my home to install high speed internet. The tech advised that I can no longer use the landline which was previously located on my kitchen counter. It was outdated and they now had to use fiber optics which means putting in a new live phone **** in another room. This room is located above the network box which would make it more convenient to install. Once the phone **** was installed, we moved the main phone base upstairs to this room. The next day, the internet was "not high speed" in fact the signal kept stalling or dropping and was unable to use laptops. The home alarm kept beeping all through the day and night. Phone calls from my landline were scratchy, some said they could not hear me or calls got dropped. I submitted an online service call to HawnTel because trying to reach them by phone is almost impossible.! 3 days later I get an email from them saying sorry but they are having issues on their side and waiting for replacement equipment to arrive. They blame bad weather, mainland difficulties in transit, etc.....My alarm company says there is a phone line failure due to recent obstruction or repair to the line, which is a result of the tech installing the internet. That also means that for a week now, my home alarm system is not operational meaning if my home gets broken into, they are not aware of it due to the faulty phone line. This morning, I get an email from Rashae R, expressing apologies, understand your frustrations, yaddayadda and said for me to call them and give my address, contact#. Why the h*** should I call them? They should call me immediately and send someone to my home to resolve this! Besides, each time I call am put on hold an average of 8-10mins! I do plan to take my business to Spectrum, am meeting with a sales agent this week. Hope something can be done, BBB have always been an advocate for me and my family in the past. Aloha!

  Business Response

  Date: 02/13/2023

  Customer Relations spoke with the complainant to apologize. We have scheduled an appointment as he requested, on Friday, 2/17/2023, between 8:00 am and noon, to have a technician assess and resolve the situation. The complainant has my contact information and understands to contact me if he needs further assistance.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/17/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/16/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Several years ago, a Hawtel employee (******) disconnected all the phone lines to the ****s in my house except the one to the computer in his attempt to troubleshoot a problem I was having with my internet connection. It turned out the problem was with the wiring on the pole out on the street. However, the Hawtel employee (******) never reconnected the wires to my ****s in my house. At the time I was using a wireless remote in the living room and forgot about the problem. About a month ago I attempted to use a plug in phone in the living room and didn't get a dial tone. I remembered that ****** from ****** had told me he was disconnecting the wires to the living room ****. I called Hawtel and ask that they send someone out to reconnect the living room **** to the phone box in the basement. They agreed to do it. I asked what the charge would be since I am retired with limited funds. I was told the technician would tell me the charge before he did the work. When **** (the Hawtel technician) arrived, he said there would be no charge so I authorized him to do the work. When he left, the telephone line in the living room was so full of static that I could barely hear a dial tone. I called ****** and asked them to come out and fix the problem. I was told there would be no charge for this service call. The person who came out a few days later told me there was a bunch of unnecessary junk installed inside the living room ****. He removed it and that eliminated the static from the living room line. He also reconnected the line from the basement **** to phone box that ****** had disconnected several years ago when he was diagnosing my internet problem. Now I am being charged $95 to fix problems created by Hawtel servicemen who don't know what they are doing and after being told repeatedly that I would not be charged to fix the problems Hawtel employees had created.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/17/2023

  Hawaiian Telcom Customer Relations spoke with the complainant to apologize and confirm that the disputed charge has been credited. An email was sent to confirm this and she can expect to see the credit reflected on her invoice dated 2/10/2023.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/17/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/09/2023

  Type:Delivery Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I discontinued service with Hawaiian Telcom in October. They are charging me ****** for the equipment. I already sent the equipment back as follows; I received an RMA and a ***** label to return equipment on Oct 21 2022 via email from Hawaiian Telcom. I sent equipment and RMA using provided label via ***** back to the address provided on Oct 24 2022. Package was received and signed for by **************** on Oct 26 2022. ***** tracking number is ************, RMA is B223596

  Business Response

  Date: 01/10/2023

  Hawaiian Telcom Customer Relations left ******************** a voice message and sent an email to advise that credits will be issued once we confirm receipt of equipment. The complainant has my contact information should he need further assistance.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/13/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  I do question why the *** was not processed before the following billing cycles and perhaps it's due to short staffing, but the customer should not suffer if they did everything on their part.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/06/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My internet connection went down 1/3/12 and spoke with tech support for repair and was told earliest available tech is for 1/10. Informed the staff that I work at home and depend on internet to conduct my work. Staff would not expedite my repair although it was high priority for me. This is unacceptable service for internet service provider that provides essential service to the community. This delay has caused financial hardship and will review legal action. Disappointing that service is substandard.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/10/2023

  Hawaiian Telcom Customer Relations spoke with the complainant and apologized for his experience. Records indicate that service was restored today, 1/10/2023. Complainant was provided with my contact information should he need further assistance.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/05/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have been having ongoing issues with my phone landline serviced by Hawaiian Telcom since January 2019. Finally in March of 2022, my landline phone was fixed and with much ado, Hawaiian Telcom issued me a refund for those years that is was not working ($1884). But then in June 2022, the landline phone had a busy signal or no dial tone again. I had neck surgery at the end of April and I could not do much for months. So I reported the issue in August 2022 and they fixed it by moving my line to the neighbor's box (that line was live but mine had problems). This fix was short lived because at the end of October, I heard busy tone or no tone when I tried to use the phone. I reported issue on November 2, 2022; the repair tech came out to my house on November 8, *********************************************************** home issue so he said he would refer it to the cable maintenance department and they would call me. I told him to make sure to give them my cell number since the landline doesn't work. Didn't hear from them at all. So, I called to follow up on January 5, 2022. and Hawaiian Telcom claimed that the cable maintenance department fixed the issue on 11/15/22 and closed the case. But my phone still doesn't work or has it since October 2022. I received no call on my cell phone to notify me that they were going to work on my line or that my line was up and working like the previous 2 times with a test call. Nonetheless, Hawaiian Telcom has no problem charging me for services not rendered. I have not paid my bill since November because of these issues and now I have no confidence in them since they have closed a service ticket without resolution. I called them back today to talk about the bill too, but they then keep referring me to the technical department.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/06/2023

  Hawaiian Telcom Customer Relations spoke with the complainant and followed up with an email to confirm a repair appointment, offer a fiber solution, and review credit adjustment requests. The email details my contact information should the complainant need further assistance.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/13/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.On January 11. 2023 my landline was repaired by the copper cable unit. I can dial out and receive phone calls. The one thing that doesn't work is the display on my plug in cordless phone and built in answering machine. The screen is blank, but I was told it wouldn't work because the upgrade made to the system doesn't allow the information to flow to the phone so it can display the information. Also the appropriate credits have been applied to my account.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/21/2022

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Hawaiian Tel advertises and sells 1 GB Fi-Optics internet service at my residential address. Based on their advertisement, I subscribed to their 1 GB offer on 10/25/22. I quickly noticed that the service was slower than expected, and I was only getting half of the speed I subscribed and paid for. I opened an online support ticket on 12/05/22. No response. I eventually contacted the support team by phone, and a technician was dispatched to my residence. The technician confirmed the low-speed issue and explained that Hawaiian Tel cannot deliver 1 GB to my address and neighborhood (!) and that it is a known issue (!). I contacted Hawaiian Tel by phone again, and they stated that they cannot adjust their billing for now. I ask Hawaiian Tel to either deliver the advertised 1 GB or to refund me and cancel the service. Thank you to the BBB for your assistance.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/23/2022

  I spoke with the complainant and let him know that our teams are working on identifying and resolving the issue. I provided him with my contact information and let him know I will provide updates once I better understand plans toward resolution.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/28/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

  Thank you with your assistance with solving this issue.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/29/2022

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On 6/20/2022, I scheduled an Internet/TV installation for 6/24/2022. Later that day, I contacted the sales person who I spoke to and cancelled the install after speaking to my spouse. He agreed to cancel. No installation ever happened on 6/24/2022 or any other time. Since then, I have been receiving bills from Hawaiian Telcom that have now ballooned to over $1,800. I have made at least 4 calls to them and spoken to their agents who have all verified that no service has been established and no equipment was installed. I was told by all of them that I would receive a final invoice showing zero balance. That has not happened. I called again today, and was told that the balance would be cancelled and the matter would be referred up--the same thing I've always been told before. I'm done waiting. Please help me get this resolved. Thank you

  Business Response

  Date: 11/01/2022

  Customer Relations just sent an apology email to the complainant and explained that all billed charges have been credited and that the invoice dated November 19, 2022, will reflect a zero balance. Also, advised the complainant that his credit will not be negatively impacted. My contact information was provided in the email should there be any other concerns.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/01/2022

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I had fiber internet service provided through Hawaiian Telecom for a few years. The fiber connection came into my house and connected to a small plastic modem, and then I provided my own router ******* mesh multi-point unit). At the point of install I declined a Hawaiian telcom router.This summer my wife (active duty military) was relocated to *******. So I cancelled my account. Hawaiian Telecom said they would mail a box to collect the modem. It never arrived. So I drove down to the office in ******** and turned the modem back in. The man working at the counter said I didn't need a receipt because they don't even track the small grey fiber boxes. I pressed him for some kind of confirmation that I turned in the equipment but he refused saying he couldn't because they don't even track them.As expected, a month later I received a bill from Hawaiian Telecom for "unreturned equipment". I called to dispute it, waiting on hold for ninety minutes, and finally was connected. The person I connected to refused to discuss my account as I didn't have the proper pin code, and the only way to prove my account was to mail me a code. I expressed my frustration as I was not trying to add any kind of additional services, but rather get an erroneous charge removed from a closed account. Even with escalation to another level of service they refused to discuss my account. I asked to be mailed the code then. I have not yet received a mailed code and I'm receiving a notice saying they are sending me to collections. I've tried calling but given their long hold times I've not been able to connect in time I've had available.I'm beyond frustrated and just want this erroneous charge removed for some modem they never even installed removed. I am worried they will send this bill to collections. Thank you.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/04/2022

  I just called and emailed the complainant to apologize and advise that credit adjustments have been issued and a refund check for the credit balance will be mailed to the address provided on this complaint. My contact information was provided in my voice message as well as on my email message should the complainant need further assistance.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/04/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

  I appreciate their quick response and solution to the problem!

  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************