Complaints

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:03/03/2025

  Type:Customer Service 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.

  We had internet service with this company since 2019 and have been trying to cancel our service as we sold the property. They do not answer phone calls, respond to emails and continue to bill us for monthly service despite submission of a cancellation form.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/04/2025

  A review of this customer's contacts show that in December he contacted us to upgrade services. We reached back out to him that day and again the next day with no responses. The next communication was the following month requesting to cancel due to selling the building. We promptly sent him an online form for him to complete and cancel on 2/13/25. It was returned the same day. 

  As we have previously explained to this customer his contract has a 60 day notice provision. This means that he will be billed for the 60 days of service post a notification to Opticom. It should be further noted that he is in a 1 year term that does not expire until September. Canceling at this point will trigger an early termination clause of his contract. 

  We have been in contact with this customer to let him know these details directly.

  As for the request from the customer, he is asking that his account be canceled. It is in the process of being canceled, but it does take the number of days stated on his contract. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/06/2025

  Type:Billing 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.

  I had an account with ********************** and requested services be disconnected September 18 2024. I returned my equipment and spoke to a gentleman who accepted the equipment telling me he would have the account turned off that day. It is now January 6 and I am still being billed and have a bill for over $1800. I have sent multiple emails to have it canceled and no one is canceling the account.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/17/2025

  Firstly your services were disconnected on 9/18/24, which is what you are requesting in this complaint. We completed that work at 7:52 pm on that day. 

  On June 18, 2024 a payment was made on this account for $281.18. That payment was returned by the bank as unpayable, leaving an open balance as of August 1 of $1088.52. An additional $332.46 was billed on the next invoice. These amounts were due and were for services that you agree you used and are not disputing. On August 22, 2024 the account in question was suspended for non-payment. After discussion with the customer, ********************** agreed to reconnect the services if the customer made a small payment that day and over the following 4 weeks made payments to catch up the account. No additional payments were received, so when this plan was not met the account was again suspended. Ultimately the account was terminated for non-payment. At no point do we have a record of receiving the equipment you speak of. Part of the delay in our response is our desire to ensure we are treating all customers fairly. In this case that meant searching our office and warehouse for the equipment that was assigned to your account. We did find the set top box that was assigned to your account. While we do not have a record of receiving the equipment it is clear that we did. Therefor we will be processing a credit for the equipment charge and you will see this on your next statement.
  
  The remaining balance on your account still needs to be addressed. The contract for services you signed states that Service disconnects are required in writing. Then in your emails of 12/16/24 you let us know that you never filled out a disconnect form or submitted anything in writing beyond stopping into the office. It is odd you were able to return the equipment and do not recollect filling out paperwork, as in the office at the front desk is a hardcopy of this form and our staff is instructed to have this form filled out when a customer is returning equipment. We did search and have found no paperwork related to your account.
  
  We are unsure of whom you spoke to in our lobby as anyone that you should have spoken to is trained on how to handle these interactions which would have avoided this situation. Any employees not trained in how to collect equipment and interact with customers are instructed not to interact with customers but rather to search out a manager or other employee to assist the customer. We have reiterated this training to all of our employees based on your situation.
  
  Lastly we would like to address a comment you made in one of your emails. Paraphrasing your comment: The customers job is to ask for the ********************************** job was to show you how to execute the process. We agree with you, and are concerned that it appears this may not have happened. We cannot reverse the balance you are seeking as it is properly billed and the majority of it is not disputed. We will issue you credit due to our how we handled your equipment return, you will see this on your next statement. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/22/2025

   
  Complaint: 22774857
  
  I am rejecting this response because: on August 22 when the payment was made for reconnection I asked for a disconnection for September 18, please do go back and listen to phone calls that are recorded I'm sure. My account has continued to be charged the full monthly amount even after services were disconnected. The gentleman I spoke to wore glasses and was a bit older. He is also the one I spoke to on the phone September 19 when I returned equipment as he said he remembered my name. He told me that he would have everything taken care of for me. Even after multiple emails no one has sent me this disconnect form, I just continue to be billed. 
  

  I made a payment August 18 for $250. Another August 21 for $250 and another August 22 for $100. My bill was $820.98. I will agree to that total as the amount due. As of right now the account is showing $1868.09. 
  

  No one ever told me about a form to sign or a service disconnect form until my emails in December, to which I still have not received said forms. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******* *****

  Business Response

  Date: 02/04/2025

  Our last communication's final line that was rejected stated: "We will issue you credit due to our how we handled your equipment return, you will see this on your next statement." We have done that. The current bill shows a credit of services from 10/1/24 to 12/31/24 (which were the months billed for service and requested to be refunded) as well as a credit for the returned equipment. This is the proper credit for a disconnect requested on September 18th, as we do not prorate on disconnects. This policy is outlined in both our signup paperwork and the disconnect paperwork. 

  You make note of payments made in August. We would note that all but the last one were prior to your service being disconnected for non-payment. The last payment was made in order to reconnect your service. If you had mentioned that you wanted to disconnect the service as of September 18 we would not have accepted a payment plan that extended beyond that date. Simply put you did not mention your intentions in the conversations with our *** at the time you were reconnected. 

  The amount showing on you bill today is $1,219.31 This amount reflects all of the credits that you are due and accepts your disconnect request of 9/18. 

  Please take steps to take care of this outstanding balance owed as quickly as possible. The majority of it is now over 90 days past due and absent a payment plan is subject to being sent to collections at this point. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/20/2024

  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.

  We had service with Montana opticom for 4 years and on May 1st 2024 we tried cancelling our service. We filled out the cancellation form and sent it in May first after emailing them that we were cancelling. We have now every month since received a bill with late fees and they are refusing to stop billing and return our acct to $0 balance. We have kept all email correspondence we have sent and they have refused again to reply to emails calls voicemails and written mail about this issue. We have talked with the owner twice in person and he is refusing to correct this issue. We believe this company and its employees are acting criminally in refusing to communicate whatsoever and harassing us monthly with recurring bills for services we no longer get since May 1st 2024. They dont answer any calls and their business hours have been reduced to 5 hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We have no way to correct this issue and they seem to be running a fraudulent business as their reviews show a pattern of this kind of treatment towards customers. An investigation into this company is strongly needed and overdue.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/11/2024

  To prevent fraud and comply with certain laws and regulations Montana Opticom has a number of procedures in place to verify an account holders identity before we can make changes to an account. These include such things as setting up accounts, modifying services, sharing of ********* and disconnecting accounts. We try and accommodate special circumstances as best we can, but we cannot cancel an account without the account owners request. In this case the complainant is not a customer of **********************, and has never been a customer of ours. She is not authorized on any customer account. We are simply not permitted to communicate with the complainant on the account in question.  
  
  When the complainant contacted us initially our agent (who was in training at the time) did not properly communicate to her that she was not authorized to make changes on the account she was trying to cancel. In the process of writing the order to cancel services it was flagged as an unauthorized (fraudulent) change and sent back to our customer service team for follow up. Our customer service team attempted to reach out to both the account holder and the complainant to let them know that the account holder needed to request any change. Neither responded to our requests until September 11 when the account holder appear at our office and filled out a cancelation form dated 9/11/24 (attached). This was processed as requested by the account holder.
  
  Since then the account holder has been aggressive to the point of forcing law enforcement to intervene and has been trespassed from all Opticom property. The claim that they have spoken to the owner is factually incorrect, the account holder has spoken to the manager. However the manager had taken no action yet on this account while this complaint response and review facts was being completed. Further due to law enforcement involvement our legal team must review any proposed solution.
  
  A detailed review has shown that Opticom acted in accordance with its policies and regulations. As the complainant is not our customer and is not authorized to act on this account, we have sent to the account holder and offer to meet in the middle and write off 50%of the outstanding balance for services that were provided. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/18/2024

   
  Complaint: 22582915
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  The response provided by Opticom to our complaint, especially the suggestion that there is any ongoing law enforcement involvement and or that there has been any effort to resolve this matter, is grossly inaccurate.  We are saddened a local company we were customers of for 4 years has treated us this horribly. 
  Sincerely,
  
  ******* *******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/05/2024

  Type:Billing 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.

  I have been using Montana Opticom for about four months. After buying a house and relocating it was an area they do not provide service so we deactivated our account. Without any notice or signed agreement, they charge me for $722. This is stealing money

  Business Response

  Date: 11/05/2024

  The caller requested a refund of the charge based on the following facts: There is no signed agreement, there was no notice and that this is stealing money. The facts show a different story. There are signed agreements and documents (multiple ones), there was notice both verbally and in writing, finally this is not stealing money.
  
  This Customer had contacted ********************** in early July 2024 requesting services. We offer 1 month contract terms and other longer terms contracts. Each has its benefits, generally the longer the commitment the lower the monthly price. Ultimately customer decided to sign a 1 year contract for services (attached). We installed the services desired and the customer signed a document (attached) confirming that we did the install, services were working and they were satisfied with the craftsmanship. There have been no support calls from this customer for the entire term of service until 10/28/24 when they called our support line and requested to stop their service tomorrow and transfer it to their new address.  When Opticom reached out to inquire of the new address we were told an address outside of our service area. At that point we did share that we have plans to build into that area in the next 18 months, but at this time we cannot provide them services to this new address. After a phone call to discuss the options we were requested to send out a cancelation form, which we did. We received a completed cancelation form back (attached) to us later that day which we processed. This disconnect form clearly states that I understand the terms of my contract apply. Cancellation fees are applicable if services are terminated prior to the term of the contract
  
  The customer claimed no notice was provided for the transaction. In addition to the above written documents we also sent an email and a mobile feed to their registered cell phone that their bill was available along with the amounts due on 11/1/24. These were recorded as read by the customer that same day. In fact the customer attached to their complaint this notice from their cell phone, further disproving their statement.
  
  The termination fee per the contract was what ended up being billed to customer. It is disingenuous for the caller to state that without any notice or signed agreement, they charged me for $722. This is stealing money This customer signed a contract that is clear, as well as a document at the time of install stating the product and pricing and finally they signed a cancelation request that also states there may be termination fees. This is on top of the phone call where the Montana Opticom discussed the options with them.
  
  This morning the customer called in and requested that we back this out and that they pay for the contract monthly. Our agent was not able to do that and informed the customer that it would have to go to another department and see if that was an option at this point. We were attempting to work with the consumer to resolve this in a manner that the customer requested.Shortly after that call ended this BBB complaint was filed. We were never given the chance to respond if this was a possible course of action.
  
  Based on the requested resolution and the facts as outlined above we are not able to accommodate the customers request at this time. In the end this is not an issue of something Opticom did or did not do but it is a case of poor planning and communication on the part of the consumer.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/15/2024

  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.

  They charged me for a specialty channel that has not worked since being billed for it. I have called over a dozen times over the course of 6 weeks and left messages each time and have not received a call back. Have sent email about the issue as well and have not heard back. I have stopped in to the buisness but thier lobby is closed because of lack of employees. Besides the specialty channel **** red zone) that cost $75 by itself i have other channels that we are paying for that do not work. I would like a refund of that amount and I am also considering canceling the cable all together as it's become not worth it with so many missing channels that we pay for.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/28/2024

  Apologies for the delayed response. We were doing research to better understand the issues. While we had no reason to doubt the customer, all of our systems were showing it was working and being provided. This customer is an upstanding and honest person so we were very confused by the disconnect between what he reported and what our computer was showing. After a deep dive into the system we found that while it appeared that it was set up and provisioned properly to our **************** Agents, it was in fact not providing the service to the this end user. Admittedly this could have been handled better on our end so as not to have caused such stress on our customer (and we will work on that with our internal processes). However for the purposes of this issue, the customer is correct and we have issued a refund for them on their next bill. Please accept our apologies.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/14/2023

  Type:Order 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.

  Paid final bill 11/14/2023 Montana Opticom committed to providing fast and reliable internet service. However, I have had at least 3 several week outages in 2023. The most recent occurence started end of August and a technician came to my house September 6th and said he fixed my internet. 2 weeks later I was without internet again and followed all troubleshooting steps provided by their customer service line on the last outage. When this did not work I called Opticom's customer service line on 9/26/2023. Their voicemail mentioned a response back within 24 hours. I didn't hear anything and followed up via email 10/6 and also did not receive a response. I went to their office on 10/17 to close my account due to dissatisfaction and requested a credit because I had been without internet for 3 weeks. The employee said they would close my account same day and get back to me on the credit. With no response, I returned on 11/2 to find out they didn't formally close my account until 10/28. The operations manager was rude and unprofessional and said in regard to the credit that he would have to look at my account to verify the outages. I offered to wait and he said no, that I needed to leave and he would call me back same day. It is 11/14/2023 and no one has called me back. I paid my final bill to avoid collections, but since I was without internet from 9/24/2023-10/28/2023, I'm hoping for a refund.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/23/2023

  Thank you for your questions.
  
  Addressing them based on the facts that we know we should help clarify a few items. There have not been at least 3 several week long outages in the service we provided to you. There was a reported outage on your account on 7-24-23 that was caused by a 3rd party digging and cutting the fiber that is used in the provision of your service. We repaired that on 7-24-23. We opened the trouble ticket when you called us at 3:03pm and had it repaired before 7pm that day. No credits are due on this outage due to the outage reason and the total length of downtime.

  Another service issue we have recorded on your account was called into to us on 11-21-22 @ 4:06pm. This was caused by water freezing and breaking fibers. Unfortunately as this was underground it took some time to thaw the block of ice and evaporate the water in order to repair the service and not cause any additional damage or other outages. That outage did last an extended period. A credit was not issued for this outage as it was determined to be a force majeure event. Our notes indicate you were notified of this credit decision in April 2023.

  Another service issue on this account that likely impacted your service was called in on 9-7-23 @9:22am.It was resolved on 9-7-23 @11:20 am. In this case the customer premise wiring was determined to be faulty. The solution was to replace the RJ45 on the end of an ethernet cable. This cable is post demark, meaning that it is not the responsibility of Montana Opticom but rather it is the responsibility of the user or property owner to maintain. Usually this is a billable expense or it can be covered by such programs as an inside wiring maintenance program a customer can subscribe to. In this case no such subscription existed. However we did not bill for this repair, saving you the customer roughly $95. No credit is available for this outage as it was customer facilities that were determined to be at fault.

  We have no ticket or notice in our system that there was an issue with internet service beginning 9-24-23. Our investigation based on this complaint did however find a voice mail message that you apparently left on 9-28-23 where you spoke of purchasing locally and requesting someone to work with you on this. You appear to have been talking about issues you previously had. The specific issue described was an issue connecting a cell phone to your WIFI wireless network. While we do not provide nor manage your wifi or the router and we do not sell these devices. That is a device purchased by you from a 3rd party and maintained by you. The cable repair mentioned in the prior paragraph is what you associated with the ongoing inability to connect your cell phone to the wifi. The cable repaired in the prior paragraph would cause the service to either work or not work. The issue we repaired would not create a scenario where some devices work and others do not. You stated in the voice mail your computer worked but your cell phone did not. This means that the service we provide was working and thus no credit should be paid as no service outage existed. Rather an issue between two devices we do not have any ability to manage existed. Kind of like being mad at the company that sold you new tires for your car because your car ran out of gas the next day.

  It appears we did not handle this voice mail properly. Unfortunately this was handled by an employee on their last day. The rep appears to have marked it as completed in our system while not actually doing anything with it. Upon their departure a review was done on items they had handled in their last days of employment and this message was not discovered. Again it was discovered by the investigation of this complaint. We apologize for this oversight. However it does not change the fact that there was little we could have done with the issue you described. As you can see from our prior notices of issues we have addressed them promptly and resolved them usually inside of hours. Sadly it appears that while we have safeguards in place and double check our teams, our ability to catch all errors is imperfect. We cannot know that you were having an issue unless you let us know. In this case it appears you tried to let us know, but for reasons unknown your message was mishandled. As no ticket was opened in regards to your concern on 9-28-23 we had no ability to address it with our team, and the only person that knew it existed was no longer with the company the next day. Further you do not appear to follow up beyond your single vm on the 28th, further hindering our ability to address your concern.

  When you came to our office in October we were unaware of your 9-28-23 message. You however were aware of it, and had a reasonable expectation we had failed to act upon it,yet it does not appear that you mentioned or discussed that call. We can assure you that our staff responded with the info in our system and knowledge at the time, which did not include all relevant data.
  We would like to specifically address comments on our staff and their actions and demeanor.Firstly at no point were you alone with any staff member. This helpful and enables us in our investigation to independently interview each team member and then to say with certainty that at no point was anyone rude. They did not however give you the answer you wanted to hear, they appear from our investigations and interviews to have been professional and courteous at all times, just not able to provide you the requested relief, that is not rude by our understanding. We do note that both you and the persons involved agree that there was a commitment to make a follow-up call to you. This call was not made as committed to. Simply we should have called you back and we did not. We have addressed this as a training item going forward. While this is not an excuse, the employee who made that commitment noted that they believed that a call back was no longer desired when you subsequently canceled your service. However in hindsight we understand your perspective and should have made the return call.For avoidance of doubt we will not be making a call now as we view this written response taking the place of that call. If you would still like a call please let us know.

  As you the customer requested in your written and signed cancelation request Opticom processed the disconnect with a billing effective date of 10-19-23. The 10-28-23 date is when we actually completed all of the back end tasks.

  While we dont think we acted improperly we do find areas we could improve and thank you for highlighting them for us. In light of these findings we would like to offer you an option of either a $60 credit on future service applied as a $10 credit a month for 6 months OR a $108 credit on future service applied as a $9 credit a month for 12 months for your troubles and our shortcomings. Please let us know which of these options you would like.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/01/2023

   
  Complaint: 20871748
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I did not claim I was alone with any staff member, nor is it true that I was treated with courtesy by the operations manager after I informed him of my complaints. He was fine prior to that, but seemed to be distressed when I tried to explain the unfortunate shortcomings of the technical and customer service I have historically received from Opticom. His coworker was witness to this encounter, whether or not he believes that I was treated fairly is not my call to make. I do appreciate the thorough reply and clarification on some of the credit denials, but it would have been nice for someone to explain that to me from the beginning. I understand you are not responsible for claims that an employee who has since been fired made, but as a customer it is frustrating to be given the runaround when all I wanted was the service I was paying for and tried to advocate for myself when I didn't get such. As someone who has experience in business operations, I highly advise that Opticom consider making customer service their priority. Short staffing is an epidemic affecting all businesses, but it seems that this is an area Opticom is allowing to slide in this struggle. I wish your company the best and hope that this complaint has prompted action to conduct better business. I do not wish to take you up on your credit offer because I do not want to re-enroll in your services, but thank you for the offer nonetheless. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/14/2023

  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.

  I have been a customer with MT ********************** for several years. In June I tried to cancel my account as we had moved from MT to ********* in February and retained internet service to monitor our home at ******************************************************************************* Montana, while we were awaiting renters to move in. I initially received no reply from ** opticom and contacted them again later that month they replied on June 22, (after 2 weeks and three attempts to contact them). They sent me a form I could not fill out remotely and offered no alternatives. Their form requires sensitive information beyond even whats required for billing purposes. It requires access to a printer or smartphone and specialized adobe software. I offered to give information over the phone and they refused to accept it. They have continued to charge me since my initial request to cancel. They currently state I owe them nearly $300, and are threatening collections.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/23/2023

  Thank you for your communication.
  
  We have investigated your concerns and would like to address each of your concerns.
  Firstly we thank you for having allowed us to provide you world class internet service for many enjoyable years, we are sorry that circumstances have pulled you away from *******. We wish you well in your new home.
  For a future reader of this note, please be informed that we require all changes to an account be in writing. To open an account and to close an account must be in writing. We clearly state this on the form used to select services and authorize us to construct our fiberoptic service onto a customer property. In this case the calls back and forth is best summarized in an email we sent to ***** on 8/3/23:
  
  *****,
  Our records indicate you called on 06/07/23 and left your name, number and address. On 06/07/23 a customer service representative returned your call and left a voicemail. You called in again on 06/09/23 and it was noted that you called @ 9:25am, no particular information was left in the voicemail other than name, number and address. 
  On 06/22/23 ***** called stating they called many times and no one has returned their call, they moved and want to cancel services. **************** returned *****'s call and left a voicemail stating they were emailing cancellation form to ************************* and will need that filled and returned for services to be cancelled. **************** emailed the cancellation form on 06/22/23 at 8:14am.
  To this date we have not received the cancellation form. Attached to this email is the cancellation form we require to cancel services. Please fill this out and submit it in order for us to cancel services.
  
  Not included in the email is that we did return your call on 6/9/23, and left you a voice message, you then replied again on 6/9/23 with the same message to us.
  The form we send is a simple 1 page PDF document. It does not require any special adobe software. It can be returned via email, fax, in person or via *********** or **** We can if requested mail you a blank form as well. We do not just proactively mail this out when you tell us you have moved out of state as we do not have your new address. We do require customer identifiable information and a signature on the form. These are to safeguard our customers. Unfortunately we have had the estranged person attempt to cancel the *********** the friend try and prank their old roommates etc. SO to combat this type of fraud we require changes in writing, to validate that the request is from the proper authorized party we use government issued identification and / or numbers to securely identify the authorized parties on an account. We are unable to take this info over the phone as we need the signature. These are all things that we explicitly explained to you in our calls on 8/11/23.

  
  As your agreement states you may cancel your service at any time in writing. We have contacted you many times and provided the document to you multiple times over many months to enable you to cancel your account.

  
  What we are having trouble understanding is why now after 5 months while getting bills each month and reminder notices a few times a month you have not printed the form and returned it? You have been provided it multiple times, you acknowledge that you have it in your comments, but in months you have been unwilling to do the simple task of filling it out and returning it to us. This would have been much simpler to resolve with only one month of services in question.
  We are not able to backdate a request, nor is there much we can do without you taking the simple step of returning the document. We cannot fill it out for you, as you need to sign it. If you would like we can send you the document via the ************ to do so please provide your current mailing address. We can also offer you a $50 credit if you cancel and refer your renter and they sign up for service. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/17/2023

  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.

  I cancelled my service with Montana Opticom over the phone in April 2022 when my husband and I made our last payment prior to moving out of state. I then received an email and I completed and mailed in the form that had been emailed to us. We then started receiving mail from Montana Opticom at the end of May at our temporary residence. This provoked many calls that were not returned and when we did receive a return call at the end of May we were told the paperwork was never filed. I again sent the paperwork in and they still keep sending us harassing mail stating we never completed the paperwork. On multiple occasions my husband and I have attempted to get in contact to dispute this and now we are being threatened with collections because they will not call us back. We have tried to resolve this issue with no respect or even acknowledgement that we have sent the forms in. I am emailing the forms to them this time but they are defiantly the worst company we have ever worked with. I also have emailed indicating our wishes and their constant statements that they did not receive the completed cancellation forms.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/03/2023

  This complaint to the BBB is directly in response to the customer account being turned over to collections. Absent this action the customer has been content to ignore our proactive attempts to communicate and resolve their concerns. As the customer stated in an email to the company after submitting this to the BBB I have already reported you to the BBB twice and I will keep doing it until you resolve this account and admit your mistakesThis basic issue here is not a mistake of Opticom, but rather an assumed oversight of the customer not remembering to send us something in writing to cancel their account despite the company actively requesting them to do so on more than one occasion. Of further note the account was treated in a manner that was most favorable to the customer at each step. What the customer is demanding is basically to now provide free services because they moved, sold their home and forgot to inform their service provider timely.

  
  The form as an issue is a red ******* because the reality is that Opticom disconnected service based on the emails and communications received on May 2, 2022. The outstanding balances due are for the last month of services provided and outlined in their contract, as well as fees for non-payment. We have tried to work with this customer to avoid having their account sent to collections with no success in 8 months. This customers services were canceled as requested, when requested consistent with company policy and their contract terms. We will simply say that the customers comments implying no communications is demonstrably false and can be proven by documented emails and calls on April 14, 15 and at least five emails between May 2 and May 8.

  
  When the customer did send ********************** an email in an attempt to cancel on June 3, the document they sent was a document titled Montana Title and Escrow, and the email did not express a desire to cancel. We promptly replied asking if that was what they intended to send as it has no relevance to Opticom how much their mortgage was. We tried multiple times to work with this customer asking them to forward the original email they claimed to have sent in April in the rare and unlikely event that we lost or misplaced it. Despite requesting this multiple times in May and June no such email has ever been supplied to Opticom. Rather we received a note that the customer was able to find the form on their laptop, but it was missing a signature so they were re-completing ityet never sent it. (in full disclosure Feb 17, 2023, filed along with this complaint, is the first time that form has been sent to Montana Opticom fortunately for the customer this was not a impediment to discontinuing services in May of 2022) The clear implications are that they had the form, and more importantly the knowledge of how to disconnect (in writing which was done without a form),but never took the action to disconnect their account in April 2022 as they claim.

  
  Lastly we feel it proper to address the harassing mailcomment. The element that the customer finds harassing is not in the tone,tenor or content, but rather the fact they were sent to the customer at all. A review of these emails finds them to be polite, professional and factual. A statement of account sent via **** appears to also be harassing in this customers view.

  
  Outside of the request to discontinue an advertisement (which is unclear what that even refers to so it is not addressed) we have addressed all of the desired settlements the customer has submitted. Unfortunately the time in which we could attain a compromise with this customer was the 8 months we tried to do so. Despite our best efforts we are now left with an unhappy customer and a ******************** complaint that will not likely be resolved to the desire of the complainant.
  

  As always we remain committed to our customers, and will happy provide more detail on any aspect of this response if requested. Tell us why here...

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/09/2023

   
  Complaint: 19427008
  
  I am rejecting this response because they were notified in early April 2022 of the move and stated that they noted it on our account. At that time they did not notify us of needing to complete a form to discontinue service but I found the form online and mailed it in prior to leaving the state of Montana. In that initial phone conversation we were told that they would schedule a disconnect for after April 15th as that is when we were moving. We attempted on several occasions to contact them Via phone without success. My husband even took a trip to Montana to help his stepdad and stopped in but the office was closed during hours they should have been open according to their hours of operation.  My husband and I have never received return calls and if they were missed a Voice mail was not left. They are shady and know it which is why they probably never left a VM on either of our phones. They are a horrible company to work with. I have paid the bill because we cannot afford it to go to collections but we would like to still get that back as we were cornered into paying it with a ding on our credit because of their negligence.
  

  This is not acceptable and they need to be held accountable for it.

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

  Business Response

  Date: 03/20/2023

  This discussion is quickly becoming no longer productive. It is clearly a continued attempt to make good on the complainants email of 2/17/23 where she stated in part : I have already reported you to the BBB twice and I will keep doing it until you resolve this account and admit your mistakes.

  Facts are facts, we have laid out facts and details that are supportable by the record. This complaint is filed by a person who continues to adjust the narrative of their story. The validity of the new facts used in the newest version of the story appear not to be relevant because the narrative is what matters to the complainant. An example is that Montana Opticom does not have ANY forms online, so to say that they 'found the form online and sent it in' is simply untrue. The form was found in their email because we sent it to them when they asked for it. It was not returned as stated. IN fact the document that is attached to this BBB complaint that is used to show service was canceled in April of 2022 is signed by complainant and dated February 1, 2023.How could we have received such a document nearly a year before it was signed and dated? Answer: we could not, and we did not.

  For those who may read this as a review later on we will recap a few important items: When complainant contacted us in May of 2022 claiming to have canceled in April of 2022, we first asked how they would have sent their cancellation request to us. The response was via email. We searched all of our emails and were unable to find it, we then asked if they could resend the email that they claimed we were missing. To date they have never done that, instead they have changed the story 10 months later that no it was not emailed it was in fact **** mailed. One might ask if ones memory was better 2 weeks after one did something or nearly a year later? The reality is that they were not able to substantiate their claim, so the story had to change to fit the narrative that the complainant did something and Opticom failed to do something. Yet this is not the case here, so the story must keep changing to keep the narrative alive. While the complainant may have intended to return it, maybe even checked off the task on the to do list, the fact remains that it has not yet arrived at our office via the **** as is now newly claimed. If it was truthfully mailed we can only suggest opening a complaint with the ** Postmaster General. A link to their website to help find missing mail is: ****************************************** . We value our customers and we pride ourselves in our personal interactions with our customers. Therefor it stands to reason that we like to talk /communicate to our customers, contrary to the claims in this complaint.

  
  Lastly the complainant account was canceled in May of ************************* response to their every request, complaint, question, or communication whether from them directly or some agent. The 'harassing' that they refer to was our system mailing them their unpaid invoice. This does not raise to the level of harassing, but again why let reality and facts get in the way of a good story?

   

  Montana Opticom has worked tirelessly to try and work with this former customer. We have reached out and extended every courtesy and accommodation we could to this party. They simply are unwilling to accept the terms of the agreement they signed up for, and as such we now fear no response will satisfy them. From our vantage point we tried to work with them for nearly a year with no response or reply and thus no success.
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/11/2023

  Type:Billing 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.

  I canceled my subscription for standard internet service on December 1, 2022 with my final day of service being Dec 30, 2022 being a full 30 days (their requirements) prior to my planned completion of service. I removed my credit card autopay information so as not to be charged additionally beyond my service date. On January 1, 2023, I was charged $478.68 with no eplanation, after previously paying $52.99 a month for service for the previous three mounths, as well as an addition $137 for the initiation fees when i started the service October 1, 2022.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/06/2023

  It is not our habit to discuss customer proprietary information or billing specifics in a public forum. As such some of our response will be less detailed than we have previously shared with this customer.
  
  The contract this customer signed on 9/8/22 with ********************** provided a discounted monthly rate in exchange for a 1 year commitment to the service. Service was installed on 9/9/22. On December 1, 2022 **************** provided us notice to terminate his services contract, requesting as he stated a service end date of December 30. This request was acted upon as requested. However as services were terminated early the terms of his contract and the disconnect form he submitted clearly state that he is responsible for any early termination charges. His charges on his account were reviewed and are correct.
  
  The second issue that is apparent is that of the claim that he removed his autopay but was still charged, implying that he was charged without consent. Our autopay agreement is very clear on how to terminate it. One must actually remove it from their account online in the same manner one must add it to their account online. Our customer service reps are not permitted to deal with customer credit cards for compliance reasons, so the customer must take these steps. The auto pay was canceled by the customer, but it was canceled on 1/17/23 at 9:30 am, which was well after the charge on January 1. This was the only notice / request Opticom received to cancel his autopay card, and it as completed at the time of the request as requested
  
  Lastly the customer was not charged $137 for his installation fee. He was charged the standard install fee that was spelled out in his agreement for services, when added to the partial month fees for September the total was near $137, but a large portion of that was for services not install fees.
  
  It should also be noted that we have discussed this issue with the customer prior to his opening of this complaint at length, with many emails and phone calls. However as the final ticket entry from our CSR states in part:
  
  NAME REDACTED called wanting to discuss this account. I told her she was not an authorized user on this account and I was unable to discuss anything with her. She said CUSTOMER had been calling and not getting a response and I told her that was not true as I did speak with him earlier this week. I told her there was nothing I could do. She proceeded to say they were going to slander us and post how horrible this company is and is going to put my name out there saying how horrible we are and hung [up] as she was getting belligerent. They want us to lower the contract term since they were in a rental unit and other options were available.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/13/2022

  Type:Customer Service 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.

  I signed up for ISP service in July 2022, the agreement was 100 gb download speed. I called them frequently to report poor service and request technical support. I only received service in the 23 - 26 mb range and requested they lower my billed service. I tried to give them leeway because of staffing issues and constant change of customer service staff. When they opened their office I went in person and spoke with ********************* who said they would assess the account for the overpayment for lack of service and my time spent pursuing a correction. I'm being billed 105 a month and the lowest teir 50 mb serviceis **************************************************************************************************************************** addressing the overpayment as agreed

  Business Response

  Date: 12/27/2022

  The consumer signed up for a broadband service that provides up to 125M for $79.99/month in October, 2021.  There are additional charges for the consumer selected additional equipment rental, taxes and fees,and most recently in this case, late fees for unpaid balances. 
  
  While ************** has made a number of service calls, they initially pertained to her having problems with equipment she purchased that is not approved (or nor technologically compatible) with our network.  She has also claimed beginning in September 2022 to have tested low data speeds which when we test at the output of the ONT (the demarcation point) the test results are well within the standard range for the service she subscribed.
  
  As for Ms. ****** request for a refund, since she was disconnected due to non-payment, it would be more appropriate to request a credit.  Since we have provided the service to the demarcation point consistently throughout her service term, there is no support for a credit. 
  
  We have resigned ************** as a customer due to her abusive behavior towards our **************** Staff on more than one occasion.  We will not be issuing a credit, but will gladly waive early termination fees in order to terminate this relationship.
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/20/2023

  Looking at this information it is clear that I should have ended my service with Opticom much earlier. But their status as the recipient of such large grants to bring a fiber optics network to this area had a lot of weight in my decision. 
  
  I initially contacted Opticom for service in July of 2021 and had to repeatedly call and email their customer service for install. Their customer service said service would be installed in September and then on a later call informed me that there was a form they needed to send me before install. The installation taking until October was already a customer service issue including multiple reschedules of the installation date. I did not select additional equipment rental. I was informed by the initial customer service person that I would need to purchase specific equipment for installation, purchased the equipment they recommended, and on the date of installation was told by the technician that they would provide their unit at no cost until the equipment issue could be resolved. 
  
  I contacted Opticom two days after installation for my first report of slow speeds. Opticom has informed me that due to staffing issues they do not have complete records. My response is that inadequate tracking of customer issues is their challenge, not the customer's. I called them and emailed them through their website frequently with no response from the business. In September 2022 I objected to recieving an email from them that was not related to my continuing issues with their service. Their response was an apology and a promise to make changes to their processes. In November 2022 I was able to get into their office (limited office hours) and at this point returned their unit (receipt attached). This statement is false "While Ms. ***** has made a number of service calls, they initially pertained to her having problems with equipment she purchased" as they stated in their response, I was using and paying for their equipment until November 2022. I asked on November 17th in the office for a reduction in service because I was not receiving what I paid for, this was not my first request.
  
  When I was in their office, Dean N***** committed to have a technician to my location within the next week (after 11/17) to test the network and assess the time and excess payment for a credit. I requested that they bring back their unit so we could test the system as they set it up, my motivation was just having adequate service. I agreed to pay any balance if there was one after the testing and credit processing. 
  
  I have attached the image of a speed test that I sent to Opticom on 11/29, at this point they finally sent someone and performed the ONT test but not the troubleshooting of their installation as agreed. I was informed by customer service that they also had not pulled the records of my frequent requests for the credit assessment as agreed. I called the next day and was scheduled for the agreed troubleshooting and was scheduled for December 13th at 9 am. 
  
  On December 13th no one came for the service call, and I was not informed of the changes. I waited for two hours in case the technician arrived, called the service number with no response. So I went into their office and was yelled at by customer service. Tim, the technician who was supposed to come to do the testing came out of the back room and yelled at me, telling me I was no longer their customer.
  
  Calling a customer "abusive" is absurd and slanderous. Continuing to charge for a service after the business made this statement is a scam. As they stated, I was a customer for over a year and would not be subject to early termination according to their terms.
  
  "Refund" was an option on the form. A credit would be acceptable.