Lakewood : Ordinance Meant to Protect Colony Cable Subscribers

The city’s 14,000 cable television subscribers will receive guarantees of prompt service from the cable operator--and credits on monthly bills for some service lapses--under a consumer protection ordinance expected to receive final City Council approval on Tuesday . It was tentatively okayed last month.

The measure, which is based on new state and federal regulations giving cities more authority to protect cable customers, would take effect 30 days after approval.

Key elements in the measure require Colony Cablevision of Lakewood to answer customer service telephones within four rings and transfer calls within 30 seconds; issue refund checks within 30 to 45 days when service is terminated; hook up homes for cable within seven business days after orders are placed; respond to service interruptions within three hours unless problems are reported after business hours, and permit customers to specify the time for in-home repair of basic cable equipment.

In addition, customers will be entitled to $10 credits if Colony misses service appointments or fails to make standard installations quickly. People canceling service also get an extra $10 if refund checks are late.

City and Colony officials said the company already voluntarily meets the service standards. The ordinance, which was developed by the cable company and the city in conjunction with the relocation of Colony’s Lakewood office to Cypress, is designed to protect customers in the event service declines.

Colony must meet requirements of the ordinance at least 90% of the time. Failure to comply could lead to revocation of its franchise or relocation of the service office to Lakewood.