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Charter Communications (Spectrum) Reviews & Complaints

Charter Communications, Inc., based in Stamford, Connecticut, sells cable TV, internet, home phone and mobile service under the Spectrum brand. On August 20, 2026 it completed its combination with Cox Communications and its merger with Liberty Broadband; Spectrum service is now available in 45 states, and Charter plans to rename the parent company Cox Communications within a year while keeping the Spectrum brand. Its current shape dates to May 2016, when it took over Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks. Government cases have targeted its speed advertising, 911 outage reporting and buyback accounting controls: New York's Attorney General obtained a $174.2 million settlement in 2018 and three California district attorneys an $18.8 million settlement in 2020, both over internet speeds the company advertised but allegedly could not deliver; the FCC settled outage- and 911-reporting violations for $15 million in 2024; and the SEC imposed a $25 million penalty in 2023 over stock-buyback controls. In May 2026 a hacking group published data it had taken from Charter; Charter said no sensitive personal information or customer proprietary network information was exfiltrated.

REVIEWS & COMPLAINTS453on USAComplaints · 3 in last 3 yrs
WEBSITEspectrum.com
HEADQUARTERSStamford, CT
PROFILE CHECKED2026-11-06
Submit a Complaint Read reviews & complaints ↓ Official website ↗

Contacts

PhoneAddress

Corporate & press

Reference numbers (not support lines)

  • Listed by BBBPhone listed on the BBB profile for Charter Spectrum(855) 707-7328

Other contacts

VERIFIED

Locations

  • Headquarters400 Washington Blvd. Stamford CT 06902
EDITORIAL

Company Information

BBB

Legal name
Charter Communications, Inc.
Founded
1993
Business type
Cable television, broadband internet, and mobile telecommunications provider
Website
spectrum.comSource: Charter corporate site, checked 2026-11-02
Headquarters
Stamford, CTSource: Charter annual report on SEC Form 10-K for 2025, checked 2026-11-02

Charter Communications, Inc. (Spectrum) is a cable television, broadband internet and mobile telecommunications provider founded in 1993. The largest consumer case against Charter is New York's: the state Attorney General sued in 2017 over internet speeds that the Spectrum unit, formerly Time Warner Cable, advertised but allegedly could not deliver, and Charter settled in December 2018 for $174.2 million, including $62.5 million in direct refunds to more than 700,000 New York subscribers. District attorneys in Los Angeles, Riverside and San Diego counties brought similar claims over Time Warner Cable's speed advertising and outdated modems; that case settled for $18.8 million in February 2020, mostly as bill credits to more than 170,000 California customers, without an admission of liability. In both cases Charter said the conduct took place under Time Warner Cable, before its 2016 acquisition.

In July 2024 Charter admitted under an FCC consent decree that it had failed to notify more than 1,000 emergency call centers in time about a February 2023 outage affecting 911 service, which followed a denial-of-service attack and lasted under four hours, and that it had missed reporting deadlines for that outage, two later outages and hundreds of planned-maintenance outages. Charter attributed the missed notices to a clerical error; it paid a $15 million civil penalty and accepted a compliance plan. In November 2023 the SEC fined Charter $25 million over internal controls on its stock buybacks, a corporate accounting matter unrelated to customer accounts; Charter neither admitted nor denied the findings.

A negligence suit followed the December 2019 murder of 83-year-old customer Betty Thomas in Irving, Texas, by an off-duty Spectrum technician who had earlier visited her home on a service call. Her family alleged that Charter failed to screen and supervise him; Charter said responsibility rested solely with the technician. In 2022 a Dallas County jury found Charter 90% responsible and awarded more than $7 billion; after the judgment was reduced, first to about $1.1 billion and then to $262 million, Charter settled in 2023 for an undisclosed lower amount within its insurance coverage, and the case was dismissed.

The BBB profile for Charter Spectrum, which covers the Stamford headquarters and corporate-owned locations, gives the company an A+ rating; Charter is not BBB accredited. BBB lists 12,642 complaints filed in the last 3 years, 3,139 of them in the last 12 months.

EXTERNAL SOURCE

Independent Sources

Shown for context — not merged with USAComplaints' own numbers.

BBBCharter Spectrum, Stamford, CT
5,138 reviews · 12,642 complaints · BBB business grade A+
EDITORIAL

Complaint Themes

Slow internet and cable outagesCustomer service, missed appointments and technician visitsBilling errors, double charges and promotions not honoredService cut off despite payments or payment arrangements

Themes summarize what people write about most often. One complaint can touch several themes, and some complaints (a positive report, or one later retracted by its author) fit none, so themes are not a count of complaints.

CONSUMER ALLEGATION

Reviews & Complaints on USAComplaints

453 complaints on USAComplaints, including 3 published in the last three years.

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PUBLIC RECORD

Court & Public Records

People of the State of New York v. Charter Communications, Inc., et al.

Settled

Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of New YorkDocket 450318/2017Source ↗

SettledNew York's Attorney General sued in February 2017, alleging that Charter's Spectrum unit, formerly Time Warner Cable, promised internet speeds and reliability it could not deliver and gave customers outdated modems. A state judge rejected Charter's argument that federal law preempted the suit. The settlement announced on December 18, 2018 totals $174.2 million, which the Attorney General called a record: $62.5 million in direct refunds of $75 to $150 to more than 700,000 active subscribers, which the office described as the largest payout to consumers by an internet provider in U.S. history, plus free streaming and premium-channel offers valued at over $100 million for about 2.2 million subscribers, and new rules on how Charter describes and tests its speeds. Charter said the conduct occurred under Time Warner Cable before its acquisition.

District Attorneys of Los Angeles, San Diego, and Riverside Counties v. Time Warner Cable / Charter Communications

Settled

Los Angeles County Superior CourtSource ↗

SettledThe district attorneys of Los Angeles, Riverside and San Diego counties sued under California's unfair-competition law, alleging that from 2013 Time Warner Cable advertised internet speeds it could not deliver and gave customers outdated modems unable to reach the speeds they paid for. A Los Angeles Superior Court judge approved an $18.8 million settlement on February 14, 2020: about $16.9 million in bill credits or free service for more than 170,000 California customers, with $90 or $180 credits for those given outdated modems, and $1.9 million to the three prosecuting offices for investigation costs. The company may not advertise speeds it knows or should know it cannot consistently deliver at peak hours and must supply equipment able to deliver the advertised speed. Charter did not admit liability and said the practices predated its 2016 purchase of Time Warner Cable.

Goff, et al. v. Charter Communications, LLC (Estate of Betty Jo McClain Thomas)

Settled

County Court at Law No. 5, Dallas County, TexasDocket CC-20-01579-ESource ↗

SettledIn December 2019 Roy Holden Jr., a Spectrum technician who was off duty at the time, robbed and fatally stabbed 83-year-old customer Betty Thomas in her Irving, Texas home after an earlier service visit; he pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to life in prison in 2021. Her family sued Charter Communications, LLC in March 2020, alleging the company failed to screen and supervise him properly. In July 2022 a Dallas County jury found Charter 90% responsible and awarded $375 million in compensatory and $7 billion in punitive damages. Charter said responsibility for the murder rested solely with Holden, who was not on duty, and said it would appeal. In 2022 the trial judge signed a reduced judgment of about $1.1 billion, and Charter posted a $25 million bond pending appeal. On January 18, 2023 plaintiffs filed a remittitur cutting the judgment to $262 million, $87 million actual and $175 million punitive. Charter then settled for an undisclosed amount that it described as substantially less than the reduced judgment and within its insurance coverage; the settlement was paid and the case was dismissed on June 22, 2023.

In the Matter of Charter Communications, Inc., FCC consent decree on 911 and outage reporting

Settled

Federal Communications Commission Enforcement BureauSource ↗

SettledUnder a consent decree entered on July 29, 2024, Charter admitted that it failed to notify more than 1,000 emergency call centers in time about a February 19, 2023 outage affecting 911 service, filed the required FCC outage report late, missed reporting deadlines for outages on March 31 and April 26, 2023, and did not report hundreds of planned-maintenance outages as FCC rules require. According to the decree, the February outage followed a minor denial-of-service attack, hit about 400,000 residential and business internet phone (VoIP) customers in parts of 41 states and the District of Columbia and was fixed in under four hours; Charter attributed the missed call-center notices to a clerical error with an email notification and the unreported maintenance outages to a misunderstanding of the rules. Charter agreed to pay a $15 million civil penalty and to follow a compliance plan that includes cybersecurity measures for its 911-related network, such as network segmentation and vulnerability management.

In the Matter of Charter Communications, Inc., SEC cease-and-desist order on stock-buyback controls

Settled

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, administrative proceedingSource ↗

SettledThe SEC found that from 2017 to 2021 nine of Charter's Rule 10b5-1 stock-buyback plans contained so-called accordion provisions that let the company change the amount and timing of repurchases after the plans took effect, so the buybacks were not executed in line with the board's authorizations, a failure of internal accounting controls. Without admitting or denying the findings, Charter agreed to a cease-and-desist order and a $25 million civil penalty. The matter concerns corporate accounting controls, not customer service or billing.
EDITORIAL

Corporate background

Charter Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq: CHTR) is headquartered at 400 Washington Blvd., Stamford, Connecticut, and sells internet, cable TV, home phone and mobile service to homes and businesses under the Spectrum brand. On May 18, 2016 it completed its merger with Time Warner Cable and its acquisition of Bright House Networks, and the products of all three were brought under the Spectrum name. Christopher L. Winfrey, who joined Charter as Chief Financial Officer in 2010 and became Chief Operating Officer in 2021, has been President and CEO since December 1, 2022.

For full-year 2025 Charter reported $54.8 billion in revenue, 29.7 million internet customers and 11.8 million mobile lines, with Spectrum service available in 41 states. On August 20, 2026 it completed its combination with Cox Communications and, at the same time, its all-stock merger with Liberty Broadband. Cox Enterprises now owns about 26% of the combined company's fully diluted shares, and in the Liberty Broadband merger each Liberty Broadband common share was converted into the right to receive 0.236 of a share of Charter Class A common stock, and Alex Taylor of Cox Enterprises became Chairman, while Winfrey remains President and CEO. Spectrum services are now available to more than 70 million homes and businesses in 45 states. The company remains headquartered in Stamford, plans to rename the parent company Cox Communications within a year, and will keep operating as Spectrum in all markets, including former Cox areas.

VERIFIED

Company Relationships

  • Affiliated withCox Enterprises
EDITORIAL

2026 data breach

In May 2026 the extortion group ShinyHunters listed Charter on its leak site, claimed to hold more than 42 million records and later published the data. Charter confirmed it was investigating a cybersecurity incident and said that no sensitive personal information and no customer proprietary network information (CPNI), the account and calling data that federal law protects, was taken.

More detailShow less

The breach-notification service Have I Been Pwned lists about 4.9 million unique email addresses in the published data, together with names, phone numbers and postal addresses; about 85,000 records came from an internal employee directory. The attackers say they got in by phoning an employee and taking over the employee's account; Charter has not publicly confirmed how the intrusion happened.

You can check whether your email address appears in the published data by searching it at haveibeenpwned.com. Customers whose contact details were exposed should expect targeted phishing. Treat unexpected calls, texts or emails that ask for a Spectrum password, a one-time code or a payment with suspicion, and contact Spectrum only through the number on your bill or the official app.

More detailShow less

If you suspect your identity has been misused, IdentityTheft.gov, run by the Federal Trade Commission, gives a step-by-step recovery plan.

EDITORIAL

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Spectrum the same company as Charter Communications?

Spectrum is the brand under which Charter Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq: CHTR) sells internet, TV, phone and mobile service to homes and businesses. Former Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks customers moved to Spectrum after Charter took over both companies in May 2016, and former Cox Communications areas are moving to Spectrum after the August 2026 Cox transaction. Charter plans to rename the parent company Cox Communications within a year of that closing; the Spectrum brand stays.

Has Charter been sued over Spectrum internet speeds?

Two government cases over advertised speeds ended in settlements. New York's Attorney General sued in 2017 and announced a $174.2 million settlement in December 2018, including $62.5 million in refunds to more than 700,000 subscribers. The district attorneys of Los Angeles, Riverside and San Diego counties settled their case for $18.8 million in February 2020, mostly as bill credits to more than 170,000 California customers; Charter did not admit liability. Charter said both cases concerned Time Warner Cable's advertising before it acquired that company in 2016.

How can I escalate a Spectrum billing or service complaint?

Start with Spectrum itself, by phone, chat or the My Spectrum app, and write down the date, the agent's name and any ticket or reference number. If that does not resolve it, file a free complaint with the Federal Communications Commission at consumercomplaints.fcc.gov, which covers internet, TV and phone problems; the FCC forwards it to the provider, which must answer you in writing within 30 days. For cable TV issues you can also contact your local cable franchising authority, whose name, address and phone number federal rules generally require on monthly cable bills, and your state attorney general's consumer protection office; for home phone service, your state public utility commission may also accept complaints. A charge you believe is wrong on a credit card can be disputed in writing with the card issuer within 60 days after the statement showing it was sent, under the Fair Credit Billing Act. If the payment was taken from a bank account by debit card or automatic payment, report the error to your bank promptly; under the federal Electronic Fund Transfer Act you generally have 60 days after the statement showing it. Deceptive sales or billing practices can also be reported to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to the BBB.
Sources (2)

Public records

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