DeKalb city plans meeting so people can complain about Comcast

Tucker has two problems with Comcast: numerous residents and businesses are reporting unreliable internet service, and the company owes the city more than $200,000.

To address the first, Tucker officials are planning a Feb. 28 “informational session” to give residents and business owners a chance to share their experiences with the provider.

“We’ve made a commitment to the people of this town to listen and to advocate for them,” Mayor Frank Auman said in a news release. “In this case, myself and our City Council have heard from too many small business owners that they are losing money because their internet service is disrupted for hours at a time.”

Comcast spokesman Alex Horwitz said in a statement that the company hasn’t seen a “significant” uptick in service calls in Tucker but looks forward to “working to resolve any outstanding issues.”

He also said the company is working to square the debt.

It owes $230,862.81 in franchise fees for operating in the city from March to December 2016, which was due at the end of January, according to the city.

“We are now told payment could be coming sometime next week,” city spokesman Matt Holmes told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Wednesday.

Horwitz said Comcast recently executed a new franchise agreement with Tucker and is working to see the fees paid “in a timely manner.”

As that issue is resolved, the city hopes the meeting will help with the resident and business complaints.

“Rather than being stuck on the phone all day with a customer service rep in another state or another country, we want to give the people of Tucker a chance to take their complaints right to the provider,” the mayor said.

The session will be at Tucker Recreation Center, located at 4898 Lavista Road, at 7 p.m. Representatives from Comcast are expected to attend.

If residents cannot make the event, they can submit their experiences to info@tuckerga.gov.