Terms of Service
SEPTEMBER 2020
The services that you receive from MCTV are subject to the terms identified in your Residential or Business Subscriber Agreement, service-specific Addenda, Acceptable Use Policy, this Terms of Service, and any other policies and practices published on the MCTV website. These agreements have been provided to you in your Welcome Kit and are available online at www.MCTVOhio.com/legal-notices.
BILLING & PAYMENT
We may request that you pre-pay the charges for your first month’s service. This, and any installation or equipment fees, and security deposits are payable at the time of installation.
Thereafter, monthly services are billed one month in advance and payment must be received on or before the bill’s due date. One-time charges, including On Demand or pay-per-view titles, international calling, directory assistance calls, will appear on the following month’s bill. Your itemized bill will show monthly recurring service charges; one-time charges including Video On Demand or pay-per-view purchases; taxes and fees; credits on your account and may also contain special billing messages. Taxes, fees and surcharges may include federal and state taxes and fees, state or local sales tax, regulatory fees and service-specific charges such as federal and state universal service funds (USF) and franchise fees. Monthly statements are sent to subscribers with a positive balance due only.
Payment in full for all billed charges must be received by the date indicated on your bill to avoid late fees or disconnection. Please report any billing errors immediately. Disputes to charges must be made within 30 days.
PAYING YOUR BILL
You may choose to receive your monthly statement through the mail or via email. You may sign up for eStatement at http://YourStatement.MCTVOhio.com.
You can pay your bill through the mail, online, in-person or over the phone. You may also set up automatic payments through your checking account or credit/debit card. For more information, visit us at www.MCTVOhio.com. To find your local phone number, visit www.MCTVOhio.com/contact.
Changes to your automatic payments require 30 days’ notice.
Semi-annual or annual billing is also available for residential customers only. Please contact us for additional details.
BILLING ERRORS
It is your responsibility to report billing errors immediately upon receipt of your bill. MCTV is not responsible for disputed service charges or errors not reported within 90 days of initial billing. Contact us immediately if you think there is a mistake on your bill. You will need to provide us with the following information: your name and account number; the dollar amount in dispute; and a description of the error and why you believe it is an error.
LATE FEES
A late fee will be added to balances not received by the due date shown on the bill. A 30-day grace period is extended to subscribers with a current balance only. Refer to www.MCTVOhio.com/rates for late fee amounts.
NON-PAYMENT POLICY
Pursuant to the Ohio Revised Code and MCTV policies, we provide at least ten days’ advanced notice prior to disconnection for non-payment. If any portion of your account is more than 45 days past due, your service may be disconnected at any time without further notice. We make a concerted effort to avoid disconnecting your account.
We attempt to alert subscribers when your account is past due in many ways including automated courtesy calls to the phone number on record or interrupting your web browsing with payment messages. At this point, all past due amounts are required to be paid in full to avoid disconnection.
If payment is not received after these alerts, we disable services remotely. Internet service will be disabled and set-top boxes will be disabled. If payment is still not received, a technician will be sent to your address and will attempt to collect the amount due before disconnecting the service outside. All services will be disconnected if the technician does not collect the full balance due. A reconnection fee must also be paid in order to restore service.
If service has been disconnected outside your home or business, you must call the office to make arrangements for reconnecting. Service will be reconnected only after the full balance due and a reconnecting fee are received. If applicable, you many also be required to pay a security deposit.
Refer to www.MCTVOhio.com/rates for reconnection fees.
MCTV Phone Customers. All services must be current to avoid disconnection, and non-payment of any portion of your MCTV statement for Internet, TV, and Phone services may result in disconnection of your Phone service. Disconnection may result in the loss of your phone number permanently.
CREDIT POLICY AND DEPOSITS
It is the policy of MCTV to approve all requests for service, regardless of payment experience or past history. MCTV will attempt to identify risk factors for every potential subscriber and will approve levels of service and set deposit requirements when risk is identified. We will seek to build relationships with subscribers to reduce or eliminate credit restrictions. We recognize that anyone can fall on hard times and therefore make every attempt to approve all service requests, regardless of payment history. We may verify your credit standing with credit reporting agencies in accordance with applicable laws and require a deposit based on your credit standing.
After six months of consecutive on-time payments, you may request that any deposits be credited to your account.
RETURNED CHECK POLICY
All checks returned for non-sufficient funds will incur a service charge. We will attempt to notify you via phone if your check was returned. We request you make arrangements to replace a returned check with a cash, money order or credit card payment. Otherwise, your services will be disconnected and a collection fee may be assessed.
CHANGES TO YOUR SERVICES
Charges or credits for a partial month will apply when service is cancelled or changed. If you add or drop a service, the change will be reflected in your next bill. Additional, one-time charges may be charged for requesting changes to your service. Only the account holder and designated others are allowed to make service changes. While you may make changes to your account at any time, excessive adding or dropping of services may result in additional service charges. Additionally, customers ordering and cancelling a service within a 30-day period may not receive a pro-rated fee for that service.
Refunds to active subscribers are credited to the account. Refunds to inactive subscribers are mailed or given in cash at the office. Cash refunds are given for amounts of $100 or less. Refund checks are prepared every month.
SERVICE INTERRUPTIONS AND CREDIT FOR LOSS OF SERVICE
The most common causes of service interruptions include power outages, electrical storms, high winds, severe weather or equipment failure. In some cases, unrelated factors, such as loss of signal at the origination point, cause cable system problems. Sometimes a reception problem is limited to a particular home or building, in which case you will need to contact us to restore service.
To receive credits or rebates for interruption of service, call Customer Service or send a written request. Upon a report by a subscriber of a video service interruption, we will credit the subscriber’s account pursuant to Ohio Revised Code Section 1332.26 and West Virginia Revised Code Section 24D-1-16.
CANCELLING YOUR SERVICES
You may call and disconnect your services at any time. However, you are responsible for payment of delivered services until your disconnection notice is given. Please give us 48 hours to process the request and stop billing. Equipment remains the property of MCTV and must be returned promptly. If equipment is not returned, you will be charged for a replacement. MCTV does not charge a disconnection or termination fee for any services.
MOVING OR RELOCATING SERVICES TO A NEW ADDRESS
Please notify us at least 14 days prior to your move so that we can arrange to transfer your service to your new home or office. When you do transfer your service, your first bill at your new location will include monthly service charges and any applicable deposits. Any previous credits and charges will also be transferred to your new account and are usually reflected on your second bill at the new address.
IDENTIFYING EMPLOYEES AND AGENTS OF MCTV
All MCTV employees will carry proper identification badges and/or wear uniforms.
CHECKING AND SAVING EMAIL MESSAGES
Users of MCTV’s email addresses (those ending with @sssnet.com, @bellaire.tv or cpcable.com) are allotted up to 50 MB of email storage on our servers. We recommend using a third-party email application to download and check your email. If you have important emails or email attachments, please download and save them.
EMERGENCY SERVICE
Emergency service technicians are available from 8AM to midnight every day of the year. They correct problems with your existing services or equipment provided by MCTV. Emergency technicians should not be asked to add or delete service, rearrange wiring, or add new equipment. Requests of this nature should be made by calling our office.
MAINTENANCE
MCTV is responsible for the maintenance and repair of all wire and equipment located outside your home or business. This includes trunk and distribution cable, taps, service drops, and ground blocks. MCTV is also responsible for the maintenance and repair of equipment we provide to you.
You are responsible for all other wiring and equipment inside your home or business. This includes (but is not limited to) wire, connectors, splitters, TVs, VCRs, DVD players, video game consoles, and any other active or passive electronic equipment connected to the Cable system.
If you believe the problem is outside your home or business, please contact us. Our technicians will check the signal level at the point where the service enters the premises. If the signal level is adequate, they will check the operation of our equipment inside the premises including set-top boxes and cable modems.
During office hours, your call will be answered by office personnel. After hours, your call will be recorded. Technicians check the recording regularly and will return your call. Please leave your name, address and phone number.
MCTV attempts to complete all service maintenance calls on the day they are received unless otherwise requested. If you are not available when our technician arrives, we will leave a card asking you to call the office and schedule another service call.
INSIDE WIRING
MCTV service personnel are qualified to install any type of service desired. We use high quality wire, connectors and equipment. However, you are allowed to install your own wiring inside your building.
You are also responsible for installing and maintaining wiring properly. MCTV will provide a signal to your home or office that meets FCC requirements for strength and quality. This level is adequate to operate multiple devices throughout an average home or office. Once the signal enters the premises, it is your responsibility to ensure quality. Amplification may be necessary depending upon the number and type of devices attached, type of wire and connectors, and quality of components used. Amplification equipment is your responsibility.
WIRING REGULATIONS
The following will inform you of the options regarding the wiring located within your home or office used to provide cable service. Wiring is the cable that runs from your TV set, computer or cable modem to a point approximately 12 inches outside the structure. It includes extra outlets, splitters, connections, fittings and wall plates attached to the wire but does not include terminal devices such as set-top boxes, modems, descramblers, security devices and other equipment.
Pursuant to FCC regulations, customers have the option to acquire the inside wiring within their home or office upon termination of cable service. However, prior to cable service termination, customers can remove, replace, rearrange, repair or maintain any cable wiring located within the interior space of the customer’s premises so long as those actions do not interfere with our ability to meet all FCC technical standards or to provide services to you or your neighbors. For example, you cannot attach any device or equipment to your inside wiring that may cause signal leakage or is in violation of government regulations. Furthermore, you cannot attach devices or equipment to the wiring which results in degradation of your signal quality or that of your neighbors.
If you have us remove, rearrange or maintain the inside wiring, you will be charged on a per-visit basis. In addition, we are not responsible for problems relating to the operation of customer-owned consumer electronic equipment such as TVs, VCRs, antennas, etc., which may be connected to the inside wiring. However, we are responsible for any problems that you may have with equipment you have leased from us, other than problems caused by tampering, neglect or abuse.
You also have the option to remove, repair, rearrange or maintain the inside wiring yourself or to hire a qualified third-party contractor to do the work for you. It is extremely important that these materials be properly installed in order to avoid signal leakage and to maintain signal quality that is in compliance with FCC technical regulations.
If you decide to install, replace or repair your own wiring or hire a third-party contractor, we will be more than happy to furnish at cost the necessary wiring and connectors that will meet required technical standards. We will also provide you with a list of the technical specifications for the equipment should you decide to purchase it elsewhere. Please note, however, that in the event of improper installation by anyone other than a MCTV employee or if the use of improper materials causes a signal degradation and/or signal leak, you may be held responsible for the cost of rectifying the problem. We may also be required under federal law to terminate your cable service until the problem is resolved.
UNDERGROUND CABLES
Call before you dig! Before digging anywhere on your property call 811 to have underground utilities marked. This will ensure utilities are properly marked so that you can dig without interrupting your cable services or other underground utilities.
CABLE SERVICE THEFT
Cable theft affects everybody. Unauthorized viewing or theft of cable is illegal under federal and state laws. To report unauthorized viewing, contact MCTV.
SIGNAL LEAKAGE
A Cable TV system is a “closed system.” Breaks in the wire can cause signal leakage. There are many causes of signal leakage. Among these causes are improper installation, substandard equipment, wire and connectors. The Federal Communications Commission requires cable TV operators to regularly check the entire system for leakage. We are responsible for minimizing signal leakage. If our tests show signal leakage at your home or office, we will contact you. You will be responsible for eliminating the leakage within a reasonable period of time. If the leakage is not corrected, we are required to discontinue your service until the problem is corrected. As with all aspects of inside wiring, you can fix it yourself, pay MCTV to fix the problem, or hire someone (such as an electrician) to make repairs.
