Charter / Spectrum

Reasons to avoid

1. Paid a record $174.2 million to settle a New York AG fraud lawsuit alleging it promised internet speeds it knew it couldn't deliver, defrauding over 700,000 subscribers — the largest-ever consumer payout by an ISP in U.S. history at the time.New York Attorney General2019-03-19
2. A Texas jury awarded $7.37 billion in damages after a Spectrum technician robbed and murdered an 83-year-old customer in her home. Jurors found Charter guilty of systemic safety failures and using forged documents to block the lawsuit.PR Newswire2022-07-26
3. Faces class action lawsuits for disguising price increases as a "Broadcast TV Surcharge" — a fee engineered to look like a government-mandated charge when it is actually a discretionary corporate markup.Top Class Actions2025-08-15
4. Accused of bait-and-switch pricing by raising rates during promotional "fixed-price" periods, breaking explicit promises to customers who signed one- and two-year contracts.Top Class Actions2026-03-24
5. Repeatedly raised prices while losing hundreds of thousands of customers, including hiking its low-income Spectrum Internet Assist plan by 25% and raising the Broadcast TV Surcharge to $25.75/month in early 2024.The Street2024-04-28