Can't he file a complaint with the FCC?
Yes but it will take a long time as they will reply on the 30th day after being served which is their deadline to respond and you can respond to the FCC but it will just be another 30 day response notice served.
And all they will try to do is get communications between you and the provider.... I tried it with Comcast before and this is exactly what the FCC said:
"The FCC’s informal complaint process provides consumers with an easy and informal way to raise issues with their providers.
The role of the FCC in the informal complaint process is to facilitate a conversation between the consumer and their provider to try to address the consumer’s issue.
In some instances, the consumer’s issue is not resolved to the consumer’s satisfaction once the informal complaint process has concluded. We regret that you were not satisfied with attempts by FCC staff to facilitate a dialogue between you and your provider to address your issue.
At this point, you might want to contact your provider directly to see if you and the provider can arrive at a resolution that is acceptable to you or pursue more formal legal options.
You also have the option to file a formal complaint with the FCC if your issue involves a violation of the Communications Act. Here is what to expect from the formal complaint process:
Formal complaint proceedings are like court proceedings.
The filing fee for filing a formal complaint is $540.00 but is subject to change.
You must comply with specific procedural rules, appear before the FCC, and file legal documents that address legal issues.
Attorneys almost always represent parties filing formal complaints, and legal fees, in addition to the $540.00 filing fee, can be substantial.
Complete information on how to file a formal complaint can be found in sections 1.720 through 1.740 of the FCC’s rules, located at 47 C.F.R. §§ 1.720 – 1.740 (see
Federal Register :: Request Access). Please review Section 1.718 of the Commission’s rules, 47 C.F.R. § 1.718, for additional information on applicable deadlines.
For a more detailed description of the formal complaint process, see
EB - Market Disputes Resolution Division"
All they will do is stop helping and tell you to talk to the provider and if not happy, either sue them which costs $$$ plus attorney fees and court costs or pay $540 to the FCC to file a formal complaint which is about the same as Cox billed him, not sure if they credited it or not. The $540 amount is as of October 2023 and is subject to change. So obviously the FCC does not work for free. The emails are free to the company executive's where you created written evidence and if that doesn't work, then you can go with the FCC route, but $540 would be worth it only if it was like a very big $ amount being disputed. And drafting the email which you can use for this and future issues with modifications is still easier than "I spent over ten hours with probably thirty to forty live agents at Cox to drop the service." since live agents have no real power, they work there, it's not a company with their names attached to it such as the case with Corporate Level Executives. He would have gotten better results with the customer loyalty department aka customer retention department. Just call the main number and keep responding with cancel on every prompt. Not sure about Cox but with Comcast, even though Live Chat agents are in India, you don't even talk about cancelling, just ask nicely and each agent might give you $20-$50 of credit even though it may take 30 minutes to talk to each one, you will still come out ahead. Same reason Comcast accidentally cancelled all my services during live chat which is really internet services, I got enough credits to pay for the next 6.5 months of 1.2Gbps Internet service after they added a new plan to the account which comes with free 24 months rental and unlimited bandwidth for 24 months.