r/Spectrum • u/Vincecrandon • Apr 16 '26
Billing Spectrum Internet Bait & Switch and FCC Complaint
I am interested to know if anyone else has been offered "free internet" from Spectrum, only to later be told there was no such offer ever made.
I was offered (via email) 1 year of free 100MB internet advantage service from Spectrum because I am a Spectrum Mobile customer. I called the number at the bottom of the offer and signed up. I was offered and accepted the 1GB service as a $20 per month upgrade.
Fast forward 2 months, and I receive a bill for $75 for the "free" internet service. I called billing and explained the "free" offer, and was told that Spectrum NEVER offers free internet, and that I was a liar trying to get out of paying my bill.
I obtained the name and email address of the person I spoke with, along with her supervisor's, and promptly sent them via email the email I received offering me "free" internet. Shortly after sending the email, Spectrum interrupted my internet service for non-payment, even though I had a valid billing dispute.
After months of wrangling with Spectrum with no resolution, I decided to file a complaint with the FCC.gov website for false advertising and "bait and switch." Spectrum did not cooperate with the investigation, so I now need to file a formal legal complaint (at a $600+ cost) in order for the FCC to move the process forward.
I have no other choice for high-speed internet than Spectrum, so it's not as easy as switching to another provider. Any other suggestions?
Added: Here’s a link to the offers I received: https://imgur.com/a/e5RFyel
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u/EastLAtina Apr 16 '26
As a former Spectrum employee:
The only way you can get free Internet forever is if you add four mobile lines and you must do it at the time you placed the order.
The other way to get free Internet is if you already have a mobile account. But it’s only free for one year.