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3 Rivers Communications warns of door-to-door scammers

Posted at 12:47 PM, Jun 19, 2019
and last updated 2019-06-19 14:48:26-04

GREAT FALLS — 3 Rivers Communications, a telecommunications provider out of north-central Montana, warned its customers Wednesday morning to exercise caution if confronted by a door-to-door salesman claiming to represent the company.

“3 Rivers has not shared our customer list nor made an agreement with ANYONE to represent 3 Rivers in offering satellite TV as a replacement for 3RTV,” the company wrote on Facebook.

The post comes after 3 Rivers had received several calls from its customers saying they were “concerned” about television representatives knocking on doors and falsely claiming to be affiliated with the company.

3 Rivers Communications announced in mid-June it would stop providing services to roughly 15,000 customers by the end of October.

According to 3 Rivers, callers said the representatives allegedly explained they had been sent to assist customers with the transition from 3 Rivers services.

“This is not the case,” the post stated.

The TV service is set to expire on Oct. 31, 2019.

3 Rivers has received some calls from customers concerned about satellite TV representatives going door-to-door claiming…

Posted by 3 Rivers on Wednesday, June 19, 2019

 

(1st report) 

A telecommunications service provider in north-central Montana will stop providing television services to customers this fall.

3 Rivers Communications currently provides telephone, broadband internet, and TV services to 15,000 customers across the state.

However, on October 31, 2019, the company will stop TV services.

As of right now, only about 1,800 people use the TV services. The number has steadily declined over the years due to the change with TV streaming services available.

3 Rivers Communications has provided telephone services for 65 years, internet for 20 years, and TV for the past 10 years.

Marketing director Don Serido said, “With all the new streaming options available, that’s Netflix and Hulu and Amazon Prime, in addition to traditional satellite providers like Dish and DIRECTV, we just can’t really compete anymore.”

He added they do not offer ‘Video on Demand’ services, which drew many people away.

However, Serido said the TV service was not a core part of their business.

“We’re getting out of the TV business and we’re really going to focus on providing the best broadband we can to all of our cooperative members,” Don said. “That’s really what people want and need.”

He added that about 65 percent of their customers now are reached with fiber optic cables.

3 Rivers Communication will honor all discounts and bundle pricing until the TV services are discontinued.

There will also be no early termination fees should you end your service before your current agreement ends.