Looking to sue Optimum? Small claims court is an option, and you may have others…
Maybe you’ve tried all the Optimum customer service escalation options. Maybe you’ve even tried other ways to bring your Optimum complaint.
Either way, you might think you know how suing Optimum works. Especially if a bunch of people have the same problem, wouldn’t you find a lawyer and bring a class action suit against Optimum?
Well, that’s where an obscure term of company contracts comes in — it’s called consumer arbitration — and it’s incredibly common.
The first way to sue Optimum is through consumer arbitration. If your contract has an arbitration clause it gives you the right take legal action against Optimum through an officially-designated, independent dispute process that’s not a court and won’t require showing up in person. This can be a better option for a lot of regular people.
The second way to sue Optimum, if you have the time and dedication, is to use Small Claims Court. If you’re ready to sue Optimum in Small Claims Court, read on below:
Just because you are ready to sue Optimum internet doesn’t mean your small claims court will accept it. Each court is different. But they generally have the same two limitations.
The amount of money: Every court has a dollar limitation, usually a maximum and the minimum cap. For example, in Most states it’s $5,000 so if your claim is for more than that, it might not qualify.You can find a list of all 50 states’ monetary limits here.
The type of relief: In most situations you can ask the judge to give you one of two things. The first is called Equitable and this refers to physical things like property so if someone damages your car you might ask them to get the physical car parts for a new car. The other is monetary and that refers to a dollar amount. In most small claims court you can only ask for a dollar amount.
If your claim doesn’t fall within the limits of your state’s small claims court, you’ll have to arbitrate your claim instead.
Before you can sue Optimum internet in small claims court most small claims courts will require that you ask the company to fix the problem nicely.
This takes place in the form of a demand letter. The demand letter sounds official because it is but the contents don’t have to be very complicated. All you have to do is list your name, account number, contact information, and explain what the problem is and what you want them to do to fix it. If you’re very lucky they might reach out and fix it after receiving the simple notice.
When you’re done writing, you need to mail a hard copy of the letter, preferably as certified mail or some other service that allows you to confirm delivery. According to our most recent research, Optimum is legally based in Delaware and receives mail at this address:
CSC HOLDINGS, LLC
C/O CORPORATION SERVICE COMPANY
251 LITTLE FALLS DRIVE
WILMINGTON, DE 19808
If you would like examples of demand letters or more information about how to write them, you can find an excellent guide here.
If you aren’t so lucky as to receive a response after the demand letter, now is the time to sue Optimum internet in court. There are different court forms required by each state and sometimes separate forms by different counties. That is why you should look at your state court website to figure out what is required of you.
These documents should be available for free on the state court website but make sure you have enough copies. Most courts require 3 or 4.
With the right number of copies fully filled out now is the time to go to the courthouse. Check your state court website again because it will have specific information on which Courthouse to go to, and when.
You will have to pay a small claims court fee the amount of which should be posted on your state court website. Bear in mind that if the amount of money you are asking for is somewhat limited, maybe you just want them to refund a single overcharged, the state court fees might end up costing you more than what you are asking for in which case you may be better off with something like arbitration.
Before you move forward to sue Optimum you have to tell Altice USA that it’s been sued. This is a called “serving” Altice USA. To do this, you need to deliver a copy of your filed papers to Altice USA.Look at your court’s website for instructions on how to properly deliver your forms to Altice USA, or search for “[your state] small claims service of process”. If you don’t follow each and every rule your claim can be dropped.
When you fill out your court forms, the county clerk will officially accept them after reviewing them, stamp them, and give you back most of the copies. They will also assign you a court date. This is the date of your hearing and it’s when you present before the judge all of the official evidence you have.
Make sure you go to the right office, the right building, at the right time. Optimum internet may or may not send somebody to oppose you but in either case your job is to present to the judge and evidence you have to substantiate your claim.
Ready to sue Altice USA in small claims court for their Optimum or Suddenlink services?
If this sounds too hard and expensive, try consumer arbitration instead…
Get justice when a business lets you down:
FairShake’s Ultimate Guide to Consumer Complaints
Learn More
