Time Warner Cable's one-penny promotion backfires

Thanks to Jason Voorhees and Jennifer Aniston, Time Warner (NYSE: TWX) had a very successful weekend at the box office, as Steven Mallas pointed out earlier. It was a different story, however, for Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC), which quickly saw a nice offer unravel into a customer-service nightmare.

For Valentine's weekend, the company had offered its Southern California customers a so-called "1 Cent Love N' Movies Deal," featuring 40 movies on demand for a penny each. Titles included romantic favorites such as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Sixteen Candles, and Love Actually, along with some newer titles including Burn After Reading.

So what's the problem? According to the OC register, the promotion "attracted three times more viewers than the company anticipated," leading to movies that were unable to be watched. Angered customers can call customer service and receive a coupon good for one one-penny movie. But, as the register points out, the coupon will only be sent to those proactive enough to call in.

Additionally, this fiasco puts the promotion into the news, likely prompting Midwesterners and East-Coasters to wonder why they, too, weren't deemed worthy of such "special" treatment?

Beth Gaston Moon works for WeSeed.com. The above comments are not intended as trading or investment advice.