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The Crazy Comcass Cablecard Clusterbeep |
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REFERENCES
Woman
suing Comcass for being forced to pay set-top box rent, inability to own her
own |
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How do I hate thee,
Comcass? Let me count the days… I get update requests from a number of people as
this saga rolls along, but they soon regret asking when they discover that I
just don’t shut up. I figured I’d
stick this here, instead. A long read,
but at least you can come back to it whenever you want or just plain walk
away with no explanation. Heh. This is the email feedback I just submitted to
“Rick Germano” (Senior VP of Customer Operations),
as invited to do so at their Customer Care Improvements site. Word has it that they do actually respond
and take action fairly quickly: ************************************************************************************************ Customer #: 01603 415284-02-6 Tivo + Cablecard + Comcast = Disaster This is a very long story, so I'll try to keep
it as short as possible. The ordeal
has gone on for about a month now.
I've kept track throughout.
Without exaggeration, you are the 27th (+/-1)Comcast employee or
contractor I have either communicated with directly or who has touched my
case - including Supervisors, a Regional Supervisor (supposedly), a few Tech
Supervisors, CSRs, and Dispatch personnel.
It started with service mix ups, then supposed technical limitations,
and now supposed technical impossibilities.
I had Limited Basic service before this all started. A timeline: **I read on the Comcast site that HD (local
channels) was available on Limited Basic **Called to verify. Was told "yes" 3 times. I educated the CSR on what cablecards are
and that they do indeed service HD (the Tivo HD is a digital dual-tuner that
uses cablecards). Explained that I had
a Tivo HD and that it was the reason I needed cablecards. **Installation Tech arrived with a stack of MS
(multi-stream) cablecards and he mentioned right away that MS cards don't
work with the Tivo but that we'd try.
He tried for 2 hours. When he
called to schedule SS (single-stream) cards for next day, they said that
wasn't the problem. They explained
that I was reading the site incorrectly and that HD wasn't available on LB
(Limited Basic). I was livid. **I called the next night. The CSR said they didn't know why the
former person said such and that HD was indeed available for LB. He pulled in a TSR to verify that the Tivo
shouldn't be a problem. He said it
shouldn't and that he'd never heard of any problems with them. I was scheduled for another visit. **I realized the next day that the visit was
scheduled for a week later,
even though this was Comcast's blunder.
I called and the CSR and Supervisor said that it was impossible for
them to contact Dispatch/installers directly and that there was no way to
schedule sooner. Supervisor said he'd
send them an email. He gave me a $20
credit. **A week later, the Installation Tech called
hours before the appointment (4pm - 7pm) to inform me that his visit would be
pointless because HD wasn't available on LB.
I was livid. I'm a technical
person. I demanded a technical
explanation. He said it was because of
the Tivo. The line trap on the pole
has to limit so many channels for LB that it weakens the signal to the point
that the Tivo/cablecard can't use it.
He then explained that it *does* work with SB (Standard Basic),
because the signal is stronger. He
also said all he had was MS cards.
Mind blown, I agreed to cancel his visit. **After calming down an hour later, hours
before the previously scheduled visit, I called 1-800-COMCAST and explained
the situation to the CSR. I was on
hold for 10 minutes (which was fine) while he confered
with his Supervisor, a Tech Supervisor, and supposedly a Regional
Supervisor. He explained that the
Installation Tech was correct and that the problem only existed in Clarks
Summit, PA, my town. Said maybe it's
the hills... Way back at the first
call, after verifying I could get the service and after waiting years to
justify getting it, I finally treated myself to $2000 worth of HD
equipment. I had to relent to the SB
service. The CSR finally gave me a
typically intro package ($40/month for 6 months). He said the Installation Tech couldn't come
to our previous appointment. I had him
check. It hadn't been cancelled yet.
He said it wouldn't be and that he'd come. He didn't come. **I called after the Installation Tech didn't
show. The CSR said there was no record
of an appointment. There was also no
record of the $40 starter package. I
was livid. We scheduled an appointment
5 days out. He gave me a $20 credit
and supposedly submitted a complaint ticket to have the previous call
reviewed. He also brought up the fact
that the previous CSR didn't mention the HD would be an additional $10/mo,
making it now $50/mo. He said he'd
personally track the progress, inform the assigned Installation Tech to have
the proper equipment for a Tivo setup, and would call that day to make sure
all went well. **The Installation Tech showed up with 1 SS
card and a stack of MS cards. He
couldn't get the SS card to work. The
MS card *did* pull service, but it was analog, no HD, and all of the channels
above the locals (FOX was CN8, actually) were the wrong numbers. He scheduled a visit for more cards,
believing them to be faulty. **The (IT) Installation Tech had all MS
cards. Throughout all of these visits, it was explained that SS cards were rare, that
they didn't have many, and that no more were being made. (1 IT said cablecards are being phased out
altogether. Another further along this
timeline said that only SS were being phased out, but that he had a whole
stack of them.) He tried and the
channels were still mixed up. He
called another IT, who came to my house.
He had no idea, either. They
called a 3rd person, who came to my house.
He immediately said it was Tivo's problem and I'd have to work with
them. The first IT disagreed and
called Dispatch. I called Tivo, who
said it was on Comcast's side. The
first IT said he spoke with a Tech Supervisor at home, that the problem was
definitely on Comcast's side (channel mapping)and
that the Super tried to get 2 Engineers with no response. The first IT said the Tech Supervisor would
call me the next day and that the Engineers would be working on it. He also said the reason HD wasn't working
was because I had an old RG-59 cable run, which didn't have enough bandwidth
for the HD signal, and that it wouldn't work until I paid Comcast to come run
RG-6 (through walls and ceiling) **The Tech Supervisor never called. I called.
No one was aware of the situation.
No Tech Supervisor. No
Engineers were working on my issue. No
notes in my running case. I asked for
and spoke with a Tech Supervisor. He
was very accommodating. He explained
the technical aspects of the situation and scheduled a visit for the next
day, stating that Tivo + cablecard was difficult, that the ITs weren't
trained for 3rd party devices, and that set-top boxes worked perfectly well
with the Tivo HD. He made sure the IT
would have SS cards, a set-top box, and extra RG-6 cable to test the RG-59
claim. **The IT showed and had all of the promised
equipment. The MS cards still got
mixed channels. The SS cards tried to
update their firmware, but failed with errors that the Tivo didn't have the
needed data. He tried different
combinations and approaches to no avail.
We were going to do a temp RG-6 run to see what happened, but found
that what the former IT had said was RG-59 was actually RG-6. He tried the set-top box, which worked
(even with the last 6' being extended with RG-59), channels where they should
be and HD was available. He was
anxious to leave. I had him leave a SS
card, a MS card, and a set-top box. He
said he had to go back to a previous Tivo visit, where the SS card had been
upgrading for 24 hours. **Reading the Tivo HD manual, it said
expressly that it will not work with an external tuner, contrary to what the
Tech Supervisor told me. I looked at
the SS card a little deeper. In the
screen I urged the IT to check, but which he didn't, it said clearly that no
OOB (Out Of Band) connection had been established (the data channel across
the coax cable directly to Comcast).
Without that connection, there would be no way for the SS card to get
the firmware with which to upgrade. We
now know why the other customer's card was "upgrading" more than 24
hours. The IT said I'd either have to
live with mixed up channels through the Tivo and no HD, which is utterly
pointless, given the entire reason for owning a Tivo and the reason this all
started, or that I would have to go with the Comcast DVR if I wanted to
record shows. He said HD wouldn't work
till the mapping problem was fixed, which he felt it never would be. Before anyone mentions it, I don't care
about On-Demand and don't want to have wasted $200+ on a new Tivo HD. **And here I sit. I apologize. My recounting ended up long anyway. But, I have been and am reading all over
the internet about both horror stories with Comcast + Tivo/cablecard and
success stories, some without a hitch.
(There is a 198 page thread at tivocommunity.com about Comcast + Tivo
HD + Cablecards, and there is comcastmustdie.com, of course) The thing is that I haven't read a single
case where they couldn't make it work in the end. We have the cards pulling channels through
the Tivo. The channel mapping is all
wrong. If all the head-end needs to do
is tell the cablecard which numbers coincide with which channels, I don't see
why this is so difficult to fix. Maybe
it's because there is a generic map, since set-top boxes used to be the only
tuners. Why not a map for cablecards
or Tivos that is formatted to work with them?
I mentioned switched digital and that maybe I needed an adapter. He said there was no switched digital in my
area. He also said that Comcast wasn't
using line traps at all anymore (see line traps used as the explanation for
the problem, toward the beginning of this letter) In that 198 page thread at tivocommunit.com
(http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=316310&page=198),
you'll find another customer in Dunmore, PA with exactly the same
problem. In fact, he's the 24 hour SS
card upgrade whom the one IT mentioned. I was told in the beginning, with Comcast's
knowledge of my using a Tivo HD and needing cablecards, that I could have the
local channel HD addition on my Limited Basic service. I bought $2000 worth of HD equipment based
on that verification, $1500 of which cannot be refunded. I've been bounced all over the place for a month. More now, I believe. Fix this, please. Don't tell me it can't be. There has to be someone who knows how or
who can figure it out. I realize that
I'm a barely noticeable minority with my tiny LB package and that I'm in an
even smaller minority with the Tivo HD.
It's no excuse to dismiss me or others who are having these
problems. We're customers, just the
same as those who have your most expensive packages. Your site says customer service and
satisfaction is your number 1 priority.
Please prove it to be true. It's a gigantic problem. Thank you for reading this gigantic email. I will be posting this at comcastmustdie.com
as well and sending a paper copy to Corporate in the hope that someone will
hear me. ************************************************************************************************ [12/26/08]
Well I’ll be. I got a call the
next day. Christmas Eve, no less. The guy was actually called in to the
office to head to my house, which he asked if he could do in 30
minutes. Apparently, he sets up Tivos
all the time, successfully. And he’s
dealt with a number of channel mapping problems, though admittedly only for
on-demand mix-ups. He was great – knew
his stuff very well, listened to every single word I had to say, and tried
some simple, but very effective tests that the rest hadn’t even thought
of. You’ll guess by now, I’m sure, that he wasn’t able to fix it. But I’m ok with it for right now. It was the first time he’d ever seen
anything like my situation (SS cards unable to upgrade firmware, seemingly
because of no data connection) and he shared my bafflement as to why the head
end people seem to be incapable of fixing the mapping issue. He gave me his personal cell number, said
he’d report exactly what we were seeing (others hadn’t), and assured me that
I’d receive a call from his Supervisor with a status/game plan before the
weekend was out. Then, he raised his
brows, chuckled, and said: “You really got their attention. That email caused quite a buzz. It’s a problem people have known about for
awhile, but now management is aware.
This is going to get fixed.” I
got a call from a woman (assistant?) today (12/26), to assure me that things
are still rolling and that a Tech Supervisor will be calling me Sunday, to
arrange for him to visit. I told her
that this has obviously been a debacle, but that it’s good to know that
someone is finally paying attention.
Till then… (This is turning into a blog. Heh.
Maybe I should move it to one) ************************************************************************************************ [12/26/08]
Blimey. They got the other
person I mentioned from this area working.
They acquired a couple SS cards that were verified to be working
before visiting his house. And then
the tech told him they didn’t think there were any more of these magical
cards in the area and that they had no plans to order any more SS cards, as
far as he knew. Also, the problem with
the mapping is that the MS cards are programmed with the wrong one. This is going to get interesting… ************************************************************************************************ [12/28/08]
I guess I’ll start dating these, since it appears it’s going to
continue… Though not much longer. If I’m going to be forced to ditch my Tivo
HD, pay almost 4 times more
than I intended for service, and use a provider’s DVR, it’s not going to be
Comcass’… I came home a day early from Christmas at my
in-laws’ to be here for the Sunday Tech Supervisor call/visit. No call.
No visit. Can’t wait to call
and speak with Comcass representative #29 tomorrow. (I’m not including the woman who called
12/26. Just a messenger.) Guess that will lead me to Comcass representative
#30 when the CSR hands my call off. I
didn’t call today because I’ve run into the “It’s
Sunday. Blah blah
isn’t in till tomorrow.” thing a number of times already. Check out the link about the woman suing
Comcass for the lack of alternatives to renting their set-top box. The FCC mandated years ago that cable
providers were required to make available and support cablecards, to give consumers freedom of choice in
the devices they planned to own and use.
TVs were (some still are) made with cablecard slots. Devices like the Tivo HD were designed
specifically to use the cablecards that cable providers are required to
provide with service, if requested.
Instead, at least in the case of Comcass, I’ve been reminded
repeatedly that I won’t get on-demand or their channel guide without their
box (which I don’t care about at all) and the cablecard support has been half-hearted,
at best. Unfortunately, that
combination ends up with Johnny Common Guy relenting and crawling under this
freaking company’s foot, exactly as planned. ************************************************************************************************ [12/29/08]
I called. The CSR said she had
no direct route to get me in touch with Tech.
All she could do is make a ticket and send it over, noting that I was
supposed to have gotten a call. When I
told her to dig a little deeper, she did
find a note about the weekend. She says:
“Oh. You had work on the weekend.” Said: “Nope.” She then sees that the work was supposedly
supposed to have been done on their side and says, as if it as perfectly
logical, that it’s the reason they never called me. She wanted me to check, but I was at
work. She said she was sure I would be
working now. Home. Test.
Not working, shockingly. ************************************************************************************************ [12/30/08] Being friendly, I waited all day for the
call. No call. I call.
The CSR was extremely nice and genuinely wanted to help. Ultimately, she was as powerless as the CSR
from the previous day. She suggested
we get a Supervisor, since they might have a little more pull in getting the
message over to Tech. Same lack of
power. But, he said he’d also send an
email. I gave him the name of the Tech
Supervisor that the last IT had given me, so that he could ATTN it. ************************************************************************************************ [12/31/08]
Got the call. He said the IT
had told him I was technical, so he gave me an explanation. One of the ITs back awhile said they’d
supposedly ripped a card out of a cable box (cable boxes actually use cablecards
as well, the same cards that are provided to customers) and that it didn’t
work. In speaking with the last IT,
the good one, I said that didn’t make sense and he agreed. I also questioned why if these Tivos couldn’t
properly upgrade the cards, why not format them before even heading out? There had to be a way. He agreed again. It turns out after that discussion that
they went right back and tried tearing a box open again. Tada!
It worked! Turns out the cards
they were trying to put in people’s Tivos were an older revision and programmed
incorrectly for this area. He said new
cards were on order, that they hoped they would arrive as early as Friday,
and that it looked like they were going to be able to be able to fix everyone and that they had
begun planning to do so! Like whoa!
Heh. He gave me his office
number, as well as his personal cell. [01/07/09]
Called to see how things were coming along. They hadn’t gotten the cards yet, but he
said he had my name and number written right there on his desk, to call me as
soon as something happened. He said when
this was all done he’d buy me a beer, because we both needed one. Not wanting to be charged for it, I packed up
the cable box they left for me (which hadn’t been connected to anything for
weeks) and took it to their store at the mall. Pretty funny, actually. Last I’d been there, years ago, it was an
attractive little niche with TVs on the walls and a small bar height counter
for doing business. One employee. Now, it was a full small storefront, a
service counter spanning the back, manned by 3 women sitting behind what
looked like the bulletproof glass you see at check cashing places. There were waiting chairs and those tethers
that are used to control lines. Hmm. Wonder why they need so much capacity? Heh.
There was indeed a line, with all 3 windows occupied by obviously pissed
off customers. One was going to town. All the people in line ahead of me were
pissed, as well, complaining when they got to the window. I ended up next to the one who was still going
to town. When there was a break, I
told them if they had an email, I could show them how to definitely get
something done. They looked at me like
I just said I eat babies… I returned
the box and verified that the charge was taken off. It was 15-freaking-dollars a month,
apparently – something no one had even mentioned throughout this whole
ordeal. Leaving, she mentioned that I
had 2 boxes on my account and that she had removed that one. It didn’t really register, assuming she was
talking about the card. Guess what… ************************************************************************************************ [01/08/09]
I popped on the Tivo, to see what was recorded. I’ve continued recording the analog (did I
mention that I haven’t even been getting digital?) local channels through all
of this. There was a folder marked “HD”
with some Suggestion shows in it, all recorded the night of 1/7. Huh?
I started one. The TV switched
to 1080i. Huh?? The picture was indeed 1080i. Huh???
It was the correct show, recorded on the correct channel. Huh??!?.... A recap….
11/17/08 – A woman took my order. She had no clue what cablecards were. I educated her. She put the cards in the order and a cable
box. I said no. She said yes, that I’d need it for HD. I said no, and educated her a little further. She validated what I was saying and
processed the order. 01/07/08 – I returned the cable box they’d
left for me to test about ¾ of the way through this ordeal. They removed it as apparently one of two boxes on my account (There
was no charge to notice on my bill, because they weren’t billing me till my
service was fixed). *POP* The cablecard/Tivo/service
started working…. To be fair, I haven’t validated absolutely,
but it seem that for exactly 7 freaking weeks to the day of the service
working, 31 individual employees have been trying to fix my service on the….wrong….god….damned….device!! Grab your reading glasses, Rick. ************************************************************************************************ [01/09/09]
The battle has been won. The war rages on. They didn’t give me my second $20 credit
and charged me for the last IT visit.
And then on to the claim that Limited Basic service won’t work on the
Tivo HD because its signal is too weak.
5 months left on our starter package.
If it hasn’t been straightened out by then, we’ve already decided we’ll
chew our own leg off to get out of the Comcass bear trap, painfully ditching the Tivo, and saying
hello to DirecTV. If I’m going to be
stuck having to pay $70/mo instead of the $26/mo I should have been when this
started, I’m giving that money to someone else. While we
wait for that, stay tuned for the next project – exonerating me from the ridiculous claim back in
March-April that I used a freaking TERABYTE
of bandwidth within 45 days, 500 GB of which within 14 of those days, resulting
in a cancelled account and a 12 month ban from the service. This regardless of my attempt to actually
comply and work with them after they fired the first shot across my bow…. |