Getting the brush-off from the lineup department

[wmcbrine]

So I got Fios a couple weeks ago, and for the most part, it's working great. However, there are a few errors in the guide data for some of my local PBS channels. I found the web form on tivo.com that seemed to cover my exact situation:

http://customersupport.tivo.com/LineUpForm.aspx

I checked off "Incorrect Channels", filled in the relevant details, and expanded on them in the comments. Leaving out the personal details here:

Zip Code : 20707

Cable/Satellite Provider : Verizon Fios

On channel (Ch. #) [806] the TiVo Live Guide displays (Ch. Letters)
[WMPTDT], but it's really (Ch. Letters) [WMPTDT2].

Other info :
Channel 806 carries the high-def subchannel for WMPT-DT, equivalent to broadcast 22-2. But Tivo is showing the guide data for 22-1. (22-1 is an SD subchannel, found at 870 on Fios, and carries the same schedule as analog 22.) The error could be due to WMPT's subchannel realignment some time ago.

As it turns out, this isn't the only bad channel, just the first one I'd noticed. Anyway, I got an automated reply telling me I'd get a personalized reply within three to five days, and that correcting the lineup typically takes five to seven business days. Kinda long, but OK. So I was pleased to see my personalized reply arrive only an hour later... but my heart sank when I read it:

From: Agent 60130 <lineup@tivo.com>
...

Dear Valued TiVo Customer,

Thank you for contacting TiVo’s Channel Lineup Department. In order to add channels to or remove channels from your TiVo channel lineup, please follow these steps:

Go to:

- TiVo Central, by pressing the TiVo button on your TiVo remote
- Select Messages and Settings
- Select Settings
- Select Channels
- Select Channel List

Follow the onscreen instructions to checkmark only the channels that you receive.

If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please contact TiVo Customer Support at 877-367-8486 and refer to your case number, .... We are open 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM Pacific time everyday.

Thank you for your patience and understanding while we resolved your lineup discrepancy. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Thanks for choosing TiVo!

Best Regards,
TiVo Lineup Specialist

Agent 60130 showed no signs of having read my report at all! Or maybe he did read it, but just didn't understand it; therefore, I must be the moron. So he sent out his standard text for morons, and marked the case "resolved".

I replied saying that yes, I was familiar with that procedure, and no, he hadn't resolved my problem, which was bad guide data from Tivo. He then responded:

Dear Valued TiVo Customer,

Thank you for contacting TiVo’s Channel Lineup Department. We have assigned case number ... to your channel lineup issue. We expect to resolve the issue within 5 to 7 business days. If we should require further information we will contact you.

If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please contact TiVo Customer Support at 877-367-8486 and refer to your case number. We are open 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM Pacific time everyday.

Thank you for your patience and understanding while we resolve your lineup discrepancy. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Thanks for choosing TiVo!

Best Regards,
TiVo Lineup Specialist

Hmm... was I really talking to a person, or a robot after all? Anyway, that was on the 3rd. I waited seven business days and then some, and this morning, sent a reply asking what was happening. This time, I just got the same auto-response as before... nothing further yet.

I'd probably be more agitated about this if I wasn't able to pick up 22-2 OTA (with correct guide data); but 806 is more stable, if only it were usable.

Will I get further by phoning them, or will that be even more painful? Is there a better way to approach this?

Incidentally, the same channel is wrong in the guide on zap2it.com, which I understand comes from the same source. I left them feedback about it, but got no response. I haven't tried contacting the station yet. The guide data from Verizon itself is correct for this channel.

[Billy66]

The only proven method to receive quality first time service is to throw yourself on the mercy of TivoStephen or TiVoJerry. Everything else is hit or miss.

Now this isn't different than a lot of email support where the reader isn't skilled enough to understand the question so he/she chooses from some canned responses and hopes everything goes away. It's not just TiVo, it's everywhere, but truly frustrating for sure.

Good luck with your lineup change.

[TivoZorro]

Tivo gets its guide data from Tribine Media. It will not reflect the changes until the cable company notifies them and Tribune Media gets it changed on their website. If you really want it changed go to Tribune Media's website zap2it.com. Input your zip code to see if they have your correct lineup If they don't send an e-mail to:feedback@zap2it.com and follow their specific instructions listed below:

If you wish to report a cable or satellite lineup discrepancy: please fill-in the "Subject:" line as "Lineup Discrepancy," and include the following information or your request will not be processed:
Cable System Name (please copy exactly from our list of providers)
Specific Description of Problem (channels missing or incorrect, program data incorrect, date/time of specific occurrence, etc.)
Provider Phone Number
Provider Service (cable, satellite)
Apartment or Hotel Complex Name (if applicable)
City
State or Province (and country if outside of the United States)
Zip or Postal Code

This all takes time, Tribune and Tivo will both have to verify what you tell them through your local cable company. The sooner you get it turned in to Tribune the quicker it will get done.

[Rucker]

Welcome to the club. My lineup is still wrong, and I've been sending reports since November. Including the cable company's channel listing url doesn't seem to help. At times I have received crazy responses such as asking me for a list of incorrect program titles and times when I reported an incorrect channel name, or to change my line-up (which I did even though it didn't match the name my cable company uses, but of course I changed it back after finding it was incorrect). Usually when I report more than one issue at a time, I either get a crazy response, or they ignore everything except the first item.

At this point, there's only one channel that I care about that's wrong. It is also listed wrong on other guides (although they're not all wrong in the same way). Since Tivo hasn't figured out how to get it fixed, I've started complaining to every online guide I can find in the hopes that someone can figure it out. Then hopefully it will either trickle back to Tivo or I can point Tivo to a second correct example (besides the cable company's listing).

I've tried (at least) zap2it, yahoo, msn, and titantv. The only one I got a real reponse from was Yahoo (on the 2nd report), and the response said they were having technical difficulties with the web site. So apparently Tivo isn't the only company having problems reading.

I've also tried emailing the channel (a few times), but they don't respond at all. That isn't too surprising, but I thought they might want to help people watch their channel.

[wmcbrine]

Well, after a few more abysmal exchanges with Agent 60130, today, to my surprise and delight, they actually fixed it! My faith in humanity is partially restored.

Now I just have to get them to fix the channels they screwed up yesterday when they adjusted the lineup for Verizon's big realignment. (Not to mention the channels that Verizon screwed up... but that's not Tivo's problem.)

[aus1ander]

I actually this problem as well. The form on TiVo.com went unanswered. The email address on Zap2it.com went unanswered. After about 2 weeks of waiting, I finally did some digging in the Tribune Media website and found contact information for some of the content managers at Zap2it. I shot an email over and it was fixed in 4 hours.