XFINITY: Negative Experience, CableCard

Cap'n Preshoot · 06-30-2012, 08:17 PM

I recently had to get a warranty-replacement Premier (basic) TIVO because the hard drive died in the old one. Of course there was a cablecard in it which had to be changed over.

XFINITY, nee Comcast, tells me that they are unable to pair my (multistream M-Card) from my previous Premier with my new Premier because Comcast does not recognize the Host ID number of the new TIVO: 0-350-130-090-342

Dear G_d, what next?

The teledroid on the phone says that I will have to take my TIVO unit into the Comcast Service center (stand in line for 30 minutes) and then have them "scan the box into their system" and then call back and go through this process (of pairing the cablecard) once again.

WTF ??

Has anyone else with a brand-new Premiere had this problem in being unable to pair their cablecard? Is it just me? Do I have a black cloud over my head? Every interaction I'm required to have with Comcast seems to result in a negative experience.

gastrof · 06-30-2012, 08:28 PM

See if they'll let you bring the old card back and get a new one.

If the TiVo is one YOU own, and not one provided by Comcast, they should be able to pair a new card with it as if it was just another TiVo being introduced to your household.

This may even be doable without a truck roll.

I mean, it IS possible to have two TiVos in one house. In your case, the first one just isn't around any more.

steve614 · 07-01-2012, 12:45 AM

They should know better than that by now. Might be time for another FCC complaint.

jfh3 · 07-01-2012, 12:55 AM

This should take someone n Comcast dispatch about 10 seconds to do.

If you can't find someone that knows what they are doing via the regular CS number, call the Comcast CableCARD activation 800 number (unfortunately, I don't remember it off the top of my head).

It may also be worth just getting a new CableCARD and having that paired (most CSRs can handle doing a new install) and just returning your current one.

lessd · 07-01-2012, 08:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jfh3

This should take someone n Comcast dispatch about 10 seconds to do.

If you can't find someone that knows what they are doing via the regular CS number, call the Comcast CableCARD activation 800 number (unfortunately, I don't remember it off the top of my head).

It may also be worth just getting a new CableCARD and having that paired (most CSRs can handle doing a new install) and just returning your current one.

The number for Comcast Cable Card activation is 877 405-2298, I have used it a few time and it works great!!, but you must first tell them that the card was in use by you before so that Comcast can de-activate the card first, before the card can be re-activated.

Cap'n Preshoot · 07-01-2012, 10:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lessd

The number for Comcast Cable Card activation is 877 405-2298, I have used it a few time and it works great!!, but you must first tell them that the card was in use by you before so that Comcast can de-activate the card first, before the card can be re-activated.

WOW!!!
Thanks Les. That indeed was the magic telephone number.
Holy crap, I was on the phone with them a total of 4 minutes.
Man, that needs to be a "sticky" in boldface type.

Thanks again guy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

muerte33 · 07-01-2012, 12:47 PM

I called that number 10 times over a 3 day period, finally had to have a truck come out.
They had to end up deleting the card off my account, and putting it back so I could get the remaining 35 HD channels to show up. The Premium channels were working, just not the remaining 35 HD channels.

Cap'n Preshoot · 07-01-2012, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by muerte33

I called that number 10 times over a 3 day period, finally had to have a truck come out.
They had to end up deleting the card off my account, and putting it back so I could get the remaining 35 HD channels to show up. The Premium channels were working, just not the remaining 35 HD channels.

What purpose did the truck roll serve?
I haven't met very many of their "field" techs who were capable of heck of a lot more than driving the truck. They can perform "monkey see-monkey do insofar as replacing drops & drop connectors and performing a basic hookup, but the only time they sent someone out here for a cablecard issue, I asked them not to, but the guy came anyway and as expected he was helpless. He didn't even have another cablecard with him. Cablecard issues are 19 times out of 20 a programming issue and if not, replace the card and retry programming again.

only my experience..

aadam101 · 07-01-2012, 08:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cap'n Preshoot

What purpose did the truck roll serve?
I haven't met very many of their "field" techs who were capable of heck of a lot more than driving the truck. They can perform "monkey see-monkey do insofar as replacing drops & drop connectors and performing a basic hookup, but the only time they sent someone out here for a cablecard issue, I asked them not to, but the guy came anyway and as expected he was helpless. He didn't even have another cablecard with him. Cablecard issues are 19 times out of 20 a programming issue and if not, replace the card and retry programming again.

only my experience..

I needed a truck roll for mine. The tech came about 2 days after my 5 hours on the phone with Comcast. When the tech showed up the card just worked. It didn't work 2 days earlier. Someone had done something that caused something to update in the meantime but the tech wouldn't believe me and insisted it was because the unit was unplugged. It was unplugged because I hooked up the old unit to use while waiting for the new one to work.

plfarley · 07-02-2012, 07:07 AM

I bought a new Tivo Premiere Elite (4 tuner) and then took the Cable Card out of my Tivo HD, wrote down the numbers on the Cable Card, then put the Cable Card in the new Premiere Elite.
I called Comcast and they were able to get me going after I explained what I was doing.

grue · 07-02-2012, 04:24 PM

Ya, that number is hit and miss as well. Took me three tries to get someone who knew what they were doing, but when they know, boom, problem solved

jfh3 · 07-02-2012, 04:55 PM

There is NEVER a reason a truck roll is required to solve an authorization issue for a previously working CableCARD. Regardless of what the CSR tells you, CableCARDs do not "go bad" and the only thing a field tech is going to do is call dispatch.

lessd, thanks for posting the number. I can't believe I couldn't remember it.

Cap'n Preshoot · 07-02-2012, 09:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by plfarley

I bought a new Tivo Premiere Elite (4 tuner) and then took the Cable Card out of my Tivo HD, wrote down the numbers on the Cable Card, then put the Cable Card in the new Premiere Elite.
I called Comcast and they were able to get me going after I explained what I was doing.

As I learned with my "swap" the issue is they have to know (you have to tell them) that the card was previously used in a different box so they can first un-pair it before attempting to pair it to the new box. If they do not perform this un-pairing step, then the Host-ID of your new TIVO comes up as invalid.

Getting a replacement CableCard would solve the issue too, but I'd sooner take a whipping than go stand in that G_d forsaken line at the cable office for 30~45 minutes and risk catching the hoochie-coochie from somebody's snot-nosed brat.

.

aadam101 · 07-03-2012, 06:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jfh3

There is NEVER a reason a truck roll is required to solve an authorization issue for a previously working CableCARD. Regardless of what the CSR tells you, CableCARDs do not "go bad" and the only thing a field tech is going to do is call dispatch.

lessd, thanks for posting the number. I can't believe I couldn't remember it.

The very first thing out of the technician's mouth was "I don't know what I'm supposed to do"

Cap'n Preshoot · 07-03-2012, 08:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aadam101

The very first thing out of the technician's mouth was "I don't know what I'm supposed to do"

Those are the exact words, verbatim, that the tech said upon arrival at my home. Then I asked him if he had brought a cable card with him. He said, "I don't think so. I''m kinda new and not sure what that is. There might be one on my truck. Would you recognize it if you saw it?"

Then they tried to charge me for the truck roll. That's when I called the Director of MDU sales. That's part of our master contract agreement with Comcast. Ours is an elderly, restricted living gated community (55 and over). Realizing that with some elderly subscribers that a truck roll will occasionally be needed for "handholding", we built that into the bulk services contract. Our residents are never gouged for a truck rolll, no matter what.

aadam101 · 07-03-2012, 08:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cap'n Preshoot

Those are the exact words, verbatim, that the tech said upon arrival at my home. Then I asked him if he had brought a cable card with him. He said, "I don't think so. I''m kinda new and not sure what that is. There might be one on my truck. Would you recognize it if you saw it?"

Then they tried to charge me for the truck roll. That's when I called the Director of MDU sales. That's part of our master contract agreement with Comcast. Ours is an elderly, restricted living gated community (55 and over). Realizing that with some elderly subscribers that a truck roll will occasionally be needed for "handholding", we built that into the bulk services contract. Our residents are never gouged for a truck rolll, no matter what.

My technician also did not bring a cable card with her. They also charged me and I had to call and complain. The CSR removed the charge as a "courtesy".