[DocNo]

still sitting around waiting for him to show up, im starting to think this Tivo was a mistake.

That's what your cable company wants you to think. They want you to just give up and lease a box from them, so they can get that revenue.

Just be patient. Eventually you will get it working - and it is worth it.

 

[DocNo]

it seems the cablecards are far from being ready for primetime, which is really sad, considering they have been out for a few years now.

Actually, there aren't any real problems with the Cable Cards. I witnessed it myself. Once a trained tech showed up and was able to link up with a trained rep at the head-end, I had a fully functional Tivo in less than an hour.

Unfortunately, the trained techs and reps seem to be in the minority

And i know your right, I shouldn't cave to the cable companies mercy, but this isn't worth my time or effort.

I finally made them agree to show up after work. After I got stiffed for the third time in a row, I asked for a supervisor and got them to schedule a senior tech for the next day (a Saturday). He showed up on time and resolved the problem relatively quickly.

Even if you do decided you just don't have the time to deal with it (I do feel your pain, really) at least write a letter documenting your experience to the local public utilities commission, franchise board, or whatever agency/group is responsible for regulating the cable companies in your area. I would also send a copy to the FCC complaint website that has been posted in this forum multiple times. Yes, it may take an hour or so to write up your experience and submit it, but nothing is going to change with the cable companies until people complain.

Unfortunately this isn't a technical problem, it's a political problem