[RavenFan]

I'm curious how many people gave up and returned their Series 3 (original and newer TiVoHD) after failed CableCARD installations.

I have seen an old poll "How did your CableCARD install go" which was interesting, but tackled the question from a different angle.
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=317247

I'm more interested in how many sales TiVo has lost due to Cable company incompetence and hostility toward CableCARDs. I am currently fighting this battle myself and am curious about the experiences of others who decided to give up. What was your breaking point?

I also know that this poll will be a bit biased because members of this forum probably had a better success rate than some of the general public.

 

[mike_camden]

I'll vote Thursday -- if it's not fixed by then or if I don't have some indication from Tivo or Comcast that all will be OK, mine goes back to CC.

 

[bicker]

Thanks for providing a choice option just for ME.

 

[Adam1115]

What, no option for giving up and keeping your tivo for OTA??

 

[Chimpware]

What, no option for giving up and keeping your tivo for OTA??

Stop you are making me feel sad inside...

 

[GoHokies!]

Wow, that's pretty striking - (at this point) 40 trouble free installs and 12 difficult ones (7 of which eventually were made to work).

Who is it that said cablecards were not a good solution again?

 

[RavenFan]

What, no option for giving up and keeping your tivo for OTA??

I didn't even think of that option, although keeping the TiVo for OTA does not cost TiVo a customer.

 

[mike_camden]

Wow, that's pretty striking - (at this point) 40 trouble free installs and 12 difficult ones (7 of which eventually were made to work).

Who is it that said cablecards were not a good solution again?

Based on what I've been told several times over the past few days, it's Comcast saying that cablecards are not a good solution. Go figure that they wouldn't want it to work

 

[bicker]

Actually, the poll results don't represent very good odds. I don't think the actual numbers are as bad as the poll indicates.

 

[mike_camden]

Actually, the poll results don't represent very good odds. I don't think the actual numbers are as bad as the poll indicates.

Based on all that I have witnessed and observed in a very small subset of Comcast (so my experiences with Comcast, Pittsburgh, PA in and of themselves can't necessarily be applied to all markets that they serve) I'm sure it is a pretty significant issue in this region for anyone getting a Tivo Series 3 or HD. My sample size is limited, but through three dispatchers, four CSRs, three CSR supervisors, and two technicians (one contracted and one employed), not a single one had ever received cable card training, had no idea how to properly install a cable card, and didn't have anyone in their immediate vicinity or via phone that they could call to make it work.

IF (and I stress if, but it seems possible based on how widespread similar issues seem from looking at the locations of people on this board having issues) this is the case nation-wide (at least with Comcast), that makes for a pretty bad case of dropping the ball by Comcast (and basically thumbing their nose at the FCC). It also makes it a difficult situation for Tivo since they are marketing the TivoHD as a more mainstream alternative to the cable provider's box.

 

[jmpage2]

Well, my experience to date;

1. Schedule 1st appointment because I am told that I can't get cablecards locally.

2. 2nd person tells me I can pick them up so I foolishly cancel the appointment and drive 10 miles to pick up cable cards. Comcast office tells me I can't pick up cable cards, that they don't do "self install" kits for them even though someone else confirmed in the computer that they do.

3. re-schedule my appointment.

4. Comcast misses the appointment. I get an apology call, a waiver of the install fee and am told that the tech will be here "first thing" the next day.

5. Comcast still isn't here. 2nd day off from work waiting on these morons to show up and do their job. I was told they have till noon to make the appointment today. It's 11:15 now. If they aren't here by noon I am going to start calling them and make them miserable.

Realize that all of this has occurred before a tech has even shown up. For all I know the idiot will show up and have never installed a CC before. Or, better yet, he will get it 1/2 installed and insist it is working right and to call Tivo for help.

 

[oldnacl]

Also keep in mind the wide variation in CC fees - that was the straw that broke my camel's back when, after having my S3 work three months with a CC rental of $5.50/mo, Comcast deauthorized my cards and raised the price to $17.90/mo. I would perhaps have stuck it out if I hadn't taken off work 3 times for technicians to make phone calls from my house without getting the cards properly reconfigured. I returned the S3 and ate the 3 year prepaid subscription. However, if the M card becomes available in my market and the redundant charges for the two cable cards gets removed, AND if the pixelation problem gets resolved, I will likely buy a Series 3 or TiVo HD again to use up my subscription.

 

[yunlin12]

Wow, that sounds really bad. In my area originally Comcast were charging $6.99 add outlet fee for 2 S-cards, but then they added a $1.50 dual-cable-card charge, removed the add outlet, then they added again a $7 HDTV service fee, which they claim that they can't remove even if I don't use cable (antenna instead) for HDTV, saying it's tied to the dual cable card charge.

Is there any wording in FCC's cable card mandate, that cable co's should charge a reasonable fee for this? $17.9/mo seems a little too crazy seeing that their own boxes don't even cost that much.

 

[jmpage2]

The technician finally showed up, but didn't have an M card and called all around to supervisors, etc, and noone else knew about them either.

He's going to dig a little further for me so that I can get a definitive answer on why others in CO have reported getting M-cards installed and noone seems to know anything about them.

 

[RavenFan]

It sure seems like the cable companies are using a lot of manpower to make sure that we have a difficult time with the cable cards. Mandating technician visits, countless hours on the phone, repeat tech visits.

Can it be all that difficult to train people - at least the ones at the head end configuring the accounts?

 

[mph005]

Still have over 2 weeks left on my return period.

I still have channels missing that i'm supposed to get, but it's a problem that Time Warner knows about, yet doesn't have a solution.

I don't blame Tivo for my problems, but Time Warner. If things don't get worked out soon, the Tivo goes back (sorry, Tivo), and Time Warner is being dumped for whatever replacement I can find (Sat or possibly U-Verse that's coming here in 3 months).

 

[RavenFan]

I can finally respond to my own poll.

It took a lot of work, but it finally worked.

I have not had a chance to check every channel yet, but I have scanned the ones that are most important to me, and some that are not. (I just saw that Little House Full of Blind Kids on the Prairie is on Hallmark...again. )

 

[megazone]

There are also people who are having problems but have not returned it, since there is a 30-day window on returns and TiVo still has time to fix the issues. No point in dealing with a premature return.

 

[DocNo]

IF (and I stress if, but it seems possible based on how widespread similar issues seem from looking at the locations of people on this board having issues) this is the case nation-wide (at least with Comcast), that makes for a pretty bad case of dropping the ball by Comcast (and basically thumbing their nose at the FCC).

Don't bother trying to reason with bicker - in his world the cable companies can do no wrong and those of us who haven't had smooth sailing are the problem, not the cable companies

I've had two people PM me for contact info for competent CSR's and installers in my area. That's pretty bad, when you consider the amount of people who will ever own a Tivo and visit this forum are probably in the vast minority.

Thumbing their nose at cable card and the FCC is accurate based on Comcast's (in)actions. Words are cheap...

 

[wmcbrine]

I feel there should be an option "it took a little work"; I'd have voted for that. Instead, I voted for "no real problems".

The main problem I had, with Verizon Fios, was just getting them to bring the damn things. The first installer left, having done nothing except spend a long time on hold with his office, because he didn't bring the cards. The next installer didn't have them, either, but managed to get his supervisor to bring them out. After that, it was straightforward, except that he apparently transposed some digits, and one of the cards (I discovered the next day) wasn't properly activated. I called in, and miraculously got someone to fix it immediately. This left me with an amazing impression of their customer service... which, however, was not to last... but that's another story.