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Feeling boxed in by myopic cable vision
(by ELLEN FOX TAMBLYN - June 16, 2008)
Feeling boxed in by myopic cable vision
BY ELLEN FOX TAMBLYN
SPECIAL TO THE WEEKLY NEWS
The letter arrived in the mail from Interactive Optimum. “IMPORTANT INFORMATION about your cable service” was written at the top. The letter was informing me that as of May 20, nine channels would no longer be available for me to watch unless I obtained a digital cable box, free for a year.
What? Interactive Optimum? Cablevision was not mentioned. Sounds like the premium options that I don’t have. The bill comes from Cablevision. I write the check to Cablevision. I ignored the important information.
A few days later I received a phone message, from a computer, telling me the same thing that the letter did. Then I started to worry. I checked Cablevision’s Web site. Next to the name of a package to which I don’t subscribe were the words “digital cable box required.” Next to the name of the package to which I do subscribe, no such requirement. I stopped worrying.
On May 20, those nine channels on my TV were replaced by a screen with a statement telling me that a digital cable box was required to view them.
That was a Tuesday. On Saturday, my husband and I headed for the nearest Optimum store to obtain the box. This would be the third time that we had to do that. First we needed one because our old TV wasn’t cable-ready. Then the YES Network and Cablevision couldn’t agree to work together and we needed a box just to receive the YES channel.
We weren’t alone at the Optimum “store,” which offered a very small area for people to stand before being helped by customer service representatives behind a counter that ran the length of the room. Very industrial. I could barely squeeze into the so-called store. The line almost wound out the door.
The wait wasn’t too long, however. Like sheep being herded, everyone moved up, spoke to a person behind the counter, received our boxes. We opted for two so that we wouldn’t have one TV designated for all the channels and one for fewer. Only one box was free for a year. The other will cost us.
Never liking to set up cable boxes or VCRs or DVD players, we put the chore off for a few days. When it was finally done for one TV, after I followed all the steps on the instructions, I had to wait 15 minutes for the box to boot. After 15 minutes, installation was not successful. I should have seen the time appear on the front of the box but instead there were four dashes. According to the instructions, that was not good.
I called the phone number that the instruction sheet provided in case installation was not successful. A computerized voice thanked me for calling Cablevision and told me that he would send a signal to the box. I heard noises, then the voice said that the signal was sent and thanks for calling Cablevision.
I had to wait another 15 minutes for the box to take in its new information. That, too, was unsuccessful. The total time from start of installation to the second unsuccessful attempt to make the thing work was much longer than the amount of time I spent on line in the “store.” And I wasn’t finished. I called again. Same message, same odd sounds. Again I waited. The box still didn’t work. I called again. The computer seemed to know it was me and this time said I should hold on for a representative.
After answering several questions, finding the serial number on the back of the box (which was difficult to read because I couldn’t pull it far from the wall because my cable cable is too short) and turning the TV on to a channel that allowed the representative to download some information, installation was finally successful.
After that ordeal, I had no time or patience to work on the second TV. Days later, Saturday, my husband started that adventure. After all the steps were followed, installation was unsuccessful. We saw the date but we had fewer channels than we did before attaching the digital box. The ones we had lost on May 20 were still gone and they took even more with them.
This turned into a crisis quickly, being just an hour before the Yankees game was to start and one of the missing channels was YES.
I called the number, heard the voice, heard the noises, waited for 15 minutes. Nothing changed.
Rather than call the computer again, I called customer service. All the options I was offered, push one for this and push two for that, did not match my problem. But I pushed some numbers anyway and eventually a computer voice gave me another number to push if I had a problem with the digital cable box! Then I was put on hold due to a large volume of calls. The only surprise there was that so many people actually found that option. It was hidden away.
So I waited. For the second time, a very polite representative asked me questions and tried to get the box to respond. This time even he was unsuccessful. I needed a service technician to come to my house. The first available appointment time was Tuesday, 8-11 a.m.
So after much effort, we had a TV with fewer channels than when the adventure began. We disconnected the digital cable box.
My wait for the cable guy wasn’t bad. He arrived around 9:20 a.m. He was out of the door five minutes later. He had to call someone to have the box properly coded, then all was well. Apparently, many boxes were being doled out at the “store” improperly coded. This was keeping the service technicians very busy, driving around making house calls that should have been unnecessary. At least that gives them job security.
Then my bill came in the mail. We’re being charged for both boxes although one should be free for a year. I’m not looking forward to making that phone call.
Ellen Fox Tamblyn is editor of Neighbor News and Parsippany Life.
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