FiOS TV Technical Assistance

[#1]

I know I was being fed a line, but unfortunately it was coming from both the tech onsite, and the VZ support tech on the phone.  So my next step is to call billing and inform them I want my card fees to be 50% off until they can get me the M cards I requested.  As this is no fault of my own, and I should not have to pay a markup because of their flawed system. 

[#2]

I have a business account for my Fios TV at my home. Long story...has to do with getting business phone first.

Anyway, I'm being told that cable cards are for residential accounts only. Is this true? Does the law exclude business accounts? Seems strange to do so. I think I am going to need help from the awesome forum moderators? I just want this to go smoothly without all the hassle everyone is getting.

Thanks for any help you can give

[#3]

I called them back and now they say they are going to mail it. I told them that they don't get mailed and that a tech has to install them. She insisted that it will be mailed within 48 hours.

ug. Why can't this be easy? I'm sure it will be the same as another poster when it *never* arrives in the mail.

[#4]

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Train wrote:

ug. Why can't this be easy? I'm sure it will be the same as another poster when it *never* arrives in the mail.

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It won't arrive in the mail, because the people that work in the department that mails equipment out don't have access to them.  As far as they're concerned, it's like calling Home Depot and asking them to deliver a pizza to you.  Call them back and tell them to schedule an installation, and if you have a device that supports a multistream CableCARD, tell them to make sure the technician brings a multi-stream card to install, and not a single-stream card.  Even if you do this, you have about a 50% chance of the tech showing up with a single-stream card anyway, but those are better odds than if you don't mention it.

It's not easy because Verizon doesn't want it to be easy.  Management knows the customer service department is screwing up CableCARD orders on a daily basis and that CSRs are actively discouraging customers who request them, but they don't do anything about it because they don't want to.   Why would they?  They make far more money when they tell their customers that installing a CableCARD is a giant pain in the rear and convince them to rent a Verizon DVR instead, which they will happily mail out to you for flawless self-installation.

I'm pretty sure they won't get the picture unless every person who gets the runaround files a consumer complaint with the FCC (Form 2000F), but who knows?

[#5]

After half an hour on hold, and three different departments, I have succeeded in adding CableCard to my order. I guess the original rep was little bit clueless.

[#6]

So, seriously, why won't you mail out CableCARDs like you do STBs and Verizon DVRs, Verizon?  Because, frankly, while the lineman you sent out to install the CableCARD into my TiVo was a very nice fellow, I handled more of the installation than he did.  All he did was call into the service center (the automated attendant hung up on him four times in a row before he was able to speak with an agent, by the way) and read off the CableCARD serial number and Host ID over the phone after I brought it up on the screen for him, and the inside agent did the rest.  Did that really require a truck roll, a threat to charge me $80, and a whole lot of aggravation? I don't think so.

[#7]

I guess I'm just lucky.  Requested two cablecards, with a request to note a preference for an m-card.  Had to explain everything to the CSR, but he listened and did as I requested.  Had an 8-11am appt, he turned up by 8:45, brought 6 cards with him, 3 s-cards, 3 m-cards.  Installed 1 m-card and all went well.  Now I'm rid of the irritating FiOS DVR and am back on TiVo.  Figured this thread could use one positive story.

[#8]

If you are having any issues with getting a cablecard, please contact me in a private message and I will have you taken care of.

Thanks!

-CharlesH

[#9]

Charles,

As I forum user, I really (truly) appreciate the standing offer of assistance.  But what about the poor schlubs that don't know about the forums, or wouldn't know how to use them if they did? Do you know if anything is being done to retrain the front-line CSRs so that extraordinary assistance from excellent employees like yourself isn't necessary?

-Joe

[#10]

I didn't want to toot my on horn but yes, I am working on resolving this issue on the front line aswell. What I am exactly doing I cannot comment on...but yes I have contacted the right people to get the ball rolling on this issue.

-CharlesH