Yes, I just got two of these gems... what a joke. I added another tv so went to the store to pick up a new HD box and decided to trade in an old HD box for a new one while I was there (better technology, right?). I was thinking I would get one of the nice new Cisco boxes (with a display), instead I was given a new Motorola 7100-2. What a shock when I got home to find out that these new boxes have no displays on the front!!!! No clock, no channel, no nuthin'! After spending hours calling Verizon and the store, they both said they no longer offer boxes with displays and no one could tell me why. Everyone I spoke to said they had received numerous complaints about the new boxes, add me to the list! The store refused to give me back the older HD box I had just turned in the day before. Also, the boxes look horrific due to the swiss cheese vents on top which allow you to see all of the componenets inside including a large bright red sticker. In addition to the box issues, they come with a new remote which can only control the STB and the tv (very limited functionality). A tech support agent with Verizon told me they did away with the other buttons on the remote (to control an audio receiver, DVD player etc.) in order to save money in support costs (so they don't have to take calls from us customers on how to control our DVD player with their remote). Yep, that's right. It's back to having 3 or 4 remotes on the couch, nightstand, etc.
Verizon can say the change in boxes is be green (I read this on a previous blog), but let's be real. Removing a display saves 30% in electricity? That's laughable. These boxes are obviously very cheaply made and I'm sure save Verizon big bucks. Once again, Verizon shows that it doesn't really care about its customers, only the bottom line.
In addition to now forcing the worst equipment in the industry on it's customers, the customer service I received while in the store and on the phone (over 7 hrs of calls on 2 days with 6 different people to get this garbage working correctly) was deplorable. Not only is their staff unknowledgable and poorly trained, most are rude and clearly don't care about helping customers.
Gee, it's no wonder that Verizon doesn't offer customers the opportunity to complete a customer service survey like every other legit company out there. I'm sure they don't need a survey to tell them what a pathetic job they're doing, surely they already know it! It's time to start looking at cable and satellite as another option. I'm sure my $200+ a month can be put to better use elsewhere.
