FiOS TV Technical Assistance

[#1]

I can purchase an unused DCT700 for about $50 from a guy on eBay. My question is will Verizon activate it for me?

[#2]

Absolutely not. See the 4th message at the top of the forum.

[#3]

They probably won't BUT, take into consideration this hypothetical....

Let's say, the guy selling it on eBay who we will name "Bob" had Fios TV and after he disconnected, he didn't return the box. At this point Verizon will most likely end up charging him for it. Well now that he has been charged for it, why wouldn't Verizon re-activate the box if it was bought and paid for?

Why couldn't Bob sell it on eBay to get some cash if he already was billed and paid for said box? Why would Verizon not re-activate the box that has been bought and paid for by Bob, who then sold it to someone else?

Verizon, your insight on this would be great. Thanks.

[#4]

The DCT700 is also used by other providers. If it is a Verizon version it is stolen property. If it is not a Verizon version, it will not have Verizon firmware and can not be activated on the Verizon network. Only option for a non Verizon STB is to use a Cablecard provided by Verizon at a monthly fee.

When the person was charged for the device, it was to cover the cost of the lost hardware. Not to transfer ownership. All Verizon Fios TV Set Top Boxes remain the property of Verizon. No exceptions.

Message Edited by prisaz on 05-25-2009 08:14 PM

[#5]

Well nowhere in the 4th post from the top do I see they will not activate a legitimate STB. If I'm missing something in that post let me know.

If the unit is not stolen wouldn't the 1992 Cable Act that states cable operators can't prevent customers from using their own technically compatible equipment come into play?  Perhaps Verizon isn't a "cable" operator which would exclude them from the act.

The eBay seller claims he bought them at auction and can prove that. He also said if they won't activate it he will give me a full refund.... not that it matters since I can just dispute it and get my money back anyway from him.

Perhaps they get these in Canada? .... I do remember reading once that the BestBuy's there sell these STB's.

[#6]

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tjw363 wrote:

Well nowhere in the 4th post from the top do I see they will not activate a legitimate STB. If I'm missing something in that post let me know.

If the unit is not stolen wouldn't the 1992 Cable Act that states cable operators can't prevent customers from using their own technically compatible equipment come into play?  Perhaps Verizon isn't a "cable" operator which would exclude them from the act.

The eBay seller claims he bought them at auction and can prove that. He also said if they won't activate it he will give me a full refund.... not that it matters since I can just dispute it and get my money back anyway from him.

Perhaps they get these in Canada? .... I do remember reading once that the BestBuy's there sell these STB's.

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Yes but compatible means they must support a Cable Card for decryption. The DCT700 does not support the cable card and was allowed by the FCC because Verizon made the switch to digital early. It is my understanding that the newer QIP7100 series boxes use a cable card.

The person may have purchased them, but if they are not Verizon boxes they are not compatible. If they are then the person purchased stolen property .

Read this thread.

http://forums.verizon.com/vrzn/board/message?board.id=FiOS_TV&thread.id=4099

Message Edited by prisaz on 05-25-2009 08:23 PM

[#7]

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prisaz wrote:

When the person was charged for the device, it was to cover the cost of the lost hardware. Not to transfer ownership. All Verizon Fios TV Set Top Boxes remain the property of Verizon. No exceptions.

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So what you're saying is that even though "Bob" paid Verizon to cover the  cost of the lost hardware, after a few months go by, he can then return it to Verizon and get his money back? If so great, but if not, then Verizon has indeed transferred ownership to him by taking his money, and not giving him a refund a couple of months down the road when he gets the box back to him. I'm sure a judge would agree that this is by all means is a transfer in ownership should Verizon not take the box back and refund his money at a later date.

Message Edited by Vumes on 05-25-2009 05:25 PM

[#8]

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Vumes wrote:

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prisaz wrote:

When the person was charged for the device, it was to cover the cost of the lost hardware. Not to transfer ownership. All Verizon Fios TV Set Top Boxes remain the property of Verizon. No exceptions.

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So what you're saying is that even though "Bob" paid Verizon to cover the  cost of the lost hardware, after a few months go by, he can then return it to Verizon and get his money back? If so great, but if not, then Verizon has indeed transferred ownership to him by taking his money, and not giving him a refund a couple of months down the road when he gets the box back to him. I'm sure a judge would agree that this is by all means is a transfer in ownership should Verizon not take the box back and refund his money at a later date.

Message Edited by Vumes on 05-25-2009 05:25 PM

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I am sure they would be happy to give "Bob" his money back if "Bob" paid the rental cost of the boxes for said time and the serial numbers were correct and the boxes were un damaged. I guess Verizon Employees would need to chime in on this. I do not work for Verizon so I have just voiced my interpretation of what is known. It would be really nice to get free boxes activated. They may activate them if they are Verizon boxes, but then you would still need to pay the monthly cost and return them to Verizon when the actiation terminates at a later date. Best to just pay them the $3.99 a month for the DCT700 boxes and spare the trouble. If you have a digital cable ready TV or set top box, the cable cards are still a monthly cost no matter who the provider is. FCC states they must make it compatible but not free.

[#9]

Verizon's will not activate any Motorola box unless they provide it. This is company policy and there are no exceptions.

Note Motorola cable boxes are sold exclusively to cable companies in the United States.  The DCT and QIP boxes cannot be purchased or ordered by consumers in the states.  All DCT700 and QIP boxes on ebay and craigslist were stolen at some point, and only rarely do the cable companies ever receive any form of compensation from the customer (less than 5% of the time, according to industry publications).

If you want to own the box, your only choices are CableCard products like the TivoHD and Moxi.  Unlike the Motorola boxes, this equipment is sold directly to end users.  Both require a CableCard ($3.99/mo) from Verizon to receive all FiOS SD and HD channels.

Message Edited by KenAF on 05-25-2009 09:20 PM

[#10]

All DCT700 and QIP boxes on ebay and craigslist were stolen at some point

You sure about that?

Verizon gave away, in certain areas up to 3, DCT700's due to digital transition as recent as 10/2008 (as per a Google search).

If someone is selling them they are far from stolen in my very humble opinion. Perhaps not used as defined but far from stolen.