remote that works on my TV

[AnnJ11]

I recently changed from Cablevision to FIOS.

I have a TV from 1985 which did not come with a remote.  I always used a Cablevision remote for it.

My FIOS remote (V2 P265v1.1) does not turn the TV on/off, mute it, or change the volume.  Everything else works.

The installer and I both spent a lot of time trying all the codes and doing code searches, to no avail.  We also tried another of the same remote, to make sure that that particular one was not defective.

I have tried 2 universal remotes that I had in the house, but neither work on my TV.

I called FIOS and they suggested that I buy  P144v2, the other remote that is programmed for my FIOS.  But they didn't think I'd be able to return it if it didn't work, and even if I could return it, I would have to pay shipping both ways, which would cost more than the remote.

Another FIOS person I spoke to said that FIOS would exchange the remote for free, but when she transferred me to that department, I was told that the P144v2 wasn't available any longer, even though I see it right there on the Verizon store website.

So my next plan is to keep buying universal remotes and trying them with code searches, etc. and returning them until I find one that operates my TV. (I don't mind having to use a separate remote for the TV, as long as it works.)

This has all become much more inconvenient than getting up each time I need to change the volume or turn the TV on or off or mute it!

Therefore, before I begin the ordeal, I thought I'd try this forum to see if anyone else has any other ideas.

Ideally, I'd like to receive a different FIOS remote for free in the mail, have it work, and then return my current one to Verizon postpaid.

Does anyone have any ideas or comments (aside from buying a new TV - I like my old TV).

Thanks, and Happy New Year to all.

[AnnJ11 · Accepted solution]

I am going to answer my own question, mark it solved, and give myself kudos - if I can.

(Incidentally, I had a lot of trouble signing in tonight.  The page said I was signed in, but when I tried to answer a message, it tried to get me to register and then said that registration failed.  Finally, it's working.  I see that this is a recurring problem for many.)

To make a long story a little shorter, after I wrote my message, I thought I decided that I had the solution to my problem.  I must have been watching my TV through Cablevision before, and if I could just figure out some way to watch the TV through FIOS now, then the FIOS remote would control it.  I was very disappointed when I wasn't able to find any way to connect the STB to my TV.  But I was sure that someone would be able to tell me how to do that, or would do it for me.  I spoke to 4 techs today, plus a few people at Verizon stores, and the upshot was that the old STB had a plug where I could have made the connection, but the new one that I have has no such plug.  The next quest was to locate an older refurbished STB to replace mine.  People I spoke to at the stores had come across my dilemma before.  None of them had the old box, but I was told to keep checking back.  One manager even made a call to her garage to look for one.  

In the meantime, I had the idea of trying to use another older TV that I had upstairs.  If that would work, I would find some way to move and substitute it.  First, I had to make sure the FIOS remote worked with it.  Before I tried the remote on the alternate TV, I thought I'd better make a record of the code it was using so I could get it back for the TV it was controlling.  So I looked in the remote instructions to see how to do that.

I was not able to find these directions, but while I was looking, I came across a paragraph about controlling TV volume through the STB.  It's not on the settings menu; it's through putting a code into the remote itself.  I was astounded when it worked.  The volume now works, and so does the mute.  I still can't turn the TV on and off with the remote, but I can live with that.  It was very, very hard to live without volume and mute on the remote, however.

After I accomplished this, I changed the volume and muted the sound every fifteen minutes or so, as I was afraid I was dreaming and would wake up and find that none of it was true...

I would like to add here that all the people I've dealt with at Verizon have been very helpful and cooperative - so far, even though none succeeded in solving my problem.  It looks to me like the way that the service is set up is the problem, not the people who do the actual work (e.g., there aren't enough of them, for starters).