Skip to main content

Do I Really Need a TV?

I had turned my television on briefly on Monday night after coming home from the poetry workshop at the library.  I did not see anything that I wanted to watch so I turned it off and read until bedtime.

Tuesday rolled around and I had a meeting with my regular writing group.  I switched on the TV set before I headed off to the library once again to see if I could catch some of the news.

This was all I could see.

I called Comcast's automated service and pressed "1" for a refresh--"all that is usually needed" according to the non-person on the other end of the line.  When I got back, the same screen.  I called Comcast again and eventually got connected to a live person who assured me this was "a common problem that I can help you with right now."
  • Press the cable button, then the power button.
  • Try that again.
  • Again.
  • Read the cable box serial number to me.
  • Find the input button on the TV remote.  Press that.
  • Press that again.
  • Unplug the cable box for ten seconds.
  • Wait for me to resend the signal.
  • Press the cable button, then the power.
  • Is the box plugged in?
  • Is the cord connected correctly?
  • Press the input button on the TV remote.
Repeat.  Repeat. Repeat.  She told me that I would need to go to Comcast and switch out the cable box.

My son took me out for lunch on Wednesday.  After that I went to Comcast and swapped the cable box for a brand new one.  I went home and set it up then called the activation number, waited for things to load, turned on the television, and:

I called the number on the activation sheet and got an automated service again. "I see you have a new cable box.  Are you having trouble getting a picture?" Yes.  "I will resend the signal.  If you do not have a picture in five minutes call this number again.  No picture, call again.  Call three got me transferred to a live person.  The first thing I said was that I needed to schedule a service call, but noo-oo-o:


  • Press the cable button, then the power button.
  • Try that again.
  • Again.
  • Read the cable box serial number to me.
  • Find the input button on the TV remote.  Press that.
  • Press that again.
  • Unplug the cable box for ten seconds.
  • Wait for me to resend the signal.
  • Press the cable button, then the power.
  • Is the box plugged in?
  • Is the cord connected correctly?
  • Press the input button on the TV remote.
  • Repeat all.
"Well, I guess we will have to send a technician."  Right.

As I was going out the door for my new exercise class, Comcast calls to ask if I would do a costumer satisfaction survey.  Sorry, I don't have time, I am already late. (Lucky for you, Comcast!)

Thursday, I took my Prius to the dealer to have the two recall notices that I got over the winter taken care of.  I took the shuttle to the mall and did some shopping while that was being done.  Later in the day, Comcast called.  "We want to resolve this issue remotely."

  • Press the cable button, then the power button.
  • Try that again.
  • Again.
  • Read the cable box serial number to me.
  • Find the input button on the TV remote.  Press that.
  • Press that again.
  • Unplug the cable box for ten seconds.
  • Wait for me to resend the signal.
  • Press the cable button, then the power.
  • Is the box plugged in?
  • Is the cord connected correctly?
  • Press the input button on the TV remote.
  • Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. And Repeat.
The voice on the other end of the line was getting quite cranky.  Look, I am not making this up.  I have unplugged and plugged, pressed buttons, checked and rechecked all the connections, nothing changes.  Big sigh,  "Well, we are going to have to send a technician."

I hate to be like this, but is the entire country on India going to be docked a days pay because my television continues to say NO SIGNAL?
Labels:

Comments

  1. Country GirlApril 10, 2014 at 9:50 PM

    This all sounds very frustrating! I know many people who also are frustrated with Comcast. Recently we haven't had any problems with them. My new computer with the new windows is my problem!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousApril 11, 2014 at 1:24 AM

    What a tragedy with the cable. I think you can spend your time in reading and blogging. Since i spend like that. I don't go near the tv.

    ReplyDelete
  3. TaborApril 11, 2014 at 2:00 AM

    As long as everything is working you don't notice what a pain Comcast is. I have the same company and find their customer service intolerable. I once called for support and actually got someone snoring on the other end of the line! Their rates have gone up on my every year. I also have them for email and that service has gotten slower in direct ratio to their expensive cost climbs.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. OlgaApril 11, 2014 at 6:28 AM

      Any phone service is intolerable to me. Yes, sometimes a problem is easily fixed, but when it is not the "script" the phone techs are working from does not allow for unexpected contingencies and it is frustrating on both ends.

      Delete
  4. Linda MyersApril 11, 2014 at 2:39 AM

    I'm lucky, I guess. My Comcast customer service is the next town over, and they're always friendly and knowledgeable and patient.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. OlgaApril 11, 2014 at 6:32 AM

      If I go to the office, the people are generally helpful and friendly. It is those scripted problem solving routines that don't work that get to me. And it does seem as though the phone techs will do anything to avoid scheduling a service call. I just wonder why.

      Delete
  5. Granny AnnieApril 11, 2014 at 6:30 AM

    It is the nature of big conglomerates that could care less about the subscriber. They spend all their time looking for somebody to work for their call center and then replacing that person who leaves almost as quickly as they arrived. There is no time to take care of the customer.

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousApril 11, 2014 at 6:50 AM

    Gee, I guess I am not missing anything, as I simply don't watch TV -- unless David tells me to glance at some wonderful shot during a basketball game.

    ReplyDelete
  7. R. J.April 11, 2014 at 7:14 AM

    I love our Verizon FIOS. We never have trouble with it. We cancelled Comcast.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. OlgaApril 11, 2014 at 6:30 PM

      We had Verizon FIOS at a rental house one winter a few years ago and I did like it, but it is not an option here.

      Delete
  8. Arkansas PattiApril 11, 2014 at 7:57 AM

    Bless your heart. I would be throwing things by now. I have Direct TV and love it.

    ReplyDelete
  9. SextantApril 11, 2014 at 10:43 AM

    Your tale makes me long for the days when we had three stations, an antennae rotor, and no monthly fee. I didn't watch much TV back in those days. Now we have some kind of box, close to a hundred stations, $50 a month fee and I still don't watch much TV. One hundred channels of crap is 97% more crap than three channels of crap.

    A young guy at work a few years ago was trying to sell me on the magic of satellite radio for my car. For 20 bucks a month I could get 17 bazzilion radio channels and so forth, plus uncensored Howard Stern. I asked him why should I pay 20 bucks a month to not listen to the radio, when I can not listen to it for free now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. OlgaApril 11, 2014 at 6:32 PM

      50 bucks a month! Sounds like a deal to me.

      Delete
  10. BarbApril 11, 2014 at 12:32 PM

    We removed all things Comcast in Denver - phone, wireless Internet, TV. I have a small Verizon box for wireless. We read a lot and go for walks! Also, writing to the Better Business Bureau gets results (what I finally did in mts). I think Comcast was rated the second most hated company in US - I forget who took first place!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. OlgaApril 11, 2014 at 6:38 PM

      I have two Comcast accounts--VT and FL. If I have a problem in FL it usually is resolved remotely. For some reason in VT I end up with a service call. That would be okay if I could only cut to the chase right away. If a routine doesn't work by the third try, schedule a service call. That's all I'm saying.

      Delete
  11. ComcastCares1April 11, 2014 at 3:44 PM

    HI there! I am sorry to hear about the frustrating experience. I work for Comcast and I can reach out to my local colleagues to look into this for you.

    Please feel free to contact me. Provide your account info, best contact number and a link to this page as a point of reference.

    Thanks,

    ComcatsMark
    We_can_help@cable.comcast.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. OlgaApril 11, 2014 at 6:41 PM

      Thanks. The service tech came this morning and replaced the HDMI connection with all the color coded wires. The box and TV were not talking. I don't know why not since it worked for months before all of a sudden it didn't. But I can watch the news tonight.

      Delete
  12. UnknownApril 11, 2014 at 4:25 PM

    I feel your pain! I am dealing with a very similar issue with Time Warner Cable and still haven't gotten them to actually send someone out. We have a picture, it is just that the cable box itself is insane. Being that Time Warner was just purchased by Comcast I'm even less optimistic!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. OlgaApril 11, 2014 at 6:44 PM

      Quite possibly it was Time Warner that was the most hated company (Barb's comment above). Good luck, BWAH-HA-HA.

      Delete
  13. Linda ReederApril 11, 2014 at 11:18 PM

    The Comcast service tech must be a hundred miles away, considering how reluctant they are to send someone out. Good grief.
    Here in the city we get much better service from Comcast.

    ReplyDelete
  14. SakuApril 12, 2014 at 8:32 PM

    You're much more patient than I would be, especially by the third call. I'm glad it got sorted out. I don't think I could live without the television - it's almost always on here. I grew up in a house where it was background noise and I do the same.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

I appreciate readers' comments so much. You don't even always have to agree with me.

Popular posts from this blog

It's TIme

 It's been a while since I have posted anything and even my reading your posts is falling by the wayside. I am in Florida now. I have a yard where little attention was spent on landscaping for the past years so I am slowly and (somewhat) methodically addressing that. I also volunteer to work at the pollinator garden and the edible garden I helped install at the UU grounds and I took over the volunteer job of cleaning out the overgrown community garden by my neighborhood mailboxes. The neighbor who was doing that got sick and could no longer attend to it. It's a bigger job than I'd thought at first -- not only overgrown with weeds, but the plants that are wanted there are in life and death competition for each others' spaces. And two walks a day, morning and evening, so Levi can keep up with addiction to canine social media and a daily rousing came of stick or ball midday take up another chunk of my time. I have a weekly meditation group that I co-facilitate, and my own ...
10 comments
Read more

New Furniture

 We went shopping for a new couch. I liked this one, the first store we went to. Of course it would be an impulse to buy the first one so we trekked around to other stores -- something we liked more, a better deal? No surprise that we ended up going back to that first store the next day and purchasing that couch for our living room. Also a matching love seat for the den where we watch TV. Because I had replaced my old love seat with two recliners. We couldn't keep three households worth of furniture after all. Well, my recliner was not big enough to accommodate both Levi and me. Poor boy had to watch TV from his bed on the floor. There! This is much better! Spoiled much? The little tail on the floor belongs to his toy squirrel, Buddy. It's like having a toddler with the need to be picking up toys or risk tripping over them. But his very favorite play thing is that bathmat that can be found anywhere but the bathroom floor.
10 comments
Read more

Walking

 I have always been a walker. Now that I have a high energy dog there is no excuse for not getting out there. And the weather is not an interfering factor here. Early morning and early evening are our preferred times so even when it gets hot we should be okay. We can get quite a long walk going around the neighborhood, greeting neighbors out working in their yards or walking their own dogs. But the landscape changes quickly just beyond the confines of the housing developments. It could be described as natural Florida or as sites of future housing developments. I do prefer the first option. And I really enjoy being out in natural areas so I often opt to head to a nature setting. I would have liked to put a picture here. Unfortunately my iPhone has made a unilateral decision. It will no longer be sending my photos to my computer. Why? I have no idea. However, we may be walking along happily enough -- me listening to the birds or trying to identify wildflowers and other plants while L...
10 comments
Read more