1 edit | [DVR] Trying to get an HDMI DVR...insanity realized Paid for a truck roll to install a new jack because I didn't understand how the house is wired (all in the walls and many coax runs). The install tech hassles me about fishing walls, which didn't have to be done...he just didn't understand what I was telling him. After it's done he remarks that he didn't have to fish any walls. Yeah, like I said.
All he has on his truck are the ancient (10 years now?) silver DVRs without HDMI. I just finished wiring the media room and didn't run any component cables, just Cat5e and HDMI.
Off to the Comcast store.
"We don't give out the 3501M for stand-alone DVR use and never have them in the store."
"Okay, I'll take a 3400."
"We don't have any of those, either."
"The guy in front of me just returned one."
"We can't give that out."
"How do I get a HD DVR that will work in my room?"
"Come back another day. We might have one. It could be a day, a week, or a year before we get one."
"It's a 45 minute drive, one-way, and a minimum 30 minute wait in line. Can't I call in advance?"
"No."
I leave and call Comcast, where I'm connected with "Advanced Customer Care". This lady informs me that they have no inventory system, so they don't know what's in the stores, when the store will get 3400s, or anything useful, for that matter.
She offers to schedule another truck roll. "It's possible that the tech would have one in his truck."
"Or we could just send you one."
"Then just send one. That would be fine."
"Well, there's no guarantee that you'll get the box you want. I can't request a specific HD DVR."
"This is insane. Can you imagine ordering something from Target and having them tell you that you might get what you want, and you also might get something else? And that you can try a local store if you don't like those odds, but there's no way to find out what's available in the store without going and standing in line?"
"We aren't Target. We don't have an inventory system."
This last statement got me. There is simply NO way that a company like Comcast doesn't have an inventory system or any idea what's going to be shipped to/received by their stores.
Blech. So is there some trick to getting a 3400 series DVR? Or a special customer care number staffed by people who can actually solve customer problems?
Or maybe DISH or DirectTV is a better solution? They might not be perfect, but this situation with Comcast is like something out of a "How not to take care of your customers" book. |
|
| Re: Trying to get an HDMI DVR...insanity realized Your comparison is wildly off target.
You're paying for services, not the devices that provide them. There's no indication that the services you get from Comcast are anything but what you've asked for.
Everyone pays the same price for the same services. Therefore, it is only equitable that the equipment be shipped out blindly. |
|
mogamer
join:2011-04-20
Royal Oak, MI | said by mariod:Your comparison is wildly off target.
You're paying for services, not the devices that provide them. There's no indication that the services you get from Comcast are anything but what you've asked for.
Everyone pays the same price for the same services. Therefore, it is only equitable that the equipment be shipped out blindly.
Doing things blindly is a terrible business model. Only a company with limited competition can get away with that.
Every warehouse has an inventory system. It's just that Comcast didn't want to take the time and money to implement one that tied all of their warehouses together into a central system.
I ran a warehouse for a manufacturer for 22 years. Believe me, we knew how many rolls of toilet paper there was in the place. Much less how much product we had and even how much product was in our other warehouses around the world.
|
|
| It's an efficient and just business model. |
|
| said by mariod:It's an efficient and just business model.
You sound like both Comcast people who failed to help me today. History is littered with companies that no longer exist due to just this sort of arrogance. |
|
 DrDrewSo that others may surf.
join:2009-01-28
SoCal
kudos:8 | reply to lorennerol
Comcast, as do all cable companies, has a inventory system which will keep track of boxes down to the specific model and serial number. They have records that say which offices were issued and have exactly which boxes.
The problem is the people that use the system and services offered aren't centered around tracking or supporting model numbers, but a more generic non-HD, HD, DVR, MR-DVR model scheme.
So if you're looking for a particular model box or a box with a particular port, that's tough to get. If you want a HD box or DVR, they've got that.
--
If it's important, back it up... twice. Even 99.999% availability isn't enough sometimes. |
|
| reply to lorennerol
said by lorennerol: Or maybe DISH or DirectTV is a better solution? Or maybe NOT...they both do the very SAME thing.
An HD DVR is an HD DVR, & an SD receiver is an SD receiver.
On DirecTV, you might have started out with a shiny, latest new HR24...& if it crashes, end up getting shipped a POS HR21 as a replacement!
I agree none of these situations is good, but that's what we're all stuck with now, since both DBS providers decided to go with the "cable lease" model...  |
|
| reply to lorennerol
It's the end of the year, start of the new business year. Inventory is always low this time of year although in my area we are doing ok, the new stuff goes straight out and doesn't always come back. |
|
|
|
 bryank
join:2000-03-23
Plainfield, IL | reply to lorennerol
LOL, you might be better off just going to friends/relatives house and stealing theirs.  |
|
1 edit | reply to lorennerol
Arrogant treating people equally? |
|
 joakoPremium
join:2000-09-07
/dev/null
kudos:5
 ·Comcast
| reply to lorennerol
Yes they can't guarantee anything but just have them schedule a free truck roll to bring the box you need. If they don't have the box you need they will need to keep on scheduling free truck rolls until someone does and that costs them money.
There is no way they can honor your request for a specific model, but they should have no problem with honoring a basic reasonable request for a DVR with HDMI.
--
PRescott7-2097 |
|
| said by joako:Yes they can't guarantee anything but just have them schedule a free truck roll to bring the box you need. If they don't have the box you need they will need to keep on scheduling free truck rolls until someone does and that costs them money.
There is no way they can honor your request for a specific model, but they should have no problem with honoring a basic reasonable request for a DVR with HDMI.
You're sadly mistaken if you think that a truck roll is free. It's not. As has been said, the only way to get a SPECIFIC box is to go into the local office and request it. If they have it they'll give it to you. If not, try again. All HD-DVR's put out 1080i regardless as to if it's HDMI or component, commitment met by the company. |
|
 djrobx
join:2000-05-31
Valencia, CA
kudos:1
 ·VOIPo
 ·Verizon Wireless..
·RoadRunner Cable
 ·AT&T U-Verse
| reply to lorennerol
DirecTV is sort of like that - if you exchange your leased hardware they can't guarantee what you'll receive. The only workaround is to demand a service credit so you can go "purchase" the particular receiver you want from a third party retailer.
However, their HD receivers all at least have HDMI. 
--
AT&T U-Hearse - RIP Unlimited Internet 1995-2011
Rethink Billable.
|
|
joakoPremium
join:2000-09-07
/dev/null
kudos:5 Reviews:
·Comcast
| reply to mistook
said by mistook :said by joako:Yes they can't guarantee anything but just have them schedule a free truck roll to bring the box you need. If they don't have the box you need they will need to keep on scheduling free truck rolls until someone does and that costs them money.
There is no way they can honor your request for a specific model, but they should have no problem with honoring a basic reasonable request for a DVR with HDMI.
You're sadly mistaken if you think that a truck roll is free. It's not. As has been said, the only way to get a SPECIFIC box is to go into the local office and request it. If they have it they'll give it to you. If not, try again. All HD-DVR's put out 1080i regardless as to if it's HDMI or component, commitment met by the company. In this case there should be no charge. The customer has done everything to get the proper equipment and Comcast has been unable to provide it. The customer has already paid for 1 installation appointment and also waited in line at the service center. Had Comcast sent out a properly equipped tech on the first visit none of this should have been necessary. I am sure if the customer pushes the matter Comcast will offer a service credit or refund the original installation charge.
Last time I was in this situation I went to the Comast office, no HDMI DVR I called 800-COMCAST and they sent someone to my home the next day with the correct equipment and of course there was no charge.
--
PRescott7-2097 |
|
 newviewEx .. Ex .. ExactlyPremium
join:2001-10-01
Parsonsburg, MD
kudos:1 | reply to mistook
said by mistook :All HD-DVR's put out 1080i regardless as to if it's HDMI or component, commitment met by the company.
I spent Saturday morning re-wiring my parent's crappy Comcast install where their Scientific Atlanta Explorer 3250HD was cabled via component connections. This so-called HD box did not even have an HDMI out connection (what the hell is THAT about?!) ... I had to use the DVI out and use a DVI-to-HDMI adapter. The resulting picture was 100% better. In this case the commitment was to Comcast's bottom line ... NOT to the customer. It's a crappy box and purposely installed the least expensive way ... typical Comcast. |
|
rody_44Premium
join:2004-02-20
Quakertown, PA | The least expensive would be hdmi not component. |
|
DrDrewSo that others may surf.
join:2009-01-28
SoCal
kudos:8 | reply to newview
said by newview:This so-called HD box did not even have an HDMI out connection (what the hell is THAT about?!) ... I had to use the DVI out and use a DVI-to-HDMI adapter.
Funny thing is for quite a while many purposely avoided HDMI and wanted boxes without it because of the many issues HDCP was causing...
I think most cable companies, including Verizon, commonly hookup HD boxes with component to avoid the random issues that HDMI has caused by HDCP on some TVs and other devices. HDMI is done on request though...
--
If it's important, back it up... twice. Even 99.999% availability isn't enough sometimes. |
|
| reply to newview
said by newview:I had to use the DVI out and use a DVI-to-HDMI adapter. The resulting picture was 100% better.
The picture from a DVI-HDMI connection was "100% better" than a component connection??
That statement defies science and logic. |
|
| reply to lorennerol
The silver HD DVR boxes are in the neighborhood of 10 years old. They do not have HDMI out and if the demand for HDMI is as great as the reps who didn't help me today claim, most or all of those boxes should be retired. They've long since been fully depreciated.
To be clear: This install is for a ceiling-mounted projector. I just spent months tearing apart, wiring the rooms (speakers, video, contol, etc), repairing sheetrock, and painting. I did not run any component cables, so using one of the aforementioned ancient HD DVRs is not possible without tearing the ceiling apart again.
Most people don't know the difference between the boxes or don't care. The guy in front of me who returned the 3400 said he wanted a DVR with a clock "like the one I used to have". So he'd rather have a clock than HDMI. So for people who do know the difference, I think Comcast would be well served to have a system that allows customers to get what they want...without effectively playing the lottery by paying for a truck roll, wasting gas and time going to a store, or waiting 7-10 business days and paying shipping charges. These are the three choices, none of which is guaranteed to satisfy the customer. What a phenomenal waste of time, energy, and customer goodwill. And it's all easily avoided. |
|
| My "silver HD DVR box" (RNG200) does have HDMI. Don't know or care how old it is, but it works. |
|
