dslreports logo
 
    All Forums Hot Topics Gallery
spc
Search similar:


uniqs
3714
Hoss
Sauters A Walrus
join:2000-10-05
Tulsa, OK

Hoss

Member

[CATV] Had it with the Whole Home DVR...and possibly Cox for CAT

OK, I was one of the first to get the WHDVR back around Feb of 2011. (Tulsa, OK)

Since then, the following has happened...

Three (yes three) client box replacements to the same TV, which require a separate service call.

Two service calls to correct an issue with my internet.

And now, the host box is exhibiting the same exact issues the client boxes showed that required their replacements (pixelation followed by a pink-screen freeze, then the STB rebooting).

This wouldn't be such an issue if it didn't take these Java-crapware boxes nearly 10 minutes to reboot.

Also, wouldn't be such an issue if I didn't have to endure the bi-annual rate hikes (even when I had a rate lock with an agreement).

Cox, barring your tech supervisor pulling off a miracle on Monday with a service call in, you may have a lost a 12 year CATV customer this week, as the satellite providers are looking more and more palatable, even with rain fade in my part of the country.
Hoss

Hoss

Member

Re: [CATV] Had it with the Whole Home DVR...and possibly Cox for

OK, a minor miracle might be in the waiting.

The following is a lesson learned and hopefully will help others who are thinking of using Cox's Whole Home DVR: make sure each of your connect points has their own connection from the main tap and is not split anywhere in the house other than at the tap.

The same tech who came out with the brand spanking new Cisco EMTA D3 modem to address my speed issues came out for this. He seems to be very very knowledgeable and was the one who previously did ALL the line diagnostics that told me I have a perfect (10) signal coming into the house.

That being said, he was a little miffed at me initially for not telling him that I was having the WHDVR problems when he was out last for my internet issues. I explained to him that at the time I wasn't having any CATV issues and that settled that little discussion.

What he proceeded to tell me made me almost as mad as the issues I've been having. Not at him, but at the lack of training and follow-up that appears to be happening within the technical and install departments at Cox.

Shane explained to me that he was seeing issues at the connect points for the STBs. I explained to him my issues with three-times having to replace the initial client box. He finally told me that the resolution would be one I likely wouldn't like.

To preface, I need to explain the architecture of my current cabling. It's all RG6. One access point at the house. At that point, it's one 2-way splitter. One line runs into the kitchen, where another 2 way splitter serves to a client box in the kitchen, and the host box in the den. The second splitter from the house feeds back around to my office (about 40 feet of RG6) to a single wall outlet, where that has a two way splitter, one feeds the EMTA, the other feeds the second client box (which is the one that over the last 18 months has had to be replaced three times). So, in essence, a two way split at the drop, and each of the drops has another two way split. Per the tech, this is a no-no and should not have been done that way to begin with.

His solution (no cost to me) is to rewire the service. Drop to the access point at the house, then one four way splitter to serve up one cable to each of the connect points. I was told this is how it should have been done to start. The tech was understandably upset..well, understandably if you actually value the work you are doing and don't do it 'half-assed'.

Any of you who don't have your setups like he is going to repair it, would do good to contact Cox and ask them about it. And while he hasn't fixed it yet, he seems knowledgeable enough about both the TV side and the data side that he gets my confidence about correcting the issue. A tech who clearly knows when a customer's technical knowledge is advanced enough is one I like dealing with.

SoonerAl
MVM
join:2002-07-23
Norman, OK

SoonerAl

MVM

So did you get everything rewired and is the system running as you expect it to?
Hoss
Sauters A Walrus
join:2000-10-05
Tulsa, OK

Hoss

Member

Thought I mentioned..maybe I didn't. This won't happen until Monday morning. There is a whole morning blocked off for him to rewire. He will also make right the crappy job of wiring the subcontractors did back in 2005 when I had them install cable service in the house when I first moved in.
Hoss

Hoss

Member

Well, a full week now without a lockup on the hosts or the clients. And all this with no hardware swap. The only thing done was to clean up the connections by splitting at the tap and giving each point their own connections.

I will reserve judgement though for about another three weeks. Hopefully this solves the issue.

CoxJimR
Premium Member
join:2002-01-17
Atlanta, GA

CoxJimR

Premium Member

I hope so too... it's weird what you find when you start look at that stuff. I was having tiling problems on a couple of channels. Found that the "electrician" I had put some coax in used super-cheap stuff (it had pre-made ends) and a bad splitter. New RG6U and 2 less splitters in the attic and I am good to go.
Hoss
Sauters A Walrus
join:2000-10-05
Tulsa, OK

Hoss

Member

And of course right after I post that I notice that my host box reboots.

After investigation, however, I noticed all boxes in the house rebooted, and upon looking at the diagnostics pages, realized a new firmware had been pushed to all STBs in the house. The firmware is now up to major version 2.0 (last version I noted from the install last week was 1.6).

Any news on what the new firmware does that's new, and what it fixes?
Hoss

Hoss

Member

Guess I should have kept my mouth shut.

After a pretty nasty storm overnight, I woke to see that all the boxes are now pixelating, tiling, sound dropouts, etc. While this indicates maybe a plant issue, I called tech support and did a remote refresh (all three boxes rebooted) to no avail.

This is pushing me to my breaking point. I now have a sixth service call for this now in the last fifteen months. This is absolutely unacceptable now and if this isn't resolved this time...I'm done with Cox as far as CATV. Period.

Get your act together.

digiblur
Premium Member
join:2002-06-03
Louisiana

digiblur to Hoss

Premium Member

to Hoss
Vote with your wallet... »www.directv.com/DTVAPP/c ··· receiver Love it!
Hoss
Sauters A Walrus
join:2000-10-05
Tulsa, OK

Hoss

Member

It won't be Direct, either..too many of my friends hate them and switched to Dish. That's where I'll likely land if I switch.
GreyWolfX42
join:2001-08-25
Tulsa, OK

GreyWolfX42 to Hoss

Member

to Hoss
I was one of the first to signup and install WHDVR and dumped it after my 6 month free trial. It was nothing but problems and features that were promised to be 'coming' were never implemented. I was finally told the features had been dropped. My wiring from the pedestal to all my outlets is fairly new and has been checked thoroughly by the COX tech.
Hoss
Sauters A Walrus
join:2000-10-05
Tulsa, OK

Hoss

Member

I didn't really have problems aside from the occasionally pink screen reboot that turned more frequent as time went on, eventually always requiring a replacement of the set top box. But then this happened five times, and I had a guy out two Mondays ago who rewired the house the right way, and the issues were gone.

This issue I'm having now is different. It didn't affect just me, but it's making Cox look incompetent, especially after I got a call last night about 7pm from a tech (whom I didn't schedule) said they were having some issues and he was just about to close out a ticket to correct the problem. It went away. Until about midnight last night, and now it's back. That's way I say it makes them look incompetent.

They're walking the line here. My CATV has now been unusable for the better part of two days.
Hoss

Hoss

Member

Hmm...so I guess 'Executive Resolution' means 'we won't answer your call all damn day'.

This is BS. No wonder people are dumping you guys. You give the appearance that you don't care. I've called seven times today, left two messages, left a message with regular support to have ER contact me this morning.

You guys are on the clock now.
GreyWolfX42
join:2001-08-25
Tulsa, OK

GreyWolfX42

Member

I found that Executive Resolution means nothing. I asked my representative what it was he was supposed to do for me and he could not answer the question.
Hoss
Sauters A Walrus
join:2000-10-05
Tulsa, OK

Hoss

Member

Well, although the problem has (finally) been resolved, this has really left me with a bad experience as it regards Cox Customer Service. Usually you guys are on the ball with me. I would read some of these posts about bad experiences and hope they'd never happen to me.

I guess I finally got taste of that yesterday. You can't expect to treat in that manner someone who pays 200 dollars a month for services you provide.

I worked in customer service and was a hell of a lot better than that to our customers.
GreyWolfX42
join:2001-08-25
Tulsa, OK

GreyWolfX42

Member

COX customer and technical service has been in decline and reverse gear for ~ 1-2 years from my experience. I can only speculate that the pattern is refl;ective of their revenues and profit.