Topic 'Free HBO- is this for real?' in forum 'Verizon FIOS TV' - dslreports.com

Re: Free HBO- is this for real?

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 15:29:07 EDT

nycdave posted : You have an account issue, not a CableCARD pairing issue.

Re: Free HBO- is this for real?

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 14:57:01 EDT

freyder posted : channel 131 shows the typical help videos for using the system. No pairing menu there.

All HBO channels say to contact your provider.

The online "My Verizon" service says I should have the service so I guess I'll have to call them get it resolved.

Re: Free HBO- is this for real?

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 13:14:16 EDT

nycdave posted : Channel 131 is the FiOS Help channel. If the CableCARD isn't properly paired with the host device, channel 131 will display the CableCARD pairing menu...

Re: Free HBO- is this for real?

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 12:25:14 EDT

daghis posted :

said by freyder:

FWIW, I got the email as well and while I did see the message on my Tivo I do not have HBO on 899.

The Tivo shows the "contact your provider" message when I tune to 899.

Is your CableCARD properly paired with your TiVo? HBO is one of the few channels that requires the CableCARD to be paired with the box.

There's a test channel that you can check for pairing issues, but I don't recall what it is. Perhaps someone else has a better memory than I do.

Re: Free HBO- is this for real?

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 08:35:28 EDT

vircotto posted : As of this morning, my service went from just the one channel unblocked to all of the HBO channels. I have received no communications indicating the reason for this change.

Re: Free HBO- is this for real?

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 14:56:09 EDT

ronsc1985 posted : I've had it for a few weeks now in VH04. All the HBO channels are unblocked not just 899 as is HBO on demand.

Re: Free HBO- is this for real?

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 14:02:54 EDT

freyder posted : I don't have a cable box.. just a Tivo.. no popup setting there that I could find.

Re: Free HBO- is this for real?

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 10:57:15 EDT

ohernan posted :

said by freyder:

FWIW, I got the email as well and while I did see the message on my Tivo I do not have HBO on 899.

The Tivo shows the "contact your provider" message when I tune to 899.
The HD HomeRun Prime does not list 899 as one of the channels that I receive.

Try turning off pop-ups in the cable box settings and see if you get channel 899 then.

Re: Free HBO- is this for real?

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 09:35:30 EDT

freyder posted : FWIW, I got the email as well and while I did see the message on my Tivo I do not have HBO on 899.

The Tivo shows the "contact your provider" message when I tune to 899.
The HD HomeRun Prime does not list 899 as one of the channels that I receive.

Re: Free HBO- is this for real?

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 23:14:14 EDT

bohratom posted :

said by c17chief:

I am in VHO8 as well and I got it.

Do you also receive complimentary Showtime?

Im in VHO7 and Showtime is included free for the area due to competition. I would doubt they would give this 3 month freebee to anyone that already has a free premium included.

Re: Free HBO- is this for real?

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 09:47:16 EDT

c17chief posted :

said by nowayout:

I wonder how they are picking customers for this? I haven't gotten it here in vho8.

I am in VHO8 as well and I got it.

Untill a couple days ago, I have been out of town since the beginning of the year. Just happened to notice an email about this late January. When I got home, sure enough, HBO is on.

I looked into the terms when I saw the email...like many others, I was thinking great, they took it upon themselves to turn on a trail on my account, for which I will have to cancel before getting billed. However, in the terms, it explicitly said it will automaticly be turned off on may 31, no action necessary, will not be billed, etc....so we'll see what happens. Looks good to me, although pretty evident it's probly got an ulterior motive as more as a trial in hopes people will keep it then it is a gift for being a good subscriber. Either way, I'm def not compaining.

Re: Free HBO- is this for real?

Sat, 16 Feb 2013 10:28:53 EDT

anon posted : I received the same email last week. I wish they send out the email before they turned on the service.

I do not trust them, so I need to watch for this item on the June bill.

Re: Free HBO- is this for real?

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 11:04:56 EDT

dmine45 posted : No love in DC metro either. Bummer.

Re: Free HBO- is this for real?

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 13:26:50 EDT

Hosehead posted : No love here in Harrisburg yet. Bummer.
--
Wormleysburg, PA

Re: Free HBO- is this for real?

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 18:18:04 EDT

cmthru posted : Just to update my previous post (Feb 2). My free HBO got cut off a few hours ago. :-( Never got charged for it.

Re: Free HBO- is this for real?

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 08:43:02 EDT

anon posted : I'm also in the Pittsburgh area and received the email from them yesterday. I have all the HBO channels now.

Re: Free HBO- is this for real?

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 18:31:24 EDT

somebodeez posted : I just received yet ANOTHER phone call trying to get me to subscribe to HBO :uhh: I repeated that we were not interested and to please quit calling us about it. He said he'd remove our account # from his list and hung up before I got the chance to say anything else.

Re: Free HBO- is this for real?

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 18:23:21 EDT

tongyang posted : I got my email, but when I check HBO it still asks me to subscribe...

Re: Free HBO- is this for real?

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 17:17:51 EDT

anon posted : :( No luck in Westchester county in NY. Tried last night

Re: Free HBO- is this for real?

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 16:07:22 EDT

aztecnology posted :

said by aztecnology:

I got the same pop up message for free HBO on both of my boxes, so now I'm enjoying HBO until the end of May.

It just gave you the option to choose 'ok', i didn't choose on either box, I just changed the channel, then changed to one of the HBO channels and sure enough there it was...

I got my email today as well...
--
.:|:. aztec being aztec...�

Re: Free HBO- is this for real?

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 14:42:53 EDT

daghis posted : I got the e-mail as well (Pittsburgh area) and confirmed that all of my HD HBO channels are on. I'm otherwise just a local channels subscriber.

said by RX300:

Now try for HBO Go.

No go on HBO GO. It says that I need to subscribe to HBO.

Re: Free HBO- is this for real?

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 14:28:30 EDT

vircotto posted :

said by bohratom:

said by vircotto:

FWIW, I just received an email from VZ that clears up a couple of the questions. (Emphasis added by me.)

Was this an unsolicited email?

Yup.

Re: Free HBO- is this for real?

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 13:50:27 EDT

bohratom posted :

said by vircotto:

FWIW, I just received an email from VZ that clears up a couple of the questions. (Emphasis added by me.)

Was this an unsolicited email?

Re: Free HBO- is this for real?

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 13:44:17 EDT

vircotto posted : FWIW, I just received an email from VZ that clears up a couple of the questions. (Emphasis added by me.)

Thank you for being a loyal FiOS� TV customer! As a token of our appreciation, we are now including HBO� in your FiOS� TV programming package until the end of May. There is no additional cost to you and no action is required.

Simply tune to channel 899 HD (400 SD) to start watching the best Hollywood movies and award-winning original programming. We will automatically remove it for you after May 31, 2013.

Please enjoy the best programming FiOS� has to offer and let us know by the end of May if you want to keep watching HBO�.

Sincerely,

Arturo Picicci
Director, Customer Relationship Marketing

Re: Free HBO- is this for real?

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 14:53:43 EDT

nowayout posted : I wonder how they are picking customers for this? I haven't gotten it here in vho8.

Re: Free HBO- is this for real?

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 13:37:33 EDT

ohernan posted : OK, to clarify when I turned off POP-UPS, I was able to watch the free HBO. I live in Massachusetts.

Re: Free HBO- is this for real?

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 00:28:25 EDT

RX300 posted : Now try for HBO Go.

Re: Free HBO- is this for real?

Sun, 10 Feb 2013 21:54:33 EDT

anon posted : Thanks for posting. I turned off pop-ups on my sets but see that HBO is now working on our sets.

Re: Free HBO- is this for real?

Sat, 09 Feb 2013 13:47:10 EDT

anon posted : I guess us tivo users are being left out,since our boxes cant receive the verizon messages or on demand, at least they should include us by email!. and my bill has been around $380. 00 a month the last 4 months(with the nba league pass)

Re: Free HBO- is this for real?

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 21:56:37 EDT

anon posted : I've been offered it here in Chesapeake, VA

Re: Free HBO- is this for real?

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 19:45:30 EDT

bohratom posted : BTW is this limited to the California area or have people in other FIOS footprints been offered this special?

Re: Free HBO- is this for real?

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 22:10:09 EDT

TitusTroy posted :

said by Chinchilla :

Got this notification as well and the message saying "thank You For ordering." Troubling thing is I didn't discover it. a family member did. I signed in online and no message nor anything via email.
Conflicted as I don't mind the promo but I didn't order it. if I don't want it for my family on free preview weekends I can block. I shouldn't be gifted something I have to deal with to cancel

good point...seems like they added the channel via stealth so a lot of people might not even know that they have the channel free for 3 months...and hence they won't know that they need to cancel until the bill comes with an additional charge

Re: Free HBO- is this for real?

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 21:33:36 EDT

anon posted : Got this notification as well and the message saying "thank You For ordering." Troubling thing is I didn't discover it. a family member did. I signed in online and no message nor anything via email.
Conflicted as I don't mind the promo but I didn't order it. if I don't want it for my family on free preview weekends I can block. I shouldn't be gifted something I have to deal with to cancel.

Re: Free HBO- is this for real?

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 15:12:03 EDT

Rattler posted :

said by vircotto:

Same here. Just a notification that since I was such a good customer VZ was giving me HBO until May 31 for free. It listed the channel numbers for HBO in HD and SD. No mention of any obligation to cancel or continue and pay.

Crap! They should deduct the cost of the subscription (until May, 31) from the bills of those of us (fools) who have been paying for it all along... Bugger! ;)
--
Never raise your hands to your kids. It leaves your groin unprotected. -- Red Buttons

Re: Free HBO- is this for real?

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 13:12:19 EDT

vircotto posted : Same here. Just a notification that since I was such a good customer VZ was giving me HBO until May 31 for free. It listed the channel numbers for HBO in HD and SD. No mention of any obligation to cancel or continue and pay.

Re: Free HBO- is this for real?

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 12:20:42 EDT

TitusTroy posted : you guys getting HBO free until the end of May can now watch the entire new season (almost) of Game of Thrones!...starts up on March 31st and ends June 9th...so you miss the last 2 episodes

Re: Free HBO- is this for real?

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 11:49:06 EDT

aztecnology posted : I got the same pop up message for free HBO on both of my boxes, so now I'm enjoying HBO until the end of May.

It just gave you the option to choose 'ok', i didn't choose on either box, I just changed the channel, then changed to one of the HBO channels and sure enough there it was...
--
.:|:. aztec being aztec...�

Re: Free HBO- is this for real?

Sat, 02 Feb 2013 18:47:34 EDT

dick white posted : Well, this is troubling. I make no judgement about HBO, that's not the point. Some may like it, more power to them. I don't watch much TV in the first place. Because the basic tier only adds a few bucks to the price of FIOS internet, I'm willing to keep it for the times I do want to watch, e.g, tomorrow's "game that cannot be named in public unless I pay a license fee" in HD. But, if just by clicking on the Guide, I am setting myself up for a battle-royale with billing in June to have it taken off my bill, that's a problem. I'm less worried about the money as I pay my bill monthly as I go, not on auto-pay (much as they would like me to auto-pay) because their billing system is screwed up and their lame promises to "open a ticket to research your question" and "we'll give you a credit next month" never actually resolve the problem. So I only pay them the correct charge each month, but then their system reports me to the credit bureaus as a deadbeat for the unpaid incorrect charges.

Re: Free HBO- is this for real?

Sat, 02 Feb 2013 16:57:02 EDT

cmthru posted : Yes, the account online shows it as complimentary through Dec 31, 2012. As of this minute it's still active on my TV.

Re: Free HBO- is this for real?

Sat, 02 Feb 2013 15:56:44 EDT

anon posted :

said by cmthru:

I've had HBO free apparently for months. Didn't even known until I checked my account online mid-December. Says complimentary HBO until Dec 31, 2012. It's now Feb and HBO still running. The paper statement indicates nothing at about a free HBO trial. If it's going to be free until end of May all the better.

I would guess you should check your account online today to see if it is still listed as complimentary.

Re: Free HBO- is this for real?

Sat, 02 Feb 2013 15:51:06 EDT

anon posted :

said by knarf829:

Hope I get this popup so I can have the pleasure of declining it. I'd love it if Verizon reported back to HBO the grand total of people who wouldn't even take their channel for nothing.

I saw no choice for declining the offer.

Re: Free HBO- is this for real?

Sat, 02 Feb 2013 15:06:44 EDT

knarf829 posted : Hope I get this popup so I can have the pleasure of declining it. I'd love it if Verizon reported back to HBO the grand total of people who wouldn't even take their channel for nothing.

Re: Free HBO- is this for real?

Sat, 02 Feb 2013 13:58:22 EDT

cmthru posted : I've had HBO free apparently for months. Didn't even known until I checked my account online mid-December. Says complimentary HBO until Dec 31, 2012. It's now Feb and HBO still running. The paper statement indicates nothing at about a free HBO trial. If it's going to be free until end of May all the better.

My online statement shows a bunch of sports premiums I've never ordered, mostly football and basketball channels. As long as I don't get charged I don't care.

Never saw one onscreen pop up about any of the premiums.

Re: Free HBO- is this for real?

Sat, 02 Feb 2013 12:22:35 EDT

TitusTroy posted : nice deal for you...getting HBO free for 4 months is great...it's the best channel out there (standard or premium)...I didn't know FiOS gives away premium channel trials like that

I have the Ultimate package with all premiums included and the pop up ad that showed up for me the past 2 Fridays is the one where if I order 3 pay per view movies in February I get the 4th free

Re: Free HBO- is this for real?

Sat, 02 Feb 2013 12:02:56 EDT

anon posted :

said by dick white:

This is a little bit troubling.
dw

Exactly as I described. Hit the guide and the message popped up. It's not three months, it's four (it specifically gave the end date as May, 31).

Didn't agree to anything. I think I was sort of shocked at the unexpected message, I just exited. Immediately I was upset with myself for not snapping a picture of the message. I was hoping it would repeat itself on another box, but it didn't.

I don't even remember that it gave me any warning that I need to affirmatively cancel before May, 31st. Whatever it said, that I remember, was sort of vague.

[I paused here writing this, I thought to go to check my online account and found this proof:

"Limited Time Complimentary HBO

You currently have this service on your account."]

I guess we'll just go with the flow and call prior to the end of May to make sure it doesn't continue (but how will we get confirmation then for the request). Too bad Game of Thrones or any other worthwhile show is not currently in season. Will likely use it as much as the Showtime that is part of the bundle- maybe a couple of hours a week.

Re: Free HBO- is this for real?

Sat, 02 Feb 2013 11:16:18 EDT

dick white posted : This is a little bit troubling. You didn't tell us the complete exact sequence of events, every little sub-message and button click that you went through, but it sounds like you clicked for the usual guide and got a message that you are now the honored recipient of 3 months of free HBO, and upon going to that channel, found that HBO was in fact showing on a screen near your living room. It is not unusual, though irritating as noted by somebodeez, for a limited time promotion to be offered, after which they hope you will either be so smitten with it that you will pay to continue your new addiction or forget that it was there and never look at your bill. But this sounds like they just put it in your lineup under the guise of having pushed a notification through the guide. Did you specifically and affirmatively agree at any point in the "interactive" transaction to accepting the trial period? Postal regulations allow you to keep without payment anything sent unsolicited. To my knowledge, there are no Federal regulations to keep unscrupulous operators from putting extraneous channels on your TV and then start charging you after you have likely forgotten the message.

dw

Re: Free HBO- is this for real?

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 19:42:48 EDT

somebodeez posted : Sounds like the usual 3 free months of HBO that they try to hook us with every now and then except they call us on the phone or try to get us to subscribe when we renew our contract. (IDK what part of "no" they are having trouble understanding :uhh: )

I would for sure keep an eye on your bill (but it's a good idea to do that anyway) and if you are only interested in the free trial period, don't forget to cancel it when the free trial is due to expire because after that you will indeed get billed for it.

Free HBO- is this for real?

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 18:35:03 EDT

anon posted : Pressed the guide on the remote and the guide didn't immediately come up which almost always means an ad for VOD or a message is about to come up.

Sure enough a very surprising message.

Something about because we are good FIOS customers we will get free HBO until May, 31 and then to let them know if we wish to continue.

Sure enough HBO is on (not Cinamax)

When I go to the message center, there is a new message thanking us for "ordering" HBO.

Happened to anyone else? What do you think? Will we get an unpleasant surprise with the next bill?