another cablevision rant

Why does cablevsion constantly change the equipment they issue????

Here's my story-we are doing renovations so I unplugged a perfectly good cablebox about 2 months ago. When I plugged it back in over the weekend it wouldn't boot up. I have had this happen a million times and it always results in me wasting my time with tech support only to be told "you'll need to switch the box out".
So this time I figured I'd skip the annoying phone call & just switch the box. Last night we try hooking up this new samsung box & of course it won't friggin boot up. I try it in three other rooms of my house, which all have working cable equiptment-nada. I go in my basement and make sure the wire to that room is connected well on both ends-its perfect.
So that means I have to get on the phone & go through 3 minutes of automated nonsense to get a human on the phone and after completing all the steps the customer service rep told me to do-unplug, plug back in , press three buttons and hold, unplug again, stand on one foot, rub your head and belly at the same time-guess what?
She tells me "these samsung boxes are brand new and we are having problems, you can switch it at the store"

I go all the way back to the store today which is NOT close to my house and switch the box, the rep there asks me (like I'm an idiot) if we followed the FOUR step instructions exactly.....UMMM No I did them in an order I thought was more appropriate-YES we followed FOUR FRIGGIN STEPS!
so I bring the new box home and guess what?
It won't BOOT!!!!
Back on the phone I go to now be told by this phone rep that my signal isn't strong enough, which is interesting because I took an older box from another room & hooked it up in there & it WORKED!!!

This has happened to me before, cablevision loves to keep getting new equipment that the crappy infrastructures in our homes can't handle so now I get to waste 3 hours or more of my life waiting for a repair tech to come to my house so I can have TV. I mean really, shouldn't TV be simpler than this?

I would NEVER pay for any other service that is so inconsistent, overpriced & stressful to deal with but there is no competition for TV and internet in my area of Suffolk so I'm stuck with this inferior garbage. If I could convince DH I would get my internet through my cell phone provider & get rid of the cable services all together.

rant over

Message edited 3/22/2011 8:48:58 PM.

Re: another cablevision rant

OMG I HATE those Samsung boxes! They are horrible! We are constantly missing channels or if you hit the arrow down 3 times it goes down twice then up once, so screwy! I really wish Fios was out near me bc I would switch in a heartbeat! I hate paying that bill every month bc, like you said, they are so inconsistent!

Re: another cablevision rant

i have a constant problem with my daughters box. EVERY time the lights just blink for a sec. it goes out. one the phone with them for what seems like forever. I was at one point able to switch out the box by them sending one to me i nearly . REALLY I said. I could not believe it. So from now on anything goes wrong I am having them mail it out. I am very far from both locations.

Re: another cablevision rant

Having been a cable tech, sounds like your wiring is the problem. Im not going to get into it but, if they say the signal to your box is low chances are its the wiring. One bad connection or a oxidizing spiltter, and you will have these kind of problems. Take it for what you will.... You need your wiring checked.

Re: another cablevision rant

All cable boxes suck. I have cablevision now and it sucks but verizon was just as bad.