What's up with Time Warner Cable?

[Highlander]

DirecTV Customer Service is usually excellent. If you mention to them that you'd like to switch later, they may give you a loner or something. One disadvantage is that you have to pay $100 for the receiver to get it installed, so if they won't give you a credit for a later upgrade, you'll be out $100 to upgrade later.

That being sadi, I have an HD DVR for 3 years now and have been very happy with it. I can't think of any problems I have ever had with it. Out of the box I was able to get it networked with my home PC for sharing static content (pictures, mp3's, etc). I agree if you can wait for the new one, do so. However, the old one is significantly better than the SA one I had while at TWC.

[2535Miles]

My final experience with TWC left such a bad taste in my mouth that it will take a long time, or a monopoly in the market before I'll consider purchasing their service.

My service was disconnected on a Monday. One week later I received a phone call from Time Warner asking when I was going to make the final payment. I explained that it had only been a week and that I had not even received my last billing statement. The operator stated that she would note my account and that we shouldn't receive another phone call until the end of the month.

The next day I received two phone calls, and the next, and the next and then the next day. This continued every single day until I paid my bill. Every time I explained what was happening, the operator would note my account. Near the end of it all, one of the operators said "I'll just note your... whoa, it looks like it has already been noted. That's strange".

Really it was just the last straw on the camel's back.

Thanks for the year of horrible service and deception. I feel like a real shmuck for giving you my hard-earned money.

[DukieInKansas]

The feature I miss on my TWC remote is the C button in the guide mode. I lost this function several "updates" ago. If you were in the program guide, you could hit the C button and get a list of other programs of that type. So, if you were in the guide and highlighting college basketball, you could hit C and get a listing of the college basketball games airing on any channel starting at the current program and going out several days. It made verifying the air time of Duke basketball much easier. I need to lobby TWC to get that function back.

[ohioguy2]

The feature I miss on my TWC remote is the C button in the guide mode. I lost this function several "updates" ago. If you were in the program guide, you could hit the C button and get a list of other programs of that type. So, if you were in the guide and highlighting college basketball, you could hit C and get a listing of the college basketball games airing on any channel starting at the current program and going out several days. It made verifying the air time of Duke basketball much easier. I need to lobby TWC to get that function back.

I agree. That feature is the most missed one in our household. If you find someone "live" at TWC to listen to you, tell them others agree with you also. Bring back the "C" feature.

[Kimist]

My major and continuing complaint against TWC is simply trying to get a straight answer, especially on costs other than the "for the next 12 months..." type plans they tempt you with.

"Free HD" is a joke - you must have a digital (extra $) plan to view most of their channels - which I already pay for! - in HD. But I can already view the HD over-the-air broadcast channels (in this area 11.1, 5.1, 17.1, 4.2) without the doggone extra plan. (I think the FCC makes TWC provide them for "free" ??) But I cannot view ESPN et al in HD.

Salesmen tell me I am not "seeing" HD on those channels - sorry, the picture/sound quality say otherwise when compared to the "regular" comparable channels for the same stations.

You can get HD for only "$9/month" is their standard verbiage..or is it "free HD" instead?? When I ask them if I don't ALSO need to rent (not purchase) a converter box, and same for remote control necessary in order to use the "$9 service" I get non-answers. And if I ask them what a less expensive non-addressable "cable box" might involve, I get complete "I have no idea!" type answers from TWC salesmen.

It also bothers me that my very nice multi-functional remote that came with my recently-purchased LG set becomes more or less worthless. And why even have a channel selector on the TV itself? - just hardwire everything to channel 3/4 and go forward.

I do not watch that much TV - although much more during football/basketball seasons - so I really resent having to pay for a bunch of services/hardware that TWC forces on me.

Oh yes - for reasons not relevant here, I have cell phone service with a provider and land line/DSL internet service with another provider. I simply do NOT want to give TWC complete control over my needs, in spite of their fervent wish to do so.

OK - rant is now concluded.

k

[OZZIE4DUKE]

As I type, I'm on hold waiting to cancel the DirecTV installation.* I spent close to an hour on the phone with Time Warner (retention department) getting my bill reduced and various free services added, all without having a 2-year "commitment" and no cancellation fees if I change my mind again and decide I want DirecTV after all!

First, let me give you the direct number for TWC's retention department, so you don't have to go through the customer service phone tree:

800-761-2289

I have reduced my bill from ~$131/mo to $115.00/month including taxes and fees for 6 months with one HD DVR (with a new $2 price reduction over the standard price), Digital Variety programming package, free Showtime and the Movie Channel for a year, free HBO for a month, and upgraded my Road Runner internet from the standard 7 MB speed to the Turbo 10 MB speed (that's the 6 months part, otherwise the rest of my pricing is good for a year, and I'll either get a new promotional price on the Turbo RR or drop back). Doing the speed check on the RR, the upload speed, which was a glacial ~370 kbps on the standard service, now measures at ~490 kbps, so my photos may upload a bit faster next time

When it's convenient I'll go to the Garner store and get a new Cisco or Samsung DVR to replace the AS unit I've got now, just because.

Just thought y'all might want to know.

*Hold time was about 5 minutes, and it took less than a minute to cancel the installation with all charges to be credited in 7 to 10 days, with no attempt by the agent to talk me out of canceling.

[Lid]

TWC update for Durham folks: the East Club store no longer exists; it's now in the shopping center on N Pointe across from Costco. I don't know if the Southpoint one ever swapped out DVRs, but they don't now, so don't try that one.

We've had a TWC DVR just for the last 6 months or so (changed over from TiVo when we finally got HD), and it's been a disappointment all the way through. We put up with the worse DVR for convenience, but last week, the DVR finally kicked the bucket. I took it in to swap today and got a "new" one which, of course, doesn't work. After spending too much time on the phone with the service tech, he said I should go swap it again. Of course, by this point, the store is closed, and none of them are open on Sunday except Southpoint, which doesn't swap out equipment. So now I have to take off work at some point on Monday if I want it to work again. Frustrating!

I'm looking at DirecTV now. I'm just not sure if a dish will work at our house due to trees. Here's hoping.

[Lid]

If anyone is interested, DirecTV is offering the HR24 HD DVR now.

[DevilBen02]

We've had a TWC DVR just for the last 6 months or so (changed over from TiVo when we finally got HD), and it's been a disappointment all the way through.

We actually made the switch a couple of months ago back to TiVo when we realized the newer TiVo boxes are compatible with TWC with HD. We just got a cable card and a tuning adapter from Time Warner, turned in our DVR, and have been very happy having user-friendly TiVo on our big TV in HD, and actually lowered our cable bill in the process. I think the only functionality we lost was the use of the On-Demand channels (And with RedBoxes everywhere, we don't miss that option at all). If you're fed up with the Time Warner DVR don't want to make the jump to satellite, it's a nice option.

[Lid]

We actually made the switch a couple of months ago back to TiVo when we realized the newer TiVo boxes are compatible with TWC with HD. We just got a cable card and a tuning adapter from Time Warner, turned in our DVR, and have been very happy having user-friendly TiVo on our big TV in HD, and actually lowered our cable bill in the process. I think the only functionality we lost was the use of the On-Demand channels (And with RedBoxes everywhere, we don't miss that option at all). If you're fed up with the Time Warner DVR don't want to make the jump to satellite, it's a nice option.

Thanks for the advice -- I'd actually considered this, but when I called TWC to ask about tuning adapter availability, they made it sound like I wouldn't be able to get one anytime soon. I guess that was their way of trying to keep me hooked into their DVR service instead.

In any case, we're loving DirecTV so far. The DVR is leaps and bounds better than the one we had from TWC. When I press "play" it... wait for it... plays! The search feature doesn't just search, it actually finds. Still not as good as a TiVo, but much better than what we were dealing with. The installer was on time and polite, and we already got a call from a real person asking if we were satisfied so far.

[alteran]

Thanks for the advice -- I'd actually considered this, but when I called TWC to ask about tuning adapter availability, they made it sound like I wouldn't be able to get one anytime soon. I guess that was their way of trying to keep me hooked into their DVR service instead.

In any case, we're loving DirecTV so far. The DVR is leaps and bounds better than the one we had from TWC. When I press "play" it... wait for it... plays! The search feature doesn't just search, it actually finds. Still not as good as a TiVo, but much better than what we were dealing with. The installer was on time and polite, and we already got a call from a real person asking if we were satisfied so far.

Next time TW gives you a lame-(wanker,etc) excuse for not having a CableCard, tell them you'll call the State Utilities Commission and ask if they have any lying around because Time Warner doesn't. I guarantee your case will get escalated. If not, actually call the UC. I don't know why the companies fear the UC, but they do.

I once called the UC on Verizon for delaying my installation of 3rd party DSL thinking nothing would happen, and Verizon's rep called me every day for a week with progress reports until the problem was solved.

[moonpie23]

hmmm...the utilities commission....i hadn't thought of that one....


so, twc, uverse, et al are regulated utilities???

i think a person at the NC attorney general's office of consumer complaints told me that they were NOT regulated...


oooh, another avenue to cause them friction....
love it..

[Jarhead]

hmmm...the utilities commission....i hadn't thought of that one....


so, twc, uverse, et al are regulated utilities???

i think a person at the NC attorney general's office of consumer complaints told me that they were NOT regulated...


oooh, another avenue to cause them friction....
love it..

I don't think so. Utility commissions customarily regulate privately owned companies that provide a service in a non-competitive market. Typical such companies include electric power utilities, telecommunication utilities providing local service, natural gas utilities, and sometimes water and sewer utilities. Services not regulated by a PUC would include cable television, mobile phone and satellite services, internet service providers, DSL and other broad band providers, voice over internet protocol (VOIP) services, and others. Most of these services related to communications may be regulated by the Federal Communications Commission. Some states may have a different set up on this, though.

[alteran]

I don't think so. Utility commissions customarily regulate privately owned companies that provide a service in a non-competitive market. Typical such companies include electric power utilities, telecommunication utilities providing local service, natural gas utilities, and sometimes water and sewer utilities. Services not regulated by a PUC would include cable television, mobile phone and satellite services, internet service providers, DSL and other broad band providers, voice over internet protocol (VOIP) services, and others. Most of these services related to communications may be regulated by the Federal Communications Commission. Some states may have a different set up on this, though.

Hmmmm. I'm not sure I'm parsing what you're saying here correctly, but I can tell you for a fact that the NC UC regulates internet service providers, or at least they did in 2001.

When Verizon kept making lame excuses for not being able to make their lines available for a 3rd party DSL company in 2001, the action I got after calling the NC Utilities Commission was stunning. I was assigned a representative at Verizon the next day, and this representative called me daily with a progress report, and they wanted me to tell the UC when I considered the problem solved.

I think what you are saying is basically that the UC is only useful/valid when a monopoly provider is not complying with regulations. I think the CableCard situation here fits this. CableCard isn't something cable companies provide because they want to, they were made to. In short, it's a regulation. And saying, "oops, we're out, bummer, don't know if we're ever gonna get any more in" is exactly the kind of lame crap that I was getting from Verizon when the NC UC kicked their (wanker, etc.).

Bottom line, if you hate TW's PVR, and they give you the runaround on CableCards, the call can't hurt.

[moonpie23]

i'm gonna call them tomorrow...
i'll report back

[Jarhead]

Hmmmm. I'm not sure I'm parsing what you're saying here correctly, but I can tell you for a fact that the NC UC regulates internet service providers, or at least they did in 2001.

When Verizon kept making lame excuses for not being able to make their lines available for a 3rd party DSL company in 2001, the action I got after calling the NC Utilities Commission was stunning. I was assigned a representative at Verizon the next day, and this representative called me daily with a progress report, and they wanted me to tell the UC when I considered the problem solved.

I think what you are saying is basically that the UC is only useful/valid when a monopoly provider is not complying with regulations. I think the CableCard situation here fits this. CableCard isn't something cable companies provide because they want to, they were made to. In short, it's a regulation. And saying, "oops, we're out, bummer, don't know if we're ever gonna get any more in" is exactly the kind of lame crap that I was getting from Verizon when the NC UC kicked their (wanker, etc.).

Bottom line, if you hate TW's PVR, and they give you the runaround on CableCards, the call can't hurt.

I find that late hour parsing can be difficult, but I think you are saying that the NC Public Utility Commission has a regulatory interest in cable companies. In a check of their website I find this:

The Commission regulates, to varying degrees, 16 incumbent local exchange companies (ILECs), 193 competing local providers (CLPs), 379 interexchange long distance carriers (IXCs), 215 payphone service providers (PSPs), and 22 shared tenant services providers (STS).

The Commission does not regulate telephone membership corporations, cable providers, satellite providers, commercial mobile radio service (including cellular service and paging service), data and internet service providers, or the rates of IXCs and CLPs.

The largest ILECs operating in the State include AT&T North Carolina (AT&T) with 1,714,943 access lines; Carolina Telephone and Telegraph Company (Embarq) with 1,011,712 access lines; Verizon South, Inc. (Verizon) with 268,073 access lines; and Central Telephone Company (Embarq) with 235,598 access lines. The other 12 ILECs in the State serve a total of 499,049 access lines. CLPs provide service to 746,433 access lines in the State, with 377,048 of those lines being residential lines and 369,385 of those lines being business lines.

My interpretation of that is that cable providers are not on their to do list, nor are cell providers. You can call the Utilities Commission if you like, but it seems that the FCC would be a more appropriate place to call. Your call to the NCUC folks regarding Verizon had to do with traffic via DSL service over their hard wired access lines, an area of interest of the commission. Cable providers are specifically excluded. I searched their site for "cable card" finding nothing.

[alteran]

My interpretation of that is that cable providers are not on their to do list, nor are cell providers. You can call the Utilities Commission if you like, but it seems that the FCC would be a more appropriate place to call. Your call to the NCUC folks regarding Verizon had to do with traffic via DSL service over their hard wired access lines, an area of interest of the commission. Cable providers are specifically excluded. I searched their site for "cable card" finding.

Thanks for the synopsis. Methinks that despite surface similarity in the cases, you are probably right.

[Jarhead]

Thanks for the synopsis. Methinks that despite surface similarity in the cases, you are probably right.

You're welcome. I was lucky. I happened to enter the right argument in my Google search box.

[Rogue]

I am really surprised at so many TWC users.
I also realize that every TWC market can be different. Where I live on the coast, MASN is not available along with a few other sports channels that I get in my standard package with Direct TV ,, NFL Network..

I've had Direct TV for 5 yrs and love it.
Even 5 yrs ago, when Ophelia ( class I hurricane ) visited, I never lost my signal,, while my neighbors in TWC lost TV and their digital phones for 3-4 days.

Each area of Direct TV can be different also.. I don't get local channels in HD via Direct TV.. I have to have a seperate antenna to pick up local channels in HD.. the local TV stations won't grant waviers either..

All in all, I find Direct TV a lot better option than TWC

( not to mention I get 3 History Channels,, my spouse calls them the Hitler Network,, that you can find Hitler on one of the channels 24/7 lol )

[HaveFunExpectToWin]

If anyone is interested, DirecTV is offering the HR24 HD DVR now.

Good news. The multi room DVR option is now live too. For $3 a month you can network your DVRs and share recordings between them. Getting 2 HD DVRs would effectively give you 200 hours of HD recording time. That's a lot of Duke BBall.