Shows that should be recorded aren't. Charges that shouldn't be applied are.

I've been noticing that shows that are supposed to be recorded aren't. There are two shows that I know I had set up to record that didn't. I'm not going to waste my time calling tech support, as I know there's nothing they're going to be able to do to help me. It just pisses me off that things still aren't working right.

And here's another thing:

I got a letter from Verizon about the impending switch to all-digital channels. The letter said that any TVs connected directly to the cable without a box would no longer work and for a limited time, I could get a free digital adapter. Great, I thought, as I have one such TV in the house. So I ordered the box, it came, and I was able to install it quickly and easily. Cool, right?

Then I open my Verizon bill. Guess what? That "free" digital converter apparently isn't so free. They're charging me $3.99 a month for it. Time to call Verizon. Again.

Super Bowl Sunday

It's Super Bowl Sunday morning and my daughter goes into the TV room to turn on a show.

The TV doesn't work. There's no video coming from the set-top box.

So I power cycle the set-top box to see if that fixes the problem. It doesn't. In fact, the box keeps power-cycling itself over and over again every three minutes.

So I call Verizon with six hours to go before kickoff. First, the automated voice sent down some signal and that didn't work. So after being put on hold for a while, I spoke to a human being who tried some other signals. They didn't work either.

And he said there was no way they could get somebody out to fix the problem before kickoff.

I demanded to speak with a supervisor. More waiting.

The supervisor told me that there were no techs available and that the best they could do in terms of compensation was to refund me a day of service. I replied that to lose service the day of the Super Bowl and then to have to wait around for half a day for a technician to arrive the next day required more than that. Especially in light of the fact that they would now be replacing my set-top box for the third time.

He gave me some number to call (which I haven't yet) where they could perhaps help me with that.

Stan the technician came out the next day and replaced the box.

So after reprogramming everything for the third time, things seem to be OK again.

Software Patch

Well, I did indeed receive the new software patch.

Joy of joys, I can actually program the DVR to record Hannah Montana without recording it six times a day.

The only other major difference I see is that it shows you how much recording space you have left without going deep in the menu to find out.

I sure hope this is the end of the problems...

New Software?

I just noticed that there are a few new options and displays on the DVR. Perhaps this is the software patch they promised? I haven't had time to play with it yet, but I'll post here with more info when I do.

Two Fixes in One

Now that I'm just waiting around for the new software patch due in January, I've finally found time to call Verizon about the other problems I've been having since I got FiOS installed: telephone interference and a wireless connection that keeps going out.

Turns out the two were connected.

I started with the wireless problem. My kids' computer, which uses a wireless connection to the router, kept losing its connection. It was fine before FiOS was installed and the computer and router are in the exact same place as before. Also, when the connection wasn't out, it was strong.

The woman at tech support said the problem may be another wireless device interfering with the wireless router. So we switched the channel the wireless router uses and that solved the problem.

It also solved the phone interference problem.

Looks like the wireless phones were interfering with the wireless router and vice-versa.

Now if I could just get the DVR to work...

Still No Word

As I said in my last post, a woman at Verizon said she wanted to look into my case further and get back to me.

That was on December 4.

It's December 13.

Now, They're Calling *Me*

I got a call this afternoon from Verizon.

It was the person who supervises the technicians in the field who found out that my problem had gone all the way to the president's office and she wanted to make sure everything was OK and to see what else she could do to help.

I told her that I was under the impression that my problems would continue until the new software patch is released (more than a month from now) and that I'm pretty much sitting around waiting at this point.

I also expressed my disappointment at the way my case has been handled thus far in that nobody really took ownership of the issue.

She says she wants to do a little more research and get back to me. I'm not sure what about.