Hookup Horror!

[gparris]

Living so close to Ilinois, friends of mine have Comcast Cable, not TWC.
Now, more often or not, we hear of problems about TWC and its personnel...not from me, mind you, but from the forum.

Horror story: This couple bought an HD-ready set, got the DVD installed okay and waited for their HD DVR to arrive and be installed.
The so-called installer came out and did his thing and left and said they were able to watch all their HD programmes with full picture and sound.

Knowing better after they told me what they had got, I got a web-schematic from Comcast Cable and knowing they use the Motorola box, I printed it out when they came over for dinner one night and asked if that is what they had and if it was installed correctly, showing the whole set of wires and all like I have.

Later, calling me up, they said that they couldn't get INHD 1 & 2, Cinemax HD or Starz HD nor any of the HD  local channels, including WB HD (WGN).
The wife said she couldn't get back surround and the little blue light never went on for their Sony receiver for Dolby Digital, ever.

So I went to their house, about 15 miles SW of me in Illinois and to my horror, they handed me what looked like a good set of component cables (a monster-clone-better than what TWC gives you) the cable guy had handed them and they asked it that was the problem as their DVD was hooked up differently with them...I said yes and ran to the back of the HD set and HD DVR box.  :bang:

The cable guy had hooked their set up with the VCR as if it was a standard analogue set, no component, no digital audio or anything, yet the component cables were there that he delivered not used, originally sitting right on top the set.

So I hooked things up the right way and the sound improved (DD5.1 when available) and the HD channels came in to their amazement.
 All this while - nothing!  I called Comcast and asked for 2 free months since they did not get what they paid for to begin with...and got it. :rolleyes:

Lesson here is that cable companies do NOT hire (at least not always) experienced or knowledgeable personnel WHEREVER you are...here is a great example...and it was'nt TWC this time. It was like Comcast personnel didn't either care or have the knowledge to install HD cable boxes correctly.
I wonder how many other poor subscribers have been shafted like this and think they have HD and digital sound when they don't? :guns:

[naimbeg]

Ain't that the truth....
When TWC switched to their digital boxes a couple of years ago (going from using dual coax cables to a single one) they sent a girl that must have been 18 or 19...

I asked if she simply wanted me to do the swap, she said that she was trained and she needed to do it... I showed her the back of my entertainment center... 5 minutes later I was swapping the box.

Then we were off to the basement so she could upgrade the splitters...
When she say those spider webs she literally started shaking... She just couldn't get near the cob webs, so I swapped the splitters out too.
I give the girl credit, she tried to act with confidence and knowledge in performing her job plus she was cute....
I managed to get her to stay for a soda and chat for about 10 minutes...
She was doing it as a summer job before going to collage.

I don't expect expert installers but they should know the basics or at least be cute (and female).