I'm PISSED. (need your help guys)

[henderson_tony]

Well, I was a victim to the recent blackout some were calling it. To my surprise a CSR actually called me to see if things were fixed yet, but after going through the standard spiel said I'd have to wait until friday for someone to come out and service. Of course I don't trust the local service people at all seeing as it took 2 months to get my voom installed. This ironically comes the day after they not only bill me (when I shoulda had credits) but bill an old credit card I had on file which resulted in further problems. I was patient and really wanted to like this service, but if someone doesn't come out friday and/or these billing problems aren't fixed i'm out. Also (this is where I need the help) Is there anyone else I can talk to about the billing problems, I can never get past the CSRs to a supervisor. And can anyone suggest any other good HD content, maybe some good PQ networks. How about D*?

thanks for the help, sorry about the ranting.

 

[gutter]

I am without picture too. No channels . not even local OTA and I am 5 miles from the transmitters. At least they they said they would send someone out. They told me to wait a few days and see if Motorola can fix the new software and transmitt it. They took my name and ID number and said they would send it to corp . (whatever that means) Mine went out Monday moring, if it is not back by Thursday. I want a new F* box.

 

[henderson_tony]

This is rediculous to me. Any other business wouldn't let their clients be without product for such a long time w/o any sort of hope in sight. I basically have no t.v. for a week. Also, is this Wilt guy one to contact about major billing issues as well? If so whats his email?

thanks.

 

[gutter]

Wilt is more like the chief of engineering, but I feel your frustration. Except for the billing issue, I am in the same boat and it has sprung a leak.

 

[Neutron]

Voom makes ya feel like this eh?

Makes me feel the same way. Fortunately I called a lifeboat and am getting off this sinkhole.

 

[The Stone Man]

For those of you wanting to play the Wilt card, he is at wilth@optonline.net. He has helped a lot of people get their situations straightened out.

 

[Vicki]

Voom makes ya feel like this eh?

Neutron--love your gifs! Sorry you bailed--I'm hanging in for a while longer.

Vicki

 

[Neutron]

Hehehe, thank you!!

To me the CSR's at Voom are like

and the service this past with with billing and the crappy reboots made me feel Voom was

and had me doing this all week

. Makes ya want to go

sometimes, but now that my wife is happy again (she didn't like the issues we had and neither did I) I feel like this:

 

[ChetK]

can anyone suggest any other good HD content, maybe some good PQ networks. How about D*?

Yes. Dish Network has wonderful picture quality and rarely a receiver problem with the 6000U. As a matter of fact, I am seriously thinking about switching back. I was holding out for the new software update, but Voom seems to be sitting around with their heads up their @$$#$ and can't get anything right. Let me point out several problems that most of us are having that nobody at Voom is willing to fix:

• STB Lock-ups: These include - No programming Guide Data, Reboot required daily due to "No Signal Found" (sometimes on locals, sometimes on Sat channels) - All around, this is crappy software and they won't fix it, but they seem to know how to make it worse.
• Microstutters - this goes back to the crappy software that they won't fix.
• Poor Picture Quality - which they can't fix even if they wanted to
• You might as well forget about using DVI and it's crappy picture quality
• Dishonest Customer Service Reps
• Long Install Wait times
• To many missed installation times
• To much rain fade
• Tell me again why Wilt seems to be the only person around there that can get anything done.
• A Billing system that will, most likely, over-bill you (and why does it take so long to refund the error? It's a credit card, just refund the transaction!!!)

Now, let's look at the benefits to Voom:

• More HD channels (that look worse than any other providers HD channels)
• Oooops...that's ALL or the Voom benefits.

So tell me again why ALL of us aren't jumping ship? Because they "promise" it will get better? Well, guess what, I "promise" I'll give you all a million dollars. Of course, I'm not saying "when" I'll give you the million dollars.

Or maybe you're sticking around because it's cheaper than the other satellite providers? Oh wait...it's NOT cheaper than the other providers. Ooops, my fault. So, I guess we're paying extra for this $#!++y service. Thanks Voom!!! You're my pal!

 

[barth2k]

does Dish have a $0 install/0 commitment deal with HD receiver? I would try them out if they did.

 

[zapgod]

So tell me again why ALL of us aren't jumping ship?

Playboy HD and the Monster channel. :up

I have the new box with the new software though, and probably not getting any problems that everybody else is recieving. No stuttering, no PQ issues, no blackouts or lost signals. Except it did go down for an hour when everybody elses went down, but it came right backup without any problems.

 

[andrzej]

...
So tell me again why ALL of us aren't jumping ship? Because they "promise" it will get better? ...

Nope. Because plenty of customers like it and/or prefer it over other satellite/cable providers.

 

[Ilya]

Let me point out several problems that most of us are having that nobody at Voom is willing to fix

Most of us??? nobody willing??? How can you jump to such a generalization? I guess, I don't belong to the "most of us", since my experience is completely different:

- STB Lock-ups: ... Reboot required daily - I don't reboot daily. And I don't believe that "most of us" do!

- Microstutters ...that they won't fix. - they have already fixed this in 6.00

- Poor Picture Quality - I would never call it poor! But even if it is not perfect, HD is still way better than SD, and since you are likely to spend more time watching HD on VOOM, the average PQ on VOOM is much better than the average PQ with any other provider, if you follow my logic.

- You might as well forget about using DVI - Why? My DVI looks good to me (at least after the DVI input calibration in my TV).

- Dishonest Customer Service Reps - sorry to hear. Wasn't my experience.

- Long Install Wait times - I guess, VOOM is doing much better than expected

- Too many missed installation times - I agree on this one. Rather frustrating for some!

- Too much rain fade - I usually get this during severe thunderstorms. But in many such cases I loose power as well...

- Tell me again why Wilt seems to be the only person around there that can get anything done. - Do other providers have such a person ??! Wilt alone is a good reason to stay with VOOM!

- A Billing system that will, most likely, over-bill you. Most likely??? Do several reports in this forum really represent the "most of us" ???

- More HD channels (that look worse than any other providers HD channels) No, they look much better! Because other providers don't have these channels to compare with. "Nothing" cannot possibly look better.
Just to give you an example, if I want to watch TNT-HD, on D* I would've ended up watching the SD version of it. You may say that DiscoveryHD on D* looks better, than TNT-HD on VOOM, but this doesn't do me any good if I want to watch TNT. I could make the same argument about many other channels too.

- So tell me again why ALL of us aren't jumping ship? Different reasons for different people, I guess. For me, the main reason is this:

With VOOM I can watch HD 90% of the time. With other satellite providers I can't!

 

[Eric_C]

If you have a problem with Voom's HD PQ then you have a problem with your TV.

I've seen Comcast HD on a Samsung DLP and a Sony LCD 50", DTV HD on my own 60"Sony LCD, OTA HD, and Voom HD/OTA also on my Sony.

There is no comparing Voom's SD quality to either, it blows them all away, HD is on par with the few HD channels DTV offers, and in the case of EncoreHD and the Voom direct channels its far better than DTV's HD average.

I think others have told you this, if you have a problem with Voom's quality, then you have a problemw with your TV, is it component/DVI? Are you using the RCA's? Svideo?

There has to be another problem.

I'll bitch louder than anyone over Voom's problems, but PQ is far from one of them, especially when compared to DTV or Dish.

 

[gutter]

PQ is an issue and I have a Sammy DLP as well. soft and crushed. only slightly better than a DVD. OTA HD through My SAMMY SIR T165 and head and shoulders on the same exact channels with the Motorola . Of course, now I can't get any channels, including OTA thru my VOOM Motorola recevier. Just my good old SIR T165. VOOM PQ does not have a WOW factor...it has an OK Factor. Need more bandwith

 

[ChetK]

Microstutters ...that they won't fix. - they have already fixed this in 6.00

And uh...how long have we been waiting for 6.00? Oh yeah...a long time. And does anybody have 6.00 that isn't a new customer with a new box (and beta testers)? Oh...didn't think so.

HD is still way better than SD, and since you are likely to spend more time watching HD on VOOM

Actually, I have reather enjoyed watching SD DVD's much more since I have subscribed to Voom. Personally, I'd rather watch a movie on DVD than I would on Voom in HD. I'm taken out of the storyline as soon as there is minimal amount of movement on the screen that results in macroblocking due to low bandwidth. Honestly, I don't think Voom's HD is much better than a good DVD. OTA networks have better HD than Voom's channels IMO.

Why? My DVI looks good to me

I don't have a DVI on my Mits, so I can't really argue this one. However, I will say that it is very well known on this forum that the DVI output is usually not as good as the component output. That's just from what I've read here.

Dishonest Customer Service Reps - sorry to hear. Wasn't my experience.

Maybe not to you and not to me either, but many here report that CSRs are telling them that the software is being pushed, when, in fact, it is not.

Too much rain fade - I usually get this during severe thunderstorms. But in many such cases I loose power as well...

When I said "To much rain fade", I should have said "more rain fade than other providers". I have experienced this first hand. At least I'm supposed to be getting a larger dish installed soon.

Do other providers have such a person ??! Wilt alone is a good reason to stay with VOOM!

Other providers don't need such a person. My problems were always taken care of when I called Dish to speak to the first CSR that answered.

- A Billing system that will, most likely, over-bill you. Most likely??? Do several reports in this forum really represent the "most of us" ???

Maybe I shouldn't say "most" because that would indicate that I actually "know" something, but when I see it happening over and over again, and then I see them mess up on my bill, and new occurences of this keep getting posted here, I'm assuming that they have a cruddy billing system and that it might be inevitable that it happens to nearly everybody. I can only go on experience here.

With VOOM I can watch HD 90% of the time. With other satellite providers I can't!

Why not? You don't have to watch the other providers SD channels. I watched HD 99% of the time when I had Dish Network.

Anyway, I still have Voom and I suppose I'll stick it out until this software update thingy comes out (if it ever does). I know why they're taking so long on it: If it comes out and introduces more bugs, current subscribers are likely to get fed up and leave. If they release the software and it fixes many problems without causing new ones, hurray for all. If they continue to delay the update, people will stick around (like me) until it's released. So, if the software is still buggy, it's to their advantage to NOT release it.

 

[Eric_C]

I'll say it again, you guys must have a problem or problem with DLP.

I've had several boxes hooked upto my 60" Sony LCD. OTA with the Samsung 151, Toshiba DST3000(when it worked), and the Voom box are nearly identical. DiscoveryHD was sharper on Voom than DTV, I switched back and forth between the Voom box and the Toshiba box.

This is over DVI on Voom, Component on the other two.

On HD Voom channels there is no softness or pixelation. Maybe it has something to do with the Sammy DLP being 720p only, but Voom's PQ is identical or superior to DTV in HD, forget SD quality where Voom runs all over other SD content. Comparing the best of the best, HDNet is probably better than some of the Voom channels, but again it deppends on content.

Tori Amos on Rave was so-so...Peter Cetera was incredible, as were some other sound stage stuff. Now that PBS is broadcasting SoundStage also, I can see it OTA and over Voom, I have to wait for a good broadcast to come out to really compare.

EquatorHD rivals HDNet(which gets premium bandwidth) deppending in the content.

World Soccer IMO looks crappy, but in the commercials it looks incredible for the same game. Be nice if the Voom box had a bitrate counter like a DVD unit.

I've had them all, and Voom's PQ on average is still the best, minus of course the dedicated high bandwidth channels like HDNet.

 

[ChetK]

Eric, you wanna trade Motorola boxes with me?

I have the Dish 6000U & Voom's box. I have used the same cables to hook up both boxes to the same inputs on my Mits WS-55511 RPHDTV. On any of the channels that the two providers share, Dish Network blows away Voom's picture quality. It's not my equipment. It's Voom's lack of bandwidth. Period.

 

[keno]

Eric, you wanna trade Motorola boxes with me?

I have the Dish 6000U & Voom's box. I have used the same cables to hook up both boxes to the same inputs on my Mits WS-55511 RPHDTV. On any of the channels that the two providers share, Dish Network blows away Voom's picture quality. It's not my equipment. It's Voom's lack of bandwidth. Period.

Not here! Voom blows Dish away. I have the Dish HD setup and Voom. Switching back and forth Voom is much better or about the same. So, reading other peoples comments, not "period", but check your equipment.

 

[henderson_tony]

Wow,

i've seemed to get a thread popping off a bit. But everyone has some interesting/informative stuff. And alot of the posts actually made me feel better. Now here's an update: I talked to a CSR today who will remain nameless about fixing a billing issue and she was friendly/professional, but at some points tried to blame the mistake on me. That was pretty crazy. Now becuase of refunds and such I basically have 2 months free service coming my way (trust me, its no prize, i earned it) GRANTED, i have no service now anyway, which after that gets fixed is supposed to result in a prorated per day refund. (if they fix it when scheduled i woulda gone 5 days w/o t.v. insane huh? fortunately i work late nights and sleep during the day) If I didn't have these free credits i probably woulda just left out of anger, but what to receive what I have coming to me. Let us all hope after friday i get a new box, new software, and we all live happily ever after.

TONY