I had a seemingly simple request: for FIOS to send me the same 500 GB DVR upgrade that half the people on my block were getting emails about. I have not gotten the email, so I figured, no problem, just call FIOS and they should be able to send me the box or, failing that, at least send me the email, right? Is that asking too much?

Apparently, yes. NONE of the three separate divisions I spoke with (sales, billing or tech support) could do that. One rep gave me two separate URLs that I could go to, to sign up for the DVR, and when I told them the URL they gave me would not work, and asked them to go online with me and walk me through it, they could not!

What the heck?!? In ANY other encounter with customer service for any other company I’ve had dealings with, if you had a question about their web site, they go online with you and walk you through the process. How the heck do you guys not get how frustrating it is for customers when you can’t do this?

Or simply generate a darn email??? You can’t do that???

Also, I’ve had tech issues with my existing DVR. So customer support says they will send out a replacement OF MY OLD DVR! Huh?? I tell him., if I can scale the 500-foot wall of your company’s horrible customer support and somehow figure out how to get the 500 GB DVR, I’ll just have to replace the old one you’re about to send me. So how about you just send me the new 500 GB DVR instead? After all, I’m paying nearly $200 bucks a month for service–I think I deserve that basic level of support, don’t you? “Sorry, sir, that’s a different division. I can’t do that.” So he transfers me to billing. Guess what? “Sorry, sir, I don’t know anything about your level of service, terms of service, what type of DVR you’re supposed to have, so I can’t help you with that.”

ARRRGH!!!!!!

Congrats, FIOS. You are officially one and done–the MINUTE my first year of service is up, I am RIPPING OUT your equipment and going back to Comcast. Or maybe I’ll just start reading books more. A heck of a lot cheaper and infinitely less frustrating.

Have you ever tried out one of the Logitech Harmony remotes? I had one for years until my daughter dropped it in the toilet recently. They’re the best universal remotes I’ve ever used. They’re not cheap, but they’re totally worth the price based on the features you get. This is the one I’ll probably end up buying again one day http://amzn.to/aube0K

After a couple of hours of troubleshooting and convincing myself that there really was a problem, I called service and was told that there is a known issue with this box (qip7216…) and that they would ship me out a remote sensor “extender” taht plugs into the back of the box. I’m skeptical, but hopeful, as all indications are that the IR sensor in the box is not responsive.

After waiting three weeks to get hooked up and now another week, I’m a little annoyed with how things are going. My experience so far with Verizon is that something is always amiss, if it’s not a bad installation, it’s a problem with billing. That said, the picture looks nice compared to my DirectTV and I’m hoping this is only a speed bump on the road to a satisfactory HDTV experience.

Thought I’d share this in case anyone else has this problem during installation. If there’s even a hint of a glitch with the remote(s), ask the Tech to go out to his car and order the remote sensor extension.

Cheers,
Roger

Good luck!