A reader called The Sun earlier to report problems with Comcast Digital Voice phone service in Westminster.

Jaye Linnen, a Comcast spokeswoman, returned my call at 4:30 p.m. to say the problem arose due to scheduled overnight maintenance to users of a specific modem, which affected Comcast high-speed Internet and digital voice phone service.

She said service had been restored to all affected customers in Carroll County by that time, however.

Linnen would not share how many were affected, but said that if anyone was continuing to have problems, they should call 1-800-COMCAST.

For the more computer-savvy out there ... 

Continue reading "Comcast service restored in Carroll County" »

Posted by Liz Kay at 5:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Cable/Satellite/TV/Comcast/FiOS, Cellular/Landline/Voice over Internet
        

Maryland Dish Network subscribers will share $325,000 in restitution under a settlement concerning the satellite television company’s marketing and billing practices.

Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler through his Consumer Protection division joined 45 other states and Washington in suing the company for not adequately disclosing all the terms of its contract, making telemarketing calls to consumers who requested not to get them, failing to disclose the availability of rebates, credits and free offers and not telling consumers they were purchasing used equipment.

The company also made inaccurate comparisons to competitors’ prices and charged consumer credit cards and debited bank accounts without proper permission. Under the settlement, Dish Network has agreed to change its marketing and billing practices and make sure consumers clearly understand what they are buying.

It also must change its practice of debiting consumer bank accounts and make sure third parties it hires to market its products follow terms of the settlement. Dish Network also agreed to pay $5.991 million in total restitution to consumers across the country, including the $325,000 to Maryland.

Continue reading "Dish Network settles over billing and marketing practices, to pay restitution" »

Posted by Andrea Walker at 3:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Cable/Satellite/TV/Comcast/FiOS, Complaints, Consumer protection, Naughty businesses/NBotW
        

Don't miss the updated caveat below the jump!

Negotiating a discount might be a little easier these days.

The Chrysler and GM dealers that are closing have until June 9 to move their stock before they lose their franchise. That means lots of great Chrysler and GM discounts abound, as CNN points out in a story sent my way by reader Chris (Harbor East).

Negotiating's worth your time for any service you subscribe to --- television, telephone, magazines and more.

Garden Variety blogger and columnist Susan Reimer just shared at least three examples of friends who called to cancel their subscriptions to a movie package on cable, XM radio and more, and ended up saving instead.

The customer service representatives were so eager to keep their business that they offered to extend them service for FREE for weeks or months on end. 

Why is this a good deal for the publications or cable company?

Continue reading "Negotiate your way to savings" »

Posted by Liz Kay at 1:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Cable/Satellite/TV/Comcast/FiOS, Cellular/Landline/Voice over Internet, Cheap/Frugal
        

Comcast cable subscribers, have you noticed any channels have disappeared from your lineup?
You may have, if you have analog cable rather than a digital cable package.

Reader bryanintimonium mentioned that the latest station to go MIA was the Cartoon Network. Bryan has digital cable but uses analog for other televisions in his home. When he called Comcast, he was told that the government was to blame for the change, and that all the cable networks would migrate over come June.

Let’s shed some light on this: Comcast *did* migrated the Cartoon Network over to digital service last month, said spokeswoman Alisha Martin. So have as other channels such as G4 and AMC. Other Consuming Interests readers first noticed cable networks such as G4 or AMC disappeared last year due to a similar switch.

So, fans of shows on Adult Swim must upgrade to the cable company’s Digital Starter package to continue watching those shows (available at the same price as analog service -- $57 in Baltimore, $56 in Anne Arundel County, about $61 in Baltimore, Harford and Howard counties and $59 in Carroll County). PBS station WETA has also moved digital-only on Comcast.

But to be perfectly clear, these changes have nothing to do with the government-mandated digital television transition.

Continue reading "Comcast cable channel changes: 1 more moving from analog to digital only " »

Posted by Liz Kay at 10:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Need help installing a digital converter box? The Federal Communications Commission is offering FREE, IN-HOME digital converter installation in Maryland through contractors.

These installers are not allowed to charge consumers for labor but may have to sell consumers cables, antennas or other items if necessary. Folks should get their converter boxes ahead of time. And according to the FCC, you can still get a digital converter box coupon  by June 12 if you apply by June 1.  However, coupons will be available through June 30.

Here's the list of FCC installation vendors for Baltimore and the surrounding area:

Continue reading "DTV: free in-home digital converter installation is available" »

Posted by Liz Kay at 2:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Cable/Satellite/TV/Comcast/FiOS, Digital television
        

Need help paying your utility bills? Consider stopping by the Energy Assistance Expo in Laurel tomorrow. Here are the details:

The Community Action Agency will hold an Energy Assistance Expo from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday at Resurrection of Our Lord Roman Catholic Church, 8402 Brock Bridge Road, Laurel.

Low-income residents in need of help paying their gas and electric bill can apply for assistance at the expo. Aid is available to households with a monthly income ranging from $1,516.65 for a single resident to $4,141.65 for a family of six.

Applicants need to take photo identification, proof of residence, copies of Social Security cards for all family members, income verification, name and account of their utility supplier and last bill.

Information: 410-265-4103.

If Laurel is too far to travel ...

Continue reading "Energy assistance expo in Laurel Thursday" »

Posted by Liz Kay at 4:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Cable/Satellite/TV/Comcast/FiOS, Energy/Utilities
        

Harford County residents will get Verizon FiOS, now that the county council has approved a 15-year franchise.

According to The Sun's story, some areas near Aberdeen can sign up for the television and high-speed Internet service as soon as April, but it's going to take some time to wire the rest of the county: --- one to three years before service is available for Bel Air and Abingdon zones, and then five years for the Edgewood and Havre de Grace zones and seven years for the Jarrettsville and Winters Run zones.

Posted by Liz Kay at 10:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Cable/Satellite/TV/Comcast/FiOS
        

Harford County residents could get FiOS, if county council members  approve the proposed Verizon cable franchise agreement on Feb. 17.

Bel Air residents already have FiOS, but to submit testimony to support FIOS, contact your Harford County Council members or write to the Harford County Council office.

Verizon spokeswoman Sandra Arnette said in an interview yesterday about resolving Verizon customer service woes that the company will start installing lines once it's approved. 

Readers frequently ask when FiOS will come to their area.

Continue reading "FiOS for Harford County?" »

Posted by Liz Kay at 10:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Cable/Satellite/TV/Comcast/FiOS, Computers
        

Boy, my inbox --- and Watchdog's --- has been flooded with comments from people all over the Baltimore area with complaints about Comcast cable wires installed through their lawns, driveways and even across roadways.

It even made it to Consumerist, where commenters reminded me that there remains yet another forum for customers and non-customers affected by the practices of Comcast and other cable services to voice their opinion.

Each county and Baltimore city maintains franchise contract with the cable providers that deliver services within their boundaries and so have some limited oversight over them. If you've tried calling Comcast and have not gotten through, perhaps it's time to file a complaint with the franchisee.

Here's the contact information for Baltimore city and the five surrounding counties:

Continue reading "Complaints about your cable service? Tell your local government, too." »

Posted by Liz Kay at 10:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Cable/Satellite/TV/Comcast/FiOS, Complaints, Watchdog
        

If your child's 529 plan investments took a nosedive last year, you'll have an additional chance to consider switching things up a bit, Excellent Eileen told us Sunday.

Usually you can make changes only once a year to a 529 plan, but this year investors will have two opportunities. Eileen warns, however, that just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

You might "lock in your losses" if you switch to less volatile, more conservative options and the market bounces back, she points out.

Whether you should make changes will depend largely on your child's age.

If you have a younger child, you have the time to ride the ups and downs of a fairly aggressive stock portfolio. And stocks still manage to provide the best returns over the long haul.

The difficult choice will be for families whose children are a year or two from college. Do you stay put with your investments, or not?

Continue reading "Consumer Sundays: a 2nd chance to change 529 plan investments and testing Comcast customer service" »

Posted by Liz Kay at 8:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Budgeting, Cable/Satellite/TV/Comcast/FiOS, College/Financial aid, Investments, Warranties
        

This week's Watchdog offered an opportunity to test Comcast's customer service.

Now, Watchdog focuses on solving problems in your neighborhood --- street lights out, faded crosswalks, abandoned vehicles. Generally the folks who can solve those problems are city, state or county departments and agencies.

Occasionally, however, an issue in a neighborhood prompts us to contact private companies such as BGE or Comcast or CSX, and so I used this week's situation as an opportunity to test the response to the We_can_help@cable.comcast.com e-mail address that we told you about last year.

Stay tuned to discover how the reader fared when sharing her plight.

(photo: Elizabeth Malby/Baltimore Sun)

Posted by Liz Kay at 12:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Cable/Satellite/TV/Comcast/FiOS, Watchdog
        

I hope you've already applied for your digital television converter coupon, if you have an older television and rely on over-the-air broadcast signals to watch your favorite shows after Feb. 17.

The federal government has started a waitlist for digital television converter coupons because the program hitting a $1.34 billion funding limit set by Congress, according to the story.

Anyone who applies after Sunday (Jan. 4) won't get a $40 coupon of their own until some of the ones already issue expire without being redeemed, returning some of that cash into the system.

Already, there are about 103,000 requests are on the list, so officials with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, part of the Commerce department, are telling people not to wait. 

Here's a refresher on who needs a converter: 

Continue reading "DTV: Waitlist for digital television converter coupons" »

Posted by Liz Kay at 1:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Cable/Satellite/TV/Comcast/FiOS, Digital television, Technology
        

Comcast is aiming to satisfy the seemingly unquenchable thirst for high bandwith, as consumers get hooked on high-def televisions and movies, and bigger, more elaborate gaming systems and networks.

Yesterday, they announced the launch of their new DOCSIS 3.0 "wideband" (no, not "broadband", grandpa). The more you pay, the faster you get to surf the Web with your Comcast cable modem.

The pricing plans the company released compete, in many ways, directly against their direct competitor, Verizon's own super-fast FiOS network. (See my story that details Comcast's announcement.)

So for now, if you want to experience presumably the fastest Internet service around, you'll have to pay either Verizon or Comcast $139 a month. Just by a show of hands, anybody signing up for these services in the Baltimore area in this recession? Anybody cutting back on their pricey Internet/cable services?

Check out how blogs, including Engadget, played the news of Comcast's announcement.

I would also appreciate some reader help in tracking down reviews of Comcast's new DOCSIS 3.0 network in the markets outside Baltimore where it's already launched (i.e., Pacific Northwest, Boston area, parts of New Jersey, the Twin Cities.) If you can find good, meaty reviews, please post a link in the comments section.

Posted by Gus Sentementes at 7:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Cable/Satellite/TV/Comcast/FiOS
        

Anyone looking to get their TV and movie needs through other methods outside of pay TV must be ever so hopeful that more and more choice is coming. Today, Google-owned YouTube and Metro Goldwyn Mayer announced a new partnership that allows the video-sharing website to host some full-length television shows and films from the famous Hollywood studio.

YouTube's new partnership, of course, is an effort to do battle against increasingly popular Hulu.com, which has already created an extensive list of movies and shows available to viewers.

According to this AFP story:

Another channel, youtube.com/impact, will feature clips from action movies such as "Rocky" and "The Magificent Seven" and full-length films such as "Lone Wolf McQuade" and "Bulletproof Monk." YouTube and MGM said in a joint statement that the videos will be free but will contain advertising. They said new channels would be launched "in the near future."

Continue reading "YouTube + MGM = More Full-Length Streaming Movie Options" »

Posted by Dan Thanh Dang at 4:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Cable/Satellite/TV/Comcast/FiOS, Digital television, Technology
        

If you pay your Comcast bill via phone, you might have noticed something new this month.

Comcast has started charging a $2 “convenience fee” for those using the company’s automated voice system.

When asked about the fee, Comcast spokeswoman Aimee Metrick noted that consumers still have other ways to pay their bills for little or no money. Those include online payments, automatic transfer of funds and traditional mail.

Continue reading "Comcast adds pay-by-phone fee" »

Posted by Eileen Ambrose at 1:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Cable/Satellite/TV/Comcast/FiOS
        

We have been hammering on pay TV prices lately and it seems there's good reason for it because we're not the only ones wondering why prices keep climbing. 

Remember when analog cable customers complained about losing Washington channels that were being moved to digital, and then complained again to the blog here and here about paying more for less? There was a lot of confusion about whether Comcast's channel moves had something to do with the fed's digital TV push coming this February (Comcast says there's no connection). But what readers weren't confused about was feeling angry about how Comcast said that analog subscribers won't have to pay more to upgrade to digital, except that you need a box for each TV you have and each box will cost you about $3.95 each per month.

Then, we had a full-on gripe session about Comcast's announcement that your cable rates were going up starting Nov. 1. At the time, we asked if consumers living in areas that offered competition saw better rates and many of you said no. Well, now, guess who else is wondering why pay TV prices keeping going up and up? That's right, the Federal Communications Commission. Check out the Associated Press story that just moved a couple hours ago:

Continue reading "FCC To Probe Rising Cable Prices" »

Posted by Dan Thanh Dang at 6:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Cable/Satellite/TV/Comcast/FiOS, Cellular/Landline/Voice over Internet, Consumer protection, Naughty businesses/NBotW, Technology
        

 During all that cable talk these last couple weeks, Reader Sean asked a question about the competition:

Does anyone know if Fios will be available in Harford County anytime soon?

We just got an answer for you Sean and any other Harford Countians out there. Verizon spokesman Sandra Arnette says:

Unfortunately, I can't provide a specific timeframe when Verizon will offer our FiOS services in Abingdon.  But, we are in the process of negotiating a franchise agreement with Harford County government.  

Earlier last month, Verizon won unanimous approval from the Town of Bel Air Commissioners to offer FiOS TV to Bel Air residents.

Continue reading "Verizon FiOS Offered to Bel Air & Annapolis Residents" »

Posted by Dan Thanh Dang at 1:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Cable/Satellite/TV/Comcast/FiOS, Cellular/Landline/Voice over Internet, Digital television
        

It might seem like we've been picking on Comcast a lot lately, but ever since Comcast started moving more channels from analog to digital, raised cable prices, and made changes to improve customer service, we've had more to talk about lately. And readers have had more questions, too.

Reader Jenna Hody asked last week: 

I was reading the article on increased prices of cable this morning; maybe you can find the answer to this question - If I drop back to Limited Basic Service with Comcast, $14.10/month vs. $61.30/month for Standard Service, what channels will I get? After 3 calls to Comcast, and 3 different representives on the phone, all I got for an answer was, "about 20 - 25 of the 'usual' channels." There doesn't seem to be any info online about Standard Service. How is a consumer to decide?!

Continue reading "Comcast Answers Pricing Question" »

Posted by Dan Thanh Dang at 12:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Budgeting, Cable/Satellite/TV/Comcast/FiOS, Digital television
        

First comes love. Then comes marriage. Then comes streaming movies and TV shows right into your home!

I know. What am I, 5-years-old?! And yea yea, it doesn't rhyme. But I've made my point.

The two companies announced a new partnership today that will allow you to view Netflix movies on TiVO boxes with no extra cost other than Netflix's own fees. TiVo customers with a TiVo Series 3, TiVo HD, or TiVo HD XL will be able to do this come December.

Wicked cool, yes? If you remember our previous confab about the upcoming Comcast rate increase, a few of us mentioned getting rid of pay TV altogether. I know my work spouse Gus (who is at home taking care of his new, wee baby girl. Congrats babe!) has been talking about hooking up a computer to his big screen for all his TV needs.

Continue reading "TiVo and Netflix sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G..." »

Posted by Dan Thanh Dang at 2:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Cable/Satellite/TV/Comcast/FiOS, Computers, Digital television, Rent, Technology
        

I told you last week that I visited Comcast's office in White Marsh recently, didn't I? Spokesman Aimee Metrick was kind enough to give me a tour of the cable giants's customer service center, its dispatch center and the room full of storage servers where all the digital, video and voice signals converge to shoot back to customers all over.

Pretty impressive, I gotta say. It's quite an operation, but the thing that got my attention were the new programs and technology that Comcast has put in place to improve customer service. 

Readers of this blog know that Comcast monitors the Internet to address consumer complaints and questions. Comcast has reached out to several readers who commented on this site. Comcast also uses social networking sites like Twitter to keep in touch with customers.

In continuing with this improving customer service theme, Comcast has dedicated a network operations center (they call it the NOC, sounds like "knock") that serves as a help desk for its field techs. In the past, field techs equipped with radios had to wait in line when dialing up the call center, just like Comcast customers. That meant Joe Schmo in the Field had to wait to tell dispatch whether he was missing equipment, in need of a converter box, finished with a job, in need of another tech's assistance or what have you. If the call was dropped (which can happen as anyone who has ever called a call center knows), the tech would have to call back and wait in line again. It was very inefficient, which lengthened service times unnecessarily.

Continue reading "Comcast Cares? Has customer service improved?" »

Posted by Dan Thanh Dang at 1:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)
Categories: Cable/Satellite/TV/Comcast/FiOS, Technology
        

 So I just received an e-mail from a group called TV4US about Maryland residents paying an average of 6.4 percent more for cable on Nov. 1.

Says TV4US, "the cost of Comcast's standard cable package will go from $55.45 to $59, an increase of 6.4 percent. In some counties, like Montgomery, rates have increased 13.75 percent since January 2007."

Comcast disputes those figures. (I'll get to this in a sec.)

Comcast is not, however, disputing the fact that your cable bill is going up come Nov. 1. Customers in the Maryland-Delaware-Richmond region, which includes Greater Baltimore, will see a 3.7 percent increase in their bill.

Continue reading "Your Cable Rates Are Going Up, says Comcast" »

Posted by Dan Thanh Dang at 6:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (46)
Categories: Cable/Satellite/TV/Comcast/FiOS
        

Anyone who knows me, knows that I have a fondness for watching cheezy infomercials.  They used to air late at night, but now there are entire channels devoted to them.

So I often find myself lingering far too long, when I'm channel surfing, on the dozens of client affirmations for Proactiv, Cindy Crawford's buy-these-beauty-products-and-never-age-like-me schtick, and that one doo-dad that makes hot pockets out of any kind of food you want to eat. I have just one word for that last infomercial: awesome.

One infomercial, however, drives me up the wall. Which one, you ask? Any infomercial that involves Kevin Trudeau and whatever book he's shilling on natural cures or weight loss. Why does this dude bother me?

Because a federal judge has banned Kevin Trudeau from infomercials in which he has an interest for three years. He's also been ordered to pay more than $5 million in profits from his book, "The Weight Loss Cure 'They' Don't Want You to Know About." This recent ruling in August confirms a 2004 contempt finding against Trudeau -- the second time he's been found in contempt of court in the past four years.

Judge Robert W. Gettleman of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois affirmed his 2007 ruling that Trudeau "clearly, and no doubt intentionally," violated a provision o a 2004 stipulated court order that prohibits him from misrepresenting the content of his books in his infomercials.

Continue reading "The 3-year FTC Ban that Kevin Trudeau Doesn't Want You to Know About" »

Posted by Dan Thanh Dang at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Cable/Satellite/TV/Comcast/FiOS, Complaints, Consumer protection, Consumer safety, Healthcare, Marketing/Advertising, Naughty businesses/NBotW
        

OK. So have I mentioned to you how absent-minded I am? I forget my cell phone all the time. I forget birthdays. I pour a cup of coffee to bring to work and forget it on the counter at home. I forget a lot of things. So when the writer's strike put all my TV shows on hiatus last season, I forgot to watch TV... or, at least follow the TV shows I used to like to watch.

So I'm finding that now that the new season has started, I've completely forgotten when Monk was on, or when to watch Battlestar Galatica, or when to catch The Closer on TV. Or sometimes I do remember and I'm stuck trying to decide between a TV show and something on Maryland Public Television (yes, I'm low-tech. I don't have a digital recorder). I almost always pick MPT.

Given my dilemma, I gotta say, I'm digging Fancast.com, Comcast's next generation entertainment site which is free for anyone to use.

Continue reading "Miss Wonder Woman and The Love Boat? Missed Heroes? Find it on Fancast" »

Posted by Dan Thanh Dang at 11:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Cable/Satellite/TV/Comcast/FiOS, Computers, Consumer Web Site of the Week, Technology
        

I thought you might appreciate some insight as to how Comcast is servicing their long-time internet customers. Here's an online chat I had with one of their rep's as I tried to learn how I could monitor my bandwidth usage and avoid being penalized for exceeding their new limit. To summarize - they do not provide customers with access to their current measurements of our bandwidth usage, yet they will penalize us if we exceed it.

Continue reading "Consumer Gripe: Comcast won't tell me what my bandwidth use is" »

Posted by Dan Thanh Dang at 6:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Cable/Satellite/TV/Comcast/FiOS, Complaints, Computers, Technology
        

What's a lifelong Yankees fan to do when he doesn't live in the New York viewing area? Thomas Morton signed up for MLB.TV to watch his hometown team a year ago and loved catching the games online. Then MLB.TV upgraded software to stream standard definition TV quality games and Morton's old computer couldn't keep up.

Months of phone calls and letters didn't solve his problem so he contacted the paper. We called MLB.TV on his behalf and within a couple days, MLB techs got Morton back up and running.

My question to you is would this problem have been resolved without the paper getting involved? Morton did everything he was supposed to, but still got no resolution. When the paper got involved, MLB went above and beyond the call of duty to help Morton out. I applaud them for the great effort (it took more than three hours on the phone, talking him through each and every step). But I can't help but wonder if Morton would have gotten satisfaction without us.

What do you think?

Continue reading "Consumer Sundays: MLB.TV complaint and city sewer project" »

Posted by Dan Thanh Dang at 7:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Cable/Satellite/TV/Comcast/FiOS, Complaints, Computers, Watchdog
        

We know the regular baseball season is over, but find out in my Consuming Interests column on Sunday whether Major League Baseball's MLB-TV hit a dinger or struck out when I tossed them a customer complaint about his inability to watch his beloved Yankees online.

La Liz is tackling what seems to be a never-ending construction project in the Tuscany-Canterbury neighborhood in her Watchdog column this Sunday. Residents wondering if there is a finish date in sight will be well-served by checking out what Liz found out.

Good news, too, Excellent Eileen will return next week. We hope she's had an enjoyable rest because we've missed her 'round here.

(AFP/Getty Images)

Posted by Dan Thanh Dang at 2:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Cable/Satellite/TV/Comcast/FiOS, Complaints, Computers, Technology, Watchdog
        

We wrote about Verizon's Triple Play FiOS offer where they'll substitute DirecTV for customers who don't live in areas where FiOS TV is offered. That works out just dandy for some, but for others it's not quite so great.

Remember Fawn Hartline and her complaint about how she couldn't get her DirecTV to work properly so she canceled it before she ever really got to use it? But for canceling early, DirecTV charged her that big whopping early termination fee. It took Verizon's pressure on the satellite provider to resolve that problem for Hartline.

Then Good Reader Susan wrote in about her own crazy DirecTV experience.

Now Good Reader Roni shares another DirecTV headache:

Continue reading "DirecTV's Demands" »

Posted by Dan Thanh Dang at 6:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Cable/Satellite/TV/Comcast/FiOS, Complaints
        

So I was talking to my Work Spouse Gus (the Rising Sun and cop reporter extraordinaire) and he said he's been having trouble getting his Netflix movies lately.

I don't use Netflix (I used to use the other DVD delivery, which rhymes with Flockmuster, but canceled them when they raised the prices on me. Now I just visit their stores occasionally to rent a movie) and I've been buried up to my ears trying to finish my Sunday and Tuesday columns, so I have to confess I wasn't aware of the problems.

But apparently, the 3-day Netflix glitch is fixed now, according to the AP. The outage held up shipments for about a third of the company's 8.4 million subscribers.

Netflix won't say what caused the problem, but half of Netflix's distribution centers were down, according to this story from appscout.com.

According to the story:

Continue reading "Netflix DVD shipments might be late" »

Posted by Dan Thanh Dang at 2:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Cable/Satellite/TV/Comcast/FiOS, Technology
        

I'm not sure all of you will agree, but Comcast has announced that "a new and improved channel lineup" is coming to Anne Arundel County, including the City of Annapolis, and Howard County, come Saturday, August 23.

Many of you have already expressed your unhappiness about Comcast moving Washington D.C. stations from analog to digital, many of you were really displeased, and many of you felt like you were being pushed into digital service, forcing you to pay more for your cable.

Continue reading "Comcast new channel lineups" »

Posted by Dan Thanh Dang at 7:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Cable/Satellite/TV/Comcast/FiOS
        

Dan Thanh alluded earlier to the fact that Comcast monitors the Internet, looking for disgruntled customers.

The Sun ran an Associated Press story in its business section a few months ago about the phenomenon, which the Boston Globe reprised last week in an article about companies using Twitter to keep tabs on what customers say about them --- particularly those who have technical difficulties.

Twitter defines itself as a quick way to tell lots of people what you are doing, at any given moment. You can either log onto the site to send a message, or a "tweet," or text- or instant-message it into the system.

So how do you use Twitter to contact Comcast? 

Continue reading "Got a Comcast complaint? Try Twitter" »

Posted by Liz Kay at 1:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Cable/Satellite/TV/Comcast/FiOS, Cellular/Landline/Voice over Internet, Computers, Technology
        

We recently wrote about Comcast moving Washington D.C. channels from analog to digital for the Howard County and Carroll County areas, and had quite a few people express anger about losing those channels. But Voelker believes he's been losing channels in Baltimore County, too.

I am a Comcast subscriber who lives in Towson, and have noticed that in the past couple of months, I have lost ION, CMT, and this past weekend, AMC. None of those channels are essential to me, but I was always able to find something to watch on them as an alternative to the reality shows and the formulaic programming that can be found on the network stations that I can't stand watching.

Like one of your readers pointed out, I am now paying the same price as I always have for fewer channels and that infuriates me. Do you know of any alternatives so I can dump Comcast once and for all? I always receive junk mail from DirectTV and one other similar company, but they don't seem to be offering me anything different for an extra $10/month (not including all the upfront costs).

Continue reading "Comcast changes in Baltimore County?" »

Posted by Dan Thanh Dang at 10:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)
Categories: Cable/Satellite/TV/Comcast/FiOS, Complaints
        

In last week's Q&A, we covered Comcast Cable moving Washington D.C. channels from analog to digital. Apparently, there are quite a few people who weren't too happy about the switch. We heard from several.

Liz Hartley wrote in to say:

Re your column of 7/08/08 about Comcast push to digital, they are doing the same thing in Anne Arundel County. In effect, they have removed four stations (3 of which I watched most of the time) but are still charging the same monthly fee. And, in order to get these channels, they want to charge us $48.00/yr more!

Continue reading "Comcast moves Washington stations to digital, subscribers angry" »

Posted by Dan Thanh Dang at 11:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Cable/Satellite/TV/Comcast/FiOS, Complaints
        

Don't wait until it's too late to take precautions to safeguard your computers and other electronic items from storm damage.

After the tornado watch and other foul weather yesterday, Tech Whiz Mike Himowitz has a very timely story today about protecting against power surges and other potential power mishaps.

According to him, you don't need to spend much to insure your hardware --- and the precious data stored within --- stays functioning through many a surge caused by weather or even the cycling of appliances within your home.

Surge protectors start at $8 and go way up from there, but just make sure you look for a few basic characteristics before you invest: 

Continue reading "Storm-proof your electronics" »

Posted by Liz Kay at 3:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Cable/Satellite/TV/Comcast/FiOS, Cellular/Landline/Voice over Internet, Cheap/Frugal, Computers, Consumer safety, Technology
        

Tuesday's column focused on the spread of Voice over Internet Protocol phone service, or VoIP as its better known, and the concerns behind relying on a telephone that you might not work when the power goes out or when your Internet service is interrupted.

While the popularity of VoIP has grown, I'm not altogether sure that consumers are aware of the possible drawbacks to using an Internet phone, which the column pointed out that calling emergency services can be problematic. Please remember that if you move your VoIP service, you must change your billing address AND your emergency address with your provider or your 911 call could get directed to the wrong emergency calling center.

Since I haven't tried to sign on for this service myself, I was really interested to hear from Frank Bonomo who told me about what he discovered when he jumped at a triple play offer:

Continue reading "Voice over Internet phone concerns" »

Posted by Dan Thanh Dang at 11:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Cable/Satellite/TV/Comcast/FiOS, Cellular/Landline/Voice over Internet, Consumer protection, Consumer safety, Energy/Utilities
        

I don't have a high-def player yet, so I have to confess that my knowledge of this technology is fairly limited. Does anyone have an answer for Reader thomas' question under a prior Blu-ray post?

Will a ripped Blu Ray movie 720p play in a stand-alone hd-dvd player?

Any high-def ubergeeks out there want to help us out?

Posted by Dan Thanh Dang at 5:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Cable/Satellite/TV/Comcast/FiOS
        

Last Sunday's Money & Life column involved Gary Brawerman's disappearing e-mail address and Comcast's slower than molasses response to his problem. If you didn't see it, check it out here.

Whenever I write about problems with a big company like Comcast or Verizon, it's inevitable that more complaints about that same company will come in. Instead of piling on in the newspaper some more, I'm just going to start posting those complaints here.

Feel free to add a good story (I'm sure the companies would appreciate it) about your experience or jump right in their and join the angry scrum.

Continue reading "Unhappy Comcast Customers" »

Posted by Dan Thanh Dang at 4:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Cable/Satellite/TV/Comcast/FiOS
        

A new Harris Interactive survey shows that while 7 out of 10 people know that the format war is over and that Sony's Blu-ray beat Toshiba's HD-DVD, only 9 percent of non-Blu-ray player owners are planning on buying one.

This InformationWeek story cracked me up:

Harris found that nearly nine in 10 people own a standard DVD player, but fewer than one in 10 reported owning devices available today for playing HD content, namely, HD DVD or Blu-ray disc players, Sony PlayStation 3, and the external HD DVD player for Microsoft's Xbox 360. These numbers are surprising, given that more than a third of consumers overall report owning an HDTV.

Continue reading "New survey say consumers snubbing Blu-Ray" »

Posted by Dan Thanh Dang at 7:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Cable/Satellite/TV/Comcast/FiOS, Digital television, Technology
        

By popular demand... er... OK, only two of you were interested in my DirecTV encounter, but here goes.

I've been a pretty happy DirecTV customer for quite a few years now. I got a fancy TV as a gift from one of my very lovely sisters and decided that using rabbit ears would be shameful on something so pretty. I used to be a cable customer, but went cable free for three or four years after I decided I was tired of my cable bill constantly rising.

Last year, on a whim, I decided I needed a digital video recorder. I rarely ever jump on electronics on a whim since I am a bit of a Luddite, but the idea of magically recording TV shows I routinely miss because I have the memory of a gnat and forget when they're on (hello. I'm still mad that I missed the famous singing Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode) really appealed to me.

Plus, DirecTV was offering a deal on a free DVR with a free year's worth of DVR service. All I had to do was sign up and wait for the tech to bring me my DVR. Excited, I signed up. Still excited, I waited for the tech on the appointed day. Not so excited, he turned out to be a no show.

Continue reading "DirecTV customer service can bewilder" »

Posted by Dan Thanh Dang at 1:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Cable/Satellite/TV/Comcast/FiOS
        

In this job, I end up writing about a lot of companies big and small, local and national. Many of the companies I've written about are companies I actually use in my personal life.

For those of you out there who think we pull our punches because a company advertises with the paper or we're biased in some way, think again. I've been critical of Home Depot, Verizon and BGE, just to name a few. They're the same companies I pay to: A. supply me with potting soil. B. provide me cell phone and Internet service. and C. make sure my lights come on every day. Those same companies often advertise in the newspaper, too.

It might seem I'm trying to mess with all the service providers in my life since this past Sunday, I wrote about how Verizon's triple play offer went south for one customer after DirecTV botched up the installation of her satellite TV service. Fed up after several attempts to fix the problem failed, Fawn Hartline canceled DirecTV and got whacked with an early termination fee.

If you didn't catch it, read it here. I often say, if a problem is happening to one person then it's probably happening to others. It's rare to see a truly unique problem. So it came as no surprise that I got three other e-mails that talked about encountering very similar problems with DirecTV.

Susan's was the best. Here's her story:

Continue reading "DirecTV sends another customer to collection" »

Posted by Dan Thanh Dang at 2:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Cable/Satellite/TV/Comcast/FiOS
        

Remember when we told you that Circuit City was extending its return policy on HD DVD players?

Now Best Buy has stepped up to the plate with an offer of its own. The company is giving people who bought HD DVD players at its stores before Feb. 23 a $50 gift card.

"Now that the format war is over, we hope these gift cards will reassure our customers that we will help them make a smooth transition into the right technology for their needs,” said Brian J. Dunn, president and chief operating officer for Best Buy, in a news release.

The retailer will mail cards out to people who are members of the Best Buy Reward Zone program, customers who purchased extended warranties or who bought their players online. They should arrive by May 1, according to the release.

Continue reading "Best Buy makes an HD DVD offer" »

Posted by Liz Kay at 2:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Eeesh. It looks like I won't be buying a Blu-ray player anytime soon.

I was hoping that once the HD-DVD vs. Blu-ray war ended and one of the high-def formats emerged victorious, we would hopefully see prices go down soon. I was a little surprised to see that price went up instead... and so quickly after HD-DVD called it quits.

According to this InformationWeek story, four weeks after Toshiba said it would no longer produce HD-DVD devices, prices for Blu-ray players went up by $20 to $50 last month. Some of the increase was due to the introduction of expensive players with features that went above the norm, according to Darren Davis, VP of product marketing for PriceGrabber.com, a comparison shopping Web site.

As a consumer, I was having a hard time justifying $467 for a Blu-ray player (the average price in January of the top 10 players, according to PriceGrabber). Now, I figure a Blu-ray player is a mere fantasy for me at $604 (which is the average price for them in February). Most of us aren't early adopters and most of us are dealing with rising expenses for basic necessities so the fact that these high-def players are so expensive will likely price most of us right out of getting one anytime soon.

Continue reading "Goodbye HD-DVD, hello higher Blu-ray prices" »

Posted by Dan Thanh Dang at 12:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (23)
Categories: Cable/Satellite/TV/Comcast/FiOS
        

... if you bought it there within the last three months, that is.

Rumors circulated last week on technology and consumer blogs that Circuit City would offer store credit for the price of HD DVD players purchased there within 90 days.

The leading maker of HD DVD players, Toshiba, announced last month that they ceded the fight high-definition DVD fight to Blu-Ray, a format pushed by Sony, Panasonic and other manufacturers.   

Circuit City spokeswoman Jackie Foreman said ...

Continue reading "Return your HD DVD at Circuit City!" »

Posted by Liz Kay at 1:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Early adopters of HD DVD, a form of high-definition DVD technology, were dealt a blow yesterday, when Toshiba Corp. announced it would no longer make those players after March. The company had sold about 600,000 players in the United States, but a lot of the customers I spoke with, including Buddy Schwartz (above), said they had held out, waiting to see if Blu-ray would reign victorious over HD DVD.

But never fear if you supported the losing team. Do not use your HD DVD player as a doorstop or coaster.

Best Buy spokesman Brian Lucas said yesterday that the stores would continue to carry new HD DVDs to satisfy customer demand. Your HD DVD player will still play the HD DVD movies you already own and standard DVDs as well, he said.

You could also buy more titles --- or cut your losses and sell them --- at used CD and DVD stores

Continue reading "HD DVDs: endangered species" »

Posted by Liz Kay at 8:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Cable/Satellite/TV/Comcast/FiOS, Consumer protection, Shopping, Technology
        

 
Yesterday, we told you that people who own older televisions will have to buy a digital converter box to continue to watch broadcast channels after February 17, 2009. But how do you know whether you need it?

All televisions purchased before 1998 have analog tuners, according to www.dtv2009.gov, a Web site about the coupon program we discussed yesterday. It's run by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. 

Some giant screen projection televisions --- 42 inches or larger -- purchased before 2004 might have digital tuners, and most televisions sold after 2004 at major retailers have them, as well.

But not all!

Continue reading "How old is old?" »

Posted by Liz Kay at 7:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Cable/Satellite/TV/Comcast/FiOS, Consumer protection, Digital television, How To
        

Digital TV? HDTV? Direct TV?

After February 17, 2009, about 22 million consumers who watch broadcast television --- using an antenna to pull signals from the air --- will need a digital converter to continue watching their soaps and sitcoms on an older TV set.

But according to Mixed Signals, a report from the Maryland Public Interest Research Group, consumers can't rely on retailers for information about the transition, including the $40 coupons the federal government is giving away to help people buy converters. Check out my story about it here.

Nationally, about 40 percent of staff did not know when the transition would take place, and one in five clerks tried to convince secret shoppers to purchase a new television or a converter box with additional features that would disqualify it from the coupon program. 

Also, more than a third of stores were still selling analog televisions, which will be obsolete after the conversion without a converter. But at nearly 70 percent of those shops, sets had hard-to-read or incorrect labels.

Steve Hannan, executive director of the Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition, says that part of the confusion stems from a mix-up between digital television and high definition, or HDTV, which is a digital television format that offers enhanced picture quality.

Direct TV is a satellite cable provider, and no, you don't need that either. 

Here's the bottom line:

Continue reading ""D" = digital, dilemma" »

Posted by Liz Kay at 2:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Cable/Satellite/TV/Comcast/FiOS, Digital television
        

Happy Monday everyone! That's about all the positive energy I can muster up today since my toes are still frozen from the bitter cold outside. I hope you had a good weekend.

I'm not sure if you caught this yesterday, but I wrote about Verizon FiOS, the fiber optic TV, telephone and Internet service.  What amazes me everytime I write about FiOS is that it repeatedly gets such rave reviews -- most recently from the smart consumer's bible, Consumer Reports -- that it makes me wish Verizon was offering FiOS TV in the city.

Then I hear stories like the one in Sunday's columnfrom Robert Hanna, who really wanted the service and ended up having to cancel because FiOS TV wouldn't work properly for him. Worse, he kept getting billed improperly for equipment he returned after he canceled, making him wish he never tried to switch in the first place. Such silly customer service missteps makes me worry that Verizon could ruin its chances to really compete against cable companies.

Anyone have any FiOS stories they want to share, good or bad? I may revisit this topic in another column down the road.

Posted by Dan Thanh Dang at 11:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Cable/Satellite/TV/Comcast/FiOS, Complaints
        

Rejoice, football fans! Did you catch the news here?!

In its on-going dispute with cable companies about access to the NFL Network, the National Football League finally decided (after some pressure from Congress, it sounds like) to work out a deal that will also broadcast the Patriot's historic final game against the Giants on CBS and NBC so that everyone will be able to watch --- not just the lucky few who get the NFL Network.

For those who don't know, cable companies think the NFL charges them too much for the NFL Network and they want to pass the cost of adding that channel onto subscribers. The NFL thinks cable is being too greedy and should just add the NFL Network onto basic cable. Me, I think they're both too greedy and need to work this thing out permanently so that fans aren't the ones who end up losing.

Regular readers of this space know I've griped about this before when I missed Green Bay's Favrelous play against the Cowboys.

Continue reading "Under pressure, NFL caves and fans win!" »

Posted by Dan Thanh Dang at 11:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Cable/Satellite/TV/Comcast/FiOS, Complaints
        

(AP Photo)

So I missed Favrelous play last night, which is probably just as well since I wanted Green Bay to beat Dallas. Thanks to the on-going spat between the NFL and certain cable companies over access to the NFL Network, millions of people around the country probably missed this game, too.

If you're not sure what spat I'm talking about, read my good colleague Ray Frager's story, or this great MarketWatch story to understand why consumers lose in this battle about money between two already-very-wealthy businesses.

Here's the problem in one sad little paragraph from MarketWatch's story:

Continue reading "In NFL vs. Cable, fans lose." »

Posted by Dan Thanh Dang at 6:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Cable/Satellite/TV/Comcast/FiOS
        

OK, so hate's a strong word, but the Federal Communications Commission Chief is making plenty of noise lately about placing more restrictions on the cable television industry.

Read this story in the L.A. Times to understand why the growing dominance of cable companies in the pay TV market could trigger "new powers by the FCC to impose rules ensuring diversity of programming that could lead to lower rates."

Then read this one in the Post just to see Martin's fabulous quote on why cable might need some stern supervision.

Continue reading "Does Kevin Martin hate cable?" »

Posted by Dan Thanh Dang at 5:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Cable/Satellite/TV/Comcast/FiOS