Telus TV Complaint & Rant Thread

[aj55]

Hi everyone,

Can anyone tell me what the issue is with the response time of the PVR? i originally switched from Shaw for the same reason and was told that Optik TV was so much quicker. Well it has been just over a year and the Optik PVR seems to be getting slower every week. Is there a fix coming or is this something I need to discuss with Tech Support?

[skyxx]

Alright, every so often the TV colours would turn to a Purple/greenish tinge. Basically everyone would look like they turned into the hulk and the buildings would look purple-ish. To solve this issue i'd have to do a reset on my PVR STB.( Holding the power button for 5 seconds or so).

Anyone have any ideas? Faulty box?

[stationg]

What cables are you using? Sunds to me like bad cables.

[aj55]

Originally Posted by aj55

Hi everyone,

Can anyone tell me what the issue is with the response time of the PVR? i originally switched from Shaw for the same reason and was told that Optik TV was so much quicker. Well it has been just over a year and the Optik PVR seems to be getting slower every week. Is there a fix coming or is this something I need to discuss with Tech Support?

So i called Tech Support and it was a simple fix. He had me reset the remote and it is now working as it should be. What wasn't simple was programming ther remote to work with all my devices. The tech had some knowledge but didn't know how to auto search a code for my receiver. I had asked him if he could send the the remote control user guide and he said that it didn't exist. I know for a fact it does as I have had a rep email to me before. He said my remote was defective and that he needed to send out anothe remote. I told him a few times that I have trouble getting my Pioneer rcvr to work with the generic codes and that I had used the Auto Search function before. He then said he could send a tech out to program the remote which was odd. I then was put on hild to talk to the solutions dept and she mentioned that they would charge to send out a tech as they dont really send them out to program remotes. I had tiold her that while I was on hold for 20 minutes I had found the user guide online and programmed the remote myself. What a waste of an hour only to figure it out myself. She didnt even bother to offer anything for the inconvinience. I did ask to be sent the remote to add to my collection. One PVR and four remotes and counting.

[Beekas]

The remote control user guide is available for download on the Telus website under Optik TV Help.
Here is the link to the Optik TV Support page:

http://www.telus.com/content/help/tv-support/optik-tv/

And here is the link to the remote control user guide:

http://www.telus.com/content/help/co...User_Guide.pdf

[skyxx]

I'm running Component Cables as I have HDMI handshake issues from time to time. After switching to Component, the handshake issues stopped happening.

[webbo1966]

I thought I might propose the above for possible contract issues, as it worked well for me. Apparently, the Complaints Comm. for Telecommunications Service Providers is funded byTelus (and maybe others) and oversees contract issues. This was my issue.

A couple of years ago, when Optic was being pushed, I researched the Telus website and called in to discuss Optic TV. I am very happy with my expensive Shaw internet account, and was only interested in the TV.

The sales rep started pushing bundles. Already a phone customer, I presumed combining TV with the phone was a bundle. He wanted to push internet as well. I asked if the combination of all 3 services could match Shaw's internet speeds and he said no.

He then recommended Telus Satellite instead to free up bandwidth for the high speed internet, and it would beat Shaw's speeds, all without a contract. He sweetened the offer with a notebook computer for $10/month over 36 months - called EasyPC. When I mentioned that the website required a contract for this, he said that it was not required. He said 'if you cancel the internet, it will appear as EasyPC $10, on the monthly phone bill until all payments made.

He confirmed that all this could be done, and scheduled installation, equipment shipments and setups with my approval. Within days, the notebook arrived with the internet hardware. I opened the boxes, plugged everything in and phoned Telus for activation.

The internet was working, but slowly. I started downloading the same torrents on both Shaw (still active) and Telus. Telus never achieved 1/2 the speed. I phoned Telus about this and they verified I was achieving the speed promised, 15Mbps, but I was still unconvinced.

2 days later, the satellite tv installer phoned to tell me that he would not be installing satellite as I am in a multi-unit building. No if's and's or butt's.

So I called Telus to discuss this problem. The bundle that they sold me could not be provided, so I wanted to cancel internet and return all equipment, including the notebook if they wanted it. I would also keep the notebook on the terms offered by the sales rep if necessary.

Even though I never wanted Telus for internet, I only agreed to it based on the sales rep's promises of matched speeds and reduced cost from bundling. Without satellite tv, there were no bundle savings, and the speed fell drastically short of promises.

Telus however, claimed that I had agreed to a verbal contract for internet for 3 years. I argued that I had not, and they dug their heels in. I asked to hear the recording, and there was none. They claimed that in opening the hardware, I agreed to terms written on the packing slip. My packing slip contained no such terms, and I sent them a photocopy to prove it.

They would have nothing of it and planned to invoice me $350 as a penalty for early termination, and another $360 for the notebook. The only alternative offered was to allow the installation of another phone line to my suite (would require landlord approval), so that they could provide both Optic TV and high speed internet.

So I heard from a friend about the CCTS. I filled out their online complaint form and within a week or 2, the 'contract' was nullified, and they settled for 2, $100 monthly payments to pay off the notebook, and all has been well with just home phone.

I think this is a step above customer retention. Anything resembling retaining me as a customer was only seeking that I commit to the internet, and now Optic TV. The CCTS deals only with 'commitments' and fairness and was very helpful.

Well about 15 months ago, we ordered and committed to Optic TV for 3 years. We ordered the large bundle and for the most part have been quite happy with the product and services offered.

When we order the service, all literature and promotional material promised up to 6 signals with multi-room STB's, and 2HD + 1SD feed. we immediately noticed that there was only 1HD feed. When calling about other minor hardware issues, I would mention the lack of a 2nd feed, and every time I was assured that I only have one and only one is available. I was sure I had some of this literature, but only found it recently.

I was looking through paperwork due to other problems with the Cisco 430 recently. We had remote control button issues. We had frequent, significant delays between pressing the menu button (or any others), and the system actually performing the requested action. We had issues with recordings starting late. We also had issues of the Cisco 430 losing the 'television signal'. This would be the signal from Telus to the Cisco 430, not a communication problem between the Cisco and the TV.

This was Telus' solution. A new remote control to solve the button issues and the response delay. A component cable to fix the 'television signal' loss, even though I emphasized that TV-Cisco communication was fine through HDMI. As for the recording issues, I was told that it was a system-wide problem, and a firmware upgrade will be available, sometime early this year. As for receiving only 1HD feed, they will not budge, even though my literature that came with the system clearly states 2HD and 1SD.

Tonight I phoned again and insisted on a service visit, as the component cable will not solve the 'television signal' loss issue. A visit is scheduled for tomorrow morning. Hopefully, they will bring a new Cisco430 and an upgrade for the D-Link router. Hopefully as well, maybe the technician will have an idea how to get 2HD, since I am not using Telus internet.

Wouldn't their 2nd phone line work for this as they proposed earlier for the bandwidth necessary? I live in East Vancouver at East 5th and Carolina (next to Fraser). How can this area be so limited?

I would like to stay with this service but the quality is deteriorating rapidly. I have complained about the 1HD issue from the start, but have only recently found the literature to support my claim of their promise of 2HD's.

Yesterday, I was considering abandoning the Telus service and discussed this with a technician on the phone. I am just over a year into the contract so I'd be invoiced for a couple of hundred dollars for cancelling. But if Telus can only provide 1HD instead of the 2 promised, the Cisco keeps losing it's 'television signal' and I must tolerate spotty recording for the foreseeable future, isn't it Telus who cannot provide the contracted service?

I am hopeful for a positive outcome tomorrow and will update accordingly.

[andsoitgoes]

My suggestion, webbo, is to have them come out to address the problems with the boxes and recording problems. Also focus on the picture quality. Do all of this through loyalty.

If took me a lot of calling, a lot of frustration, a lot of calling and losing recordings.... But I am currently freed from my TV contract.

Be calm, cool, nice and just sound like you've lost a beloved pet and you should have luck, but ensure you talk to L&R when you call. Anything else is worthless.

[webbo1966]

Well, today, a nice service tech (named Craig) showed up on time today and made some changes. He replaced the original modem and D-Link hub with a one piece Actiontec unit. This he did in the hopes that bandwidth would be better managed and allow for the 2nd HD input that was promised. He had hoped that we were on a new portal installed nearby, but we weren't. We're still on the old portal, also nearby.

Try as he might, he just couldn't establish a steady 15mbps. He even checked at my building's main box. Of course, he expressed hope that our block will also be upgraded soon, but could provide no assurance.

He trusts that this change will end the 'television signal' losses that were occurring. If it continues, he will swap out the Cisco box or upgrade building wires, whichever might be causing the problem of signal loss. I have faith that this repair has worked, because my video quality is significantly improved as well as it's stability.

He also replaced the remote control and programmed it to work my Vizio 55 inch beast of a TV (a very difficult code to find). Very nice service, indeed, and this seems to have fixed the communication delays and button issues with the old remote.

If this lasts, my only remaining issue is having only 1HD feed, when contracted for 2. At the very least, I will be requesting a discounted monthly rate retroactive to the start of the contract 18 months ago. I contracted for and pay the rate for 2HD feeds that the welcome package promises but Telus cannot provide.

This I will bring up with Customer Retention, and I will post my results.

Like other folks here have suggested, resolving issues requires patience, the ability to communicate clearly and the ability to listen.

And, to minimize frustration and arguments, spend an hour or so on a resource like this to gain some understanding of your problem and likely solutions.

If you cannot reasonably describe what your issue is, then the person you are speaking to has no choice but to use a 'flow chart' approach to troubleshooting. Much time, resources and patience are wasted during this process of trial and error to identify and address problems.

Telus was approaching my 'television signal' losses as if it were a communication problem between the PVR and my TV, and was gonna ship component cables. I had to really nail the point that it was a Telus to PVR communication issue, which prompted an immediate service call and hardware upgrade.

If I had not clarified the problem, at least a week would be wasted while I wait for delivery of cables, attempt remedies, and then demand an eventual service call.

Things go much better if you understand your problem, stick to clear and reasonable goals, and maintain calmness and maturity.

If that doesn't work, there is always the Complaints Commission ready to step in.

Enjoy the product.

[SilverElectric]

It definitely sounds like the CSR you spoke with was confusing the TELUS 'Television signal has been lost' message with what many TV's have nowadays, where it will post a message on your monitor if your video connection is lost (ex. 'check signal cable').

Your service appears to have intermittent network performance. If you see that message again, the first step in troubleshooting would be to check the router (Actiontec in your case) for the 'DSL' light, and the 'Internet' light. If my suspicions are correct, you were losing DSL train (both lights would go out), and consequently, your IP video streams would also be lost. When the stream is lost as a result of your DSL service going down, your STB client will post a black screen with the 'Television signal has been lost' in the bottom left corner, in bold white font. If you check your router when you get that message, that will verify that it's your DSL service causing the issue. Are you in an apartment, condo, or townhouse? It would be good to understand a little more about the service to your home.

This shouldn't happen on a regular basis, but by the sounds of it you're on an older DSL service, and have a long loop length. Hopefully your new hardware will address the inconsistent service, as for your limited bandwidth, I can only say what the tech said. You'll likely be upgraded at some point, but can't assure you of a particular timeline for that. As I'm sure you could understand, TELUS has a number of motivators to ensure that customers get more than 1HD. It'd be nice to know how things go after the troubleshooting today, hopefully things start looking up after all your troubles.

P.S. Kudos for trying to stay patient and keep a level head, I know it can be frustrating, but as you stated, you get a lot further with a cooperative attitude.

[webbo1966]

Hi Folks:

It's nice to read posts from people who know the subject matter. You're right about my 'television signal' loss, and when the 1st tech left, that is what he told me. If the TV signal is lost, check the DSL and Internet lights, they were both steadily on. Therefore the problem was the Cisco STB. This began to happen a few hours after he left.

I called him direct, but after 24 hours, called Telus tech support again. After re-defining the progress we made and symptoms and solutions, they arranged another service call for the next day (saturday).

The Tech showed up and started with changing the STB. Of course we lost our recordings (forewarned), but our schedules remained intact and loaded quickly thereafter. That was a nice feature. He checked bandwidth again and it was running 8-12Mbps.

We are indeed in a rental building, so I took the Tech to our main Telus room in the garage. There he checked everything out and replaced the 'filter', that apparently separates and amplifies the difference between high and low bandwidths that phone and TV/internet use independently.

This was miraculous. When we got upstairs, the bandwidth was showing a steady 15Mbps, adequate for 2HD feeds instead of the 1 we are limited to.

He checked on his info and our address was still limited to 1HD. He suggested I call CS and explain that the Tech has confirmed adequate bandwidth, and request an upgrade. It was of course denied. They were standing firm behind the system identifying only 1HD feed available.

On a side note, a Tech who wishes to remain anonymous claims that Telus can 'force' 2HD feeds if bandwidth permits, but doesn't like to do so.

Since my original agreement offers 2HD feeds(I have original and updated documentation), can I force this 'force'?

[ryanmess99]

I would, it wouldn't hurt to try. Some techs know what they are talking about and others.....well I have to play nice so all I'll say is sometimes. So I would just go ahead and try.

[DTVGuy]

Try the online chat. You might get a tech who is more than willing to rebuild the path for you.

[webbo1966]

Well, I followed advise and gave tech chat a chance. They just kept quoting policy and passing me between CS and tech. They eventually suggested Loyalty and Retention.

Spoke to them and we agreed on reasonable compensation for lack of services (only 1HD feed, recording issues) that have no foreseeable solutions.

An immediate $50 discount. One month free movie 6 pack. $10/month discount on service for 1 year.

Fair, satisfactory, everybody wins.

This is what can be accomplished if you clearly communicate your needs and goals, listen for compromise and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. No one freaked out, no one was insulted or disrespected.

Try it folks.

And folks, thanks for those who have offered opinion and suggestions. This forum is a good tool for arming yourselves in disputes.

[xray]

Sounds like you were well armed with common sense and reasonableness to start with.