Background: bought an X1 package through an online sales rep (via online chat) which I was assured included the X1 DVR (cloud) which was a big part of why I signed up for it when the sales rep pitched it. Picked up the equipment at another store (Washington St 5 min from this one). A few days after installing it I went to record a program and found that the record button did nothing, a 20 min conversation with their customer service ended with me being told that the cable box I'd been given was not a DVR, just an HD set top box, and that I needed to go back to a service center to replace it.*
I went to this one today (6/20, around 5:30ish)...
The girl was in a bad mood, so was I due to the above situation that put me there, but fine, she had clearly been dealing with some crap from the customer before me so I tried to be as nice to her, explained my situation, and asked for the DVR Box. She took the one I was returning and came out with a bigger box, scanned it, pulled out a bag, got all ready to give it to me, then casually slid in this gem: "you do know that this is going to cost you $19.95/month, right?" I said, still trying to be nice about it, that the package I bought included the DVR. She said yeah, but this $19.95 was on top of that package. I said no, the guy was clear with me and I was clear with him on the price of my package and that the only additional equipment charge would be the modem. She said, amazingly with a straight face, "oh yeah, but they don't know the prices. I know the prices, the sales people don't know the prices" We went back and forth on this a few times, me repeating that the sales guy told my the DVR was part of the package and her saying that they didn't know the prices, but she does. But then it got even weirder. She told me that the box I just brought in to exchange was free and that I can record on that one. The box I was told two days ago doesn't have a DVR or support the cloud DVR. She said she didn't know why I couldn't record, but the box does record, she records on it at home, and she went to get another one of those from the back (no packaging on this one, unlike the last). I explained that the girl on the phone told me it didn't and that I'd been given the wrong box. I pointed out that this wasn't a satellite box of any other and that it was the main and only cable box in my house (because I know it can be used to record on another DVR if you have one I. The house). This also went around a few times, me explaining that I'd been told the box was an HD service box and that it can't record, her insisting that it does, that she records on it at home, and even patronizingly explaining that I need the X1 remote and that I need to use the record button on it to record things. I asked why anyone would pay $20 for the bigger one if the free one did the same thing. She babbled aimlessly about how "some people just prefer that one" she doesn't know why. By this point is long lost my patience or willingness to be nice - I finally understood why her last customer had just moved down a window in frustration (the guy she moved to had to repeatedly interrupt us to get the girl I was talking to to send him the right information on that customer's account - kudos to him for his patience with her). I relented, said fine, give me the free one, double, triple, and quadruple checking that I would be able to record on it. She assured me it does. As I'm leaving I realized she didn't give me a power cord, which is minor relative to everything else, but after everything else it was just crappy icing on a pretty crappy cake. Went back, demanded that, got it and left. Got home, box gives me a weird initialization error during set up (XRE-00253). Over an hour on the phone, three different reps, four restarts, one scheduled and cancelled appointment later I get through the setup without error to get my cable back. And of course, no DVR, record button does nothing as before, everything that girl said to me was just a blatant [explicatives] lie. SHE JUST STRAIGHT UP LIED TO MY FACE. I can't believe she has a job, hopefully someone will read this and take it away from her.
Yet another phone call to support and I am told that the correct DVR box is now in the mail for me, that I can mail this one back, and that it won't cost me anything extra. We'll see on that front, but at the very least I am done with this store.
*warning to potential X1 upgraders: There were several other problems and numerous calls to customer service in the days following the initial order, but they're not related to this store so I left them out here read more
