[mythtv-users] FCC releases CableCard changes

Simon Hobson linux at thehobsons.co.uk
Mon Oct 18 15:12:22 UTC 2010


Brian Wood wrote:

>  > I wonder how often company execs see their shrinking subscriber base as a
>>  problem cause by these things rather than just a phase in the economy.
>
>I doubt that many of those execs are even aware of it.

What it needs is for people to write to the company execs and tell 
them in no uncertain terms why they've just cancelled their 
subscription. Feedback to the retentions dept is never going to reach 
them.

>  >
>>  That, and a lot of the people I know are just simply oblivious to the
>>  options other than what the service provider shoves down their throat.
>
>These are the same people who think the only alternative to Windows 
>is to buy a Mac. If it's not advertised widely they
>are not aware of it.

Not only that, but the CC sales dept will be more than happy to tell 
customers that there is no alternative. That is one of the big things 
about this latest update as I read it - the CCs will have to have the 
CableCard option clearly shown in their price lists etc AND they will 
have to split up the cost of the CableCard and the rest of the box 
for everything but the simplest set top boxes.

One can only hope that a few of the customers seeing the charges will 
ask why it's two separate prices, and then ask the question "so I can 
put that CableCard in a box from someone else then ?"

>  > We are the minuscule minority.
>
>Yes we are, though if a problem bothers TiVo users as well as us it 
>might be more significant.

But, if organised, you can sound like more than your are - I say you 
because I'm not in the US. In general, the sheeple never get further 
than the customer facing departments (mostly sales when trying to 
buy, or retentions when trying to leave) when they want to complain. 
Very, very few complaints will ever make it to senior management - so 
if everyone running Myth (or a TiVo, or ...) writes to senior 
managers and complains, then it will sound like a much larger body of 
dissatisfied customers than they really are.

-- 
Simon Hobson

Visit http://www.magpiesnestpublishing.co.uk/ for books by acclaimed
author Gladys Hobson. Novels - poetry - short stories - ideal as
Christmas stocking fillers. Some available as e-books.


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