Tuning Adapter Problems
This is going to be a lengthy post, so please bear with me. I have been a Cox customer for nearly 30 years. In addition to the Contour boxes, I have been using a Tivo for almost 10 years. It used a cablecard and a Motorola Tuning adapter, which have worked fine. This past July I cancelled Tivo and purchased an HD Prime tuner that also uses a cablecard and tuning adapter. Everything was changed over fine and has been working properly since. Approximately 2 weeks ago I noticed that I could not tune to the Epix channel. I checked and found that the tuning adapter was flashing yellow, which indicates that it is in activation mode. I power cycled it a few times and still had the flashing yellow light. I could still tune to the "non-switched" channels, so I knew that the cablecard was fine. I decided to go to a Cox Solutions store and swap out the tuning adapter. Upon connecting the tuning adapter and calling the cablecard/tuning adapter number to insure that it was setup on my account, I let it sit for almost 48 hours and it never stopped flashing. This means that it did not activate which was evident when I ran a channel scan and could not access the switched video channels. So, I returned the tuning adapter and got another one. Same thing with that one. I have checked the signal quality on my lines and it is at 100%. I am very technically inclined and understand how all of this works, however talking to a lot of the techs on the phone it is obvious they are not too familiar with cablecards and tuning adapters.
Fast forward 2 weeks later and I have swapped out 5 tuning adapters and all of them get stuck on "initializing". They always have good upstream and downstream but refuse to initialize. Today I decided to get another cablecard and tuning adapter to try and start from scratch. After returning home and opening the tuning adapter, I find it does not even have a power supply! I had to go all the way back to get one. (I don't think the quality control is done very well at Cox.) Then after getting the new cablecard paired and trying, with no success another tuning adapter, I find out that I am missing channels that I had before! I am talking about the channels that I could get even without the tuning adapter. So I have to call back again and explain all of this for probably the tenth time. Then the cablecard tech still did not get all of the channels restored!
I have invested over 8 hours in troubleshooting this tuning adapter problem. I have been offered several times a service tech to come out, but when I ask if it will be an "in house" Cox representative they say that they cannot guarantee that. I have had experience with the third party contractors and most of them don't even know what a cablecard is!
I am at the point where I am pretty much ready to "cut the cord" with Cox. I have even spoke to a manager at one of the Cox Solution stores and I tell you, it is sad the lack of knowledge these managers have when it comes to the technical aspects of cable service.
If others have had similar experiences, with tuning adapters, please reply.
