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I worked for a major cable provider a little while back and the issues that came up and were repeated were …. something. This is one of those.
If you are familiar with call centers, most large ones have systems in place to route callers back to the last person they worked with if that person is available. My job was to handle what I will say is Tier 1.5 issues with all services as well as billing (when that dept was slammed) for business customers.
C = Customer
M = Me the poor sap dealing with the customers
Some of the items have been shortened for reading ease.
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M – “Thanks for calling…. blah blah blah…. verification BS…. How can I assist?”
C – “I don’t have a picture on my TV, before you ask; Yes it is connected to the cable box, Yes it is set to the correct input, and No I’m not going to double check those things”
M – “Ok, Thanks for confirming that information. Does the TV show No signal or a blank screen?”
C – “Why does that matter? I told you everything is hooked up correctly. Just send me a new cable box as this one is obviously broken.”
*It is worth noting there was no way to “Send” a cable box to a business customer. A technician had to go out to collect the old/broken box and install/activate the new one.*
M – “We can send a technician out with a new box, however if they don’t find any issues with the box, there is a $150 Service Call charge.”
*Queue customer meltdown and threatening to not pay etc etc but agreeing to have the tech come out anyway, fully understanding the likely cost.*
Fast forward a couple weeks—
Same customer calls in again, same issue, and gets me.
Literally repeat the same scripts that happened first time. However this time I have added notes from the tech as I see there was a $150 charge.
M – “Before we send another technician can you verify that the cable box is plugged in to a power outlet?”
C – “It is not, and I will not plug it in to one. Why should I pay to power the device when I pay you for it and the cable can carry power?”
*Sidenote, I knew this was coming from the Tech’s notes otherwise I would have need a mute break to laugh my ass off.*
*Sidenote 2, yes Coax cable CAN carry enough power to keep cable boxes and small modems running without a power outlet…. but it shouldn’t as that wouldn’t be safe.*
M – “Sir, as the technician advised you the cable box needs to be plugged in to a power outlet to function. The cable does not carry enough electricity to allow it to function.”
C – “I WILL NOT PLUG IT IN TO POWER UNLESS YOU WILL PAY MY ELECTRIC BILL!”
M – “Without power it will not work and the cable system does not provide power at this time. Can you plug it in now to verify it is working?”
C – “Fine, but I still need a tech out because the box isn’t working when I unplug it”
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I ended up sending another tech as the customer refused to hang up without that being confirmed. The result was another $150 charge and me fielding the call when he got shut off for not paying the bill. They still had the box unplugged and continued to unplug it after every tech visit. In the end they were disconnected for non-payment, charged an early termination fee, and still refused to plug cable boxes in to a power outlet.
TL/DR
Wackjob thought their cable box shouldn’t need a power outlet and that the cable provider should push enough electrical current through the coax to power them. They lost money and service because of this.
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