Comcast’s Flawed “On Demand” System

21 Responses:

1. Jack Says:
   March 30th, 2008 at 6:03 pm

   Looks like you have a problem with your hardware. Or your cable signal is too high or low. My On Demand has no pauses, or crashes. Use it all the time although it is difficult to find some movies.

   Some programs don’t appear to be listed on the master list yet can be found in other menus. Seems like Comcast could do much better.

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2. DoorFrame Says:
   March 30th, 2008 at 6:38 pm

   While it’s possible that the problem is localized to my setup, I know that at least one of my neighbors a few blocks away has the same problem, only more severe. I suspect it’s a regional problem.

   On Demand is a function I use infrequently, so it’s not that big a deal. But, regardless, it should function properly if it’s going to be offered to me.

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3. ComcastCares1 Says:
   March 31st, 2008 at 3:19 pm

   Thanks for the valuable feedback. We are currently working to address this issue. If you notice any poor reception issues, we may want to schedule a service call to check the signal levels. Please feel free to reach out to me if you would like my assistance in getting this resolved.

   Thank you for being a Comcast customer. We appreciate your business!

   Sincerely,

   Mark C.
   Comcast Executive Offices
   We_Can_Help@cable.comcast.com

   [.]

4. Troeltsch Says:
   March 31st, 2008 at 3:50 pm

   I wish I had a blog that the executive offices of my utilities paid attention to. Also, it may not work so well, but that was a surprisingly long list of free on-demand movies. I don’t remember anything so good when I had comcast.

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5. jbg. Says:
   April 1st, 2008 at 10:55 am

   comcast = doorframe’s bitch.

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6. 88pathoffroad Says:
   May 9th, 2008 at 10:57 pm

   $5 says I’d be able to fix that problem with a Stealth 5000 digital sweep meter with spectrum analyzer option. It’s a toy only the REAL GOOD cable guys know how to use. ;)

   Could be anything from shoddy splicing or careless equipment assembly in the field, squirrel chews on your house drop, lack of grounds on actives, overactive AGC’s pushing levels too high, loose fittings, old fittings, bad power supplies in amp modules, poor cable system design at your location or in your general vicinity, water in the cable, fittings or equipment, a bad tap, a bad splitter, a bad amp module….you have no idea until you get out there and look at the signal source, levels and powering.

   This is why the subcontractor installers can’t fix anything. They’re paid to drill holes, tack up cable and make digital boxes look pretty on top of your TV. Not to troubleshoot anything on the main lines and system. Not to know anything BUT in-house quick fixes, ie, power-cycle the cable modem…call for a box hit on your new box, etc.

   Comcast’s system should be solid before the contractor gets there, and 85% of the time it is. The other 15% however….usually due to Comcast’s mismanagement of resources, lack of QC work, lack of attention to common problems and complaints in specific areas, and a near-total disregard for employees and customers alike.

   I’d like to say this is an isolated incident but I know better. I’ve worked as a sub on many projects in many different cities, the end result is always the same: SNAFU.

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7. Mark DC Says:
   May 15th, 2008 at 6:26 pm

   Yes. This is my experience as well. I’m in DC and this happens ALL the time. Now that I’ve called Comcast to get some assistance with the error, I now have NO On Demand at all. It just says, “This channel should be available shortly” below the ever annoying “ONE MOMENT PLEASE”.

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8. Tina Says:
   July 8th, 2008 at 8:27 am

   I live in Baltimore County in Maryland. A cable tech told me when you get the error code ( META-6 ) it means Comcast has put a lock on your on demand features because your bill is 30 days or more late.

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9. DoorFrame Says:
   July 8th, 2008 at 8:55 am

   That wasn’t true in my case. My bill was auto-deducted from my credit card each month and always went through. In addition, as you’ll see in the video, I get the error code sometimes, but not other times; it’s inconsistent, so Comcast obviously didn’t block my account.

   META-6 might mean you’ve been blocked for non-payment in some instances, but not in mine.

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10. Unhappy comcast customer Says:
    September 2nd, 2008 at 6:39 pm

    Meta 6 error is not a billing issue. I get it occasionally, seemingly during high usage times. I don;t know for sure what causes it, but seeing as I pay my bill at the same time each month, I know it is definitely not bill related.

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11. Mother Says:
    September 3rd, 2008 at 12:27 pm

    jbg, re: comcast = doorframe’s bitch.

    hee-hee

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12. UNHAPPY Says:
    September 30th, 2008 at 1:42 pm

    We switched from Directv to Comcast – what a HUGE mistake! Directv is cheaper, is more user friendly, many more programing options and great customer care, just to name a few benefits. We have had nothing but trouble since switching and now after only 2 months we are going back to Directv. We can hardly wait to be through with Comcast forever!

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13. Mother Says:
    October 1st, 2008 at 6:55 am

    Perhaps, Doorframe, you need to change your name when you sign up for Comcast. ;-)

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14. bruce Says:
    October 4th, 2008 at 5:22 pm

    I watched the video. now, I consider myself lucky!

    Mine goes to the error message on trying to open on demand so I dont hve to do all the agrivating finger work. LOL

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15. bruce Says:
    October 4th, 2008 at 5:28 pm

    When they offered to come out for a third time to check things out I had the answer.
    Sarah Palin has inspired me , I said:
    “Thanks but no thanks”

    [.]

16. Bobby Says:
    December 27th, 2008 at 3:13 pm

    Fortunately there are only a few other things in life that suck as much as comcast’s “On Demand”.
    If I were comcast I would at least ask customers what they liked and did not like about the lack of service and disfunction. Then I would replace the person that set it up the way it is now and fix it. The original on demand system was better, as it sucked less having no annoying previews of things you wouldn’t want to watch while you wait often in vain for the menu or error message to appear. Phooey.

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17. J K Says:
    November 28th, 2009 at 8:25 pm

    Currently, I can’t even get the on-demand service to start. I have been experiencing error messages since last evening. I’ve called Comcast a total of six times in 24 hours. They have no estimated time of completion. For the first 14 hours of the problem, they claimed it was my issue even though the hold time told me others were going through what I was. Finally, some customer service rep told me that there was a problem and that it was being worked on. I called at 6:30 this evening and was promised it would be fixed in a couple of hours. Four hours later, it still isn’t. I really have never been involved with a more incompetent company. Nobody seems to know what is going on and the promises of it being fixed in a couple of hours are growing thin. Is any body else having trouble with on demand?

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18. Ann Says:
    January 4th, 2010 at 7:07 am

    The last time my on demand worked was Friday Evening January 2nd 2009.
    I called Saturday night the next day when I found I couldn’t get in any of the On-demand for the Premium Channels that I pay for. :Error Message Asset is sold as part of a package” Call 266-XXXX to talk to customer service.” I could get into the Regular On demand however. Comcast told me that my promotion had expired although I could still get all the channels (except for on demand) he said that it took 24 hours for the On demand to reset. He transferred me to a sales rep when I told him I was going to change my service b/c my bill went from 184.00/month to 226.00/month with the triple play expiring. The sales rep said I would still only pay the 184.00/month for another 6 months due to some kind of credit. Then I could call back and discuss how “comcast could keep me as a customer”. (renegotiate?) I didn’t know I received a promotion to begin with. Now since it’s been well over 24 hours for the ondemand to reset that’s obviously not the problem and will have to call back and get another story. I noticed too that they had a separate line for On Demand Problems Sat Night so a bunch of people must have been calling. Wish me luck.

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19. Ann Says:
    January 4th, 2010 at 7:28 am

    Update. Customer service this Monday 1/4/09 am. Stated that the On Demand should have worked anyway since I had most of the premium stations before the promotion and since I am still on the promotion it should not have stopped working. Sending people to the house tomorrow…
    At least since we now have Verizon as competition Comcast has seemed to have mellowed out and is more willing to work with you. See Competition is good. How they bought NBC I’ll never know.

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20. Angelo Says:
    February 26th, 2010 at 12:30 pm

    Ann,

    I just added an COMCAST HD box (CISCO brand) to a second TV. It’s been a week and I am unable to play video on demand shows (HBO on Demand). I have been on the phone with three different representatives–swapped one box and had a technician comt to my home. I get the same message as yo did “Error Message Asset is sold as part of a package”. Still no solution. Another work order has been submitted. Very frustrating. Obviousely, demand issues are common on COMCAST but there does not seem to be central repository of common problems and solutions. Did you ever get your issue resolved? Thanks.

    Angelo

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21. Ann Says:
    March 11th, 2010 at 11:55 am

    How old is the video up top of the On demand. Mine looks nothing like that.
    I’ve actually never had it freeze up. Looks like something a computer at work would do though. Mine either says it’s not working at this time or it’ll let you get all the way to the video, let you select watch and then it will come up with an error message. Don’t know which is worse but it has been working OK lately. (Keep fingers crossed)

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