RCN SWITCH

Paul Muschick The Watchdog

September 27, 2009

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N ot since I ranted last year about antique cars traveling our roads without safety inspections had I gotten as strong a reaction to a column as I did last Sunday when I criticized RCN's ''Analog Crush'' program.

It replaces analog cable with digital, with the goal of providing broader, better service, including more high-definition channels and video-on-demand.

You need a digital converter box for each TV. The first box is free, additional ones are $2.95 a month.

That alone has people irked. But that's not all. My phone rang all week with people experiencing side effects of the transition, including going without cable for days until a technician could install the boxes.

People were told to wait for hours, sometimes from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., requiring a day off work. Sometimes, no one came.

To top it off, some of the equipment doesn't work. I got about 70 complaints last week, hence this second column.

I'm not trying to dump on RCN. The company made a business decision. Others are doing it, too, including Comcast, whose switch to digital is under way in Bucks County and is coming to Montgomery and Berks.

Service Electric says it will keep providing analog cable along with digital, which means you can still choose not to have a converter box.

RCN said it's doing what it can to address problems with its switch, and said it believes customers will benefit in the long run.

''We are running into various situations that may cause some specific issues customers are experiencing,'' said spokeswoman Lisa Barder in an e-mail. ''In response to these issues, we have a trained team of technicians and service reps that are handling them on a case-by-case basis.''

Judging by my full e-mail box, many RCN customers agree with me that RCN owes its customers a better effort.

Mae Atiyeh asked RCN why her converter box remote wasn't working and said she was told, ''We do have some bugs to work out.''

''I said, 'Listen, you need to work out the bugs before you plant it in 2,000 homes,' '' said Atiyeh, of Allentown.

OK, let's do this again. Here are answers to additional questions you posed last week:

Why doesn't my remote control or converter box work?

Some people punch in a channel number and the channel changes, but the TV screen doesn't display the channel or program name. Others can't get video-on-demand and other premium features to work.

RCN said there are no widespread problems, despite a message on its customer service line last week that ''customers in the Lehigh Valley area are experiencing technical difficulties with their converter boxes.''

The company told me that message was left over from a previous matter, and the glitches some customers are having must be resolved case by case. Some are being blamed on old wiring and connectors in homes.

Two of Steve Auvil's remote controls and boxes didn't work. First, he said he was told to replace the remotes. He got new ones from RCN's office in Bethlehem. Strike one.

Then, he was told it was the boxes and RCN would replace them. Strike two.

Turns out the snag was with software. RCN took care of it remotely Wednesday.

Auvil, of Lower Macungie Township, said he doesn't want to bash RCN, but is frustrated.

''While the final outcome is good, the pathway there involved several frustrating phone calls, reprogramming and reprogramming remotes, numerous e-mail exchanges, a trip to the RCN office to replace two remotes that weren't the problem, and almost replacing the two boxes that weren't working properly -- only to find out that all this amounted to chasing ghosts because the root cause was a 'software glitch' -- and the remotes and boxes were all apparently fine from day one,'' he told me by e-mail.

Why won't my VCR work?

The Watchdog blew this one last Sunday. I didn't give you the whole story, because I didn't know the whole story. RCN told me VCRs work when connected to converter boxes. They do, but only to a point.

You told me, and RCN confirmed, you can't record one channel and watch another. The VCR records what is on the screen, because the feed is going from the box to the recorder. You also can't program the VCR to record multiple shows on multiple channels while you're away.

''They didn't tell you when they hooked it up,'' said Denise Rossanese of Whitehall Township.

What burns up some customers is that RCN now is offering to lease them a digital video recorder for $14.95 a month.

You can buy your own digital video recorder and get the same results. But the last thing these people want to do is spend more money.

I've had digital converter boxes prior to this and am paying more than $2.95. Why won't RCN give me that price?

I couldn't get a straight answer out of RCN on this one, which is disappointing. This is a no-brainer. Treat your customers equally. When I asked about the price disparity, RCN told me customers may be able to get a break on prices of previously obtained boxes, but they have to contact RCN to discuss options because each account is different.

Some people already have digital converter boxes (not HD boxes) to get packages with pay-per-view or movie channels.

They've been paying as much as $6.95 or $8.95 a month, and say RCN has refused to give them the $2.95 rate, or a freebie.

''They're going to get them for free, the exact same box that I have to pay $8.95 a month for,'' said Wayne Kirk of Bethlehem Township.

He complained, and said he was offered a price of $2.95, but only for six months.

Others told me RCN wouldn't budge.

Comcast is providing a free converter box and two free adapters. The adapters let you watch cable, but don't offer advanced functions such as pay-per-view. Additional boxes are $5-$9, and adapters $1.99, a month.

Comcast is sending customers the equipment so they can connect it themselves. Professional installation is available for a fee.

The transition is going well, Comcast said, but of course, the company is going to say that. I haven't heard from angry customers, but because Comcast isn't in the Lehigh Valley proper, it's tough to compare.

If you missed last Sunday's column, it's at http://www.mcall.com/watchdog .

One important parting note: If your cable goes out during this transition because of an equipment snafu or delay in getting your converters, ask RCN if it will credit your account for those days.

I heard from one man who got a credit. The company said it's handling requests case by case.

The Watchdog is published Thursdays and Sundays. Contact me by e-mail at watchdog@mcall.com, by phone at 610-841-2364 (ADOG), by fax at 610-820-6693, or by mail at The Morning Call, 101 N. Sixth St., Allentown, PA, 18101. Follow me on Twitter at mcwatchdog.