DISH vs Comcast vs AT&T – part 1

Posted on June 16, 2010 by

These days you can see plenty of commercials for Comcast, in particular for their “new” xfinity offering.  And AT&T is offering their U-Verse package in some cities here …

I’ve been a DISH Network customer for nearly 10 years, but over the past few months, I tried both Comcast and AT&T.  Because of that, I’ve had a number of friends who are currently subscribed to one of these services ask me

But my experience with Comcast was miles away from the advertising.

Back in early April, a Comcast sales person came to my door offering me a “win-back deal” on their service — cable, internet and phone — no contract, guaranteed pricing for a year.

I’ve been a DISHNetwork subscriber for nearly 10 years, and  in general am happy with their service.  But, the savings over what I was currently paying to DISH, and AT&T (for landline and DSL), coupled with the assurances of the salesperson that Comcast was re-vamping their entire business and wanted the chance to show customers that they had changed, lured me  in.  After all, it couldn’t be that bad, right?

Wrong!

I understood that it would take a week or two to get service installed, so it was expected that an installation appointment would be a week and a half later.

So, the day of installation comes, and my wife is home during the installation. I come home from work, excited to see how the new service is.

For starters, the cable box was connected directly to my TV, instead of through my Onkyo home theater receiver (HTR). No biggie … I didn’t really expect that they would connect to that — I could do that myself. Next, I start to check out the HD channels. Quite a bit of pixelation in channels. Thinking it might be solved through some upscaling through my HTR, I decide to hook it up.

It was a little trickier because the tech had hooked up via component cables instead of HDMI (I’d had DISH DVR VIP722 connected to my HTR this way), but I got it worked out. Yet, I still didn’t have Dolby Digital 5.1 surround, even on channels that normally were broadcasting it. This led me to search around a little, and I thought maybe connected via HDMI would yield better results in the audio and video.

Problem: No HDMI out on the cable box.

I decided to contact Comcast, which led them to tell me that the boxes that had been hooked up were regular digital boxes, not HD. (Further investigation discovered that these boxes were also 5 years old.)

I was pretty ticked — especially considering that this was their “win back offer”.

“Ok”, I said, “when can someone bring out the right boxes?”

“Apr 23rd.”

April 23rd was two weeks away. “April 23rd? No, I want this corrected within the next 24-47 hours.”

The tech gave me a number to call the next morning to try to get an earlier date. Calling the next morning did no good … that was “the earliest date available”, but I had the option of going to a service center in another town to exchange the boxes — although “there was no guarantee they had such boxes available.”

Unbelievable!  After the call, I thought about this more … why was I being expected to correct their mistake?  This was exactly a reason why I left cable, and laughed at people who shared similar stories of poor customer service from cable but still stuck with them.

I quickly researched AT&T, and less that 48 hours after I had cable TV, phone and internet installed … I had ordered AT&T U-verse — to be installed a day BEFORE Comcast said they could come out to do a simply exchange of cable boxes and correct their mistake.

I’ll describe the AT&T installation and service in a later entry, but after AT&T finished the installation, I called Comcast to cancel my service.  THEN, the rep asked if they were able to get someone out sooner, would I reconsider cancelling?  I said, you could have corrected your mistake two weeks ago.  I order AT&T U-verse less than 2 days after your installer was here, and I’ve got AT&T service now.

Comcast said they could have someone out the next day(!) to pickup the equipment.   So, they must have plenty of employees available to get out to get equipment when they lose a customer … but no one available to keep a customer.  Amazing!

My experience with Comcast was absolutely horrible.  Their customer service was some of the worst I’ve ever encountered.  Many of my friends and family have had poor customer service experiences with Comcast (or other cable providers) as well, yet most of them put up with it.

It’ll definitely be longer than 15+ years before I even think of trying cable again.

(Check back … part 2 will be coming around soon)

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When will husbands have to listen up?

Posted on June 13, 2010 by

Today I listened to a sermon at a local church that hit upon a subject that really gets under my skin: the authority of men/husbands over women/wives, and the submission of wives/women to their husbands/men.

My problem is the emphasis of most Christian churches ends up mostly opening the door to the abuse of women. By “abuse” here, I’m referring to not only oppression but acceptance of forms of psychological abuse. An attitude that women must listen and obey their husbands.

Rare, it seems, are the sermons that admonish men on expressions of true love for women. I have yet to hear a sermon or homily that takes the passage from Ephesians 5 and tells men that they must sacrifice everything for their wives, children, families … “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” Never have I heard a pastor spend a significant amount of time telling men that they must give up their life to ensure the faith and salvation of their families — that men don’t get to do what they want, with their family along for the ride.

Instead, we hear about the authority of men, and the submissiveness of women; to the point that some use it to “keep women in their place“. And some women accept it to the extent that they feel they must remain silent and do whatever men decide, even when such men are not living and acting in the letter or spirit of Ephesians 5!

I long for the days that men are openly challenged to live not only as the “authority” or “head”, but also to sacrifice their will and wants to Christ Jesus, to earn that position they’ve been placed in, for the good of their families.

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Why science can never win

Posted on June 9, 2010 by

Pondering on this portion of an interview with Stephen Hawking by Diane Sawyer …

But exploring the origins of time inevitably leads to questions about the ultimate origins of everything and what, if anything, is behind it all.

“What could define God [is thinking of God] as the embodiment of the laws of nature. However, this is not what most people would think of that God,” Hawking told Sawyer. “They made a human-like being with whom one can have a personal relationship. When you look at the vast size of the universe and how insignificant an accidental human life is in it, that seems most impossible.”

When Sawyer asked if there was a way to reconcile religion and science, Hawking said, “There is a fundamental difference between religion, which is based on authority, [and] science, which is based on observation and reason. Science will win because it works.”

I always find it interesting to read comments from atheist scientists, continually trying to show science’s triumph over religion.  What I find interesting is that the converse — religion seeking to triumph over science — does not particularly exist; since most — at least most Christian faiths — embrace scientific discovery right along with their religious beliefs.

Yet, we must keep in mind the reality: that for all that science answers, it can only answer the question of “what?”, not “why?”  It is limited to observations in space and time.  Such finite constraints severely limit science, to the point that despite all the answers it gives (which those of faith rightly embrace), those never seem to satisfy the question that burns within us: Why do I, or does anything, exist?

Unless it can answer that question, science can never “win”.

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Six Flags needs to add better experience

Posted on May 29, 2010 by

For several years, my family and I have been season pass holders at Six Flags. The 2010 season is no exception.

With the reduced season ticket pricing for 2010, we were excited about enjoying another summer of many days spent at Great America and Hurricane Harbor; as well as visiting Six Flags, St. Louis. In fact, we were so excited that we purchased our season tickets in January!

My wife and I decided earlier in the week that we would surprise our son and daughter with our first trip of the season to Great America last Sunday. When we told them that morning, they were very excited and couldn’t wait to get to the park.

But, that excitement quickly dwindled.

First, were the changes in parking. In years past, there was “VIP parking” that got you into a special section of the parking lot, very close to the entrance. But, this year, the main parking lot rate was $10 higher than parking in what used to be the “overflow parking” (which is more than a quarter mile from the park entrance). There were no tram stops or regular shuttles even provided to take guests to the entrance from this more remote lot. There is no alternative but walking to the gate, unless you want to pay the extra $10 to park an eighth of a mile or so closer.

The next issue was when we arrived at the gate. As on our past visits to the parks, we threw a bottle of water and a granola bar for each of us into a backpack. But, when we went through security, we were told we were not allowed to bring them in. We were given the choice to toss them in the trash, go outside the gates and eat them, or take them back to our car. We opted to eat them just outside the gates, and then re-enter.

Back in the park, having gotten our season pass photos taken, we headed to our first ride. As we were entering the line, two teenage girls asked us if we knew where the $1 ride lockers were. We were a bit confused, so they explained that they had just come off of two rides where they had to pay $1 each for a locker to put their bag in while they rode the ride.

That was appalling!

A family carrying a backpack to keep together several things needed during the day (sunscreen, kleenex, hand sanitizer, etc) is now forced to pay, in addition to the gate price, to be able to ride rides together. Charging one dollar per ride is just plain wrong. If the park is trying to deal with problems of theft, etc, then these lockers should be complimentary … or cost a maximum of $0.25.

My family and I opted not to pay the fee … which contributed to dampening our fun because at least one member of our party had to skip the ride to hold the bag. But, the curious question on our minds was, why wasn’t this at all the rides? A number of other rides still had bins to put your stuff in … why not all?!

Six Flags could make more money, and attract more visitors to their parks — particularly Great America — if they were more family-friendly. My family and I have visited Six Flags over Georgia and Six Flags, St Louis in the past, and these were more family-friendly. I wonder if and how they’ve changed (I’ll have a chance to find out when we visit St. Louis later this summer).

There is not the “experience” at Six Flags Great America any longer. There isn’t much to see, even while spending “forever” standing in lines waiting for your next ride.

While I don’t think or expect that Six Flags should try to copycat Disney, there is a lot that they could learn from the “Disney experience” that people have visiting their parks, etc. There, people really seem to forget about “the outside world” because of what they are experiencing at the park … and, in turn, they stay longer and spend more — because they enjoy it, not because they have nothing better to do.

This year, because of the recession no doubt, Six Flags is trying to get more people to their parks by making season passes only about $10-15 more than a one-day admission. That has some effect, but people will still feel they got their money’s worth after only 2 or 3 days in the park. Likely only a small percentage would spend 20+ days (even 10+?) this summer at Six Flags’ parks.

But if Six Flags gave them the experience that makes they yearn to come back again and again … they’d improve their reputation, and make the money they seem to so desperately want and need.

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Whatever happened to …

Posted on May 26, 2010 by

… the Cunningham’s oldest son, Chuck, on “Happy Days”?

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You gotta dig a little deeper

Posted on May 23, 2010 by

Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, with instruction about ablutions, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.

Hebrew 6:1-2

It seems I know too many Christians that want to just continue to lay that foundation.  They want to keep drinking the spiritual milk, rather than move on to solid food.  Scripture study groups are wrought with the easy — sometimes cheesy — topics that focus on what many members already learned and know.

These same folks just want to talk over and over about faith and sin and forgiveness and being saved, so much so that they never see the real lessons and purpose of the Scriptures, and of the life of Christ Jesus.  They speak a language that I like to call “Christian-ese”; a fluffy language that glosses over real issues and problems that people are having, and instead bombards them with “catch phrases”  (for example “We just have to let go and let God!”)

Those things actually work against us in sharing the Gospel and drawing people to faith and the Church. The reality is that those of us who have come to a living faith need to dig deeper. We need to understand more than just “the ABCs” (ask, believe, confess) of Christian doctrine and Scripture.

When we dig deeper than the surface, we will find an understanding and a faith that God intended for us to know … and a life that is richer because of it.

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Prepare for dating: early and often

Posted on May 18, 2010 by

[The following post is from the archives ... which I will be re-posting periodically.  Originally posted May 3rd, 2007.]

If there’s one thing I can teach my kids about dating and relationships, it would be to go slow. That can be tough in an “I want it all and I want it now” culture. But, I hope the example I set and the story can testify to that.

The other day my 6-year-old daughter came home from kindergarten and said that she was going to marry a boy in her class. We had a bit of fun talking about the reasons, however I also felt it was important to let her know that there will be plenty of time for thinking of who you’re going to marry. And, I told her so, once we’d dispensed with some laughter. No need to go rushing into relationships or marriage.

Yet, our culture is obsessed with doing precisely that; although instead of marriage, its cohabitation, aka “living together”. Watch movies or television shows and you’ll see a lack of courtship. Everyone’s rushing into intimacy and sex; “Love at first sight” has become “sex at first sight”.

Then, shortly thereafter, they begin to get to know each other and discover that they don’t really like each other at all. Though I watched maybe 2 episodes of HBO’s “Sex and the City”, I heard that was the case for most all of that show.

My wife and I met in college. We went out a few times, to a movie and then to a local “establishment” to talk afterwards. Then we parted ways at the end of the semester, when she graduated (I had 2 semesters left because I’d taken some extra time getting an Associate degree at community college before going to university.)

Around the time of my graduation, she called and we began to talk on the phone regularly. We lived 50 miles apart and so it wasn’t practical for us to go out often. That allowed us to really get to know each other on an intellectual level.  We were able to get together from time to time so it wasn’t like it was solely intellectual, which also could be problematic since some in-person contact is needed to know a person’s quirks, etc.

That’s what I want my kids to know. Don’t jump into physical intimacy. Don’t even jump into dating. In fact, I would recommend courtship over dating. Get to know someone first, whether you want to spend more time with them or not. And, know whether you want to give them a part of yourself; and by this I’m not talking about sex, but about a matter of sharing deeper thoughts, hopes and dreams. Doing so means making yourself more open and vulnerable to hurt, and you need to know whether someone is going to smash down those hopes and dreams before you open up that way.

Our kids need to be enabled to want to make good decisions in these areas, particularly because as parents we can’t completely make the choices for them. The best we can do is be good guides and examples to them. That happens everyday, even from an early age.

It’s something my wife and I are already working to teach our daughter. And, by the time she reaches an age when she wants to go out on a date or to a school dance or whatever, she’s going to be the kind of girl that “pimps” and “thugs” will hate. (I think we have a strong duty to see this fulfilled in our daughters.)

And, by the way, this kind of stuff is also discussed in John Paul the Great’s “Theology of the Body”.

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National Day of Prayer

Posted on May 6, 2010 by

Pray for our nation, our world.

Pray for each other.

Pray for all the elected officials in our government (not just for the election of those in your political party and against those who are not.)

Pray for our judges, especially those who think that prayer is a private act and a praying nation is unconstitutional.

National Day of Prayer - http://nationaldayofprayer.org/

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Welcome!

Posted on May 2, 2010 by

Welcome to the re-launched Catholicsphere!

I had started another blog — The Squiggly Line of Thought – to comment on a wider variety of topics, but then decided to merge that blog and this one to form something new.

While Catholicsphere seeks to provide commentary and insight on a variety of topics (not just “religious” or “spiritual” items) in a way that is faithful to Catholic teaching, it also intends to go a bit deeper into exploring non-doctrinal/dogmatic issues.

In other words, commentary will sometimes “tow the company line”, but not always. In that way Catholicsphere hopes to bring a fresh perspective and approach to some matters, without trying to be at odds with the Catholic Church.

Also, the variety of topics will likely cover politics and government, entertainment and movies, technology and music, as well as Catholic matters — sharing my view of the world.

I’ve been tweeting via Twitter for a little while now, and just created a page on Facebook.  Links to those will be up in the header soon — as soon as I can get the icons worked out — and also intend to add ability for you to share posts you like to other social networks.

I hope you’ll enjoy the new format, and will get into the discussion.  Thanks for checking out Catholicsphere!

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