A new Guide - and stuff that doesn't work

So, where were we - Ah yes. A new guide! Pretty. And then I start to program my choices. Just last week, I was able to choose say, Top Chef and pick the time I wanted it to record so it did not conflict with anything else. So I try that. I am now limited to all or nothing. So I try again, just to pick the one at 10pm. That works! Eureka! Then I try to sneak up in there and pick all of them and go back and cancel the conflicts. Oh, no no no! All or nothing, sister. It is conflicting with Law & Order, SVU. And Eli Stone (I know - stupid, but there it is). Long story short, I cannot have the ones I want. The only resolution I see is to go through week by week and pick out individual programs to record. Can't search and record just the ones I want anymore, either. NOnonono. NO! 'Cause it will only show me the one that's showing right the hell now! Wow! Now I am shaking with anger and frustration. Evil words pass my mouth. I am name calling. Nazi bastards! Once I could choose what and when I wanted to record. I calm myself and call my friends. I get a VERY nice lady. She does not understand, because hers works easy. Hers is user friendly. Hers is the old version. I hope she is ready, because I am told these crazy things are getting rolled out globally. Soon. I cannot imagine the hell folks are going to go through once these changes are forced down everyones throats. I DO notice a few cool things though - More info, dated. So for instance, Top Chef listings have the year on them. For those of us with memory issues, or new can see if they are getting old stuff or new stuff...cool! But wait! Are those ADVERTISEMENTS at the bottom?!?!? Is my cable company in financial trouble? Selling ads, Suddenlink? How terrifically annoying.
Right now I can tell you this:
Old Box - record - 2 steps
New Box record - 4 steps and it doesn't work easily!
Old Box - Search with abandon, pick and choose happily
New Box - Search all right - search for your sanity
Old Box - Can see at the touch of a button what you have in the hopper, manage it, cancel certain ones. HAPPY
New Box - you can't see crap at a glance and the cancel program does not hold. Keeps bouncing back on the schedule, so don't waste your time. You will jump off something tall.
Old Box - Page from day to day, like a happy little bunny.
New Box - page half hour to half hour, painfully til you lose interest. What am I paying for? Pain? I think there is cheaper pain.
I am all for new technology, as long as we are moving FORWARD people! Taking a super simple process and making it harder seems counter productive. I have multiple friends to whom I had reccomended this service, but I have to say I no longer do. The people on the phone are awesome, but this is the worst programming I have EVER seen. It would really take a very little tweaking to make this the best ever, Suddenlink! Really.
Ok, so anyway - post me up some comments and let me know what you think about this stuff. Also - I defy you to go to the website Suddenlink.com and find a way to post a comment, review, or otherwise send a message for input. Double dog dare you......

Welcome to DVR Woes!

The intent of this blog is to share DVR woes. The impetus is my new (and not improved) DVR box I was forced to by my cable company, Suddenlink. I am positive that I am not the only person who is going through the woes of the new (and,as before, not improved) programming for the box.
It all started Friday, November 28th. In the wee, early hours of the morning it was my habit to manage the future recordings. Sorta got my brain started. Manipulating data and drinking coffee. What more do you need, really? I noticed right away that the guide (bible) was only going out like 3 days. WHAT? I need a full week of items to manage - all 800+ channels of it! So, being the smart person I am, I called the cable company. The very nicest folks! I swear! Well trained, polite, helpful. Sometimes a bit patronizing, but hey. I fall for it sometimes too. Anyway - this particular guy was a bit bored with my issue, but I can see where it might be boring hearing someone bitch about the guide not being quite up to date. Forgiven! He happily refreshed the box (can't they put a little button up in there for us that won't abuse it?) Ok, so THEN what happened was.....wait for it - NOTHING! Then about 3 hours later I got a full whole weeks worth of programming and I did a snoopy dance. Yessiree! Managing the process to death. Cancel this dupe, change that one to this time. In OCD heaven. It was exactly the way I wanted it. I AM a customer of service, after all. And we all want it the way we want it. So that it fits our lifestyle. Use that puppy up a thousand ways. HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY.
And then....cue the music......On Sunday - yep - only a couple days out. BUMMER! Again, being a smart smart person, I called my friends at the cable company (Suddenlink). They tried to refresh. No dice. And again, nothing....Monday - a refresh. I start to bite my nails - whatever will happen to me????? Where's my tv stuff? What will I do for entertainment in themornings??? WHAT IF I MISS TOP CHEF?????????? Yesterday - Tuesday, I got the nicest lady. And then the nicest lady again. A different one as they encourage you to build as many relationships as possible. They all refreshed, and tried to help and it just wasn't working. The news was not good. We had to be gone for the day, but were hopeful that resucitation would work, and the box would live again. Rushed home, checked it, called my friends (again just the nicest people!), but the news, well, it was not good. The faithful box was dead. Resolution? Get a new one! So, with minutes to spare until the local office closed I wrote down all the programs I had set to record, and off the dead box went to the dead box graveyard. A new one arrived shortly, and we plugged it in. We were gonna be so happy. Waited patiently. It started to load! It was a different guide, but hey! what could possibly go wrong? And then.......