Posts Tagged ‘TV’

Pay-Per View and On Demand Surprise Charges

Ordering Pay-per-View events and On Demand movies is so easy to do over the remote control that anyone can do it.  It’s a great convenience.  But, it’s not uncommon to receive calls from customers to report that they’ve been billed for pay-per-view or on demand movies they didn’t order.  In reality, billing errors like this are very rare.  Before equipment leaves the warehouse to be installed in a customer’s home, it’s been refreshed so there’s no possibility that orders from a previous customer somehow remained in the receiver’s memory only to land on the next customer’s bill.  And, all receivers have unique serial numbers that are tied specifically to one customer’s account so this link ensures the right customer is getting billed.  It’s a very sophisticated accounting and billing process which is why there’s practically no room for error.  

So, it’ not surprising, after much thoughtful discussion with a ccr,  a customer comes to the realization that even though he or she did not order the movies or event, someone in the household did.  The good news is that there’s lots of things you can do avoid the surprise of purchases on your bill that you did not approve such as parental controls, special pins, or changing your ordering limits.   If you’d like to learn more, just call us at 1-866-496-9669 to consult with one of our representatives who can explain all the options available to you. With multiple options, you’ll be able to pick one that leaves you with the level of ordering convenience you want while keeping others from ordering without your approval.

American Idol Hometown Visit – Lee DeWyze

Lee DeWyze Hometown VisitOn Friday, May 14th, I had the opportunity to be a part of Lee DeWyze’s Hometown Visit which took place at the lovely Arlington Park in Arlington Heights, Illinois.  My friend scored tickets in the special Lee section which was on the side of the stage where he would be singing and talking.  There were over 40,000 people in attendance.  It was crazy to see all those people who were wearing Lee t-shirts, holding up signs that they made and hoping to get a glimpse of him. 

We arrived at the park around 4 p.m. and he didn’t come out until 6:45 p.m.  They paraded him through the crowd surrounded by a ton of security with a bagpiper leading the way.  After he finally made his way to the stage, there was probably a good 25 minutes of talking from the Mayor of Arlington Heights and Mount Prospect as well as the Superintendent of the schools that Lee attended.  They presented him with the standard key to the city and proclamation, he went on to express how much this meant to him.  He is a very emotional guy. 

Once the pomp and cirmcumstance was all done, he told the crowd that he was going to play three songs.  Well, to the crowd’s surprise he ended up playing over 10 songs.  It was like a mini-concert which was pretty cool.  Although, the camera guy was constantly in his face which took away from it a little bit. 

Overall, it was a pretty cool experience.  Who knows, maybe I’ll see myself in the crowd when they show the footage tomorrow night on American Idol.

I’ve Been Glee’d

It’s official, I’ve been Glee’d.  It started Friday night on my train ride home.  I have heard many rave reviews about the show and had even initially set my DVR to record season one.  But, with all the shows that were taping at the same time, I had to make a decision and unfortunately Glee was deleted from my must record list.  As the buzz grew about the show, the more upset I became that I deleted the recordings.  By the time I was able to watch the show, I couldn’t find a place to actually watch the episodes I missed without having to pay for them.  A big bummer for me but that’s the entertainment business for you.

Anyways, I gave in and purchased the pilot episode.  As I was watching it, I started to become caught up and knew at that moment why the show was as big as it was.  It is very entertaining and refreshing.  It isn’t exactly groundbreaking (High School Musical started this phenomenon).  On Saturday I went to my local Best Buy to buy the first season because I wanted to get caught up before watching the new episodes which started last Tuesday on FOX.  (I don’t know about you, but I can’t start watching a series in the middle.)   

Yesterday I started out watching the first disc and thought that it might take me a week or two to get through.  But, that wasn’t the case.  I was hooked and spent my entire Sunday watching the entire first season.  It was so bad that I ended up watching last week’s episode on top of it.  I discovered that I watched over eight hours of Glee and still wanted more.  The singing and choreography is wonderful and stays true to the basis of the show. 

I have become a Gleek and am proud of it.  If you love Glee, what hooked you?

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

Committing to a TV show is like committing to a relationship.  You have to invest time in getting to know the show –  its’ story lines and characters as well as making a time commitment to watch each week.  When you start to feel that you and the show are a fit, then your schedule is set around the time that the show airs. If you can’t be there to watch it, then it is imperative that you set the DVR otherwise you will feel lost missing a week.  You will probably find yourself seeking out others who are just as into the show as you are to talk about what happened this week and your thoughts on the upcoming week’s preview. 

Maybe after a couple of seasons, the show starts to lose its luster.  You find yourself starting to nitpick at the things that are starting to annoy you.  But, you don’t stop watching.  You feel that you have committed all this time that maybe if you give it a little longer, they just might turn it around.  So, you are sucked in a little bit longer.  But, at what point do you say, it was a good run while it lasted but it just is not working for me anymore?

I find myself at this crossroad with American Idol.  I have been a fan of the show since season 1 (Kelly Clarkson for those of you unfamiliar with it’s first winner.)  At first, I loved the variety of personalities, the judges (Simon vs. Paula) and the evolution of the show through the years.  I cheered for the underdogs and watched in anticipation of who America would choose as its winner.  I will even admit that I have attended a couple of the tours through the years. 

But, this year is different.  I don’t know if it is because Simon has turned into a tamed lion after his announcement that he will be leaving the show after this season or if not having Paula back over what she should be paid.  In my opinion, I think it is ridiculous what Simon, Randy and Ryan make but to not Paula in the same equation was just wrong.  Admittedly, she doesn’t always make the most sense but at least she knows what she is talking about.  Ellen, while super funny, is no judge of musical talent.  To me, she is mimicking Randy half of the time.  Does she really know the difference of being on or off key or the arrangements that were changed whether good or bad?  Highly doubt it.  Anyways, in addition to the judging, the mentors for the top 12 have not been that impressive either – Miley Cyrus?  Adam Lambert?  Outside of Usher, it seems that Idol is having a hard time getting some of the bigger stars to help these budding stars.  There is only so many seasons that I can hear the works of Lennon and McCartney and the Billboard Top 100.

So back to my original question, how do you break up with a show that you have spent so much time following?

Say It Ain’t So – My Letter to Lost

Dear Lost,

I’ve stuck with you since day one. I’ve been with you through polar bears and smoke monsters. I put up with time travel. Flashbacks. Flashforwards. Flash sideways. Numerous plane crashes (at least three that I can count), hydrogen bombs, submarines, mysterious numbers, hatches, caves, births, deaths, poisonous spiders and just so much more. But as your time is running out, I am getting quite frustrated with you.

This last season of Lost feels like it’s been a complete change from the previous seasons. While you’ve given us lots of mysteries as well as twists and turns, you’ve also given us stories of courage, love, and friendship. And that’s what I’ve tuned in for. Well, the mysteries, too!

I realize you’re a fictional TV show, but like any good TV show, the characters and show become something we can believe in. In the beginning, I loved your show. I watched every episode, all the specials, read online articles about what (supposedly) all of the mysteries meant, and how the characters are intertwined (and I’ve always loved how you intertwined characters backstories). And I thought your writers always gave us loyal viewers what we deserved with more characters, more mysteries and questions, never truly answering any of the questions. But after the episode on March 23, I felt cheated. With so few episodes left, it seems that you are trying to wrap up too many storylines in a short amount of time.

The March 23 episode finally gave us the back-story of Richard, who we’ve seen on and off the island over many, many years (50+ years). He’s been a central figure in bringing some of the main characters to the island, including Locke and Juliette. But I think your writers tied up how Richard got to the island, how the Black Rock got to the island, and how the statue on the edge of the island got broke – all in one episode poorly. Yes, we’ve all been waiting for answers on these things, but I was hoping for better answers. (Spoiler alert). But to tell us Richard came over on the Black Rock, a slave ship, back in 1867 through a storm that created waves so high, the wooden pirate ship cracked an enormous cement statute?? Well, it just felt too simple.

With the end approaching on May 23, I do hope the characters will get the fate and futures they deserve, and us loyal viewers get the ending we deserve.

Thanks Lost for listening (or reading),

Steve