What Are TiVo And WindStream Up To?

Posted on Thursday, May 1, 2008 by MegaZone

Last November TiVo and broadband provider WindStream announced a partnership which sounded like just another cross-marketing deal. WindStream would resell TiVo to their broadband customers, with the angle of touting TiVo’s broadband features, such as Amazon Unbox. Seemed fairly basic.

However, a new article in xchange Magazine makes it sound like TiVo and WindStream are working together on a new product:

While Windstream may not yet be a household name, it is quietly innovating with those that are, such as TiVo. The duo have been working on a user interface since last fall that, like TiVo’s much heralded efforts with Comcast and Cox Communications, draw heavily from the DVR maker’s software.

Windstream, however, is focusing on polishing the Internet video experience with the TiVo deal while cablecos are more focused on coming up with much better user interfaces for their digital TV services.

Working on a user interface? Drawing headily on TiVo’s software? That doesn’t sound like the description of a standard turn-key reseller arrangement. So, are they up to something more than just bundle sales of standard TiVo units? Or is this just a reporter over-reaching a bit? When announced WindStream said they planned to start marketing TiVo in the first half of 2008. If that time frame holds true I suppose we’ll find out fairly soon. Personally I think they’ll be reselling the standard TiVo boxes, perhaps with custom HME applications for any WindStream specific needs.

About MegaZone

MegaZone is the Editor of Gizmo Lovers and the chief contributor. He's been online since 1989 and active in several generations of 'social media' - mailing lists, USENet groups, web forums, and since 2003, blogging.    MegaZone has a presence on several social platforms: Google+ / Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn / LiveJournal / Web.    You can also follow Gizmo Lovers on other sites: Blog / Google+ / Facebook / Twitter.
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  • Melodie

    Windstream should make no claims about good or even acceptable customer service. I have reached this opinion based on how Windstream has treated me over the past 8 days.

    Contact with Windstream on 7-25-08
    I called my local Windstream office to see about telephone and internet service. I gave the lady my information (name, address, cell phone number, etc) She read back the information with the wrong street name. I corrected her saying it was South not West. She told me that someone would call me on 7-28-08 with my new phone number and scheduled installation date and time. As I work via the Internet, I will have to delay working for one week and take a loss of $1000 wages.

    7-28-08
    I did not receive a phone call from Windstream.

    7-29-08
    I went into the local Windstream office. The lady couldn’t find my information in the computer. Finally she found the handwritten form in a cupboard. She wrote my phone number and installatin date (8-1-08) on a blue post-a-note and gave it to me. I asked what time on the 1st would the technician be out. She said “Oh, they will call you before they come out”. Then she verified my cell phone number.

    8-1-08
    Ok I have planned my whole day to be home and available for the Windstream service technician. At 2pm, I call the office wondering if the tech is coming or not. The lady tells me that they work until 7pm and yes the tech will be out. She doesn’t verify any information like name, address or contact number.

    8pm on 8-1-08
    No technician, no phone call from the technician or the Windstream office. I contact the repair department as they are the only ones available. The lady there informs me that I am not in the system and would have to contact the business office on Saturday morning between 8 and 5 EST.

    8:15am EST 8-2-08
    I call the phone number I was given by the repair representative and get a recording that tells me I need to call back during business hours. So I call repair again. The lady there tells me I have to wait until 8am my time (MT) to reach the business office. So I go to Windstream.com. There it says that the business office is open from 8:30 to 5 Eastern. By now it is 8:40 Eastern. So I call the business office number again. I still get the recording that I need to call back during business hours.

    So I call repair again. I ask to speak with a supervisor. I explain to the supervisor that I am very upset and I really need to contact the business office. She places me on hold while she gets someone from the business office on the line. The person from business finally finds my installation information. He is upset with me because I don’t have the work order number. I was never given a work order number.

    Finally he finds my information and tells me that I gave them the wrong address so my installation was placed on hold until I contacted them. He informed me that it was my fault that the tech was sent to West instead of South and that I would just have to wait until the next available time for installed. I asked him why the technician had not called me when there was a problem; he said “We don’t do that. We wait for the customer to call us when we don’t show up.”

    I went to where I had Internet access to look up the corporate information for Windstream. I find 501-748-7000 is the main office number. I call it and as I expected, got a recording. The male voice said to leave a message and someone would return my call during the next business day. Then a female voice says “This number does not accept messages”.

    So the poor communication and customer service starts right at Windstream corp headquarters.

    So here I sit waiting until 8-8-08 sometime between 8 am and noon to maybe, possibly, have a technician appear to install my phone/internet service. I wonder if Windstream will reimburse me for the second week of lost wages or even apologize to me for the physical and emotional stress their poor customer service has caused me.

  • http://www.gizmolovers.com/ MegaZone

    Wow, they’re even worse than cable companies usually are.