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Horizon Box does not record whole programme

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  • 23-09-2014 8:01pm
    #1
    JohnInDublin59
    Registered Users Posts: 24 ✭


    Sorry if this belongs under the ‘Horizon TV – Awful?’ heading – for the record the answer is of course ‘Yes’ – but it’s a v specific problem.

    I could ask if anyone else has had the same problem but I know they have, as UPC have admitted it. I do not know whether any of those people are on boards.ie though.

    I signed up for Horizon over a year ago. A better service for the same price. What could possibly go wrong, I naively thought.

    Basically, what happens is that I set the Horizon Box to record a programme. And every so often, roughly once a week or so, or sometimes more, when I try to watch it later, I find that the recording stopped before the end of the programme. Sometimes it has only recorded a few minutes of it. It gives some stupid error message – ‘Sorry this programme could not be recorded because you are not subscribed to this channel – Error Code 4017’.

    Among the channels I am allegedly, ‘not subscribed to’ are RTE1 and 2, BBC1 BBC2, UTV and Channel 4. Even though RTE1 and 2 are channels I could get for nothing, since I pay my licence fee. Essentially, I cannot rely on the Horizon box to record ANY programme.

    I have wasted my time complaining to UPC. They admitted months ago that they knew about this problem and that other people had it. They said they were ‘looking into it’ and that at some unspecified time in the future the software might be fixed.

    When I spoke to them some months ago, the person I got, clearly reading from a prepared script, said they're ‘actively’ looking for a solution. Obviously if they were ‘passively’ looking for one, it would be totally different. I got the same thing a few days ago. It may be fixed some time. They don’t know when.

    They gave me some rebate and essentially told me to like it or lump it, that there would be no further rebate and that I could revert to the previous box if I wanted to. I am not planning to for now. If nothing else, I have a lot of stuff recorded.

    I got my first video recorder c 3 decades ago. Sometimes I set it wrong. Sometimes a show overran. But never once did the video recorder tell me ‘sorry I cannot record this show as you are not subscribed to this channel’. So in 30 years they have gone backwards.

    I have suggested to UPC that they spend a tiny fraction of the hundreds of thousands of our money that they spend on advertising on providing a competent service but clearly the idea does not appeal.

    I tried Comreg but they say that the market is deregulated so they do not regulate UPC anymore.

    So essentially as far as I can see UPC are dishonest and untrustworthy, and knowingly sell a faulty product.

    I have never had the Sky service. I do not know if it is better. I find it hard to see how it could be worse.

    Anyone else here had the same problem? Any suggestion beyond switching to another company? (Which I may still do.)


Comments

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    #2
    Tango One
    Registered Users Posts: 790 ✭✭✭Tango One


    Been a horizon customer since the early days and can't say I ever had your problem. Did they ever swap the box out for you?


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    #3
    JohnInDublin59
    Registered Users Posts: 24 ✭JohnInDublin59


    Tango One wrote: »
    Been a horizon customer since the early days and can't say I ever had your problem. Did they ever swap the box out for you?

    No. They didn’t suggest that. They've admitted it’s a system problem, so I assume the box isn't the problem and you've just been lucky. (In fairness, I do record a lot of programmes.)


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    #4
    Tango One
    Registered Users Posts: 790 ✭✭✭Tango One


    It really sounds like the box is having a problem with provisioning. I would ask for a service call at the very least. I do a fair bit too and never seen what you're describing


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    #5
    deelite
    Registered Users Posts: 2,876 ✭✭✭deelite


    Oh you are not alone .- we had the same issues error codes 4017 - and other codes which I didn't take note of - and error code 4007 (loss of electric supply there wasn't)


    And UPC very kindly fixed the problem about 10 days ago. It was a problem with the ports only two were working so to fix the issue they issued me with a new box - I lost all my recordings.

    And there on Monday night it started again on A TV3 recording - stopped recording 38 mins into the show as I am not subscribed to the channel. I reported it and was asked what show it was as there could be an issue with the show......they said they were aware of the issue and I wasn't alone.

    I haven't been offered a rebate but am seriously thinking of moving to a different provider


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    #6
    mfceiling
    Registered Users Posts: 12,780 ✭✭✭✭mfceiling


    I'm going to say this now to make it easy for you all.

    Contact SKY and get the tv from them. Life will be easy and you will never miss a recording.

    I "had" to get UPC as the management company in our new development don't allow sky dishes on your house. I met a sky installer recently who told me i can put the dish in the garden, so i'm waiting for the year to be up and then UPC can take back the piece of junk that is Horizon.

    As an example - my wife came in to the living room and went to turn on the horizon box. She kept pressing the "box" button on the remote and.........nothing. After 2 or 3 minutes it decided to turn on. It really seems to have a mind of it's own - something random every day!!


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