There’s some things you just come to expect. For example, you don’t need to walk into Tim’s Pizza and ask if they’ve got any pizza today. Nor is it necessary to call Harp’s beforehand to make sure they’ve got plenty of groceries in stock.
However, if you’d like to get a DVR from Cox cable, you’ll have to add your name to a waiting list. That’s right, folks. As of now, Cox is knee-deep in a DVR shortage and if you want one, you’d better plan on waiting a week or two before you get it.
It’s not the end of the world, it’s just dumb as hell. It seems as though the one thing you’d rely on Cox for the most is the one thing they just didn’t stock quite enough of. Amazing.
Give it up for Cox, your fairweather friend in the digital age…
February 14th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
We’ve been on the waiting list for two weeks.
February 14th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
This has been an ongoing problem. Last year Cox made any employee who had more than one comped DVR turn it in so customers could use them.
February 14th, 2008 at 8:13 pm
I wondered if Cox director of media relations David Grabert was stretching the truth when he called this a “brief issue.” Guess that answers my question.
February 15th, 2008 at 6:31 am
Other cable companies are experiencing the same situation, and it comes down to the supplier of those DVRs. There are only a couple of manufacturers of that equipment, and when they don’t keep up with supplying the customer demand, the local cable provider simply can’t get the equipment. (You can bet that the largest cable companies are getting their stuff first, and Cox isn’t the largest.) Also, it’s true that Cox employees have brought back their own equipment in order to make it available to customers. This isn’t an issue they’re taking lightly, but they’re at the mercy of supply and demand from up the chain.
February 15th, 2008 at 8:25 am
I just don’t understand how the manufacturers can be so far behind. I mean, DVR’s aren’t new technology and I’m pretty sure the DVR purchasing trends would point to more and more DVR’s being used… and the folks responsible for manufacturing the DVR’s should have picked up on it a while ago and ramped up production before they got so far behind. I don’t really care though… I’ve already got one, Suckers.
February 15th, 2008 at 8:42 am
I don’t buy the notion that Motorola is having trouble building a bunch of cheap DVRs. The problem is mostly likely that Cox requires Motorola to disable many of the features (USB, Firewire, Ethernet, VOD FF, etc.) of the machine before they’ll buy them. Under those circumstances, yes, I am sure Motorola has bigger fish to fry but that’s not their fault.
February 15th, 2008 at 10:20 am
Don’t assume the manufacturer is meeting the demand–this is occurring all over the country and with multiple programming providers:
From a Multichannel News report:
“Earlier this week Verizon Communications confirmed that its HD set-tops and DVRs are in short supply, a shortfall the telco blamed on surging demand. Motorola currently is the sole supplier of set-tops to Verizon…
…Asked to comment on Cox’s HD set-top inventory issues, Motorola external communications manager Anya Chambers said, “From our perspective, demand for HD is strong and we continue to work with all our customers in order to address their needs.”
I believe that confirms that manufacturer is aware of the problem, but are maintaining a vague position on how the need is supposed to be met for some of their major customers. They may be “addressing customer needs”…but that doesn’t mean the DVRs are arriving fast enough for the demand.
February 15th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
Who is this real deal and why is (s)he defending Cox Communications?
February 16th, 2008 at 2:10 am
Jarsh:
Firewire is required to be enabled by FCC regulation. I’ve transferred video
from my Motorola DVR to various computers many times. It’s a bitch to initially set up but once that’s done it’s pretty easy.
February 16th, 2008 at 10:34 am
Ryan: I’ve read the same thing. Props to you for figuring it out. I gave up long ago after hours of headaches. If my port is not disabled, then all my years of being a geek have been a total waste.