Tvmax

12/23/09

The Terrible, Awful, No Good, Very Bad Cable Company

by purloinedcupcake at Citysearch

Wow. Where to begin? This company is just terrible. My condo association just switched from Comcast to TvMax on October 1st. Since that date, I have not had a single day of continuous, functional cable and/or internet. I've had several cable or internet service calls (because of my service just turning off willy-nilly) which required me to take off work and wait for them. I could complain all day about my experience with this company, but I'm not going to. To say their equipment is sub-par would be a compliment. To say their employees are helpful or polite would be a lie.

Because we were forced into switching to TvMax, I thought that they were my only cable/internet option. Luckily, last week someone told me that U-Verse runs through the phone lines and I just had AT&T install new service today. I'm nothing short of thrilled and all I have to say now is Hey! TvMax customers! Go check the U-Verse website for service areas, and good luck.

• Pros: Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
• Cons: Rude service, poor equipment, excessive # of service calls..

08/25/09

Tvmax = HORRIBLE Everything!!!!!

by renchiz at Citysearch

I used to have Directv and when I moved to my current apartment, I was told that the apartment complex has a contract with Tvmax. I had NEVER heard of them...and probably for a reason. I'm not even going to write a book on how long it took me to have my cable installed correctly but like others are saying, the picture is scratchy and I have a HDTV. I can turn on my TV at any given time and all the channels will be blurred out thus inaccessible and I will have to unplug my box and plug it back in to reboot the box. If I didn't know that these channels were blurred out and I had some programs scheduled, then my programs will not record. What kind of service is this???? The customer service people are "rudely" nice...that's the best way to put it. I'm not even going to continue writing this because it raises my heart rate. The worst thing is that I cannot switch to Directv because I can't get any signal. I am so sad because I have certain shows that I would love to record. It just makes me realize that I can live without certain shows. TVMAX doesn't deserve a star, their service is worse than horrible.

• Pros: NOTHING
• Cons: Where do I begin????

07/07/09

How can they still be in business?

by Perovskia at Citysearch

Our apartment signed an exclusive deal with TV Max so we couldn't find another provider, and I wonder what kind of lucrative incentive they gave to apartment complex in order to get their business. It is certainly not the quality of their service.

We've had them for 3 years, and the internet connection has been getting worse and worse. To the point we have to call twice a day for them to reset our connection before the signal dropped again few hours later. On two occasions I filed tickets for a technician to come and fix the problem. No one ever showed up or even called me to schedule the inspection.

We thought it was our 3 years old 2nd hand modem which they gave us when we signed up, and exchanged for a new one. There was practically no difference at all!! Still have to call them couple times a day to reset the connection.

What's worse, the quality of our cable TV was really dismal too. There was always static and scrambled images, it is horrible. We have a Panasonic HDTV, so it's not like our TV is 20 years old or something.

This is absolutely a fraud company. I'm telling you people, DO NOT use them if you have a chance, you will regret it, I guarantee you.

• Pros: None
• Cons: See below

06/24/09

TVMAX is terrible

by mezanine at Citysearch

If I could not give them a star, I would!

TVMAX is about 10 years behind in the latest technology. I live at Camden Vanderbilt on Buffalo Speedway and they have a contract with them that forces the tenants to buy TVMAX. Nothing like being forced to deal with a terrible company. Luckily, my new apt has a view of the southern sky so I can attempt to have DirecTV come out and hopefully be saved. Another thing I don't like is that because of this contract, Camden makes it very difficult for you have a satellite dish. The dish cannot be mounted on their 'common ground' so you have to get a tripod and have the dish protrude out of your patio or balcony. But it's worth it because paying $60/month on TVMAX is a waste of money. I don't mind their service so much but the prodcut that they put out needs to catch up to 2009. If you consider living at Camden, be sure you get an apt. where you can get DirecTV or Dish and be ready to buy a tripod to mount it.

• Pros: None
• Cons: Too many to list

06/09/09

Bye, Bye TVMax, Hello AT&T U-Verse

by Intern at Citysearch

Just got rid of what has to be the worst cable service in town--TVMax. Over the years, I have also had Roadrunner and Comcast. TVMax is hands down the worst excuse for cable television that I have ever experienced. For 6 months I endured poor signal quality, practically non-existent repair service and an outsourced customer service department somewhere in Illinois. Signal loss and pixallation were standard operating procedure for this company. I had two televisions hooked up. When the installer split the signal for the bedroom set, the signal deteriorated even further. At times, the bedroom set couldn't even get all of the channels. Whenever I would schedule a repair technician to come out between 12 and 5, they consistently showed up after 8:00 p.m. What is that all about? You sit around and wait all afternoon and they show up after eight o'clock. One Sunday afternoon, our service went out at 4:00 p.m. When I called, I was told that an outage could not be declared until 3 people reported it. Within an hour though, TVMax declared an outage and told me every hour when I called for a status that their "repairman are working on the problem and should have it fixed shortly." What a crock! That was a bald-faced lie. The service was not back up until 8:30 a.m. on Monday morning. Far be it for TVMax to pay repair people to work on Sundays. TVMax is all about the bottom line as they are nothing more than a cable reseller. Their primary clients are low-income apartment dwellers who subscribe to some basic package. When they lose their service, they endure the inconvenience. What a total rip-off attitude this company has. That's why I am now watching TV with AT&T's U-Verse. Not one pixallation or loss of signal in 24 hours and I don't anticipate any. Someone needs to file a class-action law suit against TVMax for fraud.

• Pros: Absolutely None
• Cons: Lousy signal, No 24/7 Repairs and Crappy Customer Service

04/14/09

TVMax recommends you have a backup plan for their internet

by JamynTX at Citysearch

The only reason we signed up with TV max is (a) they have a contract with our apartments excluding other cable companies, and (b) they were able to come out and connect service before AT&T U-verse. AT&T is running almost 2 months behind on installations (no kidding) and told us it'd be 7 weeks before they could come out and setup internet/TV for us. So of course we called TV Max, our only other alternative.

The setup went fine, the installer showed up on time and left. From day 1, our internet has been sporadic. It drops out at least 3 times a day for various periods of time. Tonight, it died again for a much longer period of time (more than 45 minutes), so my fiance called up their customer service.

After explaining the problem, they had us powercycle the modem a few more times, and it started working again. We had tried that before calling them, so I dont think that was the problem - I think they managed to fix whatever outage they had inbetween reboots.

Anyway, we ask them to schedule someone to come out and look at the installation to make sure things were ok because we've only had service for 4-5 days and we're having daily internet dropouts.

They transfer us to a "level 2" tech to discuss the issues. I kid you not, the tech told her all of the following during their call:

(a) why did they even transfer you to me? Your internet is up now, right, so problem solved!

(b) [when she told him she needed reliable internet for schoolwork]: "well it sounds like you need a backup plan like a wireless hotspot at a cafe or something like that, you should plan for these outages because they can and do happen anytime. (sounds like they're really confident in their product! they recommend going out and buying backup internet for their internet service, because they expect it to go down).

The only reason TVMax exists is because apartment complex managers got greedy and saw a nice profit margin in exchange for signing a long term (20-25 year) exclusive contract with TVMax. So Comcast, Time Warner, etc cannot offer service in the complexes TVMax signed up - and TVMax knows this, so they could care less about providing reliable quality service. After all, where else are you going to go? They have an exclusive contract.

The TV service is not that stellar either. Their tv guide channel has noise/interference. We've seen pixellation/blockiness on various channels pretty regularly. Sometimes the sound just drops out but the picture keeps working. Oh, and unlike Time Warner/Comcast, you MUST buy a cable box for EVERY tv connection, even for basic cable. That's right - even if you want to hook up a tv in the kitchen for basic cable channels, you've got to buy a cable box for $4-8/month extra, because they encrypt everything.

I didn't cancel my AT&T u-Verse installation yet. I'm glad I didn't. Sure, I'll have to wait another month for them to come out and install their service, but at least it'll work reliably.

• Pros: None so far
• Cons: Unreliable tv and internet, horrible customer service

03/22/09

TV Max - Only If You Like Watching Pixels

by CKLunchbox at Citysearch

I’d like to take a moment telling you just how much your cable service at TV Max s*cks. Yes, s*cks like piglets on a sow’s teat. Since installing the new digital cable box as part of the Congressional mandate (not only has the government screwed up the economy, but now they have meddled with our cable as well. Thanks W.), my family and I can now look forward to an enjoyable evening watching our favorite programs in high-quality pixilated little boxes while listening to the show’s characters stutter like hiccupping drunks.

And to think I'm paying $60 a month for such great service that utilizes a box hardly compatible with TiVo. It would seem logical to find a new provider, which I would very much like to do; however, our apartment complex can only offer (sigh) TV Max. How convenient.

Just so you know I am no idiot, deftly avoiding hot beverages at fast-food drive throughs, and making toast in the shower. Which is to say I have already run the gambit of troubleshooting steps issued by the company or from internet message boards, and my TV is a fairly new HD flat-screen, definitely compatible with the digital quality of entertainment I seem to be missing out on? Please do not respond to me with a list of, "did you try this, and did you try that," as I a libel to do something rash in response. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

If you care at all about your customers at all, then please take my complaint seriously. I realize I am just another account number for your drones in sector 7G to shake a stick at every thirty days, and there is little else available at my disposal to exact any meaningful retribution against TV Max, save sharing my cynical views concerning your company and it's pitiful product.

You have my contact information, and know where I can be found. I will be waiting outside on the street, hoping you will take some sort of action to fix my issue. If you cannot then it really makes no sense for me to continue paying for TV I am unable to watch, and as such you are most welcome to retrieve all your equipment post haste. However, I cannot guarantee that it will not be urinated on… several times.

Thank you for your feigned concern, and any resulting form letters/emails.

- Another Happy TV Max Customer (with a full bladder)

• Pros: None
• Cons: Service/Quality/Product

01/29/09

Nobody Showed to Install, Never Called

by strategizer at Citysearch

I made an online appointment with them for Tuesday to install cable, some time in the morning between 8 and 12. Nobody ever came and nobody called to say why. I have never heard from them. Guess what everyone says is true. They need some law suits to make them wake up. Lots of little law suits in small claims court.

• Pros: Wouldn't know.
• Cons: Non-existent service.

01/29/09

This is the WORST F*CKING CABLE Company EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

by ajcash at Citysearch

The fact that I was forced to use this AWFUL company just p*sses me off even more!!! The channel guide is always wrong, the time is always wrong, you're paying a ridiculously high rate for b*llshit, and customer service is the worst! Thank GOD I am now able to switch to AT&T U-Verse - witch offers a superior product. DO NOT SETTLE for TVMAX!!! Call around, call AT&T, anyone....or you will be as angry as every other customer!!!

12/30/08

If you have a choice with another location that tvMax isn't in, TAKE IT!

by strike17 at Citysearch

Seriously the worse company i have ever worked with. The value your getting on there cable/internet service is one where you feel your getting bent over cause of the whole zoned service Houston has. There customer service is, well it's just not there. It took months of trying to get my picture with out lines in it till i just gave up all together. Internet would go down for days or just constantly disconnect. One month i was told they ran out of there allocated bandwidth and will be back up a few days later. This doesn't fly when I partially work at home.

Honestly, if anything else was available i would take it. I love my apartment, but hated tvMax.

• Pros: absolutly none
• Cons: High price while your friends are paying the same for better service/ Low selections/ Bad service/ DVR, HD, if your lucky.