Verizon FiOS

We had Verizon FiOS TV connected yesterday. The picture, even on a non-digital tv, looks pretty good. PopPop says he thinks it's sharper than Comcast, though I'm not sure. So now we have the FiOS package — internet, phone and television. I won't save much, but even $10/month is better than nothing.

Here's the nickle & dime crap that pisses me off: when you read the prices for the various TV packages, what they don't tell you is that the price does not include the digital box you need in order to receive any stations at all. On top of that, they fail to advertise that there is a smaller, less feature-packed, but perfectly functional and $2/month cheaper box available. You'd never know about that little Digital Adapter box if you didn't know what you were reading in the FAQs. btw, the Digital Adapter is exactly the same box you get from Comcast, but Verizon has crippled some of the features, like Favorites, that would be especially useful for PopPop. Jerks.

I think if they are going to offer package prices and list all the channels you can get, that those prices should include a certain number of those basic Digital Adapter boxes. Why not? The satellite dish folks do that. Three DA boxes, or four, are included in the package price, always stated right up front. WTF is wrong with Verizon FiOS that they don't do the same?

Then there is the remote. Poor Queenee and especially PopPop are completely screwed up by the poorly designed remotes you get. There are too many buttons in the wrong place that are too easy to hit and will mess up your settings one way or another. Of course, it's the same with Comcast, so I can't smack Verizon around too much for this.

I suppose we'll adjust over time. I just get a wee bit steamed at the corporate incompetence on display.