Mississauga Blogger: A Mississauga Blog
The jungle dums are beating with more customers of Rogers cable posting their displeasure on line with Rogers Quickstart menu rolling out across Ontario this month. The irritated posters are reminiscent of the blow back when Rogers announced their iPhone price plans in June of 2007
Canoe's Tech Blog weighs in with The Winter Of Our Quickstart Guide Discontent
I found a postive comment at DSL Reports amongst many of the negative posts
Related Posts
The biggest issue with subscribers seem to be that there is no longer direct access to the program guide. When you push the guide button you now are routed to the Quick Start Menu. One more click on the guide button will take you to the program guide. Don't click too fast though nothing may happen or you will stay on the quick start menu requiring a third click on the guide button to finally arrive at the on screen program guide. Here'sRogers help page about the new Quickstart menu enhancements. Some of the new features that Quickstart offers is being buried underneath the pile of complaints.
The Quickstart menu, Why isn't it 16:9?
The IT Nerd has several posts on the blow black from subscribers and a response from Rogers about the Quickstart Menu.
We feel Rogers Quick Start menu is an improvement to the interactive programming guide that Digital TV customers currently use to find the TV listings.
It allows customers to quickly and easily find the TV content they want to watch.
The Quick Start menu puts everything all in one place, giving customers an easier way to access the latest shows, news, sports, and weather. It also allows them to see the best in On Demand, see a listing of channels currently in free preview and even play games.
We're passing on all the feedback on QuickStart to the team so the service can be improved in the future.
Over at Rogers forums customers are posting less than enthusiast opinions on the new Quickstart menu.
I HATE this new quick access guide...when I press Guide I want the guide not this menu. I shouldn't have to press the Guide twice to get the actually Guide. I find this Quick Menu pointless and redundant since we have buttons on the remote already for most of this ...LIST for the PVR ...FAV for the channels we would watch the most...Rogers On Demand buttons for the on demand stuff.
Having to press the guide twice to get the actually guide caused a delay that is annoying since that is the way that i surf channels. My satisfaction level with rogers has greatly decreased with this feature being forced on me.
PLEASE GIVE US THE FOLLOWING:
- the ability to opt-out of this menu or an option in the settings to turn OFF this feature
- change the order in which the Quick Start Menu comes up. Example: Press Guide once to get the Guide and Press Guide Twice to get this Quick Start Menu.
Rogers, if you're as interested in offering your customers a good product as your marketing says you are, here are some ways to improve the quickstart guide:
- Put it behind the IPG, not in front of it. Have the IPG show up by default and an extra keypress to get to the quickstart menu.
- Don't bombard us with ads. Your users are smart enough to see it for what it is: an attempt for you to make even more money off of them.
- The IPG is the core of your viewing experience, but it looks dated compared to your competitors' offerings.
The layout is fine, but add more features that people actually want. Allow users to re-sort or not display channels. Make the IPG 16:9 if the viewer is watching in HD. Improve the search features. Colour-code by program genre.
Allow people to change what time of day the terminal goes into sleep-mode, or disable it outright (some of us watch tv at 1am). Don't clutter it up, waste space, or fill it with ads.
I'm currently paying you $150/month for TV service and I can't remember the last time I felt like I was getting a product worth that much, or felt that Rogers even valued my business. Word of mouth goes a long way on the internet, and I don't think you can afford the bad publicity and lost business you are going to receive if you don't fix the problems with QuickStart.
The problem with the new Quickstart guide is that it adds an extra layer of mostly useless content that is especially annoying if you are viewing it on a HDTV. Like the IPG, the updated menu continues to exist as a 4:3 format on the screen. It would be fine on an old tube television but looks silly and squished on a newer widescreen model, which many Rogers customers own!
Instead of hyping the new guide, the Rogers brain trust should have been improving the existing circa-2004 program guide. With no ability to colour-code programs by sports, news, movies, etc. and no ability to see what's new vs. re-runs, the guide is badly in need of an overhaul. Given what subscribers pay for the privilege, Rogers can and should be doing more. -Jesse MIchaels Canoe Tech Blog
I noticed it this morning too. Seems quite Nifty to me. I like the weather feature. The games are kind of useless, but my wife likes that kind of thing. I do like the Channel Mix feature. I find it works quickly. I also like the quick access to HD. It looks like the Quickstart app can be easily modified and new features can be added over time. Maybe they can even build a new IPG into this app. Lets give it a chance. -Cabledude 50 at DSL Reports
This latest move by Rogers has me paying closer attention to the letters I receive every two weeks from Bell wanting my business back. Up until Rogers started removing, reducing and charging for prior services such as, Yahoo Brief Case, Flickr Pro account, compressing the HD channels,a $35 service fee for a mobile phonehardwware upgrade and charging for incoming text messages, I had no complaint about having all my services bundled together.
Each time Rogers has changed the terms of service I called spoke with customer service representatives on the phone and didn't receive much more than canned responses to my inquires about the reduction services and increase my Rogers statement.
Rogers offers lots of great products, their internet is rock solid and they actually produce local TV. Here in Mississauga they now have hockey games in Punjabi. Recently though Rogers seems to be disappointing clients than making them happy.
HATE the new quick start menu. HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE.
Bell here I come.
Join the Facebook group and make your voices heard:
"i hate Rogers' new Quickstart menu"
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=308981137851#!/group.php?gid=308981137851&ref=nf