Sports: April 2008 Archives

Apparently the person who told me that the game would be on channel 770 was wrong. The game started, and no game.

I called back, talked to someone else. He also, like the previous two, told me there was no game today.

Uh, no.

So he then tells me, well, it's not supposed to be on. How does he know? Well, he says, it's not on their schedule (he doesn't see the irony of the fact that he assumed there WAS no game JUST BECAUSE it was not on the schedule, and now he is telling me that there's no reason it should be on the schedule, just because there's a game). Yes, I know it's not on their schedule. It's a mistake. It should be on their schedule. They are supposed to show it. They have the feed; it is part of the NHL's Center Ice package; it's the playoffs; there's no blackout rules; there's no shortage of channels to show it on (as there are no other games on!): they should show it.

He assured me that the fact that it is not on the schedule means that they are not supposed to show it. He can't tell me why it is not on the schedule, and assures me that no one can fix it, because it is not supposed to be fixed: it's not on the schedule, after all.

He kept trying to tell me that they don't HAVE to show every game. I know and don't care. He kept trying to tell me it is not on the schedule. I know and assert that it is should be: this is the problem. He kept trying to tell me it cannot be fixed. I assert that he is incorrect, that it is obviously a mistake, and that someone knows how to fix it, and that it should be fixed.

I basically kept him on the phone for over a half hour. They aren't supposed to hang up on you, but try to get you to hang up first. I wouldn't budge. He finally hung up.

He kept apologizing and telling me the same things over and over, but two facts were ignored: a. this IS a mistake by DirecTV, b. it CAN be fixed by someone at DirecTV.

He got mad at me not just because I was being stubborn, but because I asserted he was wrong (apparently he can tell me I am wrong, but I can't tell him that he is), and because I didn't believe him when he said he was sorry. If he was sorry, I said, he'd find someone who actually knows what is going on (he told me no one he talked to knew WHY it was not on the schedule), and find out whether it was a mistake. He refused to do that, so therefore, no, I don't believe that he was truly sorry.

Right now I am watching it on a crummy 240x180 WMV feed from nhl.com for $15 (which I will later attempt to recoup from DirecTV). At least Boston is winning 1-0 after one period.

After hockey season, I will (again) consider switching from DirecTV to another service. They keep screwing me every several months. This is the latest in a very long line of screwups.

"DirecTV, how may I help you?"

"Hi, the Bruins and Candiens are playing today at 7 p.m. Eastern, and I have the Center Ice package, so I should be able to watch it, but it is not on the schedule. It's on NESN, but nowhere else, and I don't get NESN."

"Let me check that, sir. ... Sir, that game is on Tuesday."

"No, it's not."

"Let me send you to a specialist."

...

"DirecTV, how may I help you?"

"Hi, the Bruins and Candiens are playing today at 7 p.m. Eastern, and I have the Center Ice package, so I should be able to watch it, but it is not on the schedule. It's on NESN, but nowhere else, and I don't get NESN."

"Let me check that, sir. ... Sir, that game is on Tuesday."

"No, it's not. Really."

"Let me check again, sir. ... That game is on NESN and Center Ice channel 770."

Now, Center Ice channel 770 shows Caps and Flyers. So I am assuming that they didn't even know there was a game today -- deduced from the fact that the two people I talked to told me there was no game today -- and were not planning on making it available until I called.

I hope it's actually shown ... I'll find out in about five hours.