Karib Cable GM – Cable Boxes are not at fault

Karib Cable subscribers have been told that the company is working assiduously to correct the problems they have been experiencing.{{more}}

General Manager Ian Mulhern, yesterday said that the issues that customers have been making repeated complaints about have been attributed to the software which pushes the feed to the cable boxes.

“The software is the engine of all of this and it has had a couple of glitches,” Mulhern explained.

He added that a team of software specialists from the Taiwanese based ‘Twoway Communications Inc.’ company are here in St. Vincent and are working on solving the problems. They have estimated that about 60 per cent of the affected cable boxes have already been rectified, Mulhern said.

Karib Cable has enjoyed a longstanding relationship with Twoway Communications, this according to Mulhern, who said that the Asian company provided all the line equipment here and have assisted in setting up cable networks in neighbouring countries.

The GM said that persons had been complaining of problems with the cable boxes remote controllers, issues with the volume and no signal. All these problems are associated with the software, he disclosed.

“People have been complaining that the box has issues, but it is not the box, but the software,” Mulhern said, adding that the cable boxes were “fairly robust.”

In fact, when SEARCHLIGHT visited the offices of Karib Cable, a number of persons were filing in to lodge their complaints.

One customer said that she has two boxes and is unable to enjoy any programming, including the ‘Family’ package which she has paid for.

She also complained that despite numerous calls to Karib Cable and repeatedly providing the technicians with the information they requested, she has had no satisfaction.

But Mulhern insisted that the software was at fault and not the cable boxes, and that starting this Thursday (February 10), customers will be required to upgrade their service. He said once this is done, the problems he identified should be solved.

Mulhern explained that customers will be prompted by a message to begin the process. They should then switch off and then switch back on the box and this will automatically upgrade the software in the box.

“You do it once and it should fix the volume and menu issues and it will re-scan all the channels to ensure that what you are paying for is what you get,” Mulhern explained.

On the issue of improving customer care, Mulhern said that the company had increased the number of lines and personnel to take calls.

The company is also revamping its customer care service.

“I know what happened, I see it every day,” Mulhern said.

“We want people to experience the best service and we are getting there. The software upgrade is going to amend a lot of the issues,” he contended. (DD)