Sun Direct HD takes consumer rights abuse to a new high.

[stereorules]

Slightly off tangent but related ....
Recently I stopped reading all newspapers,national and international....and things got even better.
I think everyone has to individually answer the question- Does the Media inform or entertain anymore?
Or is it simply a battlefield where various political and corporate lobbies fight their never ending wars?

Ajay,
While I could not agree more about visual media, I beg to differ on newspapers. After the latest controversy a la Radiagate, I completely lost my faith on the mainstream english visual media. I have stopped watching english news channels because my doubt about their integrity got confirmed . However, my faith in 'The Hindu' has risen manifold . In my view, it is the only newspaper which has come out once again with its reputation intact. And this is not the first time. I have been an avid reader for the past 25 years and till date, I have not had a single opportunity to doubt 'The Hindu'.

 

[ajay124]

'Radiagate' is probably the only news I logged into in 2010.
And yes I followed it exclusively on The Hindu.
I was impressed not only by their coverage of this issue but by many other stories I quick-scanned.
I agree with you.If I wanted to read an english daily published in India,it would be The Hindu.

 

[shredder]

Ajay..... I agree. If only we could all break away from this pernicious habit of being glued to the television. During treks, when there is no television or computer around I do notice that nature appears more beautiful. And you notice things that you normally are too busy to notice.

 

[ajay124]

Ajay..... I agree. If only we could all break away from this pernicious habit of being glued to the television. During treks, when there is no television or computer around I do notice that nature appears more beautiful. And you notice things that you normally are too busy to notice.

It's true!I cured myself of the sickness of newspaper's and television and immediately developed computeritis:sad:
My 5 year old daughter never got exposed to television,but she has to have her daily dose of 2 hours on You Tube.If We allow her, then much longer on a holiday.Her self generated playlists stretch into hundred's of videos and she is able to locate her favorite cartoon with an effortless scroll and click!
With an iPad I have become even more 'attached' to a computer.It's so easy to log on and off in a split second.To carry it around.To make a quick post,hit submit and exit.

I apologise for momentarily shifting the focus of the thread.
But the 'taking the consumer for granted' habit seems to stretch across the entire chain.From those who own the channels,to those who beam them,to those who provide the content and those who sponsor it.At every point you witness the urge to make a fast buck and provide shoddy content and service to the consumer who actually is the raison d'etre for the whole circus and deserves to be treated with far more respect and consideration.

 

[jbnpaul]

I have been planning to buy an hd set top box for my x20 ever since i bought it. Should have done it long ago, but got postponed due to some other priorities.

I have an SD box from videocon and i have always been happy with it. Amazing quality, lowest price and all channels i want. Only thing i hate is they give cartoon network in Hindi.( I don't watch any content with translated audio. I prefer to watch Chinese movies with original audio and English subtitles. And these programs with translated audio make me laugh.)

Last few days i have been looking around for and HD box. I shortlisted two providers. Sun and Tata.

Tatasky
Out of stock everywhere. They disappeared from market months ago.
No idea when the stock will come
No idea when times now will come ( Come on I need content in HD )
I am from south, never watch star plus ( I don't watch any Hindi channels except MAX ( IPL !!! )) so that doesn't count.

Sun Direct
Readily available
Great content for south. 2 movies and 2 music channels
Movies Now
Very bad customer support

Considering all these I finally decided to take a risk with Sun Direct. Content won over Customer Support.

I just went to the local retailer and paid the money. I was promised installation within two hours. So now waiting ...

Will post more details once i get the installation done.

 

[gobble]

Slightly off tangent but related ....
After a long and hopeless wait for something 'entertaining' or 'illuminating' to emerge from television,I finally gave up in disgust, because I found not just the ad's but the stuff between the ad's-the soaps,politics,sports,film's,music video's,preening godmen,et al offensive and unbearable.
Since I completely stopped watching television a couple of years back,the sun shines brighter,the grass is greener,the world a far better place to live in.Recently I stopped reading all newspapers,national and international....and things got even better.
I think everyone has to individually answer the question- Does the Media inform or entertain anymore?
Or is it simply a battlefield where various political and corporate lobbies fight their never ending wars?

Good move! You are not alone.

If you need the occassional viewing - Try DD channels only like northeast and regional ones. The Archeology documentaries and ones on tribal life can be fascinating.

 

[santhosh]

Slightly off tangent but related ....
After a long and hopeless wait for something 'entertaining' or 'illuminating' to emerge from television,I finally gave up in disgust, because I found not just the ad's but the stuff between the ad's-the soaps,politics,sports,film's,music video's,preening godmen,et al offensive and unbearable.
Since I completely stopped watching television a couple of years back,the sun shines brighter,the grass is greener,the world a far better place to live in.Recently I stopped reading all newspapers,national and international....and things got even better.
I think everyone has to individually answer the question- Does the Media inform or entertain anymore?
Or is it simply a battlefield where various political and corporate lobbies fight their never ending wars?

Same thoughts here Ajay.

I too do not watch tv or do not read newspapers (save for some dance\song competitions that I record on Tata Sky + and watch so I can ff the ads and watch a one hour show in 20 min)

However, I must admit that I end up looking dumb when people talk about something in the papers (usually something trivial). But I believe if it is something that important or something that I am interested in, I will get to know anyways...sooner or later.

 

[KalyanVizag]

Now, here is my experience with the Sun Direct Customer care and other idiots. I have gone in for a Sun Direct HD box on Saturday and the installation was done by 7:30 PM and I was told that it would be activated by 9 PM and wanted me to leave the box powered on. I did so. I hasnt been activated yet and I am still waiting...
In the meanwhile, I try to call up the installation guy, the dealer and all their phones are switched off. The turmoil begins now.... I call their customer service number and I have not seen ruthless, stupid, idiotic, arrogant people than the customer service reps. I have been told to "throw my box away if I want to..." by the activation guy, the customer service rep (Ram from Hyderabad office. He was reluctant to tell me his full name) was terrible and was superb arrogant and tells me "its a server problem and not my problem... Complain to whoever you want to" and this was from Mr. Balakrishna from customer service.

I believe that Sun Direct has hired some morons and illiterate people for customer service jobs. The agent does not realize the mistake he is doing by talking so rude. I badly wanted to record both the conversations, but could not.

Is this it? Is this how every customer rep / agent talk in Sun Direct. I wanted to crush them under a road roller for the way they are talking.

Bootulu vastunnaayi (Im controlling my urge to spat swear words... here)

 

[sanjay0864]

@KalyanVizag

I am sorry to say, but you deserve whatever is happening to you. After all the warnings on this and other forums about SunDirect, if you still go ahead and give them your money, then don't you think you deserve it? At the very least you should not be surprised by the atrocious service from Sun Direct or did you think all the warnings about 'Sun Direct' were not true?

 

[CANDUU]

I have been complaining for more that a month to rectify the problem ,the problem is that There wont be signal in hd channels after 8pm,they each and every time promises that it will be rectified within 24 hours and our technical guy will call u,till today they didn't rectify it ,i know a technical guy from sun hd I called him and today he rectified it personally,it only took hardly 5 min for him,i gave him 200rs,i forgot to mention one thing I got 2 calls from the service guys on that one month ,the first thing they told was it will take 300rs for service,i argued with them but no use,then I agreed to pay but both the guys never visited my place,my point is why should I pay for their technical issues....
They moved from one satellite to other ..... For that I should pay 300 from my pocket I dont know what logic it is even I informed customer care but they also confirmed that I should pay to service person ,worst customer support I ever met....

 

[KalyanVizag]

@KalyanVizag

I am sorry to say, but you deserve whatever is happening to you. After all the warnings on this and other forums about SunDirect, if you still go ahead and give them your money, then don't you think you deserve it? At the very least you shopuld not be surprised that all the warnings about 'Sun Direct' were true.

I know I know. I have a projector and so couldnt control my urge to get the max number of HD channels onto the screen. I knew I am stepping onto s**t but thought I wore the shoes, but didnt expect that my troubles would start right from the word GO!!!!.... Bad me....

The STB has Composite Video and HDMI outs. As of now, temporarily I connected the Composite video to my 29" TV.
Another update is that the tech guy came to my house today and he tells me that the Sun Direct HD boxes would only output signal by HDMI and I felt a laugh for that... Could that possibly be true? He took my box to his place and it seems checked with the composite connection and that didnt work either it seems. So, he tells me that it only works with HDMI - and it seems he spoke to his "highly qualified technical team" for this confirmation.

 

[sanjay0864]

I can confirm to you that the composite output on the SunDirect HD set-top box is disabled and will not output any signal.

 

[KalyanVizag]

I can confirm to you that the composite output on the SunDirect HD set-top box is disabled and will not output any signal.

Thank you so much for that... Can you see if you can help me get an answer to this...
http://www.hifivision.com/surround-...-avr-155-hdmi-source-component-out-video.html

 

[KalyanVizag]

Finally, I got hold of a 10 meter HDMI cable and the channels did come through with the HDMI connection. Im glad I have something to look at. There are 8 HD channels and I am really amazed by the quality of them.

1. Discovery World HD - A true HD channel with true 5.1 surround sound.
2. NG HD - Same as above.
3. Tamil HD songs, Tamil HD Movies, Telugu HD Movies, Telugu HD Songs - These also appear HD channels to me with nice surround sound. Thoroughly enjoyed the surround experience.
4. Movies NOW - Good one too...


Im feeling lazy to write some good stuff....

 

[siva1306]

Hi,

Just wanted share my bad experience with SUN HD. Even after reading these many reviews, still wanted to step in to the item mentioned above by Kalyan. Would like to describe this in a school level story developing(They give you hints, You develope a story).

Sent my contact info in SUNHD Site - Dealer called - tech guys installed - Few channels Not coming - called CC -Installation problem; antenna wrong direction - 2 days to resolve - No call from Tech guy/CC - Again called CC & Shouted -
CC said, escalated & will take another 2-5 days (Delighted** with that reply.) - Patiently waited (donwant 2 become a destroyer of a STB) for 2 more days - No communication - Now donno wat 2 do.

Pity on me. (((

Now the twist is that I had sports pack activated, still no channels are coming. I am paying them for watching nothing. ((

I donno what language would be good enough to describe these morons.


Siva

 

[CANDUU]

If the tech guys call u tell them that u q ready to pay money for it,they will be in ur door steps in a couple of hours like a greedy dog.

 

[siva1306]

Yep, this would be a better way instead of waiting;

Atlast it is resolved today. That too calling the dealer after muliple times, he told me he would send a tech guy. He said it coz, they hav an installation near by my home. So that technician came & adjusted in 1 minute and left with a light speed while I was checking the lost channels.

It wud be good if they show this to arive as well (I know this is a day dream).

Siva

 

[jbnpaul]

My Sun direct HD stops working in the night. Channels starts getting disturbed from 9:30 and completely stops playing by 10:30.

I called up customer care and raised a complaint. No response for two days. I called again today they gave me a new number saying that is HD customer care. This new number is not even a toll free number, which is ridiculous.

Now I call the new number and they just attend the call, and play some recorded message then no response and executive picks it. It seems instead of toll free numbers they have taken a virgin mobile connection which pays them from receiving calls.

I have also send an e-mail to [email protected] . Let me see if any follow up happens.

Also any idea if Sun direct plans to show world cup in HD?

 

[CANDUU]

Sun hd is going to relay world cup in hd,me to faced the same problem what u mentioned above,instead of calling cc,contact ur local distributer to rectify it ,they will allen the dish....sucking sun hd cc...

 

[jerry53]

Now, here is my experience with the Sun Direct Customer care and other idiots. I have gone in for a Sun Direct HD box on Saturday and the installation was done by 7:30 PM and I was told that it would be activated by 9 PM and wanted me to leave the box powered on. I did so. I hasnt been activated yet and I am still waiting...
In the meanwhile, I try to call up the installation guy, the dealer and all their phones are switched off. The turmoil begins now.... I call their customer service number and I have not seen ruthless, stupid, idiotic, arrogant people than the customer service reps. I have been told to "throw my box away if I want to..." by the activation guy, the customer service rep (Ram from Hyderabad office. He was reluctant to tell me his full name) was terrible and was superb arrogant and tells me "its a server problem and not my problem... Complain to whoever you want to" and this was from Mr. Balakrishna from customer service.

I believe that Sun Direct has hired some morons and illiterate people for customer service jobs. The agent does not realize the mistake he is doing by talking so rude. I badly wanted to record both the conversations, but could not.

Is this it? Is this how every customer rep / agent talk in Sun Direct. I wanted to crush them under a road roller for the way they are talking.

Bootulu vastunnaayi (Im controlling my urge to spat swear words... here)

I had the same problem with my sun sd connection the tech asked
me to leave the stb on at suntv when we called cus.care they said that they had a server problem it stayed like this for a week after that my brother in law came home called cc and asked him to activate at this instant he tried the same server error and also asked us to clean the smart card my in law became angry quoted some names of dmk big wigs in our locality activation done within a min:lol: try to record the conversations and send it to mr maran that guy will be fired or the guy's company that speaks like this will be without a contract or send it to a tv channel like ndtv hindu if you live in tn im sure this will take the food from their table.