Vodafone T-Box Service Withdrawal (incl DOCSIS 2.0 & 3.0 Modems)

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#2640988 24-Jan-2021 14:02

DonH:

Recycled the letter. Waited, no contact.

Today the T-Box reports "Service Unavailable".

Called customer service, the CSR checked and said it's because the service has been shutdown and I should have called the 0800 number to arrange the change to VTV. He's expediting the process now.

(On the plus side, the call was picked up straight away by a local X-Squad case manager.)

Our outbound calling team (based in Penrose, Auckland) has only managed to reach about 75% of the targeted customers as of Friday. We are learning from this and making changes to how are planning to reach the next tranche of customers.

As others have stated, we are not shutting down the T-Box service. Instead, the T-Box service relies on components that will stop working soon, if we could keep it going we would. So we must upgrade all customers before this happens.

The X-Squad agent you contacted must have misunderstood the briefing information supplied to them. Apologies for that, we will continue to refresh their training.

Hamish

sansom

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#2640993 24-Jan-2021 14:15

DonH:

Well, double humph.

Got the sales call, no problems, easy process.

A while ago I took advantage of a discount promotion and bought a VTV. Life intervened and I never got round to installing it.

So I asked if I could add it to my account as a 2nd box but it can't be done. The 2nd box has to be supplied by Vodafone ($20 per month).

Guess I'll just use it to make my oldest TV "Smart."

This will be because the VTV you purchased works on a different Vodafone provisioning/billing system from the one we will be sending to replace the T-Box. We will be merging the VTV systems to all use the newer system later this year, but we're not there yet unfortunately.

If you want to watch Sky using the 2nd box (as a Sky Multiroom), then both your boxes will need to be on the same Vodafone system. If you contact me via direct message I can discuss options to enable this for you. However, if you just want to the spare VTV to just watch Netflix etc on your non-smart tv then you're good to go.

Hamish

sansom

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#2640998 24-Jan-2021 14:32

antoniosk:

this raises an interesting point. The standalone boxes require an email account to use as a username to register to. What is the DETAIL process for this migration? Do the ‘migration’ boxes get a different username/password? Do you self register? What happens if you’ve already set one or two up?

For T-Box replacement we are using Gen2 VTV boxes that are on the same billing system as the DOCSIS3.1 broadband is billed. So these are "Bundled Gen2 VTV" boxes, not Standalone Gen2 boxes, and do not need an email address/username to be set up.

The agent who first calls the T-Box customer will set up all the VTV registration information while on the call (including the Sky channels the customer wish to continue with). The service is then activated by the Downer technician when they are at the customer's house with the replacement box(es). The customer may also need to be moved from the older TelstraClear (TCL) billing system to the Vodafone billing system (as part of the upgrade to DOCSIS 3.1).

If you already have a standalone box then this will continue to operate completely independently. This won't be an issue unless you want to use all your boxes to watch Sky using Sky multiroom.... please direct message me if you want this. To solve this issue we will be merging systems so that all VTV uses the new Standalone VTV subscription billing system, but the technical issue impacting T-Box will occur before this merger happens.

Hamish

sansom

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#2641001 24-Jan-2021 14:41

MartynC:

Hi @sansom

I have had a T-box since I got UFB installed in Auckland many years ago, will there be any change for us up in Auckland on fibre?

Thanks

Hi, yes. However, the T-boxes running on fibre will continue to work for slightly longer than those on HFC. We will be contacting fibre-based T-box users in the coming months.

Hamish

antoniosk

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#2641210 24-Jan-2021 20:54

sansom:

For T-Box replacement we are using Gen2 VTV boxes that are on the same billing system as the DOCSIS3.1 broadband is billed. So these are "Bundled Gen2 VTV" boxes, not Standalone Gen2 boxes, and do not need an email address/username to be set up.

The agent who first calls the T-Box customer will set up all the VTV registration information while on the call (including the Sky channels the customer wish to continue with). The service is then activated by the Downer technician when they are at the customer's house with the replacement box(es). The customer may also need to be moved from the older TelstraClear (TCL) billing system to the Vodafone billing system (as part of the upgrade to DOCSIS 3.1).

If you already have a standalone box then this will continue to operate completely independently. This won't be an issue unless you want to use all your boxes to watch Sky using Sky multiroom.... please direct message me if you want this. To solve this issue we will be merging systems so that all VTV uses the new Standalone VTV subscription billing system, but the technical issue impacting T-Box will occur before this merger happens.

ta.

The current sky subscription through tbox is missing content - eg channel 38 on Sky is the Harry Potter pop up, which I don’t recall seeing on tbox.

with the new service, i guess the channel selection is identical to sky’s, and all channels are available?

________

Antoniosk

Spyware

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#2641214 24-Jan-2021 21:14

Some Sky channels are even downscaled to SD, found to save money.

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MartynC

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#2642017 25-Jan-2021 22:36

sansom:

MartynC:

Hi @sansom

I have had a T-box since I got UFB installed in Auckland many years ago, will there be any change for us up in Auckland on fibre?

Thanks

Hi, yes. However, the T-boxes running on fibre will continue to work for slightly longer than those on HFC. We will be contacting fibre-based T-box users in the coming months.

Thanks, appreciate the reply/update

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prevaljo

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#2642070 26-Jan-2021 09:12

I'm disappointed to find that Vodafone have been delivering T-Boxes on UFB which I assume is fibre in Auckland and refusing to do the same in Wellington. What other technology are we missing out on (sic).

Lias

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#2642470 26-Jan-2021 18:26

prevaljo:

I'm disappointed to find that Vodafone have been delivering T-Boxes on UFB which I assume is fibre in Auckland and refusing to do the same in Wellington. What other technology are we missing out on (sic).

I have a T-Box over UFB in Kapiti, so not just an Auckland thing.

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ZollyMonsta

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#2642479 26-Jan-2021 18:46

prevaljo:
I'm disappointed to find that Vodafone have been delivering T-Boxes on UFB which I assume is fibre in Auckland and refusing to do the same in Wellington. What other technology are we missing out on (sic).

T-Boxes have been available on fibre for homes without HFC since 2014. This isn’t a new thing.

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Eva888

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#2646800 4-Feb-2021 10:12

Patience has worn out.

Monday Downers came to change TBox and install HFC. Nice Technician I’ve had before. Tech said he couldn’t do it, needed a SLAM and they would contact me again.

Tuesday, no word, internet still working

Weds. Chorus arrived to connect fibre to the property, attached the ONT, but couldn’t blow the fibre through as there was a blockage. I haven’t ordered fibre from Vodafone. This was just to bring the connection to the house. Chorus left in the afternoon. Internet was fine.

Weds night from 10pm no internet

Thursday morning, called VF they were unable to fix from their end. Sending a Technician Friday afternoon. I asked for faster service as weekend looming. They put me on to the Migration Team offshore who said are trying to call Downers but can’t reach them. Says he will call back within 3 hours. I suggested he pass me on to a team in NZ which may be faster.

Am at my wits end this has kept me at home for a good part of a week and now I have no internet and mounting frustration at not being told what’s going on.

Spyware

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#2646852 4-Feb-2021 10:18

Typical Vodafone cluster$%^k.

cyril7

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#2646863 4-Feb-2021 10:35

Hi, so I know you did not order UFB, but did Chorus eventually complete the fibre install or did they run off with the job incomplete.

Cyril

Eva888

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#2646865 4-Feb-2021 10:40

No left it and said would return today to dig up but haven’t

Eva888

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#2647005 4-Feb-2021 12:28

Nice chap from VF Offshore team just called. He says he has escalated the SLAM and Vodafone is still working to create it. This is 4 days after it was originally ordered. My own suspicion is that my internet has been cut off by their efforts.

I explained that right now my most pressing problem is no internet, I want it back...to which he said nothing they can do but wait until tomorrow afternoon for Downers Technician...if they arrive.

Secondary to this is their SLAMs and internal messing around regarding the installation and Tbox change. I have no idea when this will happen. This saga and uncertainty is heading into another week. I have emailed my VF contact twice in the last couple days and had no reply about the SLAM and a further date.

Tethered to my non VF mobile for now so costing me in data as well.

(Chorus has not re-appeared and frankly I don’t have the energy to start on them).

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