At least that’s what I hear. Because, you know, I haven’t seen a frigging second of it all year. Why?
Because Verizon Fios doesn’t carry it here in DC. Nor do they carry the Center Ice Package. So, if I want to watch hockey I have to go down to the...ready?.....yes, The Verizon Center.
Next chapter: this may come as a surprise to some of you, but I’m also a baseball fan. This year, because I’m fully onboard the Tigers bandwagon, I decided to get the MLB Extra Innings package so that I can ignore my family 162 times in six months instead of the normal 82 times during hockey season.
How do you order the MLB package? Well, you dial those bad boys up, right? You’d think I’d learned my lesson back in October. Remember the liveblogged call to Verizon? No? Here’s the gripping transcript.
0957: been on the phone for 11 minutes trying to determine whether they’ll offer Center Ice. Have spoken with 1 live person who I couldn’t understand and dealt with 17 recorded operators. None were helpful. I swore at them.
0959: On the phone with Ms. Wynn. 13th time I’ve given my phone number. “NHL...that would be hockey?. Bear with me one second please.”
1000: Tom from the Verizon Fios Solutions center doesn’t know what “the NHL” is, but he’s tracking it. Good on ya Tom.
1002: Now on the phone with Skip (really). He “doesn’t know if they’ll be offering it.”
Me: How can you “not know”? The season starts in two weeks.
Skip: We won’t know until it becomes available.
Me: But you don’t know now if it’s going to be available?
Skip: Right.
Me: So you’ll know it’s available when you start to see it on one of those tiny screens you geeks sit in front of?
Skip: What’s your home number again?
Me: Why?
Skip: Standard procedure.
Me: Skip, are you offering Center Ice or not?
Skip: silence
Me: Skip, you still there? Hockey or no hockey. I want my frigging hockey Skip. Yes or no?
Skip: No.
1018: I just hung up on Skip. Violently.
Back to baseball. So I get them on the phone last Saturday, fully expecting a quick transaction. I mean, it’s baseball right? Surely they’ll be carrying the national pastime, right? I know Bud Selig’s a tool, but he can’t be as bad as Bettman...right?
Wrong. Jeffrey, at Verizon customer service, had no clue. None. After listening to him babble on about never having heard of MLB Extra Innings, I started to yell. Jeffrey got offended, said he was gonna hang up if I didn’t “alter my tone.” I, for the record, altered my tone just long enough to ask if there was a man there I could speak with. Jeffrey, then, hung up on me.
So, I looked into DirectTV. Still in decision mode. Until today. Saw this on some geeky Fios blog that is apparently owned and operated by Fios itself.
We are currently working with MLB Extra Innings and we’re optimistic that we’ll begin offering the package soon. It won’t be everywhere, all at once unfortunately, but we are working hard to get MLB EI on FiOS TV for as many fans as we can as soon as possible.
As FiOS subscribers already know, FiOS TV already offers an extensive sports lineup.
Oh..yeah. Your lineup is downright extensive. It’s epic. I couldn’t be happier. I’ll be thrilled tonite to listen to Ken Kal and Paul Woods with my ear pressed to my laptop instead of watching it on tv, or even on my computer--which I can’t because IT’S BLACKED OUT GARY. ASS.
So, I went ahead and left a comment on the Fios Geek Blog. Thought I’d let you see it. Ready? Here we go.
“As FiOS subscribers already know, FiOS TV already offers an extensive sports lineup.”
How anyone with Fios can say that with a straight face is beyond me. Hockey fans in DC, where the arena is named...wait for it...yes, the Verizon center, can’t get the Center Ice package--because Fios doesn’t carry it. We can’t get the NHL Network because Fios doesn’t carry it.
Forgive me if I don’t hold my breath waiting for MLB Extra Innings. I’ve been royally shafted by Fios since day one--the day they told me when I signed up that the Center Ice package would be available--and if I wasn’t on a military base where the options are limited, I’d have moved on long ago.
Speaking of extra innings, when I called Fios customer service last week the highly informed consultant didn’t even know what it was. They had no clue when or if Fios would carry it. And, yeah, that was a day after this blog post. Nice inter-organizational communication you have there.
Oh, the “consultant” did say they’d credit my account for the promises made to me (MLB and NHL packages), but when I asked just how Fios would do that (give me a dollar back per game missed maybe?) they were speechless.
In summary, in case you missed my point, Fios absolutely sucks. Every time I turn the tv on I’m embarrassed that I actually pay your company money for the lack of service you provide.
Have a great day.
Kinda fun. Little bit of a stress relief, you know.
I tell ya. It’s hard work. Hard...damn...work being a transplant.
Oh..and if anybody knows a back-door (easy Dive fans) link to some sort of tv coverage of tonite’s game, could you send it to me? Pretty please?
Oh crumbs, is the game on the NHL network tonight? FRACK! I am so glad I paid so much money for NHL Center Ice only to lose several games that I wanted to see this year because my cable system doesn’t carry it!! ARRGGHHH!
Posted by hockeychic from Denver, CO on 03/05 at 03:20 PM