Danger switching to SUDDENLINK

[Question]

You could be risking you life switching to Suddenlink Cable.

If there is dangerous weather in the area your tv channel will be automatically changed to the weather channel, which is normally on a commercial or weather in someother part of the country. During this time you are also blocked from changing the channel to a local station where you could be receiving lifesaving information. Suddenlink claims that this is because of a law enacted by the Amarillo City Commission, but I find it hard to believe that our local elected officals have created a law requiring that thousands upon thousands of lives be put in danger during major storms or disasters. Please everyone needs to contact the Amarillo Texas City Commission about this issue, your life may depend on it.

[Dave Dischord]

Question wrote:

You could be risking you life switching to Suddenlink Cable.
If there is dangerous weather in the area your tv channel will be automatically changed to the weather channel, which is normally on a commercial or weather in someother part of the country. During this time you are also blocked from changing the channel to a local station where you could be receiving lifesaving information. Suddenlink claims that this is because of a law enacted by the Amarillo City Commission, but I find it hard to believe that our local elected officals have created a law requiring that thousands upon thousands of lives be put in danger during major storms or disasters. Please everyone needs to contact the Amarillo Texas City Commission about this issue, your life may depend on it.

My cell phone didn't work for the first 45 minutes as well.

[Question]

It is not that the service was out or that there were technical problems, it is that they force the tv to change channels and you can not change it back to a local channel. They even admit they do this and place the blame on the city commission.

[Dave Dischord]

Question wrote:

It is not that the service was out or that there were technical problems, it is that they force the tv to change channels and you can not change it back to a local channel. They even admit they do this and place the blame on the city commission.

I know. I was just saying that it sucked. Can't get the weather on the TV AND you can't call to see what the deal is when you're away looking for shelter.

[Pete Abel]

I'm with Suddenlink. We're not blaming anything on the City. We are required to provide emergency alerts, and hard tuning digital customers to the weather channel allows us to do that. However, that's only supposed to last 30 seconds or so, and then customers can switch to local channels. The one time (in May) that didn't happen was due to some type of glitch which has since been investigated and should be fixed so it doesn't happen again. We are also working on new technology that will make this issue moot. Thank you.

[Question]

Then why does it still happen? I had this issue on the 19th. When I called Suddenlink the supervisor I spoke with, specifically said it was an ordinance passed by the "Amarillo City Commission" and attempted to actually read the ordinance. Hard tuning as you call it is the problem not a solution to anything. If I have a tornado a few miles away I don't want to be hard tuned to a Volvo commercial. I want to see my local weather report that may save my life not put it at risk. There should be a large disclaimer at all Suddenlink locations stating that if you switch to this service you do it at your own risk and could be putting your life in danger.

[Pete Abel]

The hard-tuning takes all TV's to a channel with a scroll that alerts viewers to the problem; again this should last 30-60 seconds and then return you to normal programming. Did the experience on the 19th last more than 60 seconds?If it did, then that's our problem, not the city's. Let me know. The new technology -- which will eliminate the hard-tune -- should be in place later this year; until then, I at least want to make sure the temporary system is working as it should, with a brief hard-tune. Also, this won't happen at all on any TV that's not hooked up to a digital box.

[Question]

A scroll can not show you neighborhood specific radar, or information on where the multiple storms are moving locally. A one minute delay could mean the difference between life and death. Yes your last idea may work, I may have to get rid of cable(Suddenlink) completly.

[jimmy_c]

you have a computer go to channel10.com click on dopler and watch the storm and get the storm as it grows...

[Cal Hunt]

Suddenlink is too expensive. Dish is cheaper and you have access to local and satellite weather on most programs offered. Don't believe everything that you hear and only half what you see.

[shanga]

Another problem we had when switching to Suddenlink for tv was the did not tell us about the hookup charge of $150- That was a supprise. went from $50 bill to $400. that is insane!! Dont do it, the cable is not worth the extra charges they forget to tell you about.

[politicians suck]

Get an over the air antenna and hook it up then switch to local broadcasting when the weather is bad for Christ sake is it that hard oh yea get a converter box also. Use what’s between your ears for more than a hat rack.

[dave]

suddenlink is trash..way to expensive and bad customer service

[cynic]

dave wrote:

suddenlink is trash..way to expensive and bad customer service

hey! i have an idea! let's take a marginally legitimate complaint with a reasonable solution (provided by a suddenlink representative) and turn it in to a reason to flame one of a tiny handful of ISPs in the amarillo area. let's completely disregard their relatively outstanding performance record and the fact that they have the absolute fastest internet service in the area, and completely trash them over a minor "problem" that they're actively working to remediate... for the love of all that is holy, people, at least find something real to whine about...

[Why]

The first post is over a year ago and this is still an issue with Suddenlink. A year later they are still risking lives.

[Why]

I guess risking the lives of citizens of Amarillo isn't worth talking about. Of course if Hereford gets blown away it will only improve the panhandle.

[UrKindaDumb]

Risking lives? You choose to use Suddenlink, and if you're really too f**king stupid to use any of the other various methods of monitoring the weather, such as the internet, or looking out your f**king windows, then you're, quite frankly, too stupid to live and society would be better off without you.

[Why]

How can I tell on the internet if a tornado is a mile or two away or down the block? There was a storm around Amarillo producing tornados I was watching the developments on the local station and suddenlink switched everyones tv to weather in New York and New Jersey, and you were unable to change the channel on the tv. The local weather at the time was getting ready to tell us exactly where the tornado was and I was switched. I didn't have time to get my laptop out of the bag and boot up and logon to the internet. All I am going to see out the windows is black sky, I you are stupid enough to be standing in front of the windows when a tornado is in the area, maybe you will win a darwin award soon.

[UrKindaDumb]

"How can I tell on the internet if a tornado is a mile or two away or down the block?"
- You don't, tard. You'd use the internet to watch the radar and warnings. They have these new inventions called sirens. They go off when sh*t's about to hit the fan, and they require no TV in order to do so.

"There was a storm around Amarillo producing tornados I was watching the developments on the local station and suddenlink switched everyones tv to weather in New York and New Jersey, and you were unable to change the channel on the tv. The local weather at the time was getting ready to tell us exactly where the tornado was and I was switched."
- That's funny, not a month ago, when there were several reported tornados, my TV didn't switch to anything except a report from the national weather service, about the storms here. And I could, and did, change the channel. Perhaps you're just too stupid to change the channel? Gotta be smarter than the TV? I know that could be a problem for you.

"All I am going to see out the windows is black sky"
-... Unless it's daylight.

[Why]

"You'd use the internet to watch the radar and warnings. "
My Point exactally but you probably didn't follow that.
"They have these new inventions called sirens. They go off when sh*t's about to hit the fan, and they require no TV in order to do so."
They were going off all over town and the local news was going to tell where the immediate danger was.
"That's funny, not a month ago, when there were several reported tornados, my TV didn't switch to anything except a report from the national weather service, about the storms here. And I could, and did, change the channel. Perhaps you're just too stupid to change the channel? Gotta be smarter than the TV? I know that could be a problem for you."
Odd Suddenlink readily admits to this problem and there have been several news articles about it recently. But maybe the issue is you are replying to a year old post.
-... Unless it's daylight.
Not with major tornadic storms.