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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Sept 4, 2014 15:37:37 GMT -5
once Rogers starts losing subscribers I suspect we'll see a solid 82-game package available to everyone ... just keep complaining enough ... the problem is not Rogers, it is the NHL policy about blackouts. True enough good Effendi ... good point ... Cheers.
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Post by franko on Sept 4, 2014 22:32:01 GMT -5
the simple way to figure it out: focus on the dividing line.
if you are east of it you get all of the Habs games on Sportsnet East.
if you are west of it you either need to buy Centre Ice (tv) or GCL (wireless data) for English, or the Habs/Sens package (French).
RGCL is free until the end of December for Rogers wireless data customers.
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Post by habsorbed on Sept 4, 2014 23:33:48 GMT -5
the simple way to figure it out: focus on the dividing line. if you are east of it you get all of the Habs games on Sportsnet East. if you are west of it you either need to buy Centre Ice (tv) or GCL (wireless data) for English, or the Habs/Sens package (French). RGCL is free until the end of December for Rogers wireless data customers. Do you know who's doing the games on these feeds? I loved the RDS crew the last few years. And I sure as heck ain't going to listen to english CBC retreads.
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Post by franko on Sept 5, 2014 6:04:20 GMT -5
Do you know who's doing the games on these feeds? I loved the RDS crew the last few years. And I sure as heck ain't going to listen to english CBC retreads. no idea. wouldn't it be a simple re-broadcast, with the NHL/Rogers inserting their own commercials?
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Sept 5, 2014 12:11:57 GMT -5
All the pre season games are on RDS. Wonder if they will be blacked out as regional broadcasts or else available across the country since they are not part of the regular season or playoffs.
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Post by christrpn on Sept 6, 2014 10:08:05 GMT -5
Never thought I wouls say this: Man Am I ever glad I live in Quebec. Montreal Specifically. Still pissed that I will have to get TVA sport to watch all the games. I'll see if Videotron will give it to me for free. If not, I'm sure Bell will
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Post by UberCranky on Sept 6, 2014 14:36:51 GMT -5
You know what FAIL is?
It is talking for 6 pages about where to watch the Hab's.
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Post by franko on Sept 6, 2014 16:17:13 GMT -5
that's because we are desperate for the season to begin. at least it's better than being a Leaf fan, wehre they spend pages trying to justify watching the team.
it's six pages of guess work, too . . . Rogers hasn't finalized everything yet. until they do . . . more pages of speculation to come.
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Post by franko on Sept 23, 2014 18:57:22 GMT -5
All the pre season games are on RDS. Wonder if they will be blacked out as regional broadcasts or else available across the country since they are not part of the regular season or playoffs. well, I guess we know the answer now.
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Post by drkcloud on Sept 23, 2014 19:03:24 GMT -5
So angry i could spit. But i can watch the Nucks tonite. Pffft. I am boycotting Rogers
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Post by FREEHAB on Sept 23, 2014 21:11:49 GMT -5
OK - so I've just engaged in the most frustrating experience I've had in a loooong time.
Went to watch tonights game on RDS. I have the $6 per month French Language package through Rogers which gives me RDS and TVA. Tuned into the Habs game, clearly shown on the guide, only to find I was blacked out. Actually I expected that would be the case.
Considering I can't watch anything on RDS anymore - I decided to call Rogers and cancel the French Language package. At least I'm now saving $6 per month.
Talked to a really nice customer service person - who completely understood - and deleted the package immediately. Great service.
He then asked if he could do some checking for me to try to find me a solution for not being able to watch Canadiens games. Again - great service.
He offered NHL Centre Ice. $209. No thanks, too much.
He offered Rogers Super Sports package for $35 per month. No thanks, waaaaay too much.
He then offered me the French Sports package for $59.99. Yes PLEASE!!! This is the package that was announced specifically for all out of market Habs and Sens games. He read me the description and it was EXACTLY what I'd had with the French Language package and at $60 - it was only slightly more than the $6 per month I'd already paid.
I bought it - he applied it to our service - and we were off to the races.
FULL STOP.
It didn't work. The Rogers customer service rep, Rogers technicians and I tried EVERYTHING imaginable to make it work - but it didn't. Senior Service People got involved - still nothing worked.
They checked and there are no regional restrictions. They checked and it became available for purchase on Sept 3. They scoured their system and NO ONE could figure out why this wouldn't work.
At the end of it all, Rogers told me they've now reversed thes $59.99 French Sports Package they offered me and now tell me that there is nothing more they can do. No answer WHY? or WHEN? or HOW? The end result is - it doesn't work. Too bad. So sad.
I honestly don't understand what it is that Rogers is trying to do - or the NHL for that matter.
My wife, who could care less about the TV, is in complete disbeleif that this sort of thing is even possible with as many channels and choices Rogers and Bell make available to us. It's a huge step backward when this NHL broadcast deal was supposed to be inovative and ground breaking.
If Rogers can't even get me what I want, even after they've suggested it, then offered it to me and I've agreed to pay for it - I'd say something is seriously wrong.
WHY announce a French Language sports package specifically for Habs games, provide it to your sales people as an option, allow them to sell and apply the option, and not have it work? Not just on one TV - but 3 different TV's with a different ROGERS cable box on each. How does a company go on record and offer this - and have it not work? NO ONE at Rogers has an answer. They were all dumbfounded and, in the end, told me that they didn't know why - but that I couldn't have the very thing they offered to me.
I wish I could call someone - but I think I had about 6-7 different people on the line already, all of whom had varying titles and authorities, none of whom knew what the hell to do.
It's a joke. But I'm not laughing.
Franko - do you happen to have any more insight?
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Post by habsorbed on Sept 23, 2014 21:12:13 GMT -5
And now L'Anti-chambre is on as if everyone who subscribes to RDS saw the game. Something very messed up here!
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Post by 24in93 on Sept 23, 2014 21:36:35 GMT -5
This is beyond frustrating. I haven't even bothered calling Bell to figure out if there's going to be any options. I simply cancelled RDS after last season and haven't looked back. Looks like I'll watch online and the few televised games that I happen to get. Brutal.
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Post by franko on Sept 23, 2014 21:55:21 GMT -5
Franko - do you happen to have any more insight? I'm going to forward this to my contact at Rogers/SN tomorrow. I do not believe that there will be happiness when they read they are losing money. There's probably a customer service e-mail through Rogers too -- let 'em have it. otoh, it's nice to know that I was right in that there is supposed to be a package!
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Post by franko on Sept 23, 2014 22:00:18 GMT -5
This is beyond frustrating. I haven't even bothered calling Bell to figure out if there's going to be any options. I simply cancelled RDS after last season and haven't looked back. Looks like I'll watch online and the few televised games that I happen to get. Brutal. I'll find out if Rogers is giving Bell the option to sell the RDS package, too. $200 for the internet package . . . methinks they are overselling themselves. we are diehard hockey fans here, but they aren't going to sell as many of those packages as they think they will. they are going to lose money because the advertisers aren't going to give them the bucks either. I wa excited when Rogers took over because I thought that it would be like a CDN Centre Ice package on Rogers. what was I thinking?
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Post by habsorbed on Sept 23, 2014 22:13:31 GMT -5
I get RDS through Shaw in BC. It's the only reason I'm with Shaw. Last night the guide on their programming indicated RDS was showing the game. No indication it would be blacked out in the region. So i PVR'd it. Got home tonight and turned the recording on only to get a message that it was not on in my region. What? So i call Shaw and their automatic recording says "If you're calling about the Montreal Boston game it is not on in our region. If you are calling for another reason please push..." What? Just guessing they got a few calls. So I get customer service and she has no idea what Im talking about and puts me on hold. Five minutes later i hung up. Hell of a way to run a business: terrible customer service, terrible in house coordination, and complete misrepresentation.
Are people that incompetent? It's their business. Do you think they might have heard about the TV contracts the last few months? Maybe notify your customers and/or have a game plan?
'Heidi Game' revisited decades later in the new millennium. Seems like technology has improved. Sadly human incompetence continues to flourish!
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Sept 23, 2014 22:37:16 GMT -5
All the pre season games are on RDS. Wonder if they will be blacked out as regional broadcasts or else available across the country since they are not part of the regular season or playoffs. well, I guess we know the answer now. Yup. Epic fail.
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Post by seventeen on Sept 23, 2014 23:16:19 GMT -5
Can you say "They're all the same" and "the fans interest is only considered if it happens to coincide with the company's interest"?
When I saw all the hype from TSN about TSN 3,4 and 5, my first thought was that it was just another sneaky way to make money and I'm right. Whereas before you could get a game (for example the Leafs/Flyers game tonight) either on TSN1 or TSN2, it's now blacked out on TSN3 unless you are a subscriber to those particular channels. They weakened 1 and 2 to put content on the others, for which you have to pay. That's not doing me any good, but I have the ultimate solution...I don't buy any of their new packages, so they have extra costs for them and no extra revenue. That takes discipline, though, and the willpower to do without some games that I might have enjoyed watching. C'est la vie. I've already changed providers because Shaw was charging too much and I will continue to do so. I'll only pay so much for entertainment. I have the ultimate counter weapon, my library card.
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Post by habsorbed on Sept 23, 2014 23:38:30 GMT -5
17, call me an unsophisticated illiterate but my library card is no substitute for my required fix to maintain my spiritual well being. Are you saying you're going to forego watching Habs games? There must be a better answer - please!
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Post by Willie Dog on Sept 24, 2014 6:32:51 GMT -5
I think there has to be a barrage of emails to Geoff Molson. He is the only one who has the ability to change things. Sending a complaint to Bell or Rogers doesn't do diddly, they don't care they have a monopoly... basically. If Molson starts hearing from the fans that they can't see the Habs, as a responsible owner who want to keep his fan base happy, he will get this sorted out. Start posying on his twitter account GM Twitter
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Post by franko on Sept 24, 2014 7:45:18 GMT -5
I think there has to be a barrage of emails to Geoff Molson. He is the only one who has the ability to change things. Sending a complaint to Bell or Rogers doesn't do diddly, they don't care they have a monopoly... basically. If Molson starts hearing from the fans that they can't see the Habs, as a responsible owner who want to keep his fan base happy, he will get this sorted out. Start posying on his twitter account GM Twitteryup. Rogers bought the rights. Bell (Rogers, Shaw) broadcasts the channels. Habs protect their area. but so do the other teams. if you live in BC, write the 'Nucks. if you live in Southern AB, the Flames. in . . . well, you get the picture. it's all on the owners, who want you to watch their team rather than another (watch the Habs on SNE in Vancouver and the 'Nucks lose the numbers game for advertising revenue).
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Post by jkr on Sept 24, 2014 8:01:04 GMT -5
I just called Rogers & cancelled the French package that includes RDS. I asked about this French sports package( I explained that I wanted to watch Habs games). She was gone a long time & when she came back the explanation was different than what I read in Freehab's post. She said there will be a package available in October for 69.99 that she described as a French version of Centre Ice. As usual the information you get all depends on who answers the phone, not what the facts actually are. I'm sure if I call again tonight & get someone else, my info will be different.
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Post by Skilly on Sept 24, 2014 9:13:33 GMT -5
Try living in Newfoundland ... one night a Habs game is blacked out, the next a Leafs game is blacked out.
How Newfoundland is in either of their broadcast zones is beyond me. A Newfoundlander would have to spend $2000 to watch either team live, they aren't losing money from showing their games on TV in Newfoundland.
Last night I combed through the channels and found my RDS is now moved to channel 921, so I can watch Habs games in french. But Newfoundland isn't exactly a hotbed of french speakers. The Leafs game last night was blacked out on TSN3 ... what's worse is I broke down a few years ago and got Center Ice to watch games in english only to discover that more than half, almost 2/3 of the Habs games were blacked out, even when on the road.
As far as i am concerned, if they want to have packages, then have team packages. Let me see my fav team at home and on the road in the language of my choosing ... if a network decides they want to air one of their games (say TSN, or Global), then you can black it out on the package-deal for the sponsors/advertisers. This isn't rocket science.
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Post by FREEHAB on Sept 24, 2014 9:55:22 GMT -5
I just called Rogers & cancelled the French package that includes RDS. I asked about this French sports package( I explained that I wanted to watch Habs games). She was gone a long time & when she came back the explanation was different than what I read in Freehab's post. She said there will be a package available in October for 69.99 that she described as a French version of Centre Ice. As usual the information you get all depends on who answers the phone, not what the facts actually are. I'm sure if I call again tonight & get someone else, my info will be different. jkr - I hear you. I was ASSURED it was $59.99 and that it was available going back to Sept 3. GREAT, SIGN ME UP! POOF! Don't know why - but you can't have it and it doesn't work. Sales staff, technical staff and senior management on duty ALL looked into it. No answers. How can they offer you something that doesn't work? Even the Rogers staff seemed completely demoralized. Hours spent trying to give me something that magically doesn't work. Unthinkable. I own a customer service based business that is in it's 150th year. I know a thing or two about what does and doesn't make clients happy. THIS is a first - and I can't imagine doing this to even my worst, most troublesome client.
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Post by franko on Sept 24, 2014 10:28:17 GMT -5
working on getting an answer. copied the remarks anand pasted many of the remarks . . . I imagine a reply will take a day or two. I would be surprised that they would be totally ignored . . . 1 remark = 5,000 viewers, etc.
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Post by FREEHAB on Sept 24, 2014 10:46:13 GMT -5
Sent the following to Geoff Molson:
@gmolsonchc please fix this TV mess for Habs fans living in ONT. I've spent thousands over decades on my Habs and now can't even watch games.
Doubt I'll get any response.
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Post by franko on Sept 24, 2014 11:11:58 GMT -5
from my contact at Rogers (who is going to look into it further): I'm fairly certain that last night's issues were because Centre Ice and Game Centre Live include regular season games, not pre-season (ie. the press release talked about 60 Habs and 54 Sens French games available in the package, which are the regular season games). That said, if that's the answer, we need to make sure the Customer Service reps have this info, and make sure it's clear in the descriptions.
Specifically re: the Newfoundland comment - Habs (and Sens) territory does absolutely include NFLD - it's all the Atlantic Provinces, Quebec, and Eastern Ontario (approx West of Belleville), so there's nothing we (Rogers) can do with the RDS games there.
again pushing all 82 games will be in RGCL though.also if the people being quoted would like to pass along their names and contact info, through you - I'll escalate and have someone contact them asap to both clarify, and if necessary, resolve the problems they're having. Let me know if that would help, and I'll try to confirm the answer re: pre-season.so there you have it. you know, if there's money involved . . . PM me with your e-mail addresses, I'll send them along, and maybe you can get an answer. barring that, come up and visit with Willie or me, and we'll enjoy a game together
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Post by franko on Sept 24, 2014 12:42:05 GMT -5
further from Rogers:
I've confirmed that the NHL Centre Ice (French) package that gives access to the RDS games contains all 60 Habs and 54 Sens regular season games. the other games are on TVA I've also asked Customer Care to send out a bulletin to all reps, and to make sure online FAQs and descriptions are updated to make sure that it's clear that it's regular season games, not pre-season / playoffs. As an aside, I'm checking to see if there's any possibility to get the remaining pre-season games in - I'm guessing that if it could be done, it would be (we get absolutely NO benefit from NOT including them, so there must be a rights, legal, or technical reason for it).
The RDS package is $59.99. If you decide to go whole-hog and buy Centre Ice or Game Centre Live the RDS games are included.
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Post by 24in93 on Sept 24, 2014 12:47:55 GMT -5
Is this only available to Rogers customers or do you think Bell will be able to offer the same package? We don't even have Rogers in our neck of the woods (Milton ON).
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Post by HabSolute on Sept 24, 2014 12:49:52 GMT -5
I agree with Freehab,
with something so big as hockey in this country, you would think that 2 major corporation like Rogers and Bell would get their act together.
If you do a search "NHL" on the Bell site, the first result is "get NHL centre Ice for the rest of the 2013-14 season"..... REALLY ?
I am sure there are some technical challenge to create a new package, channel etc.... but for the love of ...hockey.. get it done already and explain our options.
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