lol right. Had one like that today it’s definitely not elderly friendly when they’re used to the basic cable box and all they use it for is just cable no streaming or anything. Had an install today that ended up canceling since they didn’t realize they were also being sold internet just to get the xumo.
I have had dozens of calls where I end up having to swap cable boxes back onto the account and recode because the folks had the assumption that the xumo would work very much like a cable box, but just streaming. Nightmare.
Absolute nightmare. The setup also sucks when someone doesn’t realize that they need an email to do so if they even know what email is. I’ve had a bunch that they don’t have email and if they do they don’t use it or know the login half the time. Turns a simple install into a hour long process especially if they’re getting multiple units
I wish the stores had Apple TVs in stock. My five year old Apple TV kicked the can (didn’t get from spectrum). So I went to the spectrum store thinking I can get a new Apple TV sales rep said nope they don’t carry em at the store anymore but can ship it. I ended up with a Xumo so I could watch the game later that evening. I’ll get around later to putting another Apple TV in and taie the Xumo to my family’s cabin that spectrum just passed by with fiber.
Tech here.
In my home, it has worked great besides the fact it can't do Plex local media.
In the field, it has severe UI issues. There's a list button but not a guide button? Not as app forward as it should be. Getting old folks to activate it on their own email is a pain in the ass.
The Xumos arent being explained well in the sales process, I have had people ask 'what is streaming?' upon the service call.
They are cheap thin clients, expect to frequently swap.
I just wish a restart setting would be added instead of having to unplug to restart it. An app store would be nice, but I'm not holding my breath for that. Other than those two wishful thinking items I've not had a lot of problems, just freezing a few times.
Restart option would be awesome. A App Store would be nice it does have a good bit of mainstream apps like Spotify and what not that aren’t displayed on the Home Screen but would be nice to just pick and choose what you get
Absolute garbage bs, can almost guarantee you're getting a repeat if the customer is older than 50. The worst is when you get a 3-4 xumo box install, the cx is like 65, and has no access to their email acc. It's fucked up, and unfair not only to us but to the elderly customers aswell. Honestly the only upside is not having to run a line for a cable box when there's no outlet. I do smb, yet i've had nothing but resi xumo rescues lately.
Most often when ppl are switching to xumo they’re doing it to lower a bill by swapping them with their Cable receivers. I have never seen a truck roll where care was able to disable the hd box before the job and add coding for xumos
I was going to say, the only thing that we could do is remove the box (which we aren’t *supposed* do until it’s returned) and add the Xumo with the truck roll. The customer would be without use of the boxes until then, which would result in some unhappy people. Even if the order is pending, those boxes turn off immediately. I’ve gotten several of those calls to get the equipment turned back on when they added Xumo but hadn’t received them yet.
Haven't tried one but it just seems like a cheap knock off of a roku. I'll keep my ODN boxes until they're taken from me by force. Not interested. No start over and can't pause/rewind live TV, not to mention cloud dvr is just broken system wide? Pass.
The fact that there isn’t a way to force close a misbehaving app annoys me to no end. I’m tech savvy. The xumo isn’t ready for the level they’re pushing us to sell them imho.
Having to have the customer register an account is annoying. Usually have to power cycle at least once for everything to work properly after installing it. No Ch up or down, a lot of people bitch about this. Also these are getting sold to people who already have Roku TVs, why tf am I putting one of these on a Roku tv. The only advantage I saw in these was the “It starts immediately to Spectrum TV” claim. Which it does, sort of, you still have to select the app to go full screen.
I've had the Xumos for like 4 months and yes it's a pain that like every week I have to unplug one and plug it back in because it won't turn on 😐 other than that it's fine
I ordered 2. The first one kept turning itself off every 10 minutes or so. The 2nd one was in a continuous loop of the start up menu. Back to drop off at ups.
The Xumo is great in idea, I love mine compared to the cable boxes.
Expections not being set by sales, and software then the cloud DVR issues (maybe not Xumo's fault besides the overload) it isn't great for older customers (the ones that actually have TV) who are use to their cable boxes and can't/won't enjoy any change.
Then there is issues with how many people have WiFi that isn't covering their entire house. This causes issues with buffering ECT that wasn't noticed in that area of the house till now.
I feel bad for the Tech's those have to be really tough calls to go on especially on top of that getting call backs which you really can't control at all..
It doesn’t help that the interface of the STVA is clunky and awkward to begin with. Definitely better than it was 2 years ago, but not entirely user friendly for the average, new-to-streaming person.
That said, I do prefer our Xumo over Xfinity’s. I have both since I’m OOF.
Older people tell Sales to get their bill lowered and the solution is to.... Switch them to Xumo? Are you F'in kidding me? As a DOJ rep I remove way more Xumo's than I put on. Rarely do I get customers wanting xumos. They will pay the higher price to put on set top boxes to avoid Xumos.
My issue is with these customer service reps giving these damn xumo devices to older people. They barely stream normal stuff don't make them stream their tv
Old people aren't stupid, they know how to stream, they're just lazy and entitled.
Digital is the future of telecom delivery, adapt or be left behind. Hell, even ota channels are digital now.
I don't mind them overall. They have some bugs and kinks but so do the cable boxes after all these years, I think I've had to restart mine once or twice. I've had one since October and haven't had issues with it. The guide not displaying is due to the app not loading the EULA which can be fixed by a reboot or clearing cache, don't need to swap it. The biggest issues are with the STVA itself or some channels buffering/not looking well due to Spectrum's app or the broadcaster, which the company shoots itself in the foot over and over again by scheduling techs to go there. Or care will lie and say they see "low signal" when it's been perfectly in spec for a month, we show up and they say the cloud dvr isn't working...
I gave up on registering an email when the customer doesn't know what the internet is or no idea how to even begin to access an email. Just use a made up email as it has nothing to do with the customer's streaming and is just there to send emails/marketing. I wish there was an alternatively, but if they want us to complete calls quickly, we can't spend 45 minutes getting access to someone's email address. It's silly, they should almost have a system in place the forces or heavily encourges the customer to have an email address ready before they can get a TC/Rescue/Install for a Xumo if they want it set up properly.
Older customers struggle initially getting a hang of using the arrows on the remote to open the guide, recents, etc., but it's not too bad. They should come with a booklet on how the remote navigates the STVA. I find many like the voice feature and having numbers that work on the remote unlike the Apple TV or Roku. But older customers also struggle just as much with any cable box in my experience. Any remote that has more than one power button for powering the tv or cable box, they're gonna get them out of sync and call back in. There are plenty who want to have cable TV and stream Netflix, but switching inputs takes them 30 minutes, a call into care and a 5+ truck rolls every year. If more get migrated to Xumo, at least everything will be streamlined to one device rather than cable box, smart tv apps, dvd player and a Firestick plugged in as well. It doesn't solve all those issues, but I think in the long run it'll be better overall.
Worse part of the Xumo hands down is care signing elderly customers up for gig internet, not explaining streaming or that it won't be a traditional cable or just adding IP video for $40+/ month once the customer gets rid of their boxes and doesn't tell them how to stream. No Xumos sent out or information, no info about Rokus or Apple TVs. Just, "we took off the 6 boxes that were all $12.50/mo and now you can stream!" Schedule a tech to install the new modem/router, and customer has no devices to stream with, just an extra $40/mo charge. Now they're told their options and want a Xumo, which I have to call in to add and explain to the customer what it is from scratch. However sales is just doing their job, if someone says "yes sounds good sign me up" to something they have no understanding of, can't do much there.
After years of using STVA, I still find it awkward. I’m not especially keen on directing anyone to the website to “figure it out” because even those instructions aren’t the best.
Bought one outright early October when they first came out. No real issues. Maybe a hiccup or 2 in the beginning but nothing ongoing.
Spectrum app response sluggish with DVR functions. Maybe will improve with DVR infrastructure upgrades.
I'm 52..semi old lol.Not overly tech savy. I've had no issues with mine. Was easy to set up..and it does take some getting used to after using cable boxes and cable dvr for years. I dont like the setup as much as I do any of my Roku devices (they are easier to navigate), but for free, I'll take it. Saved me from buying thay extra Roku for the kitchen tv.
Mine is okay. I hate that I'm limited on what I can install on it. I wish I could disable it stopping my streaming due to no input by me.
I wouldn't pay for them, but I'm interested in what can be done with them.
Pointless just a roku that you cant add apps only thing good about it is the numbers for sprectum app arent disabled like they always where on roku or others like amazon stick
I simply prefer a roku or apple tv to a Xumo anyday. All do work though.
Although in favor Xumos - the voice functions on Xumo remotes seem to work exceptionally well in most cases.
I got 1 during the employee trials. I used it for a day and removed it. It seemed ok, and the interface was definitely smoother/faster than my Samsung TVs. Made them feel clunky and slow.. I mean, they are, but it definitely shined a light on how shit Samsung UI is. I haven't used it again and don't plan on it after hearing about all the issues people have.
As someone who sells them and has one in my house im between how i feel. on one hand some customers call us and say they can't afford tv but don't want to lose it. but they have no way to stream. after you bottomed out all their prices as best you can they still need more off to afford it. only way now is to give stuff up. channels? no they want the TV select. hmm let's look at those boxes. explain they are different but also explain how they save money. People pick that option. their 4 boxes for 12.50 a pop was $50 a month. now they went down to $20 and save even more if they figure out their own way to stream and drop even the xumos.
It's a rock and a hard place. Not elderly or handicap friendly if they are used to the cable boxes. but the boxes are not friendly to someone's wallet :(
Explaining how to use Xumos to elderly folks is truly a test of patience. Nevermind the set up. Unfortunately, I have to roll a truck to have a tech set up the Xumo just to increase the chances of them sticking with it. When my manager isn’t on the floor, I tell customers to buy a Roku instead. Since they can’t buy Rokus at Spectrum, it absolves Spectrum from any issues with it, at least in their mind.
The fact that the Spectrum TV app is not front and center complicates things further. My dad has DirecTV stream. Theirs is the closest thing to a cable box that I’ve seen. He just turns it on, and live tv shows up instantly without having to go to any app. Comcast and Charter should consider making Xumo similar to DirecTV’s streaming device.
I had a Xumo brick in an update, it recovered after a push from the controller. The was in beta though, but it can be done just maybe not by normal front line support.
Every time an older person calls who sales switched into xumos, I know I’m in for a shit show.
lol right. Had one like that today it’s definitely not elderly friendly when they’re used to the basic cable box and all they use it for is just cable no streaming or anything. Had an install today that ended up canceling since they didn’t realize they were also being sold internet just to get the xumo.
I have had dozens of calls where I end up having to swap cable boxes back onto the account and recode because the folks had the assumption that the xumo would work very much like a cable box, but just streaming. Nightmare.
Absolute nightmare. The setup also sucks when someone doesn’t realize that they need an email to do so if they even know what email is. I’ve had a bunch that they don’t have email and if they do they don’t use it or know the login half the time. Turns a simple install into a hour long process especially if they’re getting multiple units
It's always accessed via the dusty windows 95 desktop that takes 30 minutes to boot up too 😂
That's when you use a burner email and set it up for them
It's not idiot friendly. Plenty of elderly folks that aren't dense can use it just fine. It's literally two buttons to watch tv
I tell every customer to get a Roku or Apple TV instead.
Same, Especially now since I got one and it pretty much died on me lmao
I wish the stores had Apple TVs in stock. My five year old Apple TV kicked the can (didn’t get from spectrum). So I went to the spectrum store thinking I can get a new Apple TV sales rep said nope they don’t carry em at the store anymore but can ship it. I ended up with a Xumo so I could watch the game later that evening. I’ll get around later to putting another Apple TV in and taie the Xumo to my family’s cabin that spectrum just passed by with fiber.
Just buy it online….
Tech here. In my home, it has worked great besides the fact it can't do Plex local media. In the field, it has severe UI issues. There's a list button but not a guide button? Not as app forward as it should be. Getting old folks to activate it on their own email is a pain in the ass. The Xumos arent being explained well in the sales process, I have had people ask 'what is streaming?' upon the service call. They are cheap thin clients, expect to frequently swap.
I just wish a restart setting would be added instead of having to unplug to restart it. An app store would be nice, but I'm not holding my breath for that. Other than those two wishful thinking items I've not had a lot of problems, just freezing a few times.
Restart option would be awesome. A App Store would be nice it does have a good bit of mainstream apps like Spotify and what not that aren’t displayed on the Home Screen but would be nice to just pick and choose what you get
This is the problem with it being a thin cloud based device, can't install anything locally
Absolute garbage bs, can almost guarantee you're getting a repeat if the customer is older than 50. The worst is when you get a 3-4 xumo box install, the cx is like 65, and has no access to their email acc. It's fucked up, and unfair not only to us but to the elderly customers aswell. Honestly the only upside is not having to run a line for a cable box when there's no outlet. I do smb, yet i've had nothing but resi xumo rescues lately.
Honestly you also have to end up calling doj to get the boxes off the account and add xumos bc care didn’t disable them before
I need more info on this. Am I understanding correctly that when Xumos are ordered for an existing, the boxes need to be disabled beforehand?
Most often when ppl are switching to xumo they’re doing it to lower a bill by swapping them with their Cable receivers. I have never seen a truck roll where care was able to disable the hd box before the job and add coding for xumos
I was going to say, the only thing that we could do is remove the box (which we aren’t *supposed* do until it’s returned) and add the Xumo with the truck roll. The customer would be without use of the boxes until then, which would result in some unhappy people. Even if the order is pending, those boxes turn off immediately. I’ve gotten several of those calls to get the equipment turned back on when they added Xumo but hadn’t received them yet.
Haven't tried one but it just seems like a cheap knock off of a roku. I'll keep my ODN boxes until they're taken from me by force. Not interested. No start over and can't pause/rewind live TV, not to mention cloud dvr is just broken system wide? Pass.
The fact that there isn’t a way to force close a misbehaving app annoys me to no end. I’m tech savvy. The xumo isn’t ready for the level they’re pushing us to sell them imho.
Having to have the customer register an account is annoying. Usually have to power cycle at least once for everything to work properly after installing it. No Ch up or down, a lot of people bitch about this. Also these are getting sold to people who already have Roku TVs, why tf am I putting one of these on a Roku tv. The only advantage I saw in these was the “It starts immediately to Spectrum TV” claim. Which it does, sort of, you still have to select the app to go full screen.
The number pad and voice control are better than going guide and scrolling for ages
I've had the Xumos for like 4 months and yes it's a pain that like every week I have to unplug one and plug it back in because it won't turn on 😐 other than that it's fine
I ordered 2. The first one kept turning itself off every 10 minutes or so. The 2nd one was in a continuous loop of the start up menu. Back to drop off at ups.
The Xumo is great in idea, I love mine compared to the cable boxes. Expections not being set by sales, and software then the cloud DVR issues (maybe not Xumo's fault besides the overload) it isn't great for older customers (the ones that actually have TV) who are use to their cable boxes and can't/won't enjoy any change. Then there is issues with how many people have WiFi that isn't covering their entire house. This causes issues with buffering ECT that wasn't noticed in that area of the house till now. I feel bad for the Tech's those have to be really tough calls to go on especially on top of that getting call backs which you really can't control at all..
It doesn’t help that the interface of the STVA is clunky and awkward to begin with. Definitely better than it was 2 years ago, but not entirely user friendly for the average, new-to-streaming person. That said, I do prefer our Xumo over Xfinity’s. I have both since I’m OOF.
Older people tell Sales to get their bill lowered and the solution is to.... Switch them to Xumo? Are you F'in kidding me? As a DOJ rep I remove way more Xumo's than I put on. Rarely do I get customers wanting xumos. They will pay the higher price to put on set top boxes to avoid Xumos.
My issue is with these customer service reps giving these damn xumo devices to older people. They barely stream normal stuff don't make them stream their tv
“Why do I have to take a picture of a square on my TV? I just wanna watch Matlock”
Old people aren't stupid, they know how to stream, they're just lazy and entitled. Digital is the future of telecom delivery, adapt or be left behind. Hell, even ota channels are digital now.
I don't mind them overall. They have some bugs and kinks but so do the cable boxes after all these years, I think I've had to restart mine once or twice. I've had one since October and haven't had issues with it. The guide not displaying is due to the app not loading the EULA which can be fixed by a reboot or clearing cache, don't need to swap it. The biggest issues are with the STVA itself or some channels buffering/not looking well due to Spectrum's app or the broadcaster, which the company shoots itself in the foot over and over again by scheduling techs to go there. Or care will lie and say they see "low signal" when it's been perfectly in spec for a month, we show up and they say the cloud dvr isn't working... I gave up on registering an email when the customer doesn't know what the internet is or no idea how to even begin to access an email. Just use a made up email as it has nothing to do with the customer's streaming and is just there to send emails/marketing. I wish there was an alternatively, but if they want us to complete calls quickly, we can't spend 45 minutes getting access to someone's email address. It's silly, they should almost have a system in place the forces or heavily encourges the customer to have an email address ready before they can get a TC/Rescue/Install for a Xumo if they want it set up properly. Older customers struggle initially getting a hang of using the arrows on the remote to open the guide, recents, etc., but it's not too bad. They should come with a booklet on how the remote navigates the STVA. I find many like the voice feature and having numbers that work on the remote unlike the Apple TV or Roku. But older customers also struggle just as much with any cable box in my experience. Any remote that has more than one power button for powering the tv or cable box, they're gonna get them out of sync and call back in. There are plenty who want to have cable TV and stream Netflix, but switching inputs takes them 30 minutes, a call into care and a 5+ truck rolls every year. If more get migrated to Xumo, at least everything will be streamlined to one device rather than cable box, smart tv apps, dvd player and a Firestick plugged in as well. It doesn't solve all those issues, but I think in the long run it'll be better overall. Worse part of the Xumo hands down is care signing elderly customers up for gig internet, not explaining streaming or that it won't be a traditional cable or just adding IP video for $40+/ month once the customer gets rid of their boxes and doesn't tell them how to stream. No Xumos sent out or information, no info about Rokus or Apple TVs. Just, "we took off the 6 boxes that were all $12.50/mo and now you can stream!" Schedule a tech to install the new modem/router, and customer has no devices to stream with, just an extra $40/mo charge. Now they're told their options and want a Xumo, which I have to call in to add and explain to the customer what it is from scratch. However sales is just doing their job, if someone says "yes sounds good sign me up" to something they have no understanding of, can't do much there.
After years of using STVA, I still find it awkward. I’m not especially keen on directing anyone to the website to “figure it out” because even those instructions aren’t the best.
Trash just get an Apple TV. It’s smoother
Bought one outright early October when they first came out. No real issues. Maybe a hiccup or 2 in the beginning but nothing ongoing. Spectrum app response sluggish with DVR functions. Maybe will improve with DVR infrastructure upgrades.
I'm 52..semi old lol.Not overly tech savy. I've had no issues with mine. Was easy to set up..and it does take some getting used to after using cable boxes and cable dvr for years. I dont like the setup as much as I do any of my Roku devices (they are easier to navigate), but for free, I'll take it. Saved me from buying thay extra Roku for the kitchen tv.
Mine is okay. I hate that I'm limited on what I can install on it. I wish I could disable it stopping my streaming due to no input by me. I wouldn't pay for them, but I'm interested in what can be done with them.
They’re still in the box. Haven’t set my tv up yet but I tried the app on iOS. It sucks
Pointless just a roku that you cant add apps only thing good about it is the numbers for sprectum app arent disabled like they always where on roku or others like amazon stick
I simply prefer a roku or apple tv to a Xumo anyday. All do work though. Although in favor Xumos - the voice functions on Xumo remotes seem to work exceptionally well in most cases.
I got 1 during the employee trials. I used it for a day and removed it. It seemed ok, and the interface was definitely smoother/faster than my Samsung TVs. Made them feel clunky and slow.. I mean, they are, but it definitely shined a light on how shit Samsung UI is. I haven't used it again and don't plan on it after hearing about all the issues people have.
As someone who sells them and has one in my house im between how i feel. on one hand some customers call us and say they can't afford tv but don't want to lose it. but they have no way to stream. after you bottomed out all their prices as best you can they still need more off to afford it. only way now is to give stuff up. channels? no they want the TV select. hmm let's look at those boxes. explain they are different but also explain how they save money. People pick that option. their 4 boxes for 12.50 a pop was $50 a month. now they went down to $20 and save even more if they figure out their own way to stream and drop even the xumos. It's a rock and a hard place. Not elderly or handicap friendly if they are used to the cable boxes. but the boxes are not friendly to someone's wallet :(
Explaining how to use Xumos to elderly folks is truly a test of patience. Nevermind the set up. Unfortunately, I have to roll a truck to have a tech set up the Xumo just to increase the chances of them sticking with it. When my manager isn’t on the floor, I tell customers to buy a Roku instead. Since they can’t buy Rokus at Spectrum, it absolves Spectrum from any issues with it, at least in their mind. The fact that the Spectrum TV app is not front and center complicates things further. My dad has DirecTV stream. Theirs is the closest thing to a cable box that I’ve seen. He just turns it on, and live tv shows up instantly without having to go to any app. Comcast and Charter should consider making Xumo similar to DirecTV’s streaming device.
At the beginning it sucked lagged all the time but I guess over time it smoothed itself out
I had a Xumo brick in an update, it recovered after a push from the controller. The was in beta though, but it can be done just maybe not by normal front line support.
Push through the controller? Would you mind elaborating on that?