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Anonymous User
Not applicable

Live Chat and Higher Team Responses

As many (including me) have posted on here, there are a large number of problems with the AppleTV app. Some reported these issues over a year ago. One of the support team here suggested Live Chat and I was wondering if my experience was fairly typical.

 

1st Live Chat:

- Run through a list of 'solutions' for if third party items could be causing the problems' (They weren't).

- Speak with a manager who makes same suggestions.

- Try to insist Apple might be to blame and I should call Apple.

- Finally point out the obvious from evidence that it is the NowTV app

- Advises raised with higher team who will email in 24-48 hours but he couldn't possibly give me their email address or phone number.

 

No follow up

 

2nd Live Chat:

- Endless apologies for no response.

- Raises priority.

- Assures me that someone will be in touch but not sure when

- Cuts me off.

 

2nd Live Chat 2:

- More apologies.

- Assures me again that someone will be in touch

- Cuts me off

 

2nd Live Chat 3:

- Different person on third attempt that day after twice cut off.

- More apologies.

- Says someone will be in touch.

- Ask to speak with manager.

- Manager will email me in 24 hours.

 

No follow up

 

3rd Live Chat:

- Technical team will email me when they are ready and have fixed the problems (that have been documented by others on here over a year ago).

- Ask to speak with manager.

- Manager unavailable but we promise will email within 24 hours.

 

 

In short - Trying to pass the blame to third parties, promising responses in 48 hours that don't happen, promise manager's will email in 24 hours which doesn't happen and then expects me to believe yet another promise that I will be emailed in 24 hours. Is this typical or am I just having bad luck?

42 REPLIES 42
SeeMoreDigital
Legend 5
Legend 5

From what I understand...

 

Access and playback (and for some, payment) of NOW TV content on Apple devices is handled quite different to other devices and platforms, as all NOW TV content has to be 'Appleized' by an Apple approved third party, so it suits Apples GUI vision, before being made available for streaming... 

 

Having a third-party involved in any distribution chain can introduce problems out of source providers control Smiley Surprised

Anonymous User
Not applicable

@SeeMoreDigital Perhaps it might be handled differently from other devices, however when every other app is working perfectly this indicates that bugs with the NowTV app specifically are causing problems rather than anything that Apple are controling. If the bugs are related to the way the app interacts with the tvOS of AppleTV then it is NowTV who need to talk to Apple to solve these problems as I am not a part of the NowTV app development team and have no way of adjusting the app's programming.

 

In my conversations via email, Live Chat or in this forum, there have been consistent attempts to lay responsibility at the hands of a third party. It was suggested that many problems only appearing with the NowTV app could be caused by a bad HDMI cable, the ISP or Apple. All of this is absurd. Regarding the permissions error, the fact that by getting it to work on a laptop solved the permissions error for the Apple TV also suggests that particular problem is to do with NowTV's system and attempts by NowTV to wash their hands of the issue are incredibly frustrating.

 

@4268 that's interesting. Thank you, I'll take a look at these options.

SeeMoreDigital
Legend 5
Legend 5

@Anonymous User wrote:

@SeeMoreDigital Perhaps it might be handled differently from other devices, however when every other app is working perfectly this indicates that bugs with the NowTV app specifically are causing problems rather than anything that Apple are controling.

 


There's a lot more to it than this @Anonymous User.

 

Sufficed to say, if the dedicated NOW TV 'app' was faulty, no content would play on any of the Apples devices at all, not just a select few sources!

 

 

 

Anonymous User
Not applicable

@SeeMoreDigital I really don't understand your need to defend NowTV and their app.

 

tvOS and iOS are similar operating systems with some common code but they are seperate, as are the corresponding apps. The iOS app has been updated a number of times, the tvOS app has not received an update in some time and they are fundamentally different apps. Bugs that appear on one do not necessarily need to appear on the other for it to be a software issue. As I have mentioned, other apps work flawlessly, Netflix, YouTube and iPlayer for instance have never crashed my AppleTV, they are all able to return to the episode lists rather than finishing with a blank screen and the search functions work on all of them. I am not trying to be difficult or patronising, but when you can narrow the problems down to a specific app it becomes clear that the NowTV app is the problem.

 

The bottom line is I am a NowTV customer asking for them to improve their product. These problems are not just effecting me, but a sizable number of AppleTV users. If NowTV genuinely believe that it is an issue that Apple may be able to help solve, then I encourage them to talk to Apple so that together they can create a solution for all of their AppleTV customers. Even if, despite all appearances to the contrary, Apple's role in creating these bugs is larger than I believe them to be, with no ability to amend either Apple's or NowTV's programming, I am not going to have much luck talking to Apple myself and suggestions that I do are going to be a waste of everyone's time. If NowTV want to treat their customer's with respect I suggest that they work hard to solve persistent problems that we AppleTV users have been incurring.

 

You may not agree with my opinion, but it is my opinion, there is a consistent logic behind my opinion and I am entitled to my opinion. I don't see why I am having to justify it to you, when all I am asking for is NowTV's help. @SeeMoreDigital not every comment requires a reply from you and if you are not going to be constructive please do not feel like you need to comment further on this thread.

SeeMoreDigital
Legend 5
Legend 5

With respect, I prefer my many experience of actually working with audio and video formats along with dozens of content delivery systems over your 'opinions'...

Anonymous User
Not applicable

With respect I have a distinction for my MSc in Digital Media Production, I have produced a number of corporate videos output for many formats and I have been responsible for media management during coverage of international sporting events. What I am not is a programmer, and from what you have said, neither are you -this an issue either related to software, firmware or hardware so neither of us is more qualified than the other to diagnose the problem.

SeeMoreDigital
Legend 5
Legend 5

Okay then... Let's go with your understanding of the current situation.

Andy
Legend 5
Legend 5

@SeeMoreDigital wrote:

Okay then... Let's go with your understanding of the current situation.


 

Let's go with a bit more empathy towards new users on the forum who are making NOW TV aware of issues that need looking into and respectfully asking to see if there are any updates, all of which seems perfectly reasonable to me.

Anonymous User
Not applicable

Thanks @Andy.

 

On my part, when talking with customer service teams I do have a tendancy to frustrate too quickly and I hope @Anonymous User will not take offense to my tone in some of these messages - as I say this is directed more at NowTV policies and slow progress than it is at any specific team member who is, I am sure, doing what he can to help.

Andy
Legend 5
Legend 5

@Anonymous User Don't worry. I was an ATV user a while back but gave up in preference to other devices. As a big user of NOW TV the problems with the app (to be fair there used to be a lot of problems with episodes not playing, or missing, or late uploading a couple of years back but it seems to have improved a lot since) were pretty much the reason why I gave up on the ATV in the end, which is a shame. But I hope this particular issue gets sorted soon (I'm a big Modern Family fan too!)