just got FiOS friday - old DVR? (6416 vs 7232)

Perhaps I should have done a little more research before my installation on Friday. However, after it was completed, I started searching around for more information on my DVR. The main thing I wanted to know was how much storage it had - a question I asked the technician, but he did not know the answer too. (In fact, gave me a snarky reply of "ENOUGH!"

So, it turns out I got the 6416, and from my searching it seems like there is a newer 7232 available. I called a representative, and she was ready to help out, but said that is all that was showing up on her screen. (whatever screen that was) and that I should go online for more information.

So - basically - not sure what the best way to go about this is. She seemed to agree that I should have gotten a newer DVR, but did not know how to get it for me. There is a Verizon office near me - do I just show up and ask to exchange? Will they charge me an upgrade fee? Seems silly that I would have to pay for an upgrade if i am a new subscriber.

Also - just to clarify - the 7232 is a "multi-room" DVR, right? That is what I signed up for and that is how the 6416 is set up. If I do end up getting a newer DVR, is it as simple as disconnecting one and connecting the other? I don't want to have to do intricate setup for the DVR to work. But I feel I should be given the latest technology available!

Accepted answers

Justin46

Hopefully some of what I say will help .

1) Verizon apparently is very short of the new 7232 DVRs, so they are pretty much being forced to install some customers with 7216 or even old 6416 DVRs. That is a shame, and I would be mad if it happened to me, but that appears to be what is happening today. The 6416 has a 160 GB hard drive, enough for about 20 hours of HD recording. I had one for 5 years, worked fine, but I replaced it with a 7232 earlier this year before I got the new 1.9 level of the IMG, and I am very glad I did. From everything I have read, the 6416 works very poorly with the new 1.9 level of the IMG, plus it does not have an eSATA port for attaching an external hard drive.

2) Verizon does have a 7216 model, newer and faster than the 6416, but same size hard drive (160 GB). If I were you I would make every effort to at least get a 7216, you will be much happier, plus it does have the eSATA port.

3) The latest Motorola DVR Verizon offers is the 7232, which has a 500 GB hard drive. I am very happy with mine.

4) You can go to the store and see what happens. Some folks are successful, others not. Some have had to pay the $40, others not. I would call first to see what they have in stock. If they have 7232, great (especally if they don't make you pay the $40), if not, at least get a 7216 if they have it. I know you said there was a store nearby, but here is a link to where there are Verizon stores, not all Verizon stores stock STBs, etc:

http://www22.verizon.com/Residential/Templates/sas/sas_StoreLocator.aspx

5) All Verizon DVRs are capable of multi-room operation. It is basically a software feature that must be activated, and of course costs $4/mo more. One thing I did experience when I replaced my 6416 with a 7232 is that it took a while and some effort to get the multi-room feature transferred from one DVR to the other. I wound up calling and the lady was very nice, but it took some time to get it done. But yes, hooking up a 7232 or 7216 is basically the same as hooking up the 6416, same cables will work, etc.

Good luck!

__________________________________
Justin
FiOS TV, 25/25 Internet, and Digital Voice user
QIP7232, QIP7100-P2, IMG 1.9
Keller, TX 76248

All comments

ambera

By the way, I am in RIchmond, VA in case that helps. Should these newer boxes be readily available here?

matcarl

The older 6416's are also multi-room DVR's. Verizon is in short supply of the newer models right now unfortunately.

Justin46

Hopefully some of what I say will help .

3) The latest Motorola DVR Verizon offers is the 7232, which has a 500 GB hard drive. I am very happy with mine.

http://www22.verizon.com/Residential/Templates/sas/sas_StoreLocator.aspx

Good luck!

__________________________________
Justin
FiOS TV, 25/25 Internet, and Digital Voice user
QIP7232, QIP7100-P2, IMG 1.9
Keller, TX 76248

ambera

Thanks, Justin - that was very helpful! I will give the local store a call tomorrow and see what happens. *fingers crossed*

NateHarrigan

Exact same situation with me. I have been on the phone with Verizon "help" for about 2 hours today...to no avail. No one seems to be able to get me the 7232. Everyone says to order it online, but the online "change equipment" link does not work...hasn't for 3 days. I am getting real frustrated and will probably call DirecTV this afternoon to stay with them. Service is better, they seemed to care, and when you had an issue they solved it, just didn't pass the buck (I spoke with 6 different departments today with no resolution). All I want is the better whole house DVR. It seems I just got whatever the installer had on his truck.

ffrcoupe

For those of you in the Northern VA area, there is a Verizon store in Woodbridge that, I think, is primarily a Fios equipment "store". They have a warehouse in the back and have a lot of STB's back there. They do other customer service stuff to but I think they are there to swap out boxes for customers.

I was able to walk in with our 3 DVR's and walk out with 3 7232 2's. I think they prefer if you call customer service and place the order for the new STB and have the order # with you when you walk in. That makes it easier for them and faster for you. I didn't, I just walked in and they still helped me. Then again, I am VERY nice to anyone that is helping me like that.

The address is:

Verizon

2451 Prince William Parkway

Woodbridge, VA 22192

Good luck. 🙂

oldfashioned

"The older 6416's are also multi-room DVR's. Verizon is in short supply of the newer models right now unfortunately."

Thankfully that situation doesn't apply to me but that is ridiculous and I sure as heck would be mad if I were in that situation. What a waste of everyone's time! I am sorry but that's Verizon's fault for not planning ahead, not the customer's fault by any stretch of the means and if Verizon loses a lot of business due to that, then too bad for Verizon. It's what I've been saying all along and I fault management for that. Sure, let's just hope that nobody will say anything after rolling out the IMG 1.9 upgrade and let them run it on outdated equipment. I'm sorry and I don't mean any disrespect but that's retarded!

Think of what more customers are going to do if they're given the old box and cannot get the upgrade. They will take their business elsewhere and I wouldn't blame them in the least. Does anyone honestly think a customer in that situation would want to settle like that while continuing to pay all of this money per month? Heck no! Common sense.

And giving an old STB or DVR to a new Verizon customer...how stupid! Being in short supply is definitely Verizon's fault, not ours. Management should have known this ahead of time, informed customers about this, and had all of this ready beforehand, I am sorry. That is no excuse!

Here we go again: It's the same problem over and over again and still, nothing gets resolved so this won't keep happening over and over again in the future.

Really smart! Hopefully, any customer in that situation will be able to swap the box at a Verizon Fios store and be done with it. I would certainly hope for that at the very least.

ambera

@ffrcoupe wrote:
For those of you in the Northern VA area, there is a Verizon store in Woodbridge that, I think, is primarily a Fios equipment "store". They have a warehouse in the back and have a lot of STB's back there. They do other customer service stuff to but I think they are there to swap out boxes for customers.
I was able to walk in with our 3 DVR's and walk out with 3 7232 2's. I think they prefer if you call customer service and place the order for the new STB and have the order # with you when you walk in. That makes it easier for them and faster for you. I didn't, I just walked in and they still helped me. Then again, I am VERY nice to anyone that is helping me like that.
The address is:
Verizon
2451 Prince William Parkway
Woodbridge, VA 22192
Good luck. 🙂

Just out of curiosity, did you have to pay an upgrade fee for the 3 DVRs?

I am driving by that way over the weekend, and can stop by if they have the 7232s in stock. I would even call customer service and place an order in advance if I knew how! I've already called them and talked to 3 different people, none of which could help me place an order. The last person just said to go online and I would be put on a waiting list. (I'm not even sure where online I would do this!)

ffrcoupetemp

@ambera wrote:
Just out of curiosity, did you have to pay an upgrade fee for the 3 DVRs?

I have not seen a charge on the bill as of yet.

You could always do the same as I did and just walk in the door with your DVR(s) and ask for a 7232 2. Either they will give you a new one or they won't. Worse case, you have to bring your old DVR(s) back home and hook it back up.

I brought the STB, remote, and power cord for each DVR with me to exchange.

The only snag I ran into is that we have 7 STB's in the house which is the max. The Verizon rep had to call into Verizon customer service to get the STB swapped which took about 1/2 hour. NBD, I just waited.

Everyone in the store was very nice and helpful.

Good luck. 🙂

ffrcoupe

@ambera wrote:

Just out of curiosity, did you have to pay an upgrade fee for the 3 DVRs?

I have not seen a charge on the bill as of yet.

I brought the STB, remote, and power cord for each DVR with me to exchange.

Everyone in the store was very nice and helpful.

Good luck. 🙂

grussinko1

Glad to find this thread. I just had service connected today (I was not at home, my girlfriend was, or else I would have asked this during install) and found I had been given a 6416. No widescreen guide, tiny hard drive, etc.

Understandably annoyed, I have tried Verizon phone support three times and chat once with nobody yet being able to asisst yet. My final call resulted in being told that because I am porting a phone number from my old provider, I can't make any changes to my account for 10 days. So I guess I have to wait until after the new year before I can even start fighting this fight and trying to get the current generation DVR.

Even worse, the nearest Verizon store (not Wireless) is a 2 hour drive from here.

oldfashioned

That's ridiculous. If I were you, I would be persistent and ask to speak to a supervisor if need be. What a frustrating way to start with a new provider after all that time and work that went into installing the system and getting the wiring in place.

I've had Verizon Fios a long time now but if you really can't get the matter resolved and you really are stuck with the old box, don't be afraid to switch. It sounds like a pain.

Good luck!

ffrcoupe

@grussinko wrote:
Glad to find this thread. I just had service connected today (I was not at home, my girlfriend was, or else I would have asked this during install) and found I had been given a 6416. No widescreen guide, tiny hard drive, etc.
Understandably annoyed, I have tried Verizon phone support three times and chat once with nobody yet being able to asisst yet. My final call resulted in being told that because I am porting a phone number from my old provider, I can't make any changes to my account for 10 days. So I guess I have to wait until after the new year before I can even start fighting this fight and trying to get the current generation DVR.
Even worse, the nearest Verizon store (not Wireless) is a 2 hour drive from here.

Wow... that sucks.

All I can say is stick with it beause the 7232 2 is a very nice STB and well worth the hassle of getting.

grussinko1

Good news - I decided to take a leap of faith and call back the number the tech called from before the initial install - it went to voicemail so I left a message describing my plight with the folks on the support line, to see if there was any way to get the box swapped out since the call center was giving me the runaround on the phone.

Got a call back from a different tech saying they'd be happy to take care of it for me, and that there was a tech who would be in the area this morning - that tech called a few minutes later to confirm and should arrive shortly to swap them out.

Moral of the story (which is on par with basically any other descriptions I've read) is that the folks in the call center really don't have much of a clue what's going on, while the guys actually doing the work are the ones who can get stuff done. Was very pleased and impressed by the response from the local techs with three different guys following up on my voicemail in the span of about an hour.

One of the techs on the phone referenced the 7232 as "the secret special boxes they won't let us have". Makes it sound like they're under instructions to install 6416s unless a customer explicitly demands something else.

ffrcoupe

I'm glad things worked out for you. Smiley Happy

oldfashioned

Good for you grussinko! A "secret special box"...lol...give me a break. You can rest easy and enjoy now that the problem is resolved. And you didn't have to travel 2 hours out of your way which is even better. It pays to be resourceful.

I was just remembering a long time ago when a Verizon tech came to my house to fix a problem, he left me with his cell phone number in case I had any further problems after that. I never held onto his number but now I understand why. Some of those reps can be very annoying or can really be trying but don't know what they're doing because they're not trained properly and don't have the right information to work with.

I just don't understand why the old box is still being given to some new customers and why this wasn't planned out in advance when it was known that the newer box is needed for the newer TV Guide Display. It doesn't make sense. And even when I first had my Fios installed, I was given the QIP-7100 box at the time and that's what I still have.

When the new TV Guide Display came out here in my area, I still was using my older analog TV and nobody I called from tech support could give me a sensible, satisfactory answer and then when I came here, I learned quickly that I needed the flatscreen which I now have, for the same reasons why you needed the newer box. It was just an upgrade and it makes sense because running new technology on outdated equipment with more limitations doesn't work.

Sometimes I think that people really don't care about their jobs and sometimes I think that common sense has gone out the window.