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sclancy's avatar
sclancy
New Contributor
5 years ago

Cox removes El Rey Network

I went to watch one of my favorite shows last night on El Rey network and was greeted with the message "Programming on this channel is unavailable at this time."

I spent over 2 hours on CHAT and on the phone being told by various tech support folks that "your cable box" needs to be rebooted, or "that station is not broadcasting" and various other non-helpful statements. I finally was moved to "Tier two" and was told by someone who actually knew something that Cox has removed El Rey from its channel line-up.

So why did none of the other techs know this? This would have saved me a considerable amount of time and frustration being bounced from CHAT and then after reconnecting with someone else, having them leave and not come back.

It's ironic that after the CHAT session I am asked to fill out a survey: "Would you recommend Cox to a friend?"  Um, no. Not unless I no longer want them for friend!

"Cox is your friend in the digital age" my @$$.

El Rey was an awesome channel with some great shows. I was looking forward to watching it during this stay-at-home crisis.

Thanks a lot Cox.

Cox **
EL Rey
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  • ThatGirl's avatar
    ThatGirl
    New Contributor
    5 years ago

    I agree. We discovered it was missing yesterday and finally found out today that Cox will no longer pay for it with OUR money. As I'm sure you understand, these movies were a bit of sanity for us during these insane times. It's like having a rug pulled out from under us, and our family is horribly upset. It's like adding insult to injury. Is El Rey the answer to finding world peace? I think not. However, it was something we really, really looked forward to and shared as a family. Once again, thanks Cox! This crisis will not go on forever. However, neither will our large and regular payments to Cox. 

  • Bruce's avatar
    Bruce
    Honored Contributor III
    5 years ago

    I've never heard of that channel.  I did discover Cox has a free preview of Showtime, EPIX, Sony, Hallmark and Game Show Network (odd).  This freebie seems to only be the on-demand programs because the "live" channels said I needed to subscribe.

    • CurtB's avatar
      CurtB
      Valued Contributor III
      5 years ago

      Thanks for the heads up.  I checked out Showtime and Epix both On-Demand and the Contour website.  Neither was available live, as you said.  I noticed FF was available, though really not necessary since there aren't any commercials.  Hallmark was available too, but it's not my thing,  I didn't find Sony and I didn't even look for Game Show Network.  How long is the freebie?    

      The only real impact of no access to "live" programming for those channels is that recording isn't possible.  We should probably stockpile recorded movies now, when we can, since some regular TV seasons will probably end early because taping was suspended due to COVID-19.  And, the MLB season is going to be significantly delayed, possibly cancelled.  Does anyone have any good movie recommendations on those channels?  I watched "Overlord" (2018) on Epix last night.  In my opinion, that was a long way to go for not much.  So, don't bother with that one.

      • Bruce's avatar
        Bruce
        Honored Contributor III
        5 years ago

        Good movies...nowadays...what's that?  I think the last good movie was Britain's Darkest Hour.  I started watching The Tudors series on Showtime.  It's okay.

  • RMP's avatar
    RMP
    New Contributor
    5 years ago

    Literally exactly the same thing happened to me. 

    2 hours of my life wasted. 

    The survey after the chat was bold of them to ask...lol

  • TravisD's avatar
    TravisD
    New Contributor
    5 years ago

    I agree.... I went to watch my favorite show that I record for the past 3 days and got the same message.  It would be nice to be notified by Cox ahead of time when channels are being discontinued.  I used to work for Cox and the only reason I still have them is because I refuse to use Verizon because their customer service is even worse than Cox. After working for the company, I will say, they don't care about customers (the corporate office, not the employees).  All they care about is the bottom line.  

    The company does not notify employees well enough of lineup changes and things to help the customer.  They fire their technical support agents so quickly that they don't have people with tenure who know what they're doing.  They're more about upselling than they are about fixing customer problems or giving the customer what they want.

  • badboysjuice61's avatar
    badboysjuice61
    New Contributor
    5 years ago

      Agree with you that removing El Rey & Fusion was a big mistake on Cox's part.  I'm paying nearly $200 a month! They should be adding channels not taking them away! As far as Cox's customer service reps goes I've NEVER seen such un-knowledgeable people about their own product in my life.   I had a rep tell me I never had those 2 channels in the first place & that I had no reason to complain! This after a 45 minute wait on hold!!! 

  • Zombiejunkie13's avatar
    Zombiejunkie13
    New Contributor
    5 years ago

    EL Rey was one of my FAVORITE channels and I left Verison for Cox just because of EL Rey! Now I WILL leave Cox for a better provider, maybe one of there competitors ! There are other entertainment options and I will be finding something else! I will continue to pay my bill with great disdain and disappointment until I find someone better!