Cable TV in BsAs

In Buenos Aires getting a utility company to provided what one has paid for is often akin to pulling teeth.

An apartment owner had a problem with his cable tv/internet provider. The company, Cablevision, has an effective monopoly in many parts of Buenos Aires.

An appointment was made. I agreed to wait for the cable guy who would call between 13:00 and 17:00. No problem, he did. He fiddled around for a bit and announced that there was a problem. Whoopy doo! We knew that. His attitude was surly and he did not seem interested in a solution. He said he couldn't fix anything and that another cable guy would have to visit. Cablevision would call us, he said.

They didn't. Later in the afternoon a long call to Cablevision produced a promise that another cable guy would visit before 17:00. He didn't but eventually showed up at 18:30.

He made an effort to diagnose the problem. We went up to the roof. This is a fourteen story building with lots of apartments. Here is the Cablevision control box.

1209Cab1

Cablevision have installed a complete dogs breakfast. It's not surprising we have a problem. Huge amounts of cable laid in an unsightly manner in the cheapest possible way. A satellite provider does the same thing. The roof is a mass of cables.
1209Cab2

Multiple cable runs draped over the parapet all the way down to street level with absolutely no consideration for aesthetics or the integrity of the exterior walls.
1209Cab3

Finally cable guy number two says that the cable run will have to be replaced. However, he does not have any cable and cannot do it. One had to smile. A cable guy with no cable. Another appointment would be required. Cablevision would call us.......