Frustrations with Shaw TV for Seniors

[Bearocleez]

Hello everyone,

I wanted to share our recent experience with Shaw TV, hoping to get some advice and perhaps bring some attention to a significant issue we've encountered. My mother recently switched over from Telus to Shaw, and we were hoping this would be a more user-friendly option for her as a senior. Unfortunately, we've faced several challenges that have made the transition far from ideal.

The most frustrating aspect has been the way the channels are set up. To effectively use the service, you need to create a favorites list and access it through the guide button. This setup is quite cumbersome for a senior to manage, especially if they are not tech-savvy. Here are some specific issues we've encountered:

1. Complex Setup Process: Creating and managing a favorites list is not straightforward. My mother found it confusing and difficult to navigate.

2. Channel Up/Down Buttons: The channel up and down buttons on the remote do not cycle through the favorites list. Instead, they scroll through all available channels, including those we don't have or want. This often results in prompts asking if we want to subscribe to these channels, which is both confusing and frustrating for her.

3. Reduced Options: Compared to Telus, my mother now has even fewer options. She mainly keeps the TV on MeTV and is afraid to turn off the TV or change the channel for fear of not being able to get back to it easily.

4. Remote Control Issues: Shaw tried to help by sending two new remotes, including a larger one. While this was a nice gesture, it does not address the fundamental issue with the Favorites list and the channel up and down buttons.

The overall user experience is not senior-friendly. The constant interruptions asking if we want to subscribe to additional channels disrupt her viewing and make it difficult for her to enjoy her TV time. It would be wonderful to have the old coaxial-based cable system where you could simply cycle through channels using the channel change buttons on the remote.

We had hoped Shaw would offer a better, more intuitive experience for seniors, but this has not been our experience so far. If anyone has tips on how to make this setup more user-friendly or if there are any features we might have missed that could help, we would greatly appreciate it.

Additionally, I hope Shaw considers this feedback and looks into ways to improve the interface and functionality for senior users. A more straightforward, accessible way to manage and navigate favorite channels would make a significant difference.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I look forward to any suggestions or insights you might have.

[g-idk]

Hi @Bearocleez , only suggestion I can think of is the user friendly (?) Voice control on the remote maybe you can try that function out, I use it time to time it's pretty easy just hold down the big blue button and tell the remote what you want.  Hope that helps.  Oh and you should copy your above post and send it to Rogers/Shaw with the "Your Voice" link  Resolve your concern | Rogers Together With Shaw so this way they actually see it for sure, since this is just a peer to peer help forum with volunteers who just try to help out people, we have no affliction with Rogers/Shaw.  Maybe someone else on here has some suggestions for you in regards to helping with a senior navigating the ignite tv system.   

[rstra]

@Bearocleez You don’t need to set up a favourites list, just set the cable box default to the “Free to Me” guide. As @g-idk mentioned, use the voice remote to navigate to other channels.

https://support.shaw.ca/t5/tv-articles/how-to-filter-your-guide-view-in-bluecurve-tv/ta-p/6010

[Sparhawk4321]

I agree completely with the previous post. not being able to intuitively use channel up and down when you have favorites selected is a painful thing to deal with for the elderly. 

The only tip i think I found was you can have a "default" channel so if she unplugs it and plugs it back in she should at least be able to return to her favorite channel but paying $200 a month for one channel is insane. 

[Sparhawk4321]

Problem with the free to me is that if you had any favorites previously subscribed to but no longer there is no way to remove them they just persist. The other problem is the list is so long with stingrays and other channels that the elderly get lost. Why can't there simply be a favorites that works? Most homes have more than 1 person living there how can there not be multiple favorites or allow you do to it for each box? They let you name each box. What is incredibly frustrating is having a favorite and you can't remove them because you no longer have that channel.

The planning on the guide is horrible can't even sort out by movies you CAN watch because of your subscriptions as a filtering option. You pay for a service at a premium cost you don't expect to have to deal with so much advertising within the product. For the elderly it's a nightmare.