Long story short, I needed to get my cable box replaced. (Interesting note: Called yesterday, was told that if I'd wanted to get the old box fixed, the first appointment was Wednesday. If I wanted a new one, they could come today.)
The appointment window is 2-5, during the whole time I am trapped in the house because Tech Staff has gone on a hike. Fair enough, he doesn't care if we have Japanese TV or anything else really.
The doorbell rings at 4:59 and 45 seconds. And the first thing the guy says is he looks at the TV and says it's not compatible, it needs a different box.
OK, now, he is reconsidering and trying to install it. I am not sure how it is going because I was so mad I had to leave the room. But FUCK, even if it does work - if there is an issue of what kind of box I need, why didn't they discuss this on the phone when I made the appointment?

!!!!
And here's what I don't get. I understood why the cable company was incompetent when they were a monopoly. But we have a choice of companies now. But they BOTH suck.