I've read the other guides suggesting you not purchase a digital cable box on eBay because the cable company won't activate it. In my area, that is completely TRUE. Between our two households (ours and our daughter's), we've had Comcast, Time-Warner and Northland Cable... and none of them will activate these boxes (and yes, we do own them). Like the old AT&T interconnect issue of the 50's and early 60's, they don't want you to own your equipment because they make a whole lot more money renting it out to you. And so far, no one has challenged them in court... so they continue to claim it could "cause damage to their system" if subscribers were allowed to own, rather than rent, their equipment. HOGWASH! But I digress....

Aside from supporting what other guide writers have said about purchasing a cable box, I must also refute their allegation that these boxes are ALL owned by the cable company, and being sold "illegally." That is simply not true because we personally own THREE of them. How? My daughter moved, and her cable boxes got taken to our house in the last load, rather than hers (long story involving bedroom furniture exchanges, et al). A week or so later, I asked her if she needed them to get her cable connected at her new home. OOPS! She'd already called the cable company to come out, and told them she needed 3 new boxes. They said she already had 3 of them, but she thought they must've been 1) lost in the move, or 2) "reallocated" (stolen) by the movers. So before she could get cable, she had to pay for them. Nearly $500! And she paid it, not realizing they were sitting in OUR garage the entire time, complete with remotes! And now they're useless, the cable companies refuse to activate them. Because she didn't "retain her receipt," they also won't refund her money, even though they could easily look at her account in their own system, and know 1) the serial #'s of the originally rented items (which, amazingly enough, would exactly match those in our possession); and 2) what, when and how much she paid for them. It's all in there, IT'S THEIR SYSTEM! But they demand the original receipt. Which, of course, she doesn't have. She couldn't keep track of 3 boxes and remotes; you think she knows where a tiny slip of paper might be? HA!

And that's how some people come to OWN their cable boxes. At more than $150 apiece, I might add. For one reason or another, they are forced to pay for them. It is my personal contention that the cable companies have created a monopoly on these items, and should be court-ordered into interconnectivity like AT&T/Ma Bell (funny how cable modems don't harm their system, huh?). But be that as it may, not everyone selling these boxes on eBay is a scammer, and I was personally offended reading guide after guide that said they are! I don't doubt that it happens, the scams and selling items that aren't legally owned... but I also know it's entirely possible to own these boxes legally. Last I knew, if I pay for something, it legally belongs to me (or in this case, my daughter). Right?

Honestly, I just wanted to sell these 3 units/remotes to get a small portion of her money back (and yeah, to get them out of our guest room closet, too). But after seeing the feedback ratings for those selling them, and the allegations of scamming by various guide writers, I've completely changed my mind. I'd rather throw them in the trash. Being a rather new, but honest (and hopefully long-term) eBay seller, I just don't want to get involved in what appears to be a dishonest scheme... regardless of my personal feelings on the legality issue of owning vs. renting these items.

Final thoughts: People can own their own cable boxes... but the cable companies can also refuse to activate them. And they do. And at the moment, there isn't a darned thing you can do about it, either. So please, take my advice and CALL THEM before spending your money on an expensive, and completely useless, dust collector!

Thanks for reading, and I hope this was in some way helpful. Or funny. Or informative. Or something that brightened your day. Or pretty much anything other than a complete waste of your time! Godspeed. :-)