kaltorak1's profile

New Poster

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8 Messages

Saturday, January 10th, 2026 10:19 PM

My CableCards got deactivated by mistake - how do we fix?

Hi Xfinity,

A couple days ago (Jan 7, 2026) I went into the local retail location and made some changes to my cable / phone / internet package.  Never needed home phone, got my internet billing modernized to remove the cable modem rental fee, and did something to my TV package.  Bill came down, yay!

An hour later, I get a call from home that the TV doesn't work.  Uh-oh.

I get home and investigate.  My two Xfinity set-top boxes are fine, but all three of my TiVos are disabled.

It looks like a CableCard thing, so I go to the web link to activate a CableCard, and it says to call a number.

From there, I spend most of an hour on the phone with tech support, security, and a different part of tech support. 

The last agent tried to tell me that CableCards weren't compatible with Xfinity's system, which was obviously untrue, seeing as how they worked fine the day prior, right up until they were actively deactivated.

But the message was utterly consistent - mistake or not, they won't un-disable a CableCard.  

Went back to the retail location the following day, happened to see the same agent, and explained the situation.

I already knew that he didn't explain to me, before, that we were performing a point-of-no-return disabling of my stuff.

But it became obvious that he couldn't possibly have explained it; he had to go talk to his manager to even understand what I was telling him and find out what a CableCard was.

The conclusion was that nobody in the retail office was going to do anything to fix the mistake (to be fair, probably because they lacked any useful authority to do so).

He did offer me some more set-top boxes (at $15/mo each.)  I declined.

I understand the big picture, that Xfinity would like to be done with CableCards and is no longer required to support them.

But even so, this seems pretty shady, that there's no path back from a change that got made with, at best, uninformed consent. 

This one-way trip obviously wasn't explicitly disclosed to me, and if we're gonna say it's my responsibility to read the work order carefully... do you really want people tying up your retail agents while they read all the fine print of everything?

How do we make this right??

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Accepted Solution

New Poster

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8 Messages

3 hours ago

For those who come after:

The Xfinity support people were very nice, but it made no difference. 

Xfinity has broken their own ability to re-enable CableCards, no matter whether they were disconnected intentionally or in error.

So... I'm hosed. 

My Tivos are now useless, and if I want to pause live TV, I've got to pay $75/mo for X1 set-top box rentals for each of my TVs.

Moral of the story:  Don't be rushed.  Read the fine print on whatever work order you're agreeing to.

Official Employee

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397 Messages

9 days ago

Hey there, thanks for taking the time to post on our community forums! Even though Xfinity is no longer supporting cable cards, our team would be more than happy to see if we might be able to get them reactivated. I see that you've already reached out over direct message, so we'll continue this conversation there to keep your information secure. We look forward to working with you! 

Visitor

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2 Messages

Hello @XfinitySean,

I have a similar issue where I came back from a vacation to find all my channels dark and tivo telling me I need to activate my cable card. Multiple calls to Xfinity send me to the overseas call centers and even level 2 support unwilling to help me get the card reactivated. Can you assist me?

Thanks, 

Eric [Edited: "Personal Information"]

(edited)

Official Employee

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548 Messages

Hello @theguru1974, Thank you for reaching out! I would be glad to take a look and see if we can get them reactivated for you. 

Please send us a direct message with your full name and address so that we can assist you further.

To send a "Direct Message" to Xfinity Support:

Click "Sign In" if necessary

Click the "Direct Messaging" icon or  https://forums.xfinity.com/direct-messaging

Click the "New message" (pencil and paper) icon

The "To:" line prompts you to "Type the name of a person". Instead, type "Xfinity Support" there

- As you are typing a drop-down list appears. Select "Xfinity Support" from that list

- An "Xfinity Support" graphic replaces the "To:" line

Type your message in the text area near the bottom of the window

Press Enter to send it.

I am an Official Xfinity Employee.
Official Employees are from multiple teams within Xfinity: CARE, Product, Leadership.
We ask that you post publicly so people with similar questions may benefit from the conversation.
Was your question answered? Please, mark a reply as the Accepted Answer.tick

Visitor

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2 Messages

DM Sent! Thank you for responding and offering to help.

- Eric

Official Employee

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448 Messages

Hello @theguru1974, I understand the importance of keeping those services running smoothly. I do want to let you know that we are merging away from the cable cards. However, I can do some troubleshooting to see if I can get you back online. In order to gain access to your account I will need to send a 6-digit code. Would you like me to send that code to your primary phone or email on file?

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