Flowrestling issues

[Mendoza77]

A bit of a rant.....It's been three years since I last subscribed to Flowrestling -- the previous times that I subscribed, I ended up canceling due to streaming problems, or the college season ended. Despite streaming problems in the past, I made a bad decision yesterday and decided to subscribe once again, hoping that they finally figured out how to provide good streaming. WRONG! I paid a $30 monthly fee, and when I tuned into the dual last night, I would get 3-5 seconds of action, followed by 10-15 seconds of buffering. Essentially impossible to watch the dual. After 3 matches I gave up.

I then wrote an email to Flowrestling, requesting a refund (knowing that they would say NO). Sure enough, they replied and said it's their company policy not to issue refunds. Wow, a company that makes it their Policy not to issue justified refunds?! It's now a certainty that I will never subscribe again, and will spread the word that Flo is an unethical company that cannot be trusted. Very sad, because they've had the potential to do great things in building up the minor sports as well as being highly profitable. I'll admit they've done many positive things for wrestling, but it's been mixed with bad things that have soured people like me.

 

[WildTurk]

Yeah they have terrible customer service. Always have. They don't give a shit about the little guy. They just want your money

 

[Muscles1989]

I don’t like flo, I definitely don’t like their wrestling analysts, but dang you get to see so much more wrestling that you couldn’t otherwise. I go back and forth on keeping the subscription.

 

[98lberEating2Lunches]

Despite streaming problems in the past

Unfortunately, many streaming problems relate to bottlenecks beyond the providers control. Any bandwidth limitation between the provider and consumer can lead to excessive buffering or timeouts/hangup. Processing power or memory limitations on the receiving end can also contribute to a less than satisfactory viewing experience.

I would suggest a thorough review of your connectivity setup before subscribing again.

 

[dtripp26]

Unfortunately, many streaming problems relate to bottlenecks beyond the providers control. Any bandwidth limitation between the provider and consumer can lead to excessive buffering or timeouts/hangup. Processing power or memory limitations on the receiving end can also contribute to a less than satisfactory viewing experience.

I would suggest a thorough review of your connectivity setup before subscribing again.

I think the ship has sailed on OP subscribing to those clowns again but I'd be curious about OP and others streaming issues or lack thereof using other streaming services.

Given their cost versus other services, subs expect not only better content, which they do deliver, but better streaming from flo.

 

[MVPFAN]

I absolutely get more buffering issues from Flo than ESPN+ or BTN+. I can watch those on my computer with little trouble. Flow I usually have to watch with my phone.

 

[98lberEating2Lunches]

curious about OP and others streaming issues or lack thereof using other streaming services

I'd also be curious. I typically stream over Verizon 4G cellular directly from the provider without using a "streaming service." I don't have issues with buffering until I reach / exceed my high speed data limit for BTN+ or DirecTV. I have suffered hang ups when using both Flo and Rokfin. For that reason, I don't subscribe to either.

Because of where I live (rural wooded), my internet connectivity options are limited.

Absent "net neutrality" laws, network infrastructure providers can prioritize or deprioritize content sources. I would think a "streaming service" would have certain agreements in place to guarantee quality of service.

 

[so cal hawkfan]

I've had Flo for a long time, I've really enjoyed the ranking updates, the Flofilms and a lot of the archived wrestling videos and interviews. Everytime Flo attempts to stream an event live its an epic fail with stream drops. I had the same issues as the OP. I got to see about 1 minute of the Ybarra match. (I re-watched it later however), and missed some of Desanto's and Big Tony's match as well. I had to resort to watching the match on my phone. I cancelled my membership (unfortunately I renewed it in December so they got my money already) and won't be returning. I've subscribed to a multitude of subscription services over the years and have never seen a company so consistently drop the ball when it comes to streaming. It's like they hired wrestlers instead of nerds......

 

[MVPFAN]

I'd also be curious. I typically stream over Verizon 4G cellular directly from the provider without using a "streaming service." I don't have issues with buffering until I reach / exceed my high speed data limit for BTN+ or DirecTV. I have suffered hang ups when using both Flo and Rokfin. For that reason, I don't subscribe to either.

Because of where I live (rural wooded), my internet connectivity options are limited.

Absent "net neutrality" laws, network infrastructure providers can prioritize or deprioritize content sources. I would think a "streaming service" would have certain agreements in place to guarantee quality of service.

I haven't use rokfin as much but did experience issues with them too

 

[ginormous.headed.circus.midget]

I had no problems…
I had terrible problems with Rokfin.
Been hit or miss with ESPN and Fox (Big 10 network).

My guess their policy for cancellations and refunds stems from tons of people posting that they watch what they want and then try and cancel to get a refund.

I have successfully cancelled Flo three different times and never had a problem.

I also see another new player jumping in the game.
Rudis is now streaming events too.

ESPN, Fox (Big Ten Network), Big+, Rokfin and Rudis all publishing content…

it’s a great time compared to the days (70’s through the 2000’s) where you had to wait for Amateur Wrestling News to come in the mail. Then WIN Magazine came and built a following followed by Intermat and now all the others…

It is natural to complain, but nothing is free. Never was and never will.

 

[HawkeyeMass]

When you are having buffering issues and the rest of the world is not, that’s your issue, not Flo’s. Run it on a windows device and you are rolling the dice. That goes for BTN and ESPN as well but Flo does tend to need more available resources.

 

[Gobblin]

Flow wrestling and everything about it sucks like a thousand straws.

 

[Mendoza77]

Unfortunately, many streaming problems relate to bottlenecks beyond the providers control. Any bandwidth limitation between the provider and consumer can lead to excessive buffering or timeouts/hangup. Processing power or memory limitations on the receiving end can also contribute to a less than satisfactory viewing experience.

I would suggest a thorough review of your connectivity setup before subscribing again.

Thanks for the comment. I have no problems with other streaming services, and my processing power/memory is definitely top level. As far as bottlenecks, I don't know anything about that, but it's for sure not on my end.

 

[98lberEating2Lunches]

Thanks for the comment. I have no problems with other streaming services, and my processing power/memory is definitely top level. As far as bottlenecks, I don't know anything about that, but it's for sure not on my end.

If that's the case, perhaps your internet service provider deprioritizes Flo as a source. If you stream thru a service, whose sources aren't deprioritized thru some agreement with your provider, then perhaps Flo isn't one of those sources. If neither of those are the case, then it is likely a problem with the Flo video servers being overloaded.

 

[Kwoodhawk]

I had one buffering thingy for about 5 seconds and then all good.

Years ago I learned to use some cleaning programs on my computer before I watched anything, whether Flo, BTN+, Rofkin, or even KXIC on IHeart. It seems to make those bad thingys go away.

 

[Mendoza77]

I had no problems…
I had terrible problems with Rokfin.
Been hit or miss with ESPN and Fox (Big 10 network).

My guess their policy for cancellations and refunds stems from tons of people posting that they watch what they want and then try and cancel to get a refund.

I have successfully cancelled Flo three different times and never had a problem.

I also see another new player jumping in the game.
Rudis is now streaming events too.

ESPN, Fox (Big Ten Network), Big+, Rokfin and Rudis all publishing content…

it’s a great time compared to the days (70’s through the 2000’s) where you had to wait for Amateur Wrestling News to come in the mail. Then WIN Magazine came and built a following followed by Intermat and now all the others…

It is natural to complain, but nothing is free. Never was and never will.

I have absolutely no problem paying for a service, heck I paid $30 to watch last night's dual, but the expectation is that the service is actually provided as expected. I told Flo that they could check their system, I was logged in for only the first 3 matches, but I guess they feel that's enough to refuse a refund. They really don't understand customer service in the least!

 

[Kwoodhawk]

Thanks for the comment. I have no problems with other streaming services, and my processing power/memory is definitely top level. As far as bottlenecks, I don't know anything about that, but it's for sure not on my end.

Sign back in and try and watch the replays and see how that goes.

 

[Mendoza77]

When you are having buffering issues and the rest of the world is not, that’s your issue, not Flo’s. Run it on a windows device and you are rolling the dice. That goes for BTN and ESPN as well but Flo does tend to need more available resources.

If you've read posts over the years, it's not just me that has problems with the streaming.

 

[so cal hawkfan]

Big match for Assad here Geer #11

I had no problems…
I had terrible problems with Rokfin.
Been hit or miss with ESPN and Fox (Big 10 network).

My guess their policy for cancellations and refunds stems from tons of people posting that they watch what they want and then try and cancel to get a refund.

I have successfully cancelled Flo three different times and never had a problem.

I also see another new player jumping in the game.
Rudis is now streaming events too.

ESPN, Fox (Big Ten Network), Big+, Rokfin and Rudis all publishing content…

it’s a great time compared to the days (70’s through the 2000’s) where you had to wait for Amateur Wrestling News to come in the mail. Then WIN Magazine came and built a following followed by Intermat and now all the others…

It is natural to complain, but nothing is free. Never was and never will.

The fact that you’ve cancelled them 3 times is telling. That’s like your girl blowing your buddies but you keep taking her back

 

[98lberEating2Lunches]

The fact that you’ve cancelled them 3 times is telling. That’s like your girl blowing your buddies but you keep taking her back

A feeling of desperation due to lack of options can lead to that.

 

[Trapper85]

Never subscribed to FLO in the past, but bit the full bullet yesterday. Not a single problem streaming the meet. Can't explain the differing performance for others, but suggests to me it is at least partially due to users hardware/network and not on FLO's end. But I still don't like their business model, customer support, or talking heads. 😉

 

[thom67]

A bit of a rant.....It's been three years since I last subscribed to Flowrestling -- the previous times that I subscribed, I ended up canceling due to streaming problems, or the college season ended. Despite streaming problems in the past, I made a bad decision yesterday and decided to subscribe once again, hoping that they finally figured out how to provide good streaming. WRONG! I paid a $30 monthly fee, and when I tuned into the dual last night, I would get 3-5 seconds of action, followed by 10-15 seconds of buffering. Essentially impossible to watch the dual. After 3 matches I gave up.

I then wrote an email to Flowrestling, requesting a refund (knowing that they would say NO). Sure enough, they replied and said it's their company policy not to issue refunds. Wow, a company that makes it their Policy not to issue justified refunds?! It's now a certainty that I will never subscribe again, and will spread the word that Flo is an unethical company that cannot be trusted. Very sad, because they've had the potential to do great things in building up the minor sports as well as being highly profitable. I'll admit they've done many positive things for wrestling, but it's been mixed with bad things that have soured people like me.

I have been a member for several years. I have never had any issues with streaming. I watched yesterday with no issues at all.

 

[ginormous.headed.circus.midget]

The fact that you’ve cancelled them 3 times is telling. That’s like your girl blowing your buddies but you keep taking her back

The first three years I would subscribe and then cancel after the season…
Never had a problem canceling, but I have been just renewing the annual since.

I don’t complain that Iowa season tickets have gone up in price since I first got them either…

I remember how hard it used to be to get real time information.

 

[artradley]

I absolutely get more buffering issues from Flo than ESPN+ or BTN+. I can watch those on my computer with little trouble. Flow I usually have to watch with my phone.

I actually have a lot less issues with Flo than BTN+, which is frequently unwatchable from the buffering. But as someone mentioned, there is no way to know if it is them or something else downstream from the source.

 

[pumpdog20]

No issues Saturday other than watching boring wrestling.

 

[vanhawkman]

Yeahhhh....
I subscribed a day before the dual, didn't realize I needed Pro to watch live, so had to switch screens every 20 seconds, then saw my CC bill and saw I was billed 2x for a yearly subscription, total of $318. On hold with support for last 45 minutes

 

[grapplefann]

Had bad times with Flo streaming since the beginning. Customer service usually sucks too. I think that I've subscribed about three times, only to miss the stuff that I signed up for. Let's hope that another player gets wrestling streaming right.

What I like about Flo is that Flowrestling is just wrestling. (They have other flo-areas for other sports.) We don't get the non-wrestling crap (conspiracies, UFOs, blogs, whatever) that gets served up on Rofkin.

 

[hawkssox1]

A bit of a rant.....It's been three years since I last subscribed to Flowrestling -- the previous times that I subscribed, I ended up canceling due to streaming problems, or the college season ended. Despite streaming problems in the past, I made a bad decision yesterday and decided to subscribe once again, hoping that they finally figured out how to provide good streaming. WRONG! I paid a $30 monthly fee, and when I tuned into the dual last night, I would get 3-5 seconds of action, followed by 10-15 seconds of buffering. Essentially impossible to watch the dual. After 3 matches I gave up.

I then wrote an email to Flowrestling, requesting a refund (knowing that they would say NO). Sure enough, they replied and said it's their company policy not to issue refunds. Wow, a company that makes it their Policy not to issue justified refunds?! It's now a certainty that I will never subscribe again, and will spread the word that Flo is an unethical company that cannot be trusted. Very sad, because they've had the potential to do great things in building up the minor sports as well as being highly profitable. I'll admit they've done many positive things for wrestling, but it's been mixed with bad things that have soured people like me.

I watched the entire meet plus preliminary bouts with zero issues.

 

[hawkssox1]

Never subscribed to FLO in the past, but bit the full bullet yesterday. Not a single problem streaming the meet. Can't explain the differing performance for others, but suggests to me it is at least partially due to users hardware/network and not on FLO's end. But I still don't like their business model, customer support, or talking heads. 😉

Bingo!!

 

[grapplefann]

Never subscribed to FLO in the past, but bit the full bullet yesterday. Not a single problem streaming the meet. Can't explain the differing performance for others, but suggests to me it is at least partially due to users hardware/network and not on FLO's end. But I still don't like their business model, customer support, or talking heads. 😉

Also about software. What browser works the best for Flowrestling streaming ? I'm guessing Chrome.

 

[hawkssox1]

Also about software. What browser works the best for Flowrestling streaming ? I'm guessing Chrome.

I have ROKU TV and its great on there.

 

[98lberEating2Lunches]

I have ROKU TV and its great on there.

How fast is the internet speed to you house / who is the ISP?

Do you have to compete for bandwidth with any others like spouse or children?

 

[IAChief32]

I don’t like flo, I definitely don’t like their wrestling analysts, but dang you get to see so much more wrestling that you couldn’t otherwise. I go back and forth on keeping the subscription.

I usually have this perspective but this has been going on for years. I really wish they would go to PPV for big events. Not only would it help their bottom line but at least people would not feel as bad when the stream has issues and they are out $150.

For once, I had no issues (watched it off the app) but heard of many who did. Flo can treat their customers like crap because they have essentially cornered the market in wrestling with the purchase of Track. I don’t see Rokfin catching up unless they come up with a track/floarena system.

 

[hawkssox1]

How fast is the internet speed to you house / who is the ISP?

Do you have to compete for bandwidth with any others like spouse or children?

Just me and currently 50+mbps.

 

[el dub]

Unfortunately, many streaming problems relate to bottlenecks beyond the providers control. Any bandwidth limitation between the provider and consumer can lead to excessive buffering or timeouts/hangup. Processing power or memory limitations on the receiving end can also contribute to a less than satisfactory viewing experience.

I would suggest a thorough review of your connectivity setup before subscribing again.

Maybe switch browsers.

 

[HIWILLE]

A bit of a rant.....It's been three years since I last subscribed to Flowrestling -- the previous times that I subscribed, I ended up canceling due to streaming problems, or the college season ended. Despite streaming problems in the past, I made a bad decision yesterday and decided to subscribe once again, hoping that they finally figured out how to provide good streaming. WRONG! I paid a $30 monthly fee, and when I tuned into the dual last night, I would get 3-5 seconds of action, followed by 10-15 seconds of buffering. Essentially impossible to watch the dual. After 3 matches I gave up.

I then wrote an email to Flowrestling, requesting a refund (knowing that they would say NO). Sure enough, they replied and said it's their company policy not to issue refunds. Wow, a company that makes it their Policy not to issue justified refunds?! It's now a certainty that I will never subscribe again, and will spread the word that Flo is an unethical company that cannot be trusted. Very sad, because they've had the potential to do great things in building up the minor sports as well as being highly profitable. I'll admit they've done many positive things for wrestling, but it's been mixed with bad things that have soured people like me.

This is what I got exactly. Then half way through Murin’s match I finally got it to come in. I might add it never would come in on my iPad but my phone it did. Frustrating indeed.

 

[The Vak]

If it was an issue on FLo's end (which has happened in the past) everybody would be experiencing the same problem. Since it's different for different consumers, I would guess it's more on user end, or the service provider.

 

[ChiPackHawk]

I had no problem with the quality of the presentation Saturday night, or the announcers. Now maybe a little better competition in the early matchups, but I understand some of the issue with that.

 

[ping72]

What I like about Flo is that Flowrestling is just wrestling. (They have other flo-areas for other sports.) We don't get the non-wrestling crap (conspiracies, UFOs, blogs, whatever) that gets served up on Rofkin.

Rokfin is essentially the current internet iteration of public access.

 

[TNTwrestle]

Never subscribed to FLO in the past, but bit the full bullet yesterday. Not a single problem streaming the meet. Can't explain the differing performance for others, but suggests to me it is at least partially due to users hardware/network and not on FLO's end. But I still don't like their business model, customer support, or talking heads. 😉

How fast is the internet speed to you house / who is the ISP?

Do you have to compete for bandwidth with any others like spouse or children?

I dropped Flo when they lost Willie and the BTN+ deal. I've never liked the way they operate or their obvious biases. But I bit the bullet as well and subscribed to FloRugby to get Pro for a month so I could watch Saturday's meet and the Iowa State tournament this week.
As much as I don't like a lot of things about them, I've never had issues with their streaming (or Rokfin, BTN+ or ESPN). It's most likely service provider or hardware/software issues. During the last two NCAA tournaments and the B1G tournament at Rutgers I streamed 5 TVs, 2 computers and had 5 phones on my wi-fi with no issues. During Pittsburgh's NCAA we turned off a couple phones to help, but I bought a gaming-level router and upped my service provider speed one notch and haven't looked back. It's looking like I'll be using the same set-up for this year's NCAAs.