Invalid Activation Code

[Sherrie]

I received a TiVo for Christmas and it included a 12 month service gift subscription. However, when I go to activate the service it says the redemption code is not recognized. I have call customer support several times and have received no help at all (after being put on hold for hours). I am still without service and am very frustrated. Does anyone have a contact number or procedure that might produce results.

[stevel]

Others are having this problem too. Send a Private Message in this forum to user TiVoJerry - include your e-mail address, TiVo Service Number and gift subscription number. I think he will be able to help you.

[petew]

Others are having this problem too. Send a Private Message in this forum to user TiVoJerry - include your e-mail address, TiVo Service Number and gift subscription number. I think he will be able to help you.

Although TivoJerry did warn us that he will be at CES this week. So he may not be as responsive as normal.

[TiVoStephen]

I'm not heading to CES, so if you are having this issue, please try customer support first (1-877-367-8486). If they can't resolve, please send me an e-mail with the gift subscription number and your contact information.

Best regards,
Stephen

[jabrony76]

After several calls to customer service, countless hours on-hold and getting the ever popular run-around, I'm at a loss... I have two (2) 12-month subscriptions that need to be activated.

I started the ball rolling to get these activated on Christmas Day. Every customer service rep that I talk to tells me there is nothing they can do. "You have to speak with my manager and she's unavailable".

The one person who did offer assistance (Director of Cust. Service) took my info 2 weeks ago, said she would get back to me same-day and then filed me away in the garbage. No return call and now she appears to consistently be on the phone whenever I call and does not return any messages (3 voicemails over a 7 day period).

I've sent a snail mail letter to Tivo Corporate as nobody would give me a phone number or email. I've filed a BBB complaint. I've voiced complaints on several consumer advocacy websites (PlanetFeedback, BuyBlue, etc) and nothing...

Then I read the above post from Stephen and even sent him a blind email asking for help.

I guess TiVo is trying to help me work on my patience. Good thing I have 2-years before the subscription codes go invalid, it may just take that long to get this disaster figured out.

Thank God for HTPC how-to websites out there giving me something to ponder while I watch this unfold.

Anyone have any advice?

Thanks in advance.
Andy Michalski

[stevel]

Sending mail to Stephen is probably the best bet. I wish I understood why TiVo is having so much trouble with these gift subs. (And why TiVo Customer Care seems to be unhelpful to so many.)

[evilipoo]

Well, that's 3 of us now... :down:

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=280129

I've gone from: "Oh, poor Tivo support, they are so busy"

To: "Well, maybe now that the holidays are over and TivoOpsMgr is finally involved"

And Today: "Reality check--They have our money and that is evidently the only issue that matters"

I am dreading tomorrow... :mad:

[TiVoStephen]

Folks, sorry for anyone who is having a problem.

For Evilipoo's case, a credit has been issued and I made sure a senior account specialist will contact her right away.

We are investigating other cases; there has definitely been an issue for certain customers and we are working to resolve them as quickly as possible.

If you are affected and have not been helped by customer support, please send me an e-mail.

Apologies again.

Best regards,
Stephen

[jabrony76]

Stephen,
I emailed you on Friday - do you still have it or do you need it re-sent? Thanks.
Andy

[Sherrie]

It has been almost three weeks and I am still waiting for some resolution to this problem. I am still not activated and now I am worried about my 30 day time frame expiring. What can I do? I did email TiVoOpsMgr and am still waiting for a reply. Hopefully today!!!!

[evilipoo]

So after reading TivoOpsMgr's post, I contacted Support this morning to find that: "Accounting decided to issue a credit" to my credit card back on 1-6-06 (gee, it sure would have been nice to get one of those promised calls :mad: ) so I have to wait for the credit to post to my card and start this process all over again! Oh, and this time, they want to be paid up front for the entire lifetime service!!! What the??? The gift was supposed to be 40hr box and 1yr = $200, NOT 40hr box and lifetime = $350. That may be a small difference to some folks, but that's 1/2 of a car payment to me...

So I realize that this is not Tivo's problem, but now I have to call my parents and ask them if, after all this time and trouble, do they want the lifetime and if so, would they please pay for it now? Or would they please go thru the 1 year process all over again? OR would they just like to box up everything and send it back?

Nice gift, huh?

[Sherrie]

How frustrating - you have my sympathies. At least you did hear from TiVoOpsMgr!! I am still waiting to hear from someone; calling customer support solves nothing.

[TiVoStephen]

Evilipoo, my apologies that you haven't been contactd. I was assured that you had been reached. I am checking with the customer support team now.

Sherrie, did you send me an e-mail? Do you mind resending? (Sometimes our spam filter is overzealous.)

Andy, similarly, I have no e-mail from any Andy's on Friday. My apologies.

[evilipoo]

Thank you to everyone.

Please, (insert diety of your choice here), let these issues be resolved expiditiously...

Eva

[StevenGroves]

I am having the same issue. Unable to activate a 12-month gift subscription that was delivered with a new Tivo unit. I have emailed TivoOpsMgr this morning with the details.

[Fraser+Dief]

This same thing happened to me in early December. I called up, and we got the thing solved on the phone within a few minutes. So I wouldn't be afraid to try that route.

Tivo customer service doesn't *always* suck. :)

[jabrony76]

Fraser - thanks for the input but that was the first thing that I did and got no resolution. Been there, done that, didn't work for me.

I agree that such a blanket statement as "TiVo Customer Service always sucks" isn't appropriate as i'm sure they have helped people before, just not me and many others with this problem... :(

[jabrony76]

And Tivo responds...

Whether this was in response to my original calls, BBB complaint, PlanetFeedback letter, snail-mail letter or contacting TivoOpsMgr, I do not know.

My mother received a call from Tivo today asking for more information in order to expedite her subscription activation. With a case number and everything. Now we're getting somewhere...

She called and spoke with someone who took her information and told her that the subscriptions should be updated within 48 hours. Sorry to be a skeptic but i've heard that before.

She then asked about the second invalid subscription and was told that they would be contacting the party directly (my mother-in-law) regarding that Tivo gift subscription.

I called Tivo and spoke with a customer service "manager" who stated that both activation codes were on the "inactive subscriptions" spreadsheet that was to be submitted to corporate for data processing. I asked how long this would take seeing as we are going on week 3 here when I was told 3 weeks ago that this should only take 72 hours at the most. She could not say how long.

What type of architecture does Tivo have for housing and managing these gift subscriptions? Spreadsheets and data entry? I'm a programmer/dba for a small company (smaller than Tivo) and all of our transactions utilize web services and other interactive technologies that are the industry norm.

I can just imagine some Tivo staff member sitting with a printed excel spreadsheet and a ruler typing these codes into a database. "Should be done in a few weeks - only 800 more pages to go!"

Knock, Knock Tivo. It's the 21st centuring at the door. You really should answer. For you own good and the good of your customers.

I apologize for the level of detail within these posts but i'm using this as a blog for my own sanity and reference for further escalation.

We'll see. I guess it's the waiting game again.

Thanks for listening,
Andy

[evilipoo]

Wow Andy, that's at least something. I'll bet that if you or your Mom had gotten that call 3 weeks ago, you might have been ok with at least some of this. Hope you actually get a resolution.

I spoke with my Mom tonight and she told me to forget it, they are going to pack up the Tivo box and send it back. After the issue this morning (and still not getting a call back--day 5 of waiting for THAT call), I'm just hoping that I actually get the entire amount refunded... I don't want to be stuck paying for a box that we can't use.

This is so disappointing/embarassing/frustrating. I'm especially tired of hearing about how I'm going to get a call and then not getting one (repeat daily). Every bit of correspondence I've sent has my cel phone number all over it. But I guess that's that. At this point I'll just focus on making sure a refund is issued correctly.
Oh, and I've already posted on Planet feedback.

I think these folks would greatly benefit from some empowerment at the corporate level. Thier first contact resolution would go throught the roof and thier wait times would be reduced by half.

Sherrie, hope you have a happier story to tell... :o

Eva

[Sherrie]

No happy story here - yet!! TiVoJerry emailed me yesterday and told me they are working on it, so I am still hopeful. There really is something wrong here though.

[StevenGroves]

Just made my 4th phone call to Tivo customer service. Still no resolution to my gift certificate problem. Thankfully hold times have been short, so I don't have a lot of time invested in this. They gave me a case number a few days ago and the response has been that someone from customer service will call me in a few days. I really want to like Tivo, but its becoming difficult to.

[Fraser+Dief]

I'm confused as to why the phone guys can't help you.

When I called up and explained the problem, they asked for the 12 character redemption code I was trying, then the check digits off the other bar code at the bottom (six characters for me). And that was it, a couple of minutes as I said before.

I guess some don't know the procedure my guy did.

[evilipoo]

That does indeed seem to be the issue...

One rep caused my issue and 15 reps (think I'm kidding??? I'm not) could not fix it. I guess that makes it service recovery issue secondary to a training issue.

Which is a shame because the Tivo product is the best out there, IMO... But try convincing anyone who has had the phone runaround that it is worth sticking out. Heck, I've got the product and it was too much for me...

[MickeS]

Ridiculous. My sympathies to all of you guys.

TiVo reps here, you need to do something fast. TiVo customer service is atrociously bad in some respects.

Last time I had the "pleasure" of calling regarding a problem with my guide data, I was on hold for well over an hour, and then was told that the problem was because my HD was upgraded! Not until I insisted mutiple times, to the point of getting angry, that I speak to a CS manager did my issue get resolved. She was helpful and knew exactly what was wrong, and solved my problem with a few button clicks and a reboot.

You need more people like her, and fewer like the idiot I talked to at first. and you need LOTS MORE so people don't have to wait on hold for hours at a time.

[StevenGroves]

I made yet another call to Tivo customer service and this time I got a customer service agent that took some more information, but told me that my subscription should be activated in 72 hours and if not, call them back. I have trouble believing that there is not a way to resolve this in a more expeditious manner. Now I'm starting to feel the frustration that others are talking about.

[jabrony76]

One of my many points of contact has appeared to have paid off. (Thank you if it was any Tivo staff who may have read this post and prompted action.)

I got a call from Tivo today and when I called back, I was issued 2 new 12-month subscription codes and believe it or not, they were both VALID.

I hope that the lessons of this Christmas' Gift Certificate fiasco are not lost to Tivo and I hope they learn from their mistakes. I agree whole heartedly with MickeS. The gentleman I spoke with this afternoon was polite, knowledgeable and very good. But I also believe that he was a "Corporate" employee as it was a different number from any that I've called before.

It's pretty sad when you are ECSTATIC just to get basic things like, um, something you paid for... While I definitely wouldn't have turned down any attempt to comp me for my troubles (which has not been offered), getting this settled is quite a relief.

These 2 were gifts, the 2 TiVo boxes I already have in my home have just been slated for a new adventure... conversion into Freevo HTPCs... Monthly service should get me through the build time needed.

Good luck everyone else in getting the resolution you seek.

Thanks,
Andy

[StevenGroves]

For those of you that are still having problems activating a gift subscription, here's an update on my situation. Called Tivo customer service early this morning. Still no resolution for the problem, no estimate when it will be resolved. Called Tivo corporate headquarters in Alviso, California seeking assistance from someone there. A person took my name, phone number, and case number and said that someone that could assist in dealing with the problem would call me back within two hours. Two hours came and went. Made another call to Tivo HQ, explained to call taker that no one had returned my call and that I was calling again to get assistance with my problem. This time I was told that someone would call me back tomorrow, but they would TRY to have someone contact me before 6 p.m. today. Needless to say, I'm not holding my breath, but maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised.

[Sherrie]

Got It!!! TiVo just called and we are all set - everything went through smoothly - Finally!! Since I started this thread I thought I should be fair to TiVo and report back to everyone that they did fix the problem.

[StevenGroves]

Got It!!! TiVo just called and we are all set - everything went through smoothly - Finally!! Since I started this thread I thought I should be fair to TiVo and report back to everyone that they did fix the problem.


Good for you, Sherrie! Maybe it will be my turn soon. Thanks for the update.

[StevenGroves]

Well, blow me down! A Tivo representative did return my call, and while he wasn't able to fix the problem tonight, he did promise a resolution tomorrow. I hope he's true to his word.

[evilipoo]

Wow... Good for all of you!!! :)

Bad for me. :( Evidently I did not hang in there long enough. I figured after 14 days (counting the weekends and holidays) and never once getting a call from anyone that it just was not going to happen. And I seriously can't understand why Tivo never offered any incentive for me to hang in there... :down:

Having said that... For those of you new to Tivo you will LOVE the product! And so far everyone on this board has been great and helpful :up:

[TechDreamer]

Can't Tivo do anything without screwups?

- Gift Card promotions unknown to Tivo Customer Service.
- Software updates that break boxes (Pixellation after channel change).
- Web content with all kinds of errors (Yahoo).
- TivoToGo (Didn't work for me correctly until after a couple of updates).
- Tivo Store (Inflation rate competitive with third world countries).
- Customer Service (Do they know how to say anything except "Unplug the box"?).
- Tivo Series 1 (Is there ANY series 1 box without a burnt out modem?).

These are just off the top of my head and I am sure I have missed a lot.

[dgh]

- Tivo Series 1 (Is there ANY series 1 box without a burnt out modem?).


All 9 of 9 of the Series 1s that my friends own are doing fine, thanks.

[evilipoo]

Well, it feels kinda good to get this all out! ;)

Tivo desktop started pegging the CPU on my laptop... I can't remember if that was after a software update or not. I un/re installed and within a couple of days it started again so I just uninstalled it.

I did notice the issues with the Yahoo service, but by and large have had good luck with it... except the photos look like pooey once I upload them, but I doubt that that is Tivo's fault.

I love Same Game! :D But dang... Is it just me or does it get more difficult to clear that board after several plays? :D

[StevenGroves]

Well, blow me down! A Tivo representative did return my call, and while he wasn't able to fix the problem tonight, he did promise a resolution tomorrow. I hope he's true to his word.


OK, Tivo kind of came through on their promise of a resolution for my problem today. I received an email as well as a phone call from a Tivo representative telling me that they have issued a new gift certificate redemption code to me, but I won't be able to use it until Monday. So close........(insert Price Is Right "you lose" sound here)

[CaccaMucca]

Can't Tivo do anything without screwups?

- Gift Card promotions unknown to Tivo Customer Service.
- Software updates that break boxes (Pixellation after channel change).
- Web content with all kinds of errors (Yahoo).
- TivoToGo (Didn't work for me correctly until after a couple of updates).
- Tivo Store (Inflation rate competitive with third world countries).
- Customer Service (Do they know how to say anything except "Unplug the box"?).
- Tivo Series 1 (Is there ANY series 1 box without a burnt out modem?).

These are just off the top of my head and I am sure I have missed a lot.

You can add under breaking the boxes are all the broken DVD burning on most of the Toshiba RS-TX20s that we paid $600 for. After code upgrade, which we didn't ask for, it was shoved down our throat, we were unable to use the DVD burner. Every disk was a coaster. I bought my TIVO DVD Burner unit for backing up and saving my home videos to DVDs and get the benefit of saving few of my favorite TV shows. NO GO. The unit lock up, experiences random reboots, and off course mountains of ruined disks.

Most of us have vented in this forum, so do a search (search under caccamucca), we are going on 4 months with this issue. We did get a new software patch that has made things a little better, still nothing like before where we were basically trouble free. Now that's TIVO Customer Service for you.

[StevenGroves]

OK, Tivo kind of came through on their promise of a resolution for my problem today. I received an email as well as a phone call from a Tivo representative telling me that they have issued a new gift certificate redemption code to me, but I won't be able to use it until Monday. So close......


Tried the new gift certificate redemption code today (Monday). It also proved to be invalid. Called Tivo customer service and asked a customer service agent to attempt to activate it for me. She also received an "invalid" response. Now I'm returning the equipment and getting a refund on the gift subscription that could not be activated. While everyone that I have dealt with in an attempt to become a Tivo customer has been courteous and polite, they just weren't able to help me with this problem and I'm weary of begging them to help me. I hope the refund process goes smoothly.

[jabrony76]

I hope the refund goes smoothly. One thing I noticed is that Tivo has built themselves a loop hole in the gift subscription TOS fine print. The terms and conditions line #21 states in ALL CAPS that TiVo is only liable for replacement of the gift subscription code, unless you are in one of the states that makes this illegal.

[StevenGroves]

I hope the refund goes smoothly. One thing I noticed is that Tivo has built themselves a loop hole in the gift subscription TOS fine print. The terms and conditions line #21 states in ALL CAPS that TiVo is only liable for replacement of the gift subscription code, unless you are in one of the states that makes this illegal.

The customer service agent that handled the refund mentioned that to me, but said there would be no problem with refunding the cost of the gift subscription since it was never activated. We'll see.

[evilipoo]

Steven, I would make sure that they send a call tag to pick up the unit. I had to insist, but finally did get them to commit to this. I certainly didn't want to be out any more time/money on this issue. Get a ticket or tracking number. I have rvcd credit (in 2 parts) for the gift sub, but I'll need to wait until the unit is rcvd to get the last $$ back.

Good luck to you.

[StevenGroves]

Steven, I would make sure that they send a call tag to pick up the unit. I had to insist, but finally did get them to commit to this. I certainly didn't want to be out any more time/money on this issue. Get a ticket or tracking number. I have rvcd credit (in 2 parts) for the gift sub, but I'll need to wait until the unit is rcvd to get the last $$ back.

Good luck to you.

OK. Thanks for the tip. :)

[SummerAustin]

I'm not heading to CES, so if you are having this issue, please try customer support first (1-877-367-8486). If they can't resolve, please send me an e-mail with the gift subscription number and your contact information.

Best regards,
Stephen

Hello - I am brand new to TiVo and cannot get a valid gift subscription code either.
I have called 5 times during the past 3 weeks and spent 228 minutes on hold/speaking with a customer service rep.

Each person says that the last person screwed up and that they will get it fixed within 2-3 days. But, nothing every happens and nobody ever calls me back.

I was really excited about TiVo and couldn't wait to get it for Christmas but now I am ready just to give up.

I manage Customer Service for a credit card company and if my department treated our customers this way - we would have all lost our jobs by now.

Since this is obviously not an isolated incident, why doesn't TiVo fix things on the back side so that its customers aren't impacted?

I am emailing Stephen as mentioned above. Anyone out there have any other suggestions?

Thanks for your time,
Summer

[jabrony76]

Summer,

Start a PR war, thats what it took for me to get it straight:

File a Better Business Bureau complaint.

Post on PlanetFeedback.com and any other consumer advocacy site you find.

Call Tivo corporate (I don't have the number, sorry) and demand to speak to someone who can help you. The person who ultimately got this resolved for me was at corporate in the "Executive Customer Service Department" I believe. But I think you can only talk to those folks if you have a case number.

Consider contacting your local news station. (Here in Chicago, they often play small segements on the news outing jilted consumers and they always get them resolved.)

Send a snail mail letters to Tivo Corporate in Alvisto addressed to the CEO, COO, VP of Customer Relations, VP of Public Relations, etc. Send carbon copies to the above news station and be sure the letters indicate this as well.

-------------

As for me, I have decided to NOT let my BBB complaint expire until I am duly satisfied with the outcome. Activation 3 weeks after the first attempt is not satisfactory.

Tivo is a great product - these were my 3rd and 4th Tivo purchases... Its just a shame that it's so difficult to get to it.

Andy

[Sherrie]

Try corresponding with TiVoJerry. I never heard back from Stephen, but Jerry was a help and I finally got my service.

[SummerAustin]

Hi,
Emailing Steven worked.

I got a call from Adam in "Executive Relations" at the corporate office.
He said that the problem had been resolved and he got my TiVo activated over the phone.

I thanked him for helping me and I did complain (again) about the horrible customer service.
He was very courteous and apologetic.

So, I am finally up and running.

Thanks for everyone's help,
Summer

[phone number removed]

[jabrony76]

Glad you got this worked out. I too spoke with Adam and he truly was very nice and helped me out.

For that reason, I wouldn't have given out his direct number. Perhaps this should be removed from the above post to save this guy from a barrage of blind phone calls.

Also, without a case number, there is nothing they can do for you.

[TiVoStephen]

Folks, sorry I haven't been able to help as much directly -- I'm off on paternity leave. I have forwarded all e-mails received to the executive support team; if you haven't received a reply, please let me know. My apologies.

[ThreeSoFar]

This is really sad. I had a few gift subs a while back, when they gave us the option of getting up to five units free with a sub. Guess that batch of codes was ok, cause this never happened.

Very sad.

[jfh3]

Folks, sorry I haven't been able to help as much directly -- I'm off on paternity leave. I have forwarded all e-mails received to the executive support team; if you haven't received a reply, please let me know. My apologies.

Although I'm not impacted, I sure hope you've brought this issue to the attention of the executive team that can (a) fix this problem for ALL impacted customers and (b) prevent problems like this from happening in the future.

Tivo needs new customers, not ex-potential customers who give up because they can't activate their service, which a rep should be able to do in minutes, not days.

[TiVoStephen]

A team is working very hard on this issue, and I'm told that we believe all gift subscription codes should now work.

While far more customers were affected than we would like, it was a small percentage of our new customers who were hit with this problem. (All customers who were affected were given extended grace periods while we investigated.)

I don't say this in way of excuse, but to give a rough explanation: this problem was a consequence of our fulfillment house shutting down with no notice a few months ago (due to a bankruptcy on their part). We scrambled to put some new systems in place, and unfortunately not all of the pieces worked with 100% accuracy. Our sincere apologies to anyone affected.

Best regards,
Stephen

[jabrony76]

Stephen,

Thank you for the explaination - I think knowing this up front would have helped with some of the frustration in dealing with this.

As for the extended grace periods, I was told by 3 different CS reps that this was not a possibility. The only grace period they could offer was the original 7-day period that long expired before this was resolved.

Did anyone else have their grace period extended? Sherrie? Summer? EvilPoo?

Thanks

[evilipoo]

Stephen, thank you for the explanation. I wish I would have had something to tell my parents rather than "It will be another day", "another two days", " you should be good for 5 days and it should not take that long" etc...

Andy, my parents were given one (5 day) extension on the day that they initially called to convert to lifetime and were told that they had to cancel service and start over. When that ran out, I called for the second extension. I was told that up to 3 could be given, so when #2 ran out and I called again, I found out that 2 people evidentally granted the second extension on the same day so that was my my total of 3 extensions. :confused:

Much of my frustration was the fact that no matter who I spoke to, 2nd level, supervisor, etc... I could never speak to anyone who actually had the authority to either extend another extension *or* resolve the issue. After the 5th call, I was expecting a nice discount on the lifetime service, which we were still going to buy.

After the 8th call, I really didn't care...

[joe123j]

Wow Andy, that's at least something. I'll bet that if you or your Mom had gotten that call 3 weeks ago, you might have been ok with at least some of this. Hope you actually get a resolution.

I spoke with my Mom tonight and she told me to forget it, they are going to pack up the Tivo box and send it back. After the issue this morning (and still not getting a call back--day 5 of waiting for THAT call), I'm just hoping that I actually get the entire amount refunded... I don't want to be stuck paying for a box that we can't use.

This is so disappointing/embarassing/frustrating. I'm especially tired of hearing about how I'm going to get a call and then not getting one (repeat daily). Every bit of correspondence I've sent has my cel phone number all over it. But I guess that's that. At this point I'll just focus on making sure a refund is issued correctly.
Oh, and I've already posted on Planet feedback.

I think these folks would greatly benefit from some empowerment at the corporate level. Thier first contact resolution would go throught the roof and thier wait times would be reduced by half.

Sherrie, hope you have a happier story to tell... :o

Eva


My Goodness Eva. I read your entry and the rest in this thread. I can't believe it.

I was able to get up and going with my home PVR system in less than a day which included hooking everything up. Best of all, I don't have to pay for subscriptions! :D

[evilipoo]

I belive it... :o

Wanna go to the 'rents place in Yuma and set it up for them? *LOL*, they don't have a PC or even broadband available where they live! :p

And believe you me, there will be no-oh-oh-oh-oh more technical gifts for these folks... Next time they get a Wal-Mart gift card!

For those of you interested... All but the last refund (for the hardware) has come thru so I'm optimistic.

[dgh]

IWanna go to the 'rents place in Yuma and set it up for them? *LOL*, they don't have a PC or even broadband available where they live! :p


After a month of trying, he hasn't even gotten his own totally functional yet. Hire someone else ;)