Tivo, I AM TICKED!!

[jeremy3721]

I do not easily loose my cool but at this point I have to vent.

I ordered two Tivo wireless adapters on 12/27. I paid for overnight shipping and confirmed my order over the phone. Tivo also sent me an email confirmation of the order. The adapters never arrived so I called them back several days later and they informed me something was wrong with my credit card. (Why didn't they bother to contact me?) I verify the information on the card with them and the order is resubmitted with overnight shipping. AGAIN, they never arrive. (Why didn't they bother to contact me?). Several more days pass and I call again, they give me the same excuse that there was a problem with the card I gave them which is not true. I humored them and gave them my Visa # instead of American Express. The sales person offered FREE overnight shipping due to the misunderstanding. Well it's been another week and nothing has arrived (Why didn't they bother to contact me?) I just called back and waited on hold for 20 minutes after selecting the sales and then accessories options in the menu. An idiot answers stating that he only sells Tivo and that I have to call someone else about accessories. I tried to calmly explain the situation and told him that there must be a problem with their menu because I actually had to state "sales" and "accessories" which transferred me to him causing me to waste 20 minutes of my time. The guy then became arrogant and sarcastic and cut me off by saying "Thanks for calling Tivo" and he literally hung up on me. I did not loose my temper and just wanted someone help me resolve the situation. I am ticked!

I am a loyal Tivo customer and I have 3 Tivo boxes in my home. I even paid $100 for the HMO service when it first came out. If this is how Tivo treats their good customers then perhaps I need to find a new product.

[ZeoTiVo]

that sucks, have you tried contacting TiVoJerry or TiVoOpsMgr about this. they are both employees of TiVo and members of this forum. Not sure which would take this issue but one of them can look in deeper and get this righted for you.

[jeremy3721]

Thanks! I sent TivoJerry a PM.

Stuff like this is SO irritating because it probably would only have taken 1 person 10 seconds to put enough effort into fixing this so I don't keep having to waste my time. Plus I want my adapters yesterday. I had time off last week and could have run ethernet cable through my attic if I'd known this was going to be such a difficult thing.

[Bucko]

The TIVO phone lines are a joke right now. I spent 2 hours on hold the other day for a problem I had with their wireless adapter. I never did get to speak to anyone . .after all that time sitting on the phone, I decided there were more important things in life and hung up.

Next day I only spent 45 minutes on hold, and by that time . .I just wanted to return the product and get my money back.

[bidger]

You have every reason to vent, Jeremy, and it's definitely something a rep should look into because that's unacceptable in every aspect. Did you document the time it was when you made the call and the name of the CSR that hung up on you?

[Phantom Gremlin]

Didn't TiVo outsource a bunch of engineering to India? Maybe the same applies to customer service?

[Fixer]

that sucks, have you tried contacting TiVoJerry or TiVoOpsMgr about this. they are both employees of TiVo and members of this forum. Not sure which would take this issue but one of them can look in deeper and get this righted for you.
Why does TiVo customer support always come down to this? Why not have the owners manual state "visit www.tivocommunity.com for technical support", and be done with it? Oh, I forgot, TCF is not affiliated with TiVo Corp.; silly me... :rolleyes: TiVo Corp. needs to get their "proper" customer support fixed. How hard is that?? Is it too much to ask??

...

[ZeoTiVo]

Didn't TiVo outsource a bunch of engineering to India? Maybe the same applies to customer service?


TiVo invested in a startup company in Taiwain called TGC and some execs from TiVo took positions as execs at TGC. the companies are very closely linked and TGC has produced a newer design of series 2 with ethernet port.

I have no idea how TiVo staffs the CSRs we call into.

there are periodic waves of complaints on long hold times and issues unresolved. Looks like we may be in another of those waves.

I for one am happy they do not send people here as first level of support :eek:

[rainwater]

Atleast you talked to a real person. For a whole day I tried to contact them and after going through the menus I was redirected to a busy signal every time.

[ChuckyBox]

there are periodic waves of complaints on long hold times and issues unresolved. Looks like we may be in another of those waves.


TiVo's business is very seasonal. Right now they are processing a large number of activations and support requests from the many, many Christmas TiVos. They increase staff for this purpose, but there is only so much training that you can give to seasonal help, so support suffers.

This explains the long phone wait times. It does not in any way excuse the terrible service and treatment that the OP received. I hope one of the TiVo reps stops by this thread to sort out the problem.

[petew]

I just called back and waited on hold for 20 minutes after selecting the sales and then accessories options in the menu. An idiot answers stating that he only sells Tivo and that I have to call someone else about accessories.

Sounds like the Accessories queue was full and your call overflowed to another queue. Not an excuse for the response you got and the agent should have been trained that occasionally they may get an overflow call. I'm not connected with Tivo at all, I'm just someone that occasionally programs call centers trying to explain what must have happend.

[sushikitten]

Just about the same thing happened here... Ordered the adapter Sunday w/2-day shipping, didn't receive the order email until Monday (but did have Sunday order date), call Wednesday to check on it and "Oh, there was a problem with your credit card." Okay, WAS ANYONE GOING TO CALL ME? They said "Someone should have called you." Okay, BUT THEY DIDN'T. There was no offer of free shipping, but you can be assured that if it gets messed up again, there will be.

[jeremy3721]

?

[ChuckyBox]

Jeremy, Jen,

Did either of you ever get any resolution to your problem?

[sushikitten]

Jeremy, Jen,

Did either of you ever get any resolution to your problem?

Well, we ordered another with second day, but of course it was Thursday...so two-day gets it here Monday. So, hopefully it will be here, as we have received a shipping confirmation.

[cartwa]

A few weeks ago someone posting a negative comment regarding TiVo would have been destroyed by it's staunch supporters.

Now that Tivo rubes are also experiencing the same crappy service that other new users experienced during Christmas, people are listening.

Used to be people talked about how cool Tivo was. I was at a party just last night and a guy said he shipped his new Tivo back because the customer service was so terrible.

[rainwater]

A few weeks ago someone posting a negative comment regarding TiVo would have been destroyed by it's staunch supporters.

People post negative comments about TiVo support all the time. And they aren't "destroyed". It's not uncommon for any company to have support issues. It's just because this forum is so active that you even hear about them unlike a lot of companies. TiVo is one of the few companies that will browse a community forum and provide help. I don't see many of the other companies doing that.

[ZeoTiVo]

A few weeks ago someone posting a negative comment regarding TiVo would have been destroyed by it's staunch supporters.

Now that Tivo rubes are also experiencing the same crappy service that other new users experienced during Christmas, people are listening.

Used to be people talked about how cool Tivo was. I was at a party just last night and a guy said he shipped his new Tivo back because the customer service was so terrible.


at no point would jeremy3721 have "been dstroyed" by "staunch supporters"
He clearly stated his problem and it is a problem which is happening to more than just him.

Now if he had posted he ordered something 4 weeks ago for two day shipping and was mad no one contacted him yet and he refused to call them back then someone would have given him a hard time for not following through. Still no one would have thought that non shipment and no contact was the right thing for TiVo.

so tyring to cry foul just because "staunch supporters" are involved still falls flat and is still not much of a criticism

[dgh]

A few weeks ago someone posting a negative comment regarding TiVo would have been destroyed by it's staunch supporters.


Nah, that was you. You got treatment that was appropriate for your posts. Polite posters are treated well here. Others sometimes get back what they spew.

[jeremy3721]

I got a message from someone in the "executive customer service dept" on Thursday.(Thanks TivoJerry) I returned her call late in the afternoon and provided all of the info I thought they may need. I even left my credit card information against my best judgement. So far I have not received a call back or a shipment confirmation so I will give them another call on Monday.

[cartwa]

Nah, that was you. You got treatment that was appropriate for your posts. Polite posters are treated well here. Others sometimes get back what they spew.

Please AND thank you!

[Fixer]

so tyring to cry foul just because "staunch supporters" are involved still falls flat and is still not much of a criticism
No matter how you try to spin it, his criticism is valid. All you ever do is try to deflect the issue back on someone else. Your methods are too transparent. Maybe you should try to find another lame business model to pimp. :cool:

BTW, I notice that neither TiVoJerry nor TiVoOpsMgr have responded to this thread. Most of the time, I usually see them offer something of some sort. You know, I little public apology here or there. Oh, I now what it is; Since this forum has become TiVo's "unofficial" customer support center, they may be so inundated with PMs that they just don't have time!! :eek: :rolleyes:

Used to be people talked about how cool Tivo was. I was at a party just last night and a guy said he shipped his new Tivo back because the customer service was so terrible.Here, here!! I used to really like TiVo as well, but after seeing their business model becoming crappier and crappier, I don't even recommend them to my worst enemies. As a matter of fact, just last week, I convinced two colleagues to build their own HTPCs instead of buying a TiVo. For only a couple of hundred dollars more (less if you recycle PC hardware) than a high capacity TiVo with lifetime, and with properly configured OS and applications, they get a system with all the convenience and none of the BS. To top it off, they get a unit capable of doing a whole heck of a lot more than that box with the goofy looking cartoon TV on the front of it!!

...

[dgh]

Please AND thank you!

Much better.

[Phantom Gremlin]

As a matter of fact, just last week, I convinced two work collegues to build their own HTPCs instead of buying a TiVo. For only a couple of hundred dollars more (less if you recycle PC hardware) than a high capacity TiVo with lifetime, and with properly configured OS and applications, they get a system with all the convenience and none of the BS.
One of the best features of TiVo is that the program guide is really good in terms of providing clear and accurate descriptions of episodes (at least compared to, for example, the "free" program guide that comes in OTA with an ATSC tuner). Is this still true if you build your own and then use some "free" program information from the Internet?

[ZeoTiVo]

No matter how you try to spin it, his criticism is valid. All you ever do is try to deflect the issue back on someone else. Your methods are too transparent. Maybe you should try to find another lame business model to pimp. :cool:

assuming you are talking about cartwa then yes he had a problem as well. but like you he was not clear in the thread where he posted his rant on stating his issue and instead spent his time insulting people in the forum. "rubes" was his word of choice. So getting criticism from you in a thread where I did indeed tell the OP he had a problem, it sucked, and he should contact a TiVo employee directly to get it fixed also falls flat and shows how wrong your viewpoint is as well

[ChuckyBox]

I used to really like TiVo as well, but after seeing their business model becoming crappier and crappier, I don't even recommend them to my worst enemies.

I'll give you credit for making your agenda clear and up front. No one could mistake your post for anything but what it was.

How has TiVo's "business model" become "crappier and crappier," and how does that affect you?

[samo]

I did indeed tell the OP he had a problem, it sucked, and he should contact a TiVo employee directly to get it fixed also falls flat and shows how wrong your viewpoint is as well
Not getting the order that you ordered overnight for almost a month does not just suck. You don't contact TiVo rep here or "executive customer service" - you contact your credit card to stop all charges. Do you give such a grace to everybody you order from or just TiVo? I would never deal with any company that took that long to ship overnight order regardless of the excuse they used. What is so special about TiVo adapters that makes OP put up with so much crap? Tell me that it isn't religious experience. :)

[dgh]

I'll give you credit for making your agenda clear and up front. No one could mistake your post for anything but what it was.

How has TiVo's "business model" become "crappier and crappier," and how does that affect you?

Apparently Fixer only discovered that TiVo sold advertising in 2005, even though this has been their well-known business model since 1998 - more than five years before Fixer bought his TiVo.

Apparently, he dislikes ads.

A lot.

So he bought a box and a service, which was described by a TiVo vice president as the "holy grail of Madison Avenue". And strangely [sarcasm], he became disenchanted. Some people here didn't agree with him that TiVo couldn't continue executing according to their business model. That disenchanted him further. He made the typical arguments that have come up every several months for the last 5 years like "name one thing that you have to pay for and has ads" and of course, people responded with examples, and of course, he didn't like their examples. Lately he just joins other people's complaint threads.

[ChuckyBox]

Apparently, he dislikes ads.


Thanks for the summary. You probably saved us a fair amount of time rehashing an old argument, and saved everyone else from have to watch it.

[ZeoTiVo]

Not getting the order that you ordered overnight for almost a month does not just suck. You don't contact TiVo rep here or "executive customer service" - you contact your credit card to stop all charges. Do you give such a grace to everybody you order from or just TiVo? I would never deal with any company that took that long to ship overnight order regardless of the excuse they used. What is so special about TiVo adapters that makes OP put up with so much crap? Tell me that it isn't religious experience. :)

and yet another agenda heard from. Gee guess I should have used stronger language than "That sucks"

tell us Samo why have you not just sold your TiVos and moved on as well? Why do you still deal with TiVo and grace us with your posts?

[samo]

and yet another agenda heard from. Gee guess I should have used stronger language than "That sucks"

tell us Samo why have you not just sold your TiVos and moved on as well? Why do you still deal with TiVo and grace us with your posts?
LOL! And what agenda that might be? Let me give you top 3 that I get from TiVo fanatics:
1. "You live in Littleton, CO so you must be working for Dish". I get this one from TiVo detectives most often. Sorry, for last four years I have been running my mortgage company (http://www.denverdm.com) and before that I was an aerospace engineer for 25 years.
2. "You must be shorting TiVo stock". Wrong again. I did make over $70K on TiVo stock in early days and even posted my predictions for highs and lows here for about a year (before stock talk was banned), but I don't trade dot.coms under $10 a share and even if I wanted to short TiVo - I can't. I'm not a market maker, and only market makers are allowed to short non-marginable stock.
3. "You hate TiVo because ...". Wrong again. I don't hate TiVo. Have no reason to. I just don't worship TiVo.

And I'll be glad to answer your questions just as well.
1. Yes you should have used stronger words than just "sucks" :)
2. I don't sell my TiVos because proceeds of the sales would not make a dent in my pocket book.
3. I did move on several times since I got my original TiVo (I'm one of the first 10,000 TiVo owners), but at present I still have 2 SA and 2 DirecTivos along with 4 DishPVRs and R-15 that I own.
4. The reason I still deal with TiVo is sentimental. Just like old shoes you hate to throw away - they are so comfortable! I have been using TiVo for so long that I can't see myself not having at least a few of them around the house.
5. I have to post here to keep you Tivengelists honest. I joined this board before any of you even knew that TiVo existed. If I recall it right, I'm 16th person to join TiVo Community and probably one of the few original members who still posts here.

[Justin Thyme]

But you just got the DirecTivos, right? Did you get them "fixed" or are they vanilla?

By the way, how is RTR?

[samo]

But you just got the DirecTivos, right? Did you get them "fixed" or are they vanilla?

By the way, how is RTR?
Vanilla. I don't need any of the HMO features and 70 hours per unit is good enough for me. As for RTR - it is much better than RTVI or NTV and is about the same quality as channel one. One nice thing about RTR - they don't have commercials. Of course my house now looks like NASA center with 3 dishes (soon to be 4 if I make my mind on HDTV) pointing all over the sky. :)

[ChuckyBox]

even if I wanted to short TiVo - I can't. I'm not a market maker, and only market makers are allowed to short non-marginable stock.


That's not true. TiVo is marginable. And you can short it -- ordinary non-market maker traders do it all the time, every day. I don't know why you think otherwise.

And why should zeo have used stronger words than "that sucks?" According to Jeremy, TiVo dropped the ball on his order, and he got bad treatment from CS. In my book, that sucks. I'd like to see TiVo fulfill the order and apologize for the mess. If I ran CS, he'd get his parts and shipping for free. But all companies that deal with the public occasionally make people unhappy. No one needs to be crucified, and Jeremy's relationship with TiVo doesn't have to end. TiVo needs to try to make things right and let Jeremy know that they value him as a customer, and they need to use this episode to improve their fulfillment system so it doesn't happen again.

[samo]

That's not true. TiVo is marginable. And you can short it -- ordinary non-market maker traders do it all the time, every day. I don't know why you think otherwise.
My bad. Haven't traded TiVo in ages, so din't notice that stock been trading over $5 a share for quite some time. So OK, I could have shorted TiVo, but I never did.

And why should zeo have used stronger words than "that sucks?" According to Jeremy, TiVo dropped the ball on his order, and he got bad treatment from CS. In my book, that sucks. I'd like to see TiVo fulfill the order and apologize for the mess. If I ran CS, he'd get his parts and shipping for free. But all companies that deal with the public occasionally make people unhappy. No one needs to be crucified, and Jeremy's relationship with TiVo doesn't have to end. TiVo needs to try to make things right and let Jeremy know that they value him as a customer, and they need to use this episode to improve their fulfillment system so it doesn't happen again.
No disagreement here. TiVo does need to fix their CS. And TiVo would be wise to use your suggested course of action. But I would not wait for a month on overnight order from ANY company - not just TiVo. And I would never continue with an order nor order again if that happened.

[TiVoJerry]

For those of you who may have missed it, Jeremy contacted me directly via PM so I managed to miss the discussion in this thread. Actually, I manage to miss quite a few threads since I can only browse when time permits, which is nowhere near as often as anyone would like.

I just spoke with the person following up on his order. She has left Jeremy a voicemail advising him of his situation and will continue to work with him as necessary.

As for why there aren't any followup calls being performed in these situations, I do not have any answers to provide but I will be looking into it further.

[davezatz]

I did make over $70K on TiVo stock in early days

I'm one of the first 10,000 TiVo owners

I joined this board before any of you even knew that TiVo existed. If I recall it right, I'm 16th person to join TiVo Community

I, for one, am impressed. ;) That mortgage web site could use a little work though...

[ChuckyBox]

As for why there aren't any followup calls being performed in these situations, I do not have any answers to provide but I will be looking into it further.

Sounds good. I'd hate to think that TiVo was dropping the ball on customers and potential customers who were trying to order products. Your marketing people would consider that a mathematical catastrophe. ("Wait, we spent <insert painful amount here> to acquire that customer, and you didn't ship them the product?" :eek: ) It's best if they don't hear about this. ;)

Thanks for the update. Hopefully Jeremy and Jen can give us a happy ending soon.

[ChuckyBox]

That mortgage web site could use a little work though...

I just wish I could buy at Denver prices.

[davezatz]

I just wish I could buy at Denver prices.
I hear ya... I was in Colorado Springs on a work trip for two weeks last spring and was amazed at the prices. New homes with a decent sized yard with a view of a snow-capped peak for significantly less than older, boring condos in my area.

[ChuckyBox]

I hear ya... I was in Colorado Springs on a work trip for two weeks last spring and was amazed at the prices. New homes with a decent sized yard with a view of a snow-capped peak for significantly less than older, boring condos in my area.

I'm in L.A. People laugh at me when I tell them what a million bucks buys here. I watch shows like "Sell This House!" or "Flip This House!"*, and I see what $250K to $500K buys in other parts of the country, and it makes me cry.

*I highly recommend this show, it is funny as hell.

[ZeoTiVo]

5. I have to post here to keep you Tivengelists honest. I joined this board before any of you even knew that TiVo existed. If I recall it right, I'm 16th person to join TiVo Community and probably one of the few original members who still posts here.

so what was dishonest about
that sucks, have you tried contacting TiVoJerry or TiVoOpsMgr about this. they are both employees of TiVo and members of this forum. Not sure which would take this issue but one of them can look in deeper and get this righted for you.

Why did you feel a need to come down on me for that post ?

[samo]

so what was dishonest about


Why did you feel a need to come down on me for that post ?
Nothing dishonest. You and other TiVo boosters HONESTLY believe that having to call TiVo several times, writing email to TiVo rep on this forum or getting contacts for "executive customer service" makes things RIGHT. It doesn't and that is why I "came down" on you. My apology if I sounded too rude, but people should not put up with this kind of CS - from TiVo or anybody else. If FedEx didn't deliver your package overnight, you'd be on a phone to demand your money back. But with TiVo it just "sucks" and you need to contact "insider" to put you in touch with "executive CS" instead of regular CS so things can be made "right".
Sorry, I don't buy that - and I guess this is my "agenda" - I don't believe in preferential treatment of TiVo regardless of the fact that 2 TiVo dolls are sitting on top of my TV.

[ZeoTiVo]

Nothing dishonest. You and other TiVo boosters HONESTLY believe that having to call TiVo several times, writing email to TiVo rep on this forum or getting contacts for "executive customer service" makes things RIGHT. It doesn't and that is why I "came down" on you. My apology if I sounded too rude, but people should not put up with this kind of CS - from TiVo or anybody else. If FedEx didn't deliver your package overnight, you'd be on a phone to demand your money back. But with TiVo it just "sucks" and you need to contact "insider" to put you in touch with "executive CS" instead of regular CS so things can be made "right".
Sorry, I don't buy that - and I guess this is my "agenda" - I don't believe in preferential treatment of TiVo regardless of the fact that 2 TiVo dolls are sitting on top of my TV.


well apology accepted, I did think it rude that you came down on me for this post.

My concise "that sucks" can be extended to the fact that TiVo needs to plan better for seasonal waves of higher volume and of course I do not think it acceptable to have non delivery. But I was simply interested in letting jeremy know he could contact a TiVo employee on this board and make that TiVo employee aware of what was going on. I think you missed that implication in why I tell people to contact "the executive CS" (TiVoJerry must get a laugh at that after he shared pictures of his "executive suite" in another thread).

the more we get people on this board to do more than just vent and instead make sure that TiVo is made aware of the problems, the more effective this board becomes. So call me an evangilist or fanboy or rube or whatever adjective but I am comfortable in the fact that I am helping out. How do you feel about your posts ?

[dgh]

Nothing dishonest. You and other TiVo boosters HONESTLY believe that having to call TiVo several times, writing email to TiVo rep on this forum or getting contacts for "executive customer service" makes things RIGHT. It doesn't and that is why I "came down" on you.

"Right" is a difficult to precisely define.

Is TiVO perfect? No. Are they just another human-run company that sometimes makes and sometimes even compounds mistakes? Yes. You're sometimes accused of being a Dishvangelist or employee as you noted above. Well I've had TiVo and Dish for about 5 and half years and in that time I've had to call TiVo twice and each problem was resolved on that call. As for Dish, well it's hard to keep track and calls are starting to blend together in my mind. It's somewhere between 9 and 12 at this point over the same period of time. And things frequently aren't fixed after the first call. So, I'd say Dish is certainly not "Right" either and, in my experience, quite a bit further from perfect than TiVo. But at this point, I'm still keeping them around. (I don't even hold it against them when they call me to try to sell me some new service. A small annoyance which TiVo hasn't tried.)

I'll probably revisit Dish vs DirecTV vs Cable when the S3 becomes more corporeal. TiVo isn't perfect, but I wish I had a content provider choice that measured up to them. Having content providers and PVR providers that never ever made mistakes would be lovely too, but I don't see any realistic options yet. All based on my personal experience of course - your mileage may vary.

[samo]

How do you feel about your posts ?
Pretty good.:) I always believed that consumer should not put up with bad CS. I stand by my original recommendation - cancel the order and never buy anything from TiVo again. Note, I did not suggest to drop TiVo subscription - there is no need to punish yourself to prove the point. And I practice what I preach - just a few months ago I dropped Dish (except for couple international channels) and switched to Direct because of bad CS (they dropped the channel I was subscribing to without any notice and lied to me on a phone). I did not cancel Dish altogether (I want to receive some of the Dish programming), but I substantially reduced what I pay them.
So, I'd say Dish is certainly not "Right" either and, in my experience, quite a bit further from perfect than TiVo
Agree, especially after they moved call centers to India.

[ChuckyBox]

I stand by my original recommendation - cancel the order and never buy anything from TiVo again.

It is certainly your right to advocate that position, and it may be what Jeremy decides to do, but I'm sure you realize that not everyone would want to take such a strong position. Nor can we even be sure that we know enough of the facts of the case to make such an extreme recommendation without qualification.

I don't think anyone here thinks the past can be undone or that this situation can be made "RIGHT" (as if the problem had never happened). But given that none of us had any control over the initial conditions of this situation, it seems to me that a reasonable response is to try to help Jeremy get the parts he ordered (if he still wants them) and to make TiVo aware of the problem so that it is minimized in the future. As far as I can tell, that is what has happened here. And I don't see anyone making excuses for TiVo.

Do you think we should organize a mass boycott because they've had some CS screw-ups?

[Crrink]

...snip...

Do you think we should organize a mass boycott because they've had some CS screw-ups?

Eh, after being around here for as long as I have, and reading as many posts like the OP's as I have, TiVo is a retailer of last resort for me. I only buy from them if they offer a deal I can't match at a real store - even Best Buy is easier to deal with than TiVo's sales department, and that's saying something!

That's not a boycott, that's just good sense :)

I think a lot of the TiVo defenders fail to realize what a pain in the rear TiVo would be if we didn't have our good, kind TiVo employees around here to help us with issues like these.
(And again, I thank all the TiVo folks very, very much :up: )

Without TiVoJerry's intervention how many calls and how many "supervisor's" do you think it might have taken to get the OP's issue resolved? Who knows? It's already taken two more calls than it should have.

[ZeoTiVo]

Eh, after being around here for as long as I have, and reading as many posts like the OP's as I have, TiVo is a retailer of last resort for me. I only buy from them if they offer a deal I can't match at a real store - even Best Buy is easier to deal with than TiVo's sales department, and that's saying something!

That's not a boycott, that's just good sense :) the OP wanted to get the TiVo wireless adapter which from initial reports works much better than the stock USB wireless adapters that are really designed to work on PCs with more powerful CPUs. have not heard of any available in a store.
I have two TiVos from Brick and mortar and two shipped from TiVo due to very good deals. I know of 4 others shipped from TiVo to others during the free 140 hour deal. All of those are working great. So I have not had to vault the CSR experience yet admittedly. But given the same price I would say go with brick and mortar but that is mainly to avoid the hassle of shipping back defective units.
I think a lot of the TiVo defenders fail to realize what a pain in the rear TiVo would be if we didn't have our good, kind TiVo employees around here to help us with issues like these.
(And again, I thank all the TiVo folks very, very much :up: ) Now tell me how many companies have a board like this that the savvy consumer can find and use ??
Without TiVoJerry's intervention how many calls and how many "supervisor's" do you think it might have taken to get the OP's issue resolved? Who knows? It's already taken two more calls than it should have.

again even with TiVoJerry's intervention and hopeful resolution for the OP, the experience he (and others it seems) had on getting the adapter sucked That most likely is not the rating any company is going for and it seems to me to not be a defense of TiVo at all

[Crrink]

the OP wanted to get the TiVo wireless adapter which from initial reports works much better than the stock USB wireless adapters that are really designed to work on PCs with more powerful CPUs. have not heard of any available in a store.
I have two TiVos from Brick and mortar and two shipped from TiVo due to very good deals. I know of 4 others shipped from TiVo to others during the free 140 hour deal. All of those are working great. So I have not had to vault the CSR experience yet admittedly. But given the same price I would say go with brick and mortar but that is mainly to avoid the hassle of shipping back defective units.
Now tell me how many companies have a board like this that the savvy consumer can find and use ??


again even with TiVoJerry's intervention and hopeful resolution for the OP, the experience he (and others it seems) had on getting the adapter sucked That most likely is not the rating any company is going for and it seems to me to not be a defense of TiVo at all
Well, I wasn't responding to anything you said in this thread, but your defense of TiVo is contained in the paragraphs about your personal good experiences with them.
I too have had good experiences - I've ordered I think 4 TiVo's directly from TiVo and had a minor problem with only one.
I've never had a problem with TiVo CS, but I've only called them once - I know to come here with any and all problems first.

I think you and I would both agree that the people staffing and managing TiVo's call centers - from sales, to technical help, to rebates, drop the ball far too often.

TiVo is certainly not alone in this failing, but there are companies out there that do much, much better. If TiVo can't afford to do better, or doesn't want to do better, or whatever, that's fine, but I'll call a pig a pig, even if I love the product that pig produces a whole bunch (wow, talk about taking a euphemism a step too far :))

TiVo OUGHT to be ashamed of the level of support offered by its call centers. TiVo OUGHT to improve the quality of its call centers. Until TiVo does, I'll keep thanking Goodness, the TiVo employees who help out here, and the community at large for giving all of us an excellent place to come to when we need help.

[ChuckyBox]

I think a lot of the TiVo defenders fail to realize what a pain in the rear TiVo would be if we didn't have our good, kind TiVo employees around here to help us with issues like these.


I'm not sure why you are separating the actions of TiVo employees from TiVo the company. Certainly part of Stephen's job as Ops Manager is to improve the quality of CS. One way to do that is to listen for the squeaky wheels in his operation and make sure they get greased and/or repaired. TiVo has their own online help forum, and they advertise this one on their web site. Employee participation here is clearly a matter of TiVo policy, even if it is Stephen's policy.

Would TiVo be a less appealing company without their participation here? Probably. But maybe that's why they're here.

[davezatz]

Employee participation here is clearly a matter of TiVo policy, even if it is Stephen's policy.

I definitely think it is company policy. TiVoBill was fairly active on the forums before he left, and TiVoJerry seems to have been specifically recruited to help fill that void. Also it's very clear only select TiVo employees post here under the TiVo banner. As a regular TCF reader, "support" includes both phone and Internet - so I'd have to say it's been pretty good for me. I definitely appreciate having a direct line to higher level support, should I need it, and I appreciate the tidbits and head's ups that TiVoPony provides. I think I also got in on the $99 refurb Humax burner via a TiVo employee posting. TiVoShanan has always been gracious and nice to me even when I haven't deserved it. It's generally positive, though sometimes strange, interacting directly with company employees here.

As far as the best customer service, Vanguard is number one in my book. GEICO was a close #2 until they pissed me off last spring. They're still #2 but it's not so close anymore. Worst customer service... Do I even need to mention Comcast by name? Sprint used to be tied for worst (phone rep called me a liar about 5 years ago, of course I cancelled immediately) but they've significantly improved lately.

[jeremy3721]

Well good news. My adapters arrived yesterday (overnight shipping on Jupiter maybe). But anyway I am very happy with them. I am getting substantially faster transfers than with my original USB adapters.

Thanks for the help!

[Crrink]

I'm not sure why you are separating the actions of TiVo employees from TiVo the company. Certainly part of Stephen's job as Ops Manager is to improve the quality of CS. One way to do that is to listen for the squeaky wheels in his operation and make sure they get greased and/or repaired. TiVo has their own online help forum, and they advertise this one on their web site. Employee participation here is clearly a matter of TiVo policy, even if it is Stephen's policy.

Would TiVo be a less appealing company without their participation here? Probably. But maybe that's why they're here.

All of the TiVo employees have commented that they post here on their own time. TiVo does allow them to post, but nobody gets paid to do it, and nobody gets to take time away from their normal duties to do it - that's a big part of why I'm thankful they do choose to participate.

Their help here should not be construed as a normal feature of TiVo's customer service the way their 800 number is, IMO.

That's why I separate the company from the fine TiVo employees who are kind enough to help us out here.

The link I found on the official TiVo site refers to this place as a non-support site, which I think is a good idea. There are quite a few people here who are not very forgiving of newbies who don't understand forum etiquette and/or post in anger. If I were TiVo I wouldn't direct anybody here specifically because of that, but it's not my call.

[ZeoTiVo]

Well, I wasn't responding to anything you said in this thread, but your defense of TiVo is contained in the paragraphs about your personal good experiences with them.

to clarify - yes I did not think you were responding to anything specific i said in the thread and found your posts to all be reasonable.

and if you want to call my perspective of not having problems with the products a defense of TiVo well that is your perspective, just like my perspective is one of having no problems with the company.


certainly that is a better defense than agreeing that having to place 3 or 4 calls with long hold times and then finding an online forum to use to contact other employees for help on a simple place the order and ship it problem, sucks ;)

[emeril2k1]

As a matter of fact, just last week, I convinced two colleagues to build their own HTPCs instead of buying a TiVo. For only a couple of hundred dollars more (less if you recycle PC hardware) than a high capacity TiVo with lifetime, and with properly configured OS and applications, they get a system with all the convenience and none of the BS. To top it off, they get a unit capable of doing a whole heck of a lot more than that box with the goofy looking cartoon TV on the front of it!!

...

hahaha ROFL. Let me know how their Customer Service calls go. Oh, wait that would be the calls to YOU bitching about blue screens of death and missed recordings. lol

[dgh]

Their help here should not be construed as a normal feature of TiVo's customer service the way their 800 number is, IMO.

...

The link I found on the official TiVo site refers to this place as a non-support site, which I think is a good idea. There are quite a few people here who are not very forgiving of newbies who don't understand forum etiquette and/or post in anger. If I were TiVo I wouldn't direct anybody here specifically because of that, but it's not my call.

Basically I agree with what you said except I would replace "forum etiquette" with just "etiquette" - normal everyday etiquette as opposed to what you can get away with with a CSR who's being paid to put up with you.

Our (not TiVo) phone service center employs people who are carefully screened and fairly well paid to suffer fools gladly. We also put windows in their offices so they can make faces at each other and have games running while they're on the phone and on (frequent) breaks to keep the stress levels as low as possible. It's a job that burns a lot of people out very quickly. At a forum like this, no one is screened, or paid, and some of them are browsing the web to escape stress at work - they don't come here looking for it. However, we do often serve up quality info, quickly, and at a very low price ;)

[Crrink]

Basically I agree with what you said except I would replace "forum etiquette" with just "etiquette" - normal everyday etiquette as opposed to what you can get away with with a CSR who's being paid to put up with you.

Our (not TiVo) phone service center employs people who are carefully screened and fairly well paid to suffer fools gladly. We also put windows in their offices so they can make faces at each other and have games running while they're on the phone and on (frequent) breaks to keep the stress levels as low as possible. It's a job that burns a lot of people out very quickly. At a forum like this, no one is screened, or paid, and some of them are browsing the web to escape stress at work - they don't come here looking for it. However, we do often serve up quality info, quickly, and at a very low price ;)
You know, I hear what you're saying, and I'd agree with you if the type of posts we're talking about were along the lines of, "Hey, calm down a bad attitude isn't going to help...If you don't relax nobody will want to help you" etc. But they're always full of people suggesting the poster is a troll (a term a newbie won't understand, but he will understand he's being made fun of), suggesting the poster is an idiot because he didn't spend the inordinate amount of time doing research that the average member here does (myself included), or rudely dismissing his complaint as being stupid (1/3 of the posts in any FSI thread! :))

You can take exception to someone's bad manners without implying that person is an idiot, but that seems to rarely happen around here.

Eh, I don't know, it doesn't sound like that big a difference when I read what I just typed, but basically, responding to an irate poster with sarcasm and personal attacks pretty much never improves the situation. If it's someone who ought to know better, then fine by me, I'll have fun watching the fireworks, but when it's someone who probably just spent two hours trying to solve a TiVo problem, I wish people would try to cut them a bit of slack.

'Course, as you point out, TCF's low, low rates coupled with its lightning fast response time makes a little verbal abuse seem like a small price to pay :)

[dgh]

But they're always full of people suggesting the poster is a troll (a term a newbie won't understand, but he will understand he's being made fun of),

I guess I don't think we get as many newbies to the Internet here as you do. Newbies to the TCF, sure, but troll is a common and old term on the Internet. So common that it gets thrown around a little too much - like "awesome!" doesn't really mean much anymore.

suggesting the poster is an idiot because he didn't spend the inordinate amount of time doing research

You say "inordinate", I say "any"! :D (For a great many threads - not this one, of course.) But if you bought the wrong widget, consider it a learning experience, and maybe take advantage of your retailer's return privileges?


or rudely dismissing his complaint as being stupid (1/3 of the posts in any FSI thread! :))

I didn't see that in the one's I've read. What I usually saw was people showing how it was possible to use the existing features and get along fine without one, and FSI fans not really appreciating that answer and then both sides spiraling a little out of control.


Eh, I don't know, it doesn't sound like that big a difference when I read what I just typed, but basically, responding to an irate poster with sarcasm and personal attacks pretty much never improves the situation. If it's someone who ought to know better, then fine by me, I'll have fun watching the fireworks, but when it's someone who probably just spent two hours trying to solve a TiVo problem, I wish people would try to cut them a bit of slack.

Usually there's quite a bit of slack in the help forum. But this aint the help forum. FSI threads usually even go better there. ;) I suspect that many of the people who come to the Coffee house to rant have already checked the help forum and found it lacking in the emotional impact that they're looking for.

[Rocky01]

I'm happy to read that Jeremy finally got his Wireless Adapter.
A Week ago Sunday I placed an order on the internet for the same item. Confirmation indicated that the order will take 4-5 Business Days. West Coast to East Coast Destination.
This Morning I recieve a 'Delivery notice' that the Wireless adapter order was received on 01/22/06 and will be shipped in about two days. I'm glad I didn't go and pay the express shipping charges that Jeremey did. But, I thought the internet was supposed to 'expedite' the order process by eliminating human beings from taking the order. I could have sent them a check via USPS and placed the order.

I'm in no rush now anyway.... Tivo doesn't work with my Jerrold Analog Cable Converter (See post elsewhere in this forum).

Rocky