Best Buy still advertising lifetime service as an option (not talking about cards)

[filburt1]

In this week's Sunday ad, the small print for the 80 hour unit says:

One-year subscription required. Service fee only $12.95 per month for first receiver, $6.95 per month for each additional receiver or $299 each for product lifetime.
Looks like Best Buy needs to be told about the recent changes.

[stevel]

Those ads went into print weeks ago. The same thing happened when the monthly fee went from $9.99 to $12.99. I guess TiVo doesn't tell its retailers in advance.

[HDTiVo]

Those ads went into print weeks ago. The same thing happened when the monthly fee went from $9.99 to $12.99. I guess TiVo doesn't tell its retailers in advance.
I posted a link to their web page several hours earlier in the main thread where the same thing is being quoted. How long ago did the web page go to print?

[stevel]

Does the web page represent what the flyer says? I am sure that this information has not trickled down to the publishing department of the big-box retailers yet.

[HDTiVo]

[QUOTE]
TiVo @ BestBuy (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=6654836&productCategoryId=cat03021&type=product&id=1082742833318)

Lifetime still appears on Best Buy Site.

[itstrue]

TiVo would have one heck of a mess to clean up, but I think they are just going to let Lifetime purchases go through for a while, provided you can navigate to CS Supervisors, even though technically they intended to only honor Lifetime for boxes purchased before 3/16/06.

No mess at all...check the small print at the bottom of the BB webpage where it says...

"Prices and offers are subject to change." :)

[filburt1]

No "Quick Skip." I guess they don't count the 30 second skip if you program it as such.

[PhillyGuy]

No mess at all...check the small print at the bottom of the BB webpage where it says...

"Prices and offers are subject to change." :)

Not if the price change has occurred prior to the date of the advertisement. Every company has this "price subject to change" line, but it still doesn't give them a blank check to do whatever they want. This clause doesn't always stand in the court. Best Buy is obligated to either 1) deliver the lifetime subscription or 2) accept returns even after the normal 30 day period. If I purchase the Tivo today based on the ad, and wait until May to activate the unit and was told that lifetime activation had been discontinued prior to the day I made my purchase, then I should be able to return the unit without charge. Otherwise, it would be false advertisement and they will open the door to potential law suits.

That's why I think lifetime activation will be there for awhile. Not because of us, but because of the pressure Tivo will have from retailers who will be getting a lot of returns from unhappy customers.

[mike3775]

It doesn't work like that though. I have gone to Best Buy because their ads say something is on sale and I find out that its not. Know what the stores do? They place a flyer right where you walk in and say that the ad saying that is not correct.

I was at Best Buy today inmy area, and right at the entrance was a flyer saying that Tivo no longer offers lifetime subscriptions. I went to the area where the tivo's are kept, and there was another flyer stating the same thing.

[HDTiVo]

No mess at all...check the small print at the bottom of the BB webpage where it says...

"Prices and offers are subject to change." :)
Not really going to matter who is right and who is wrong.

The mess is there regardless.

[mike3775]

The mess is a quick fix away at any best buy location. A simple flyer at the entrance saying there was a misprint in the flyer, and all is well with the store and Tivo.

[filburt1]

Could be interpreted as bait-and-switch, but that's pushing it.

[HDTiVo]

The mess is a quick fix away at any best buy location. A simple flyer at the entrance saying there was a misprint in the flyer, and all is well with the store and Tivo.
What's that going to do for the Web buyer?

[mike3775]

Could be interpreted as bait-and-switch, but that's pushing it.

How? All the stores have to do is say "there was a misprint in the flyer, Tivo no longer offers lifetime service plans".

Thats exactly what was hanging in the best buy I went to today right at the entrance, and also where the tivo's are stored.

If anyone still purchases after seeing those two flyers, they are morons.

And yes, misprints are very common in flyers. Just last week, I saw a flyer for my local Jewel saying a dozen apples and oranges for 99 cents with $5.00 purchase Now I went to the store to get those, and when I walked in, there was a notice saying that the ad should have read 1 dozen apples and oranges for 99 cents with $15 purchase required, not $5.00

[mike3775]

What's that going to do for the Web buyer?

Well it wouldn't be hard to update the website at all though.

[PhillyGuy]

It doesn't work like that though. I have gone to Best Buy because their ads say something is on sale and I find out that its not. Know what the stores do? They place a flyer right where you walk in and say that the ad saying that is not correct.

I was at Best Buy today inmy area, and right at the entrance was a flyer saying that Tivo no longer offers lifetime subscriptions. I went to the area where the tivo's are kept, and there was another flyer stating the same thing.


There are going to be people buying from Best Buy online. Plus, there are a lot of other retailers that are either still advertising the lifetime option or have the sticker on the box.

All I saying is that there will be plenty of unhappy buyers because Tivo did not give any advanced notice to retailers.

[HDTiVo]

Well it wouldn't be hard to update the website at all though.
Bingo. But 4 days later, its not updated.

No one is on the ball. Utter chaos. Who is going to step in and make things right?

[mike3775]

Like I said, its not hard to update a website, or to print out a flyer saying there was a misprint. Both take less than 5 minutes to do for the retailers.

Its not that complicated.

I have had to deal with misprints in ads before with my bar, and all I did was print up a notice saying it was a misprint and stated what the offer was supposed to be. Took me all of 2 minutes to type it up, and another 30 seconds to hang it at the entrance way.

[mike3775]

Bingo. But 4 days later, its not updated.

No one is on the ball. Utter chaos. Who is going to step in and make things right?

If its been 4 days, thats Best Buys fault then. Not Tivo's, and Best Buy would be on the hook for having to deal with the people, not Tivo.

[HDTiVo]

If its been 4 days, thats Best Buys fault then. Not Tivo's, and Best Buy would be on the hook for having to deal with the people, not Tivo.
It doesn't matter. It reflects on TiVo.

[mike3775]

No it doesn't. If after 4 days Best Buy has not changed its website, how is that the fault of Tivo?

Is Tivo supposed to manually access their servers and change it for them?

Is tivo supposed to also change their employees childrens crappy diapers as well,it reflects on Tivo as well?

[PhillyGuy]

How? All the stores have to do is say "there was a misprint in the flyer, Tivo no longer offers lifetime service plans".

Thats exactly what was hanging in the best buy I went to today right at the entrance, and also where the tivo's are stored.

If anyone still purchases after seeing those two flyers, they are morons.

And yes, misprints are very common in flyers. Just last week, I saw a flyer for my local Jewel saying a dozen apples and oranges for 99 cents with $5.00 purchase Now I went to the store to get those, and when I walked in, there was a notice saying that the ad should have read 1 dozen apples and oranges for 99 cents with $15 purchase required, not $5.00


Yes, misprints happen all the time. But there are two types of misprints - one has to do with pricing and another with features.

The first one is easy to correct like you said. All you have to do is put up a sign and they can charge the correct price at the register.

However, when a product is advertised with incorrect feature, it becomes more difficult to remedy. The buyer may not see the correction notice or may not understand the feature at the time of purchase. Regardless, the retailer has the ultimate responsibility is that case. It has to take back the product even after the normal return period. The CSR may not do it, but if you press it, their corporate attorney will be happy to take it back.

[PhillyGuy]

No it doesn't. If after 4 days Best Buy has not changed its website, how is that the fault of Tivo?

Is Tivo supposed to manually access their servers and change it for them?

Is tivo supposed to also change their employees childrens crappy diapers as well,it reflects on Tivo as well?


Yes, it is Best Buy's responsibility to stand behind the products they sell. But remember, Best Buy is a major retail channel for Tivo. It's obviously not going to happy to be placed in this situation because they were not given adequate notice. If Best Buy starts to get a lot of complaints from its customers, it will press Tivo to relax the policy for a period of several weeks to months.

[Redscott]

Well BestBuy might be late in editing but what I find even worse is Tivo themselves still forgetting stuff in their Giftcards FAQs.

I just copied this from their site as of right now.

Quote" Can I use my monthly TiVo service gift subscription or gift card toward a product lifetime subscription?
Yes. If you received a 3-month or 12-month TiVo service gift subscription or 3-month or 12-month gift card you may apply it toward the purchase of a product lifetime subscription. When activating your TiVo service online, be sure to choose "Product Lifetime." Enter your 9-digit gift subscription redemption code or 12-digit gift card PIN#. The value of the monthly TiVo service gift subscription will be deducted from the price of the product lifetime service. The remaining balance will be charged to your credit card. See "What is the value of a TiVo service gift subscription or gift card?" for more information on the value of the gift subscription or gift card.
When activating your TiVo service via the phone, please tell the customer support representative that you have a gift subscription or gift card that you would like to use toward the purchase of product lifetime TiVo service. "

You can go see for yourself at Tivo.

That is disgraceful to still have disinformation up on their site. :down: :down: :down:

[HDTiVo]

Well BestBuy might be late in editing but what I find even worse is Tivo themselves still forgetting stuff in their Giftcards FAQs.

I just copied this from their site as of right now.

Quote" Can I use my monthly TiVo service gift subscription or gift card toward a product lifetime subscription?
Yes. If you received a 3-month or 12-month TiVo service gift subscription or 3-month or 12-month gift card you may apply it toward the purchase of a product lifetime subscription. When activating your TiVo service online, be sure to choose "Product Lifetime." Enter your 9-digit gift subscription redemption code or 12-digit gift card PIN#. The value of the monthly TiVo service gift subscription will be deducted from the price of the product lifetime service. The remaining balance will be charged to your credit card. See "What is the value of a TiVo service gift subscription or gift card?" for more information on the value of the gift subscription or gift card.
When activating your TiVo service via the phone, please tell the customer support representative that you have a gift subscription or gift card that you would like to use toward the purchase of product lifetime TiVo service. "

You can go see for yourself at Tivo.

That is disgraceful to still have disinformation up on their site. :down: :down: :down:

Some editing needs to be done there, but the supposed truth is that many people are still eligible to buy Liftime until 4/15. Therefore one would presume the gift certificates would be usable as described.

We'll add this to the other screw ups.

[juststained]

Its not even the print advertisements any more. Its the sales reps too. Best Buy and Circuit City are still advertising Lifetimes in print, at the store and on the flyers they give you. I have talked to over a dozen people who have been told in stores that Lifetime is still available including a Best Buy manager. They have no idea and its because they haven't been told by anyone @ Tivo. This is making things a serious pain for retailers, customers and the Tivo.com sales people because they have to contradict themselves ten times a day. Back during the Holidays Tivo emailed customers about a special rebate offered exclusively through Best Buy. Except they forgot to tell anyone @ Best Buy about it! They had to extend the offer because hundreds of people were calling Best Buy and they had no clue what anyone was talking about.

The Communication level is atrocious and I see it first hand everyday.

Has Pony or anyone connected to Tivo commented on any of this yet?

Can someone from Tivo please let their retailers know whats up!!! :mad:

[HDTiVo]

Lifetime still appears on Best Buy Site

TiVo @ BestBuy (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=6654836&productCategoryId=cat03021&type=product&id=1082742833318)

[PhillyGuy]

Lifetime still appears on Best Buy Site

TiVo @ BestBuy (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=6654836&productCategoryId=cat03021&type=product&id=1082742833318)

It's even highlighted :eek:

[filburt1]

It's even highlighted :eek:
The most damning of all legally-binding contracts. :)

[TechDreamer]

We live in the most pro business country on the planet. Tivo and Best Buy can do and say whatever they want.

[lajohn27]

And at the end of the day, all Best Buy has to do is issue a correction to their website and flyer and honor any resulting returns.

And to my knowledge they still have a 30 day return policy.

J

[PhillyGuy]

And at the end of the day, all Best Buy has to do is issue a correction to their website and flyer and honor any resulting returns.

And to my knowledge they still have a 30 day return policy.

J

Some customers may not activate their unit within 30 days, and find out about it later....

[lajohn27]

.. in which case.. the rule 'Caveot Emptor' applies now more than ever.

If you don't activate a DirecTV receiver in 30 days..don't you get hit with a 150$ penalty?

[PhillyGuy]

.. in which case.. the rule 'Caveot Emptor' applies now more than ever.

If you don't activate a DirecTV receiver in 30 days..don't you get hit with a 150$ penalty?

Not if Best Buy advertised a service that has already been discontinued at the time of purchase...

I know it's a technical point, but our legal system seems to thrive on technicalities.

[lajohn27]

At some point failing to activate the unit with a reasonable period of time so that it could be returned within the 30 day limit would trump any complaint.

And I suspect that on the off chance somebody bought a unit now, thinking they could get lifetime.. held the unit more than 45 days.. and then found out they couldn't activate lifetime... there would be an option for them to still return the unit.

But good grief... people want their hand held at every step of the consumer experience. At some point they have to take *some* responsibility.

J

[PhillyGuy]

At some point they have to take *some* responsibility.

J

I disagree. It's not a consumer's responsibility to know that Tivo has changed policy on lifetime activation without informing retailers ahead of time. It is especially true since this option is still advertised at the time of purchase. True, Best Buy has signs up everywhere now, but their website and most retailers at this point are still advertising the option.

It's also not unreasonable for someone to purchase a Tivo now as a gift for some date in the future. The person would may not want to activate yet until closer to the actual occasion.

[HDTiVo]

Lifetime still appears on Best Buy Site

TiVo @ BestBuy (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=6654836&productCategoryId=cat03021&type=product&id=1082742833318)
And another day begins...

[mike3775]

Like I said, its all on Best Buy and not Tivo.

I bet Tivo has notified Best Buy already several times, and Best Buy has noit changed it.

If the stores are to lazy to change the website, they reap what they sow, and its not on Tivo's hands for them being so stupid.

[timckelley]

So, if Best Buy incorrectly advertises lifetime as being an option, I would hope a customer should be able to return their TiVo to Best Buy after figuring out he can't lifetime it.

[Joeg180]

I noticed yesterdays add still included the "Lifetime" option as well. When someone went to activate they will find out that it isn't available.

I was in a Best Buy on 3/11 when a customer was shown the TiVO display. I heard her ask the kid if this was the last day, he just shrugged his shoulders and said he didn't know.

My only regret was not seeing any Lifetime cards.

[jfh3]

So, if Best Buy incorrectly advertises lifetime as being an option, I would hope a customer should be able to return their TiVo to Best Buy after figuring out he can't lifetime it.

Best Buy has a 30-day return policy, so for most that shouldn't be a problem. If the box is unused beyond that, I would think you could still get a refund if you found out you couldn't activate lifetime service and Best Buy hadn't corrected the error at time of purchase.

But someone who buys a box after the deadline and activates monthly service with Tivo would have a hard time going after Best Buy in a few months or so if they wanted to activate lifetime then.

[Sirshagg]

People, it's Best Buy - what more do you expect?

[ZeoTiVo]

People, it's Best Buy - what more do you expect?

but this debate is so important to the Future of TiVo ;)

[HDTiVo]

but this debate is so important to the Future of TiVo ;)
But all kidding aside, it is important. No matter who is at fault or right or wrong, this is going to affect customers' experience negatively, and they will associate some of that with TiVo.

[HDTiVo]

And another day begins...

With...

Monthly service fee of $12.95 required by TiVo®

No mention of 1 year commitment, but progress just the same. :)


TiVo @ BestBuy (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=6654836&productCategoryId=cat03021&type=product&id=1082742833318)

[MickeS]

I just saw that myself. BUT... isn't the Humax DRT-400 (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7128379&type=product&productCategoryId=cat03021&id=1109938022356) still eligible for Lifetime? There is no mention of lifetime there. or is it just one of those deals where they'll give it to you if you specifically ask for it?

[HDTiVo]

I just saw that myself. BUT... isn't the Humax DRT-400 (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7128379&type=product&productCategoryId=cat03021&id=1109938022356) still eligible for Lifetime? There is no mention of lifetime there. or is it just one of those deals where they'll give it to you if you specifically ask for it?
It is eligible. Fix one thing, break another. :p

[HDTiVo]

Update:

A few people here have reported that when they called to upgrade to Product Lifetime Service they were told that wasn't possible anymore. We appreciate the feedback and apologize if some of our agents are providing inaccurate information.

We know that there have been retail advertisements which refer to product lifetime, and there have been requests here for a longer opportunity to purchase lifetime before it's discontinued. As a result, we have decided to offer product lifetime as a subscription option through 4/15/06, even for those that have purchased since 3/15 (you do have to call to activate lifetime service though, and lifetime is not applicable for systems purchased via a bundle plan).

Our customer service team is being updated today, so please wait until later today or tomorrow and call back once the message has been delivered to all the agents.

Cheers,
Pony