Reevaluating 9/17 release date

[jeffrypennock]

With BB having an apparent two-week S3 exclusive, it makes sense that CC lists it with an October avail.

True. And they do list it w/ an October availability. BUT we shouldn't use 9/17BB or 2wk BB exclusivity as verification or explanation of anything because I'm starting to have doubts about both of those.

Eventhough we've had a couple reports of BB reps saying 9/17, we've had an equal number current/former BB employees saying the screen/field where the 9/17 date was located is for warehousing/other purposes and shouldn't be interpreted as being anything close to a release date. I have no idea what to make of that and who's right, so last weekend I called up BestBuy and asked when they'll start selling the S3. He looked in his system and told me 9/17 (probably looking at the same piece of information that's was referenced on these forums). HOWEVER, I called up BB just now to try an verify this info. The person I spoke to this time said he had no idea of when they'd start selling it. I asked him if he had some system he could look that up in, he said no. He asked me if I'd looked on their website and if it was listed there. I said no but that it had popped up on Circuit City's website. He responded, "Well, we'll get it the same time they will. With these new devices, I don't believe anything till I see it in the store."

I have no idea as to which, if either, of the BB reps was giving good info. As for the exclusivity thing, I think it was introduced to our realm because a forum member said it to a BB rep (not the other way around) and the BB rep just smiled a nodded; the original poster of that himself said he didn't know if he was actually verifying that or not...so we should try and pin that down better before we start believing in it.

Lastly, it stands to reason that TiVo.com would want to keep all of the day1 sales to themselves rather than splitting it with BestBuy. BUT if TiVo.com doesn't start selling it until 9/12, is there anyone with a BestBuy even remotely close to them that would buy it from TiVo.com on Tuesday rather than BestBuy on Sunday? Unless they're shipping in <48hours of when you buy it online AND they ship it via two-day or overnight shipping (which is possible but hasn't been my experience w/ TiVo.com and sounds pricey), would I and most of the people on this forum be advised to wait until Sunday and go get it a BestBuy because we'll actually get it sooner???

So assuming that ANY two pieces of trumor we have are fact, this is how it makes sense to me:
*TiVo.com starts selling 9/12, BestBuy starts selling later than 9/17, TiVo keeps the sales from everyone who wants an S3 at the earliest possible moment to themselves, and BB may have it two weeks before CC or not.
*TiVo.com starts on 9/12, BB starts 9/17, TiVo splits d1 adopter sales w/ BB, BB gets exclusivity over CC, who starts early Oct.
*TiVo.com starts later than 9/12, BB starts in early Oct, TiVo keeps all d1 adopter sales, CC starts 2wks later than BB.

This is a reply to a post from another thread but I wanted to break it off into it's own thread because I wanted us to re-evaluate what we KNEW about the release dates and see what we could do and what people's thoughts were about pinning some of this down better (which is more broad than the point of the thread this replies to).

[tgewin]

Lastly, it stands to reason that TiVo.com would want to keep all of the day1 sales to themselves rather than splitting it with BestBuy. BUT if TiVo.com doesn't start selling it until 9/12, is there anyone with a BestBuy even remotely close to them that would buy it from TiVo.com on Tuesday rather than BestBuy on Sunday? Unless they're shipping in <48hours of when you buy it online AND they ship it via two-day or overnight shipping (which is possible but hasn't been my experience w/ TiVo.com and sounds pricey), would I and most of the people on this forum be advised to wait until Sunday and go get it a BestBuy because we'll actually get it sooner???

Sure, why not? A couple reasons that I probably would just off the top of my head are sales tax and that I'd rather Tivo get a bigger cut than have Best Buy involved.

EDIT TO ADD: But I hope this doesn't trash your thread for trying to confirm/deny the rumors. I'm just saying that I think it's not totally stupid if Tivo has a brief "exclusive" period followed by another "exclusive" with Best Buy. I assume Best Buy would be giving Tivo something in exchange for that exclusive. Extra marketing or whatever.

[MichaelK]

i'd buy from tivo if it's availible there first and has a prepay discount or a 150 rebate. If not I'll wait to see if there is a rebate at best buy.

[Pab Sungenis]

I'd also consider bundling it on-line so I don't need to put out the full $799.99 up front, and spread it over time.

[doormat]

I'd buy it on TiVo.com and hope that they could have it at my house on Friday. I'd rather give TiVo $800 than give BB $300 for nothing. Plus there is the whole sales tax issue. And I live about 2 miles away from a BB store.

[maki]

I'd buy it on TiVo.com and hope that they could have it at my house on Friday. I'd rather give TiVo $800 than give BB $300 for nothing. Plus there is the whole sales tax issue. And I live about 2 miles away from a BB store.

You probably won't be able to give TiVo $800, since they only offer packages. If it goes for $800 retail the box fee online shouldn't be $800.

[GoHokies!]

You probably won't be able to give TiVo $800, since they only offer packages. If it goes for $800 retail the box fee online shouldn't be $800.

Yeah, but nobody knows how the S3 is going to fit into that scheme...

[phox_mulder]

You probably won't be able to give TiVo $800, since they only offer packages. If it goes for $800 retail the box fee online shouldn't be $800.Yeah, but nobody knows how the S3 is going to fit into that scheme...

Particularly with the Lifetime Transfer option.
They have to be offering a package free version.


phox

[ZeoTiVo]

So how many of you have thought yet that Sept. 17th is TiVoPony's favorite forum Holiday "Talk like a Pirate" day.

[jfh3]

I also reported in another thread that I was at Best Buy on Friday and the had a rep pull up the screen which indicated stock/orders for all the stores in the state and the release date said 09/08, which lends more to the "that field doesn't mean anything" camp.

There were no boxes on order, which tells me that it's probably more than a week away, because I can't imagine that stores would have ZERO stock on release day. :(

[jeffrypennock]

I also reported in another thread that I was at Best Buy on Friday and the had a rep pull up the screen which indicated stock/orders for all the stores in the state and the release date said 09/08, which leads more to the "that field doesn't mean anything" camp.

There were no boxes on order, which tells me that it's probably more than a week away, because I can't imagine that stores would have ZERO stock on release day. :(
That's disappointing

[jfh3]

Of course, the other side of this is that the Series 3 is almost CERTAINLY going to be available directly from Tivo in the next week or two. :)

It wouldn't make sense that the Series 3 showcase items that are in the latest Teleworld broadcast would be sent more than a week or so in advance. I saw first reports of it Wednesday, I saw my broadcast Thursday morning - figure a few days to a week for the nation to get coverage, tops.

To me, that says we should be able to get a Series 3 before/very close to 9/17, even if Best Buy doesn't have them by then.

[Lukej]

I also reported in another thread that I was at Best Buy on Friday and the had a rep pull up the screen which indicated stock/orders for all the stores in the state and the release date said 09/08, which lends more to the "that field doesn't mean anything" camp.

There were no boxes on order, which tells me that it's probably more than a week away, because I can't imagine that stores would have ZERO stock on release day. :(


They had zero stock on release day when the dual tuner came out. In fact, it wasn't until Thursday that they had them in stock.

[jfh3]

They had zero stock on release day when the dual tuner came out. In fact, it wasn't until Thursday that they had them in stock.

Yeah, but they don't have any on order, either.

[thechiz]

The Teleworld clips are usually recorded by TiVo at 6am every Wednesday.

The Series 3 clips were done last Wednesday.

This is a pretty good indication that the Series 3 announcement will
be before next Wednesday.

Tuesday would be a good day ?

[jeffrypennock]

The Teleworld clips are usually recorded by TiVo at 6am every Wednesday.

The Series 3 clips were done last Wednesday.

This is a pretty good indication that the Series 3 announcement will
be before next Wednesday.

Tuesday would be a good day ?
Does everyone's Teleworld clips record on Wednesday at 6am (which timezone)? I've only seen it happen once and it definitely wasn't at 6am but it might have been in yours.
If so, then yeah, Tuesday does seem promising.

[bdraw]

I asked a BB employee today when he would get them, of course he never heard of it, then I gave him the SKU and he said he would have it on 9/27

I didn't ask him what field he read this data from, but I wonder what other BB's computers say.

[jeffrypennock]

I asked a BB employee today when he would get them, of course he never heard of it, then I gave him the SKU and he said he would have it on 9/27

I didn't ask him what field he read this data from, but I wonder what other BB's computers say.
I wonder that too. Thanks for finding out what your BB's computer/employee interpretation is. Hopefully others will do the same thing to see if we get the same translation/interpretation from other BB employees.

[jfh3]

I asked a BB employee today when he would get them, of course he never heard of it, then I gave him the SKU and he said he would have it on 9/27

I didn't ask him what field he read this data from, but I wonder what other BB's computers say.

If I remember correctly, there's only one date on the screen (not counting the average sales data), that's called "release date"

So far, we've seen reports of 9/17 (which started the speculation), 9/08 (which I saw myself) and now 9/27.

[jeffrypennock]

If I remember correctly, there's only one date on the screen (not counting the average sales data), that's called "release date"

So far, we've seen reports of 9/17 (which started the speculation), 9/08 (which I saw myself) and now 9/27.
This begs the question, what does release date mean? I know what I mean when I say it and I know what it's commonly understood to mean, but I wonder if that's a technical term as it's used in that BB system which means something other than what we're assuming...thus the different dates.

I also wonder if everyone's looking at the same screen in the same BB application; e.g., I wonder if there's one screen in one program that's for warehousing and another one that's for ordering/tracking...you get the idea. That would require a knowledgable current/former BB employee on this forum to explain it to us, probably.

[bdraw]

All good questions, I didn't see the screen, I simply asked when they would have them to sell.
The guy was a supervisor (according to his name tag), but I didn't get the impression that he was very competent.

[jeffrypennock]

I didn't see the screen, I simply asked when they would have them to sell.
Which is perfectly fine. The question you asked is a very close variation on the only question we really care about (on this thread): "When can you sell me a Series 3 TiVo?"

All the questions I raised subsequent to your post were for our own analysis of the seemingly conflicting data. But whenever I get a BB employee in a headlock, I always ask the same question you did.

[Gregor]

I'll buy it from anyone other than Best Buy, even if I have to wait. I have had so many bad experiences with BB in the past couple of years that I no longer shop there.

[bkdtv]

One nice thing about buying from BB or CC is that you can add an extended warranty at a relatively low cost.

If reports are correct, the Tivo Series3 only includes a one-year warranty. Personally, I would be more comfortable with a 3-4 year warranty.

[jeffrypennock]

One nice thing about buying from BB or CC is that you can add an extended warranty at a relatively low cost.

If reports are correct, the Tivo Series3 only includes a one-year warranty. Personally, I would be more comfortable with a 3-4 year warranty.
And if your cable company switches to SDV in 6 months, you've got a reciept and counter to take it back to and get your $800 back, even if you can/can't reverse the lifetime transfer and get those $200 back. Seems like it might minimize one's losses.

[thechiz]

And if your cable company switches to SDV in 6 months, you've got a reciept and counter to take it back to and get your $800 back, even if you can/can't reverse the lifetime transfer and get those $200 back. Seems like it might minimize one's losses.

In your dreams !

[jeffrypennock]

In your dreams !
Are you kidding? I'm confident I could go to the return counter at my nearest BB 6 mo from now and return the device if my cable company no longer supported it. Maybe they're more strict at your BB, but that definitely wouldn't be a problem at mine, trust me.

[aaronwt]

Why would they take it back after 6 months if it's still working properly?

[jeffrypennock]

Why would they take it back after 6 months if it's still working properly?
Because it wasn't working properly for me...because my company had switched to SDV. It's a stretch but I'd be perfectly honest with them and, given my past experiences, i'm pretty sure it'd work.

[Rosenkavalier]

Because it wasn't working properly for me...because my company had switched to SDV. It's a stretch but I'd be perfectly honest with them and, given my past experiences, i'm pretty sure it'd work.

While it's possible that you might find a one store manager here or there who'd follow that line of reasoning, I would not encourage people to buy an extended warranty as protection against switched digital based on that expectation. As long as the product is functioning according to its operating specifications, Best Buy or any other store is under no obligation to buy it back from you because your cable operator has changed their network design.

[DCIFRTHS]

Are you kidding? I'm confident I could go to the return counter at my nearest BB 6 mo from now and return the device if my cable company no longer supported it. Maybe they're more strict at your BB, but that definitely wouldn't be a problem at mine, trust me.

If I asked for a refund at the Best Buys in my area, based on my cable operator not supporting it anymore, they would laugh me out of the store, hang my picture at the security desk, and I would set off alarms if I ever tried to come back in... :D

[MickeS]

No way would Best Buy take it back, at least not here. Costco on the other hand... :)

[MickeS]

One nice thing about buying from BB or CC is that you can add an extended warranty at a relatively low cost.

If reports are correct, the Tivo Series3 only includes a one-year warranty. Personally, I would be more comfortable with a 3-4 year warranty.

A warranty which would probably cost more than buying a replacement yourself will cost in 2 years. ;)

[jeffrypennock]

While it's possible that you might find a one store manager here or there who'd follow that line of reasoning, I would not encourage people to buy an extended warranty as protection against switched digital based on that expectation. As long as the product is functioning according to its operating specifications, Best Buy or any other store is under no obligation to buy it back from you because your cable operator has changed their network design.
I agree. They probably have no obligation. And maybe they'd only give me store credit or something like that. But they seem really amenable at my local BB. I'm straight with them (so to speak) and so they are with me.

[thechiz]

If only Home Depot would start selling TiVo Series 3.

They take anything back, with or without a receipt !

[DCIFRTHS]

If only Home Depot would start selling TiVo Series 3.

They take anything back, with or without a receipt !

:up:

[Maxx_75]

Costco is the same way. They will take anything back...

Is this normal for the rumored release date to get so close and have no anouncement at all ?

[Dan203]

So assuming that ANY two pieces of trumor we have are fact, this is how it makes sense to me:
*TiVo.com starts selling 9/12, BestBuy starts selling later than 9/17, TiVo keeps the sales from everyone who wants an S3 at the earliest possible moment to themselves, and BB may have it two weeks before CC or not.
*TiVo.com starts on 9/12, BB starts 9/17, TiVo splits d1 adopter sales w/ BB, BB gets exclusivity over CC, who starts early Oct.
*TiVo.com starts later than 9/12, BB starts in early Oct, TiVo keeps all d1 adopter sales, CC starts 2wks later than BB.

My guess is...

*TiVo.com starts selling bundled units on 9/12, everyone else starts selling on 9/17 because that's when the new rebate kicks in.

I don't think TiVo would be stupid enough to offer a 2 week exclusive to a single retailer on a product like this which is aimed at the high end market. There are just too many HT snobs who refuse to shop at BestBuy.

Dan

[MickeS]

There are just too many HT snobs who refuse to shop at BestBuy.


But they can buy it at Magnolia Home Theater instead. ;)

[amjustice]

All of this is freakin torture, As it stands it is really looking like we will see this drop on Tuesday (tomorrow) now there is talk of big apple announcements then too (possible touchscreen video iPod). How could it be that two devices I have been most excited and anxious to get could drop on the same day? My wallet and my mind cannot take it! We will see what the annoucements hold for us tomrorow but I am hoping for the best!

[Bierboy]

...aimed at the high end market...There are just too many HT snobs who refuse to shop at BestBuy.

DanActually, lumping the words "high end" and "Best Biuy" together equals an oxymoron.

[lorick]

All good questions, I didn't see the screen, I simply asked when they would have them to sell.
The guy was a supervisor (according to his name tag), but I didn't get the impression that he was very competent.

At BB the term "Supervisor" on a name tag shows they have been with BB for over a year! ;-)