Comcast TiVo "promotions and deals"

[diablo13385]

Yesterday, I ran across no less than three web sites for authorized Comcast retailers (links shown below). ALL were advertising, as the links show, "Comcast TiVo Deals" or "Comcast TiVo promotion". However, when I clicked on any of those sub-links, I found nothing even remotely mentioning TiVo. You are simply redirected to a retailer promotion offering a bundled package of Comcast products known as Triple Play (Internet, phone, and Digital cable TV Service).

I spent over an hour talking to sales reps, their supervisors and "digital specialists" at the toll free numbers shown and asking what the Comcast TiVo promos are. Not one of their various sales reps, supervisors, digital specialists, nor local Comcast reps they referred me to had any clue whatsoever as to what these "Comcast TiVo promotions" or "Comcast TiVo deals" were. Every single person I spoke to (after 30-45 minutes of being transferred all over creation) was totally and hopelessly clueless about TiVo. They all are willing to sell me Comcast Triple-play service but don't compute TiVo. They just talk about I can get a separate TiVo unit or tell me about how they have a Comcast DVR which "is the same thing." Two people actually told me that a Comcast DVR IS a TiVo. In short, no one I spoke with seemed to have any knowledge about any Comcast TiVo deals either now or in the future. In my opinion, this kind of advertising appears to be at best deceptive sales techniques and at worst fraud.

I can not post the three specific links, but one can find them easily by searching for "Comcast TiVo deals and promotions" on Google.

I am aware that Comcast and TiVo have a contract and limited testing of TiVo software running on Comcast hardware is supposedly underway in some areas of the country and that a Comcast rollout of TiVo software to Comcast hardware should eventually be available, but I wonder if the advertising they show has any validity and/or is in some way related to the Comcast TiVo software rollout. If it is, neither the Comcast retailers nor the local Comcast customer support people seem to have any knowledge whatsoever of it. Does anyone on the board have any pertinent information on these deals or promotions?

[bpurcell]

Link to example web page (http://comcast.usdirect.com/comcast-tivo.html)

The reason you are having trouble is because these aren't official Comcast links you found on Google. These are third party websites that are trying to get you to order Comcast through their website. They could either be phishing sites looking to get your credit card number, or they could be legitimate retailers authorized by Comcast to find customers.

The link I have above goes to the website for usdirect.com. If you go to simply www.usdirect.com, you'll see that they say they are actually an authorized Directv dealer. Whether that's true or not is beyond my knowledge. But I can definitely say their so-called Comcast-TiVo promotions are simply a con to get you to the website.

[richsadams]

These are third-party companies hired by Comcast to sell their services. Their misuse of the Word "Tivo" for DVR has been reported to TiVo, Inc.

See this thread...same subject.

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=351580

BTW, this really is OT in the Help Center...s/b in the Coffee House.

[ivyvine420]

The Comcast/Tivo software rollouts are supposed to happen soon, real soon as in (it should be) this month.

The websites are probably trying to use that info - about Comcast DVRs being able to soon have Tivo software- and essentially *service* in their minds, though technically this would be wrong, it's still Comcasts DVR service, just with the Tivo software being used and new comcast remotes that are the standard Series 2 remotes style with an added Comcast "OnDemand" button thrown on it - as the support behind this phrase.

So they advertise comcast tivo promo deal, as it is a comcast promo deal, with DVR service which *can* include (if you wish to pay extra for it) the Tivo software on the DVR instead of the Comcast software. Hence, again - this is how they think of it and that it can be rightfully used without actually lying - The Comcast/Tivo Promo Deal...

:rolleyes:

[richsadams]

The Comcast/Tivo software rollouts are supposed to happen soon, real soon as in (it should be) this month.

The websites are probably trying to use that info - about Comcast DVRs being able to soon have Tivo software- and essentially *service* in their minds, though technically this would be wrong, it's still Comcasts DVR service, just with the Tivo software being used and new comcast remotes that are the standard Series 2 remotes style with an added Comcast "OnDemand" button thrown on it - as the support behind this phrase.

So they advertise comcast tivo promo deal, as it is a comcast promo deal, with DVR service which *can* include (if you wish to pay extra for it) the Tivo software on the DVR instead of the Comcast software. Hence, again - this is how they think of it and that it can be rightfully used without actually lying - The Comcast/Tivo Promo Deal...

:rolleyes: As previously noted Comcast employees (as well as those of third-party sales companies) have no knowledge of TiVo software being offered anywhere at this time. It is obvious that the prerequisite training of marketing, field and support personnel has not taken place.

Many Comcast service people have "heard of it" and of course there has been an agreement between TiVo and Comcast to develop software compatible with Comcast equipment for almost two years now. There was an example of a Comcast box with TiVo FW demonstrated at the January CES, but no one at Comcast is claiming that a roll-out is "immanent, happening soon", etc.

As far as anyone can tell this is simply misleading information being given out by companies that are simply employed to sign up new customers...many of whom (prospective clients as well as sales people) haven’t a clue as to what the difference is between TiVo and a standard Comcast DVR.

[ivyvine420]

Many Comcast service people have "heard of it" and of course there has been an agreement between TiVo and Comcast to develop software compatible with Comcast equipment for almost two years now. There was an example of a Comcast box with TiVo FW demonstrated at the January CES, but no one at Comcast is claiming that a roll-out is "immanent, happening soon", etc.

This is not totally true. No, there has not been a big statement yet, but that's because it will not happen until the Rollout is *here*. Customers will hear about it before it gets any "promotion" to the general public.

Also, there might be *some* people at Comcast and in some different areas of the Country that do not know about this, or much about it, but others *do* and in my area (SF Bay Area, Berkeley/Hercules Comcast branch) they *do* know about it, and they have told me info about it (repeatedly) over the past couple months (starting around the middle of March) have said that it will be ready soon, (by early summer) and most likely end of May/June-ish... They have said that Comcast customers will be notified of it's (soon to be) availability first, then there will be the Commercials on TV etc, which is at the same point that all Comcast customers that had received notice and decided they wanted it, could get it (and would most likely be on the priority list for the software/remote controls- which they will possibly mail to people, and then other non-comcast people that want to sign up and start getting the DVR service with Tivo Software would be next -when dealing with possible limited # of remotes in the early stages).

You have to realize that this might *not* be rolling out EVERYWHERE at once, but only in certain metro areas first, before expanding to all of Comcasts market areas. This also means that some areas might have already been told by select Comcast reps about this (when true for their area) and that even if they are a month late with it, that was their general guess as of the few months before.

If you look at how some Comcast tech people know enough about cable cards and their usage (and with Tivo series 3 units) while others don't know anything, and you can seem to handle installing them and getting them activated better than they could - even when you have never seen one in your life beforehand, you might realize that you can't always expect *all* Comcast people to know everything, or even if they should, that they actually *will* know anything...

;)

[richsadams]

This is not totally true. No, there has not been a big statement yet, but that's because it will not happen until the Rollout is *here*. Customers will hear about it before it gets any "promotion" to the general public.

Also, there might be *some* people at Comcast and in some different areas of the Country that do not know about this, or much about it, but others *do* and in my area (SF Bay Area, Berkeley/Hercules Comcast branch) they *do* know about it, and they have told me info about it (repeatedly) over the past couple months (starting around the middle of March) have said that it will be ready soon, (by early summer) and most likely end of May/June-ish... They have said that Comcast customers will be notified of it's (soon to be) availability first, then there will be the Commercials on TV etc, which is at the same point that all Comcast customers that had received notice and decided they wanted it, could get it (and would most likely be on the priority list for the software/remote controls- which they will possibly mail to people, and then other non-comcast people that want to sign up and start getting the DVR service with Tivo Software would be next -when dealing with possible limited # of remotes in the early stages).

You have to realize that this might *not* be rolling out EVERYWHERE at once, but only in certain metro areas first, before expanding to all of Comcasts market areas. This also means that some areas might have already been told by select Comcast reps about this (when true for their area) and that even if they are a month late with it, that was their general guess as of the few months before.

If you look at how some Comcast tech people know enough about cable cards and their usage (and with Tivo series 3 units) while others don't know anything, and you can seem to handle installing them and getting them activated better than they could - even when you have never seen one in your life beforehand, you might realize that you can't always expect *all* Comcast people to know everything, or even if they should, that they actually *will* know anything...

;) Well, yes and no. If you want to check out dozens of current "Comcast" websites you will find that they are promoting "Tivo" at this moment. Comcast is spending money with these third party vendors now...to sell the general public on their services, right, wrong or otherwise.

If you check back on old threads here and on Comcast forums you'll find that Comcast employees across the country have been "talking" about TiVo programming - repeatedly - since late 2005. It's always going to be implemented "soon" or "this fall" or "next spring" or "sometime during the summer...in some areas." The truth is no one knows when it will be rolled out or where and these current vultures are taking advantage of people by listing TiVo on numerous websites with absolutely no ability to deliver.

BTW, none of the third party vendors is marketing "Comcast Tivo DVR's" in the Bay Area (to date they are in the east and mid-west). It seems likely that if they are going to offer it "soon" in the Bay Area folks there would be the first in line for advertising. :confused:

Agreed that Comcast does not have a brilliant track record when it comes to training their employees, but the next time you talk to Comcast folks there ask them what training they've had on the TiVo program. Please share their response when you have a moment.

As the OP stated (and I've also called several of the companies that are advertising "Comcast TiVo" on various websites) these people have no idea what Tivo is and several said that "Tivo" is just a "generic name" for video recorders. The bottom line is they don't know anything about it and they are misusing the brand. If that's Comcast's "plan for rolling TiVo out to the public", I'd be pretty upset if I were TiVo's CEO.

A lot of people are looking forward to their local cable company offering a TiVo UI on their boxes. (If it's on a Motorola box, best of luck!) And it may well be true that your area may see it "soon" but if and when that time comes Comcast, the vendors and techs will be brought up to speed. In the meantime I wouldn't place any large bets and just invest in a real TiVo S3...you'll be glad you did. ;)