"Change Service Number" and MSD

[dforemsky]

I have two vaguely related questions:

1. I recently used the 'Change Service Number' option on the Tivo website to transfer an old MSD subscription from a Series 2 machine to a new HD machine. If I give the (deactivated) S2 machine to somebody else, will they have any problem reactivating it under their name?

2. I currently have three machines active: an S2 that I am paying month to month for ($12.95 / month), an HD unit under contract until April that I am paying $9.95 / month for and the new HD mentioned above month to month at $6.95 / month. If I deactivate the series 2, how does the MSD redistribute itself (or does it)? Will the $6.95 go to 12.95?

thanks

[GBL]

1. No problem, it's a non-subscribed unit now.

2. You have to have one machine designated as primary (for which you pay full price). In your case, the S2 unit is the primary and you want to keep the 6.95 rate. You'll need to swap the S2 with the 9.95 HD (so it becomes the primary at 12.95) and then cancel the s2 (at 9.95).

[dforemsky]

Thanks for the reply. How do you designate the "primary" machine? Is that something that you need to do on the phone with a CSR?

[lafos]

If you change the TSNs on-line, such that the one you want to cancel is at 9.95 (a MSD rate), and the ones you want to keep at 12.95 and 6.95, you are good. To do this swap, you may need to use your deactivated S2 as an intermediate; I don't know that you can have the same TSN on two accounts.

[berkshires]

The problem is he wants only two active tivos, one contract 'til april, so the other will have to be $12.95. Consider keeping the S2 active @12.95 until April and then take the out-of-contract THD onto $12.95.

One thing you absolutely don't want to do is lapse the $12.95 because then your old $6.95 legacy rate will disappear and your entire account will be subject to current rate policies (unless TiVo has changed that policy in the last few months.)

[pdhenry]

Cancel the expiring 9.95 sub at the end of the obligation. When that cancellation is in effect place the HD unit from the canceled sub onto the 12.95 month-to-month subscription. This will remove the S2 from service and keep the HDs at the cheapest rate.

I think you have to wait until April to avoid having the $6.95 sub become primary at $12.95. I'm quite sure you don't just want to cancel the $12.95 subscription - the rules on TiVo.com say the oldest remaining subscription becomes Primary when you cancel the Primary subscription and I think your oldest sub would be the $6.95 MSD with no commitment.

[opchiasm]

Along these lines ... I have a 12.95 primary box with no contract. I am going to retire this box. I have a new HD XL box at 9.95 with a plan end date of 12/23/2009. I am within the 30-day "you can only change your current plan" period. Can I transfer the primary box to the new box (making it primary) and cancel the current primary? If I transfer to the new box, will that necessarily put a contract on the old box until 12/23/2009?

Thanks for any help.

[pdhenry]

Where did you buy the new box?

If you didn't buy the new box from TiVo, cancel the 9.95 plan within the 30 day period and use the TSN change page to move the new box onto your current 12.95 account. The new box will replace the old box on that plan so there's nothing else you need to do about the old box. Since the new box is on the old contract there is no new obligation period.

TiVo only sells boxes with a service plan so if you bought from TiVo you may not be able to just cancel the 9.95 plan.

I don't think TiVo is doing rebates currently but transferring service as opposed to new service makes you ineligible for a rebate.

[berkshires]

Along these lines ... I have a 12.95 primary box with no contract. I am going to retire this box. I have a new HD XL box at 9.95 with a plan end date of 12/23/2009. I am within the 30-day "you can only change your current plan" period. Can I transfer the primary box to the new box (making it primary) and cancel the current primary? If I transfer to the new box, will that necessarily put a contract on the old box until 12/23/2009?

Thanks for any help.

TiVo will probably let you cancel the service plan on the XL and then you can change service numbers to retire the old TiVo. Your intitial call may get transfered to a "specialist" who would be the one to cancel the XL's plan.

Caution: the TiVo XL will stop working as soon as it does a service connection, so do all your transfers from the old TiVo before you cancel service.