Very poor first impression

[doughal]

Ok, not sure where else to put this. I started out very excited to get the tivo. Time Warner's DVRs are just horrible so after reading the great reviews on Tivo I broke down and ordered two.

In less than a week I've had four problems with Tivo.

1) The 'free' network adapters that I was offered actually showed up on my bank account which could have caused me to bounce checks if I hadn't had overdraft protection set up. I had to call Tivo to have the charge reversed.
No big deal, but it could have cost me money. Chalk it up to an honest mistake.

2) One of the two tivos (factory refurbs) is a dud and has to be returned leaving me without TV for two days. *grumbles* You'd think the units would be checked when they were refurbed. Not very happy about this.

3) To minimize my time without TV I chose to do the Advance RMA where they send out a replacement unit before I send back the other unit. They require a deposit to be placed on my credit card. That's perfectly understandable, however, they amount they are charging as a deposit is the FULL price for a brand new Tivo no the price of a factroy refurb. So now I've given Tivo two loans at 0% interest. One unexpected and that should never have happened for the 'free' network adapters, and one for amount of a full price Tivo unit in order to do an RMA. I'm less happy now and the excitement of having purchased two Tivos is fading rapidly

4) I was told when I ordered the two tivos that I would get a discount on the service for the second Tivo. 12.95 for the first and 9.95 for the second. Looking over my paperwork today I noticed that both services are at full price. I called Tivo and ask to have the corrected only to be informed that since I purchased 2 factory refurbs instead of new units I don't get the service discount. This is not what I was told when placing my original order. Ok, I can see someone in the sales making a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes. Still, I'm getting very annoyed that mistakes are being made at every single turn here. My great excitement at getting away from Time Warner's absolutely horrible DVRs and buying the Tivos has completely faded now. At this point if the alternative wasn't switching back to Time Warner's DVRs I would just cancel the Tivo service and walk away in disgust.

Unfortunately the great and wonderful experience I hoped for with Tivo has not materialized. Well, I have 26 more days to return them... hopefully there won't be any more 'mistakes'. If there are I will have to go back to suffering with Time Warners aweful DVRs. Four 'mistakes' in the first week of service with Tivo is all I am willing to put up with.

With a decided lack of excitement,
D.

[TiVoShanan]

So are you already in dialog with Customer Support?

Unclear as to whether or not you are posting here for help or just to vent...?

Let me know if (and how) I can help.

Thanks,
TiVo Shanan

[anom]

Ok, not sure where else to put this.

Maybe an email to Tivo customer service?

[RoyK]

SOP

They charged my credit card full price ($314) for a swap of a refurb TiVOHD -- without remote or cables! -- from TiVo for a defective (new) unit. Of course they credited it back when they received the returned unit. But still it's pretty lowdown to put a charge on a customer's card for much more than a unit sells for!.

[shady]

For me, numbers 1 to 3, although I'd find inconvenient, I'd forget about them pretty quickly once I'd eventually got my TiVo up and running.

Number 4, if not resolved, would leave a bad taste in my mouth though!

You should take up TiVoShanan's offer of help (via PM)

[pdhenry]

To doughal:
In case it's not obvious, TiVoShanan is a (famous!) TiVo employee who will be able to facilitate any assistance you may think you need at this point.

[Phantom Gremlin]

To doughal:
In case it's not obvious, TiVoShanan is a (famous!) TiVo employee who will be able to facilitate any assistance you may think you need at this point.

Maybe she will be able to help, and maybe she won't. To me that's not the point.

The point is that TiVo's attitude is: screw you! E.g. there is no other explanation for charging a credit card more for a refurb than the cost of a brand new unit.

But TiVo's attitude isn't new. Anyone reading these threads for the last few years knows quite well that this sort of thing is par for the course for TiVo. The details change, the attitude remains the same.

[Kablemodem]

Tivo's attitude was a an offer of help within 20 minutes of posting to a place where one should not necessarily even expect a response from TiVo.

[TiVoShanan]

Wow, thank you (pdhenry, too) for pointing out what no one should really have had to point out. :confused:

It's almost 6 pm PST and still nothing. I'm guess it was just a channel to "vent" since my offer to assist in communications/follow up with case has gone ignored thus far?

I will continue my daily practice (it's certainly not perfection) of everyday Kindness and Compassion (I relate to anger and frustration, too, of course... we ARE human), and hope that it helps channel energy -- even at the most micro level -- in the direction of transforming negativity to positivity. :-)

Gotta start somewhere, right?

Love & Sunshine,
shanan

[nrc]

It's almost 6 pm PST and still nothing. I'm guess it was just a channel to "vent" since my offer to assist in communications/follow up with case has gone ignored thus far?

Keep in mind that not everyone checks in more than once a day and as a new user he may not be aware of how helpful folks here can be.

[mattack]

half-full response: At least none of his issues are how the cable DVR works 'better' than the Tivo.

[doughal]

Thank you for the response Tivoshanan.

I've PM'd Shanan. I am mostly venting and expressing my disappointment. I don't know if there is anything that can be done for my situation other than honoring what I was told when the units were sold to me, which is getting the second service at the discounted price of 9.95. I've always worked for businesses that honored their word even when mistakes were made, and 3 dollars a month isn't a big deal. That's only $36 dollars for the whole year, but it's the principle of the thing, and on top of all the other headaches I've had with the company so far, you would think that they would honor that just to keep me as a happy customer. Not to make threats but really, at this point, one more 'mistake' on their part and they will lose far more than a piddly $36 bucks. Weigh in one hand the two tivos and a year worth of service for each and a happy customer, (or at least one that isn't completely dissatisfied) and in the other hand a measly $36 buck it would take to keep that customer form tipping over from being merely unimpressed to being down right unhappy with the Tivo experience.

It's just that having had such high expectations from all the great things I've heard about the Tivos that it makes the disappointment all the worse given the issues I've had to deal with as my first interactions with the company. I came to tivo really wanting a great experience and so far it has been anything but. In all fairness I do have to say that everyone I have spoken with has been polite and professional. Polite and professional however, only go so far in the face of repeated mistakes, not honoring the deal I was told by the sales person and a lemon unit that has left me without a tv to watch for 2 days. (yes I have two tivos but the other one is for my inlaws who live with us so my wife and I have been without.)

[TiVoShanan]

Thank you for the response Tivoshanan.

I've PM'd Shanan. ...............

And hooray! We're taking it off-line, friends. Less digital clutter for all.

We'll get this sorted out.

Thanks a million!
shanan

[doughal]

mattack,

No. The time warner cable DVRs are complete crap. That's why I was so excited to come to Tivo and why my experiencse so far have been so correspondingly disappointing.

[ZeoTiVo]

mattack,

No. The time warner cable DVRs are complete crap. That's why I was so excited to come to Tivo and why my experiencse so far have been so correspondingly disappointing.

sorry to hear about the billing mistakes and the misinformation. Just to clarify though - since TiVo does sell the refurbs at a cheaper price the actual terms are that they sell a year of service at full price for any refurb unit. I can relate though to wanting to have the discount price that was quoted to you.

[doughal]

Shanan and customer rep Paul have both been very helpful and I am a happier customer now. They have restored a bit of my faith in the Tivo company. I look forward to actually getting to watch my tivo tonight and seeing what all the great reviews have been about.

:)

[TiVoShanan]

Shanan and customer rep Paul have both been very helpful and I am a happier customer now. They have restored a bit of my faith in the Tivo company. I look forward to actually getting to watch my tivo tonight and seeing what all the great reviews have been about.

:)


To be clear, what ZeoTiVo states is absolutely correct.

A refurb web special requires 12.95 for 12 months or 129 prepay. (It doesn't qualify for immediate MSD). If you are an existing customer and want to qualify for MSD, you can purchase a new box from tivo.com. Thanks!

.

[Kablemodem]

Shanan, you may want to put something in your user title or sig to indicate that you actually work for TiVo. Not everyone watches the videos when they start up their TiVo for the first time.

[ZeoTiVo]

Shanan, you may want to put something in your user title or sig to indicate that you actually work for TiVo. Not everyone watches the videos when they start up their TiVo for the first time.

I wonder if the mods would let me drop to just Zeo so I do not casue confusion that I have no association with TiVo otehr than using the awesome DVRs

[steve614]

I look forward to actually getting to watch my tivo tonight and seeing what all the great reviews have been about.

:)

Just wait. One day you'll come back here posting I can't live without Tivo!!!. :p;)

[CraigHB]

I've never had a problem with TiVo customer support. I think the OP's experience is the exception, not the rule. Based on my experience, they do just as well as any other service provider. Even if their customer service wasn't quite up to par, I'd live with it becuase the product/service is highly valuable to me. And, they just keep adding more stuff to make the TiVo even better value.

[steve614]

they do just as well as any other service provider.

That's the problem. Shouldn't TiVo strive to be better than "any other service provider"?
They make an excellent product. They should have customer service that equals that.

[argicida]

That's the problem. Shouldn't TiVo strive to be better than "any other service provider"?
They make an excellent product. They should have customer service that equals that.

I've had a lot of Tivos. They created the genre and they continue to innovate. And its cool that they have reps on this board that help people.

But they have never been famous for good customer service.

[CraigHB]

That's the problem. Shouldn't TiVo strive to be better than "any other service provider"?
They make an excellent product. They should have customer service that equals that.
You'd think so, but given the choice, I'd rather they put their efforts in development as opposed to expanding customer service. I've seldom used customer support. I use my TiVo pretty much every day.