Refurbished TiVo's

berfy · 01-14-2006, 05:32 AM

My TiVo died and I had to exchange it for a "refurbished" TiVo unit.

Does anybody know what TiVo Inc. actually means by "refurbished?"

Most importantly, is the Hard drive new or is it used?

Also, is anybody out there using a "Refurbished" TiVo and if so, how long has it lasted you?

jmace57 · 01-14-2006, 11:49 AM

I've had 2 refurbs. Both of them are still going strong after more than 2 years.

I think there is a range of what refurb means. Both of mine showed up looking like new, with one with a well-thumbed manual being the only clue it was a refurb. The boxes looked new. And all of the accessories (cables, remote, IR Blaster, etc) are new in wrappers. They didn't have anyone elses programming on them (may have just been cleared and deleted). My expectation though is that they are tested before they go out the door.

The bottom line is that I have had good luck, and wouldn't think twice about getting another refurb.

Jim

mick66 · 01-14-2006, 03:31 PM

Whether or not the HD in a refurb is new or not probably depends on why the unit was returned in the first place. I wouldn't expect them to replace a HD that wasn't defective.

lgondelman · 01-14-2006, 03:34 PM

I had the opposite happen. Mine broke as well. I sent it to Tivo in exchange for a refurbished unit. They had me keep all of my cables, and simply send them the box. However, I got a broken unit back, and again had to return it to them. Now you've got one positive, and one negative response. I'm interested to see what others have to say.

kbmb · 01-15-2006, 06:30 AM

I bought a 40 hour refurb a while back and it's been great. Came in a box looking like new. Still working fine today.

-Kevin

Prozium · 01-15-2006, 05:40 PM

I bought an 80hr series 2 refurb back in june 2004 and it's still going strong. Everything in the box looked like it was brand new.

pendragn · 01-16-2006, 11:40 AM

I've bought a few refurbs when TiVo has had specials on them. I've never had a problem with them.

tk

Halfdeaf · 01-17-2006, 12:35 AM

Be really careful buying a refurbed TiVo box. Sometimes they can come with a lifetime subscription already assigned...

ZeoTiVo · 01-17-2006, 10:21 AM

I have had used hard drives that are stil lrunning and new ones that lasted 3 months. Do you have actual symptoms of a bad drive or are you just curious ?

540 will be at most about 18 months old I think. The only real thing you can do though is look at the hard drive directly. I bet there is no warranty sticker you need to worry about breaking.

berfy · 01-17-2006, 05:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZeoTiVo

I have had used hard drives that are stil lrunning and new ones that lasted 3 months. Do you have actual symptoms of a bad drive or are you just curious ?

540 will be at most about 18 months old I think. The only real thing you can do though is look at the hard drive directly. I bet there is no warranty sticker you need to worry about breaking.

Thanks. I'm just curious. The hard drive seems to be acting perfectly fine. I'm just paranoid about used electronics.

BTW, Are you saying the 540 only came out about 18 months ago? That would be a good thing.

keith021773 · 01-19-2006, 09:58 AM

I have had a new one in the bedroom and a referb one in the living room, both still running as good as the first day.

ZeoTiVo · 01-19-2006, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by berfy

Thanks. I'm just curious. The hard drive seems to be acting perfectly fine. I'm just paranoid about used electronics.

BTW, Are you saying the 540 only came out about 18 months ago? That would be a good thing.

that is my best guess as to rough time frame. since the 540 was not much different from the 240 and with no functional difference there was not much hoopla about it coming to market.

www.tivo.com might have a press release on it maybe