TIVO changes its Service Plan business model -- again...

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Since there is no commitment after the first year, can you suspend service for one or more months and then resume at $19.99 again with no commitment after the initial one year commitment is complete?

 

It will be interesting to see what happens after the 1 Years is over. There is a great deal of "chatter" on the web about this situation, so Tivo will get a lot of press from this. Depending on the outcome, it could be negative or positive.

I have had Tivo units since 2005 and have enjoyed them. I really hope that Tivo gets their act together as it would be a shame to see them gone. As a techie I like the prospect of being able to update and customize the Tivo units, which generally can't be done with the DVR boxes from the providers.

 

If you bought it before 14 Nov., then you come under the old plan, which you can find on the web, and if you bought it on 14 Nov or later, the new plan kicks in. I have 2 Tivos, on with lifetime and the other on the 99.00 (MSD) yearly plan and am not sure what will happen, but I bought my Premiere on 13 Nov., so it should fall under the old plan. Hope this helps a bit as the water is pretty "muddy" now.

 

As much as it pains me to say this:

The sky is falling, it's the end of the world, dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria! - I actually agree with you 100%.

What's that sound? (It's hell freezing over)

Savor the moment, ZeoTivo!

 

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As I have said, repeatedly, to others: You need to ask TiVo what the deal is, not the retailer/reseller. They can't make you any promises, whatsoever (regarding how TiVo will classify your unit and which service plans will be available to you).

Even TiVo has a record of saying one thing on one call, and then saying the opposite when you call back later.

Be careful people!

 

It's a TiVo Christmas miracle

 

The terms are unambiguous about units bought prior to the 14th and registered later.

2.1 For TiVo Premiere boxes purchased on or after November 14, 2010: (blah blah blah)
...
2.2 For all other TiVo boxes activated on or after November 14, 2010, you may subscribe to the TiVo Service on a monthly basis for $12.95 a month with a one (1) year commitment (renews monthly after 1 year), you may purchase an annual plan for one (1) year of TiVo Service for an upfront fee of $129, or you may purchase a Product Lifetime Subscription (defined below) for a onetime fee of $399.

 

Yep, clear as a bell to me too, but apparently not for some folks.

 

One nice thing Tivo have done on tivo.com is to allow you to use the upgrade program and retain your existing subscription. Last time I looked the upgrade special offer required a new subscription but now you can upgrade a box and retain the old subscription. So I can buy the premier from tivo.com for $199 and retain my $6.95 msd.

 

Are you saying you bought the TIVO Premiere yesterday, 11/14?

If so, it falls under the new pricing structure but I know BB had a prior promotion for a $99 Premiere when purchased with an eligible HDTV.

Purchased within the HDTV promotion guidelines, you shouldn't be tied to the $19.99/mo. plan.

 

THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT MSG, THAT I WAS PERSONALLY ASKED BY HIGH MANAGEMENT OF 6TH AVE TO DELIVER HERE, AND IT IS TIME SENSITIVE:

(This information is ONLY applicable to purchases from 6th Ave):

1. The price paid has absolutely nothing to do with whether or not you will be eligible for TiVo Service under old or new policy.

2. The TiVo TSN of your unit has no factor in the same (they are not recording them, or making any list of them).

3. The date of purchase is the only factor, 11/14 being the cut-off date.

4. Orders that have been canceled, are being kept in a special holding queue, to give you the opportunity to un-cancel your order.

5. Some early cancellations were not placed in the above mentioned queue, and will be handled on an individual basis.

6. Today (11/15) is the last day that action can be taken to insure you are eligible for the old TiVo policies. If you do not un-cancel your order today, you will miss the last opportunity to get the old TiVo service terms.

7. 6th Ave has been fighting for us, for 72 hours, trying to insure that TiVo does not deny old service policy to eligible purchasers.

8. 6th Ave has pledged to fight for us, and will fight fiercely with TiVo, should they try to renege in any way.

9. TiVo's call center is supposed to be fully aware of the agreement that exists between TiVo and 6th Ave. If they try to tell you otherwise, try another rep, or contact 6th Ave, and they will fight for you.

10. I have been asked by 6th Ave, to provide links to the forum threads that are regarding this matter. (which I will do shortly).

11. I have been asked by 6th Ave, to report to them any new issues arising from this deal. (and I will).

12. All customers with an existing order, as well as those who canceled (and made the special holding queue), will receive an email from 6th Ave shortly.

-EDIT: It is requested, by 6thAve, that upon receiving your Premiere, that you DON'T OPEN THE FACTORY BOX, until you have called in the TSN (located on the outside of factory box) to TiVo, and verified that TiVo will allow you to activate under the previous TiVo service agreement policies.

6thAve is offering a full refund, including shipping (via pre-paid label), if you are denied activation under the previous TiVo service agreement policies, provided that you have contacted 6thAve to report the denial, and are still unable to resolve the matter.

I can't recall if not opening the factory box is a request, or a condition, regarding the full refund.

You can email customerservice@6ave.com regarding any issues.

Now, a personal msg from me: I'm sorry if I was the reason for anybody that canceled their order. However, if it had not been for 6th Ave's fight that they took to TiVo, my initial concerns about being stuck with the new policy, would have been true.

 

I'm curious as to why those with existing service are "calling" in to activate the new Premier units and not using their Tivo account. Is it because you are trying to transfer existing service between units, or do you have to call to get the Premier units activated? I have two HD units and purchased a Premier through 6ave to have a third. I was just planning to activate through the web and see if the MSD is offered, if not then call. I feel I'm missing something here (besides the potential subscription pricing issue).

 

TiVo removed the "Change TSN" function from their website. All transfers must be called in.

I don't know why.

 

Likely because they want to verify the plan eligibility of all boxes now. It would not be fair, under the new terms, to buy a $99 box and swap it for $6.95 service.

 

I just looked at my upgrade offers, and it requires my selection of a plan for the Premiere. I did not see a way to replace my HD on the $6.95 rate with the new box. How did you do it?

 

Interesting. I went back to the site and tried to upgrade one of my other units and I'm asked to select a plan. Then I found the following in the FAQ:

If you currently have a 1-year or 3-year prepay service plan on your older TiVo box, it will be automatically transferred to your upgraded Premiere. Monthly service contracts outside of a commitment are not eligible for service transfer.

 

The on-line and print ads from BestBuy that I see all say:

 

Still nothing on Amazon (aside from a few user reviews pointing out the subscription price change).

 

Most of what I read refers to Premier units.
If a HD unit or XL unit (not Premier) were to be purchased would the Lifetime service be allowed? So far it doesn't seem clear to me.
If someone could clarify this for me, I would appreciate it.
Thank You. G01

 

Near as I can tell, only Premiere units are being sold with this pre-sale or at-sale discount, requiring the $19.95/month subscription.

Units sold without that discount are elgible for old pricing plans, including MSD and Product Lifetime.