I don't know why I feel compelled to post this here. Maybe it is because I figure the person who receives the email, will only read the first sentence and then send me a former, re-created response.
However this is the complaint that I just sent Tivo:
I find the sluggish (and not even in HD) ad placed before each one of DVR programs to be completely unacceptable. I was already frustrated with a few smaller issues with the service, but this is much different.
I was always interested in Tivo because I was convinced that Tivo set itself apart by providing a better service. However, it wasn't until the introduction of "skip" that it made enough since for me to pay a high premium for the service.
It is a HORRIBLE idea to take one of your main selling points (that customers hate watching commercials) and actually insert more of what they hate, into the product. While, yes, I can skip the ad, the skipping of the initial ad is not seamless like the "skip" during a normal commercial in a DVR'd program.
This change ensures that every program I watch starts sluggishly.
It ensures that everytime I start a DVR'd program, I am reminded of how much this decision to insert these ads infuriates me.
I had hoped that when Tivo was bought out, it wouldn't cause things like this. But it has been downhill ever since. It is beyond hypocritical and outright theivery to take the tag line you have been selling TiVo's with: "you can skip commercials" and now actually be the one who is inserting EXTRA commercials into your product.
This is a joke.
It has been common sense in tech for many years now, that companies make money by EITHER:
- Inserting ads into their product (games, videos, etc)
OR
- Charging a premium to customers who would rather pay, than see their experience flooded with ads.
It has always been the poorly run, greedy, bound to fail entities who try and collect from their customers on both of those ends.
I am sure you were planning on receiving backlash and were willing to accept the criticism that this decision was bound to generate.
I would bet you have calculated that you'll lose a few customers, but that it will be fine in the long run. Screw em.
Well, you may be surprised how many people may say "screw Tivo".
I for one am not willing to pay $400 for a product, with a $150 reoccurring yearly fee, just to have ads shoved down my throat, when most other tech, will allow me to avoid this kind of thing for a minimal fee.
Tivo will let me skip commercials with the push of a button. While a traditional DVR will make me take 10 seconds to fast forward through that same commercial. If you are banking on people continuing to be willing for fork over $300-400 for that small difference, when this is the amount of respect you are going to show them, you might be surprised.
It may shock you, how a tiny little change like this will motivate people to leave Tivo. Its a matter of disrespect. You are ruining a platform that we felt had a certain amount of loyalty to the customer. We trusted the company to innovate, not roll us back.
You are losing a Tivo customer here, FOR SURE.
I'd probably recommend picking up a Raspberry Pi (since the latest model is much more powerful). I use an ODROID XU4 (more powerful than the Pi and still well under $100) running Ubuntu 18.04 with Pi-hole, Plex Media Server, MySQL Server (for Kodi), file server, print server and backups. Both will run headless (without issue) and only take an hour or so to install/configure. The new Pi (kit - power supply, SD card, case, etc) will hit you around $80.
