A friend of mine sent me this email about the adventures he had with TIVO:
So I’m leaving some place yesterday and notice that I missed a call from my mother. Generally-this is not good. It means that there is something wrong. Not with any person.. but with some piece of technological mumbo jumbo that she can not spend ONE MORE MINUTE without it working/not working/blinking/not blinking/etc.. you get the picture I’m sure. She is the oldest person I know with the least amount of patience. She has Zero. Less than zero actually since she bitches about shit that is working that MIGHT break.
So.. I stare at the phone and my immediate thought is— Don’t talk on the phone while driving. It’s unsafe. This is of course just me trying to justify not calling her back. Of course the good son wins out and I dial.
Hey mom whats up?
Well, this is not a call about the computer.
Oh, that’s refreshing. Whats up?
I just got off the phone with Tivo.
Oh. Why is that?
Well you know that we have 2 Tivos.
Yes mom.
Well the one in Yuma (vacation home) is on Holiday status and they are not supposed to be billing me for it.
Yes mom.
But they are. And guess what else?
What?
They are billing me for all your Tivos too!!!!
No. They are not.
Well I’m looking on line and all your Tivos are listed right here in my account.
They are all on my account that is true-but your credit card is on your machines and mine is on mine. Check it out.
OK.. well shoot… The stupid thing just shut down…
You mean you closed the browser window?
YESSSS that is what I mean… just a minute…
Hey mom-you do all that checking and I’ll call you when I get home.
You know that they are giving me a free month of service.
Cool.. hey can I….
And they reduced the monthly fee on one of your machines from $12.95 to $9.95 (warning bells sound)
Uh.. they shouldn’t have done that…
Well they did… She was very nice
OK-Can I call you back in awhile.
Fine.
Goodbye
So home I get… I do some other things and remember that I’m supposed to check out the Tivo account. So that is what I do… I sit down (not at MY computer of course.. that one is in the hands of the fucking AppleJack Kids) and go to Tivo.com and login…. oh wait… ATTEMPT to login… password or login id are invalid. Strange… try again with one of the 3 possible passwords it must be. I don’t log in much so it could be an older one… nothing… hit the forgotten password link.. stick in the email address and guess what… Nothing… No record… OK, Well I did change my main email addy a couple of months back.. try the old one.. Nothing. Hmmm Strange.. So I do what every tech minded person in the world hates to do.. I pick up the fucking telephone…
Get some chica on the phone and explain to her that I just spoke to my mother.. blah, blah, and that I can no longer get into my account.
OK Sir, what is your home telephone number
407-555-1212
Hmm… ok, I don’t see that here… could it be under another number.
No. Oh wait… try this one… 509-555-1212. This is my mother’s number.
Oh so this account is under your mother’s name?
No, it is under my name.
Do you have her address?
Yes it is …..
OK, that is correct-I really can’t talk to you about this account since it’s not under your name.
Well you see chica-that’s the problem. Up until a few hours ago it was under my name. Can you see any ownership history for the units?
Yes
Fine-check the history on unit 999-9999-999-0999
And what is your name again?
Lucky Pierre.
What is your home telephone number
407-555-1212.
And your address?
9999 go fuck yourself court, orlando fl 12355
Ok. what can I do for you?
*sigh*
Well.. as I stated before… this account is MINE and it needs to reflect that. Whatever happened earlier was a mistake and you need to revert this all back the way it was OR you need to properly split out the accounts. Which works best for you?
Hmmmm….. well I can’t do that… but our advanced customer care can… Let me note the account and generate a case number for you. One second while I put you on hold.
Ok, thanks… (Fucking hold music is saying things like… Do you remember when your mother told you to get a good deal? Well TIVO is that deal! NO LIE…)
OK sir.. your case number is 888899989 and I’m transferring you know.
Wait-can you give me the number to advanced care in case we get disconnected.
No. Just call back in and use your case number (like a sword or something)
OK thanks
<
Hello this is Matt how can I help you.
Hello Matt, this is Lucky Pierre.
Do you have a case number Mr. Pierre
sure it is 888899989
OK, thanks… let me pull this up.
What is your home telephone number
*sigh*
Sure its 509-555-1212 but that is my mother’s number
Uh, ok… what’s her name.
Do you have the case-you should just read it first.
OK, do you mind if I put you on hold?
Go right ahead…
Uh hello sir?
Yes.
I’m terribly sorry about this. There really is no way this can happen?
Excuse me?
Well I’m reading in the case that these were all under your name but now they are under your mother’s name.
Yes, that is the issue.
But this shouldn’t happen. Are you sure you didn’t call in and request this change yourself?
I’m sure Matt.
But we verify all account holders.
Not this time Matt.
Well I’ll need to see how this happened. I need to call my supervisor.
No. No Matt you don’t. You need to FIX THIS PROBLEM. Call your supervisors, call your god, call your mother. Call the person who is going to FIX IT. I’ve been on the phone for 40 minutes with you guys.
Well, I understand your frustration. This really shouldn’t have happened.
Shouldn’t, wouldn’t, couldn’t but it DID. Lets fix the problem and not the blame shall we?
OK, well I can try to unwind this… can I put you on hold.
Sure Matt, whatever it takes.
Hello Sir?
Yes Matt.
I won’t be able to put this back. Best I can do is to create two separate accounts.
That will be fine. Here are the service tags for my machines…
Ok, so that is the bottom three. Got it. What is your name?
Lucky Pierre
And your address?
Don’t you still have all this.
No sir. You don’t exist in our system any longer. We just had your previous phone number listed on your mother’s account.
So, Matt-what you are telling me is that my mother called in with a billing question, played her old lady card, and somehow you guys to not only gave her a free month of service BUT CREATED a brand new account for her with all of my equipment. She didn’t have an account before today. You all just did it.
Yes sir, that is what shouldn’t have happened.
Incredible. I know my mother didn’t ask for this-she was quite happy with everything being under my name.
I’m sorry Mr. Pierre. What is your address.
So we go thru and he takes all of my information…
Ok, can I place you on hold.
Why not Matt…
(I know have to switch to my 3rd and final handset because the batteries died on the other two).
<15 more minutes of hold music>
Hello sir.
Yes,
Well I got the first machine switched into your new account. I’ll still have to do the other 2.
Great. Hey Matt do you mind if I eat my dinner that I prepared while we were on the phone? I don’t want to be rude.
Uh, no. Can I put you on hold while I switch the other machines.
Please.
So 10 minutes later…
Hello sir?
Yes Matt, I’m still here.
I’ve got everything switched over.. Your three boxes are on your account and your mothers two are on her account.
Brilliant! Thanks Matt.
I’m very sorry that this happened. It really shouldn’t have.
Yea yea, I got that.. So.. you all were eager to give my mother a month of free service for a minor billing dispute. What can I expect for the last two hours of my time and your co-worker deleting my account without any authorization.
Matt are you still with me.
Yes sir. I can’t give you anything.
Oh come now Matt… I’m sure you can come up with something.
Well, do you have a wireless network adapter?
No, I don’t but I don’t really need one. I’ve already networked my machines.
Oh, well That is a $60 value and I can’t give you one of those anyway.
Ok, what else you got. I’d be happy with a month of service.
Well I can’t really do that, you see your account and all the changes are in a supervisor queue for quality control. It’s not actually created yet. So I can’t add a credit to an account that doesn’t exist.
Oh, I see. So I’m still not really real in the Tivo world yet.
That is correct.
So when might this all be resolved then?
In a day or so.
Ok…. well back to compensation… 2 hours of my time is worth something surely.
Do you want a wireless network adapter?
Sure
That will ship tomorrow no charge.
Is there anything I can do for you today Mr. Pierre?
No Matt thanks. Have a nice night.
While composing this today, I get an email from my mother who, has checked our accounts and all is good except that one of my Tivos is still on her account.
So I call them back… use the case number from last night, explain the situation, get thru the validation process… get to the part where we are transferring the one box to my account…. Kathy at tivo says the word ‘Merge’ and I stop her… We are not merging we are moving… she says its ok…. *poof* She asks me to check the account online… and just like magic… I have 5 tivos and my mother’s account is gone… The disappearing Customer Trick is getting pretty easy for them!
5-7 business days or until they fix their merge/move software-whichever happens first.
13 responses so far ↓
1 Scott // May 6, 2010 at 6:51 pm
A fair warning about TiVo and why TiVo sucks.
Short version: I paid for a lifetime subscription. TiVo cancelled my account, claimed I called and cancelled, and claimed they credited my account. I never called and cancelled my account and they never issued a credit to my credit card. Now I have a useless TiVo machine with no service and I’m out over $300.
Details: I used to always brag about TiVo and have purchased 6 TiVo machines. I have been a TiVo customer for years and currently have three TiVo boxes “running.” I have to put quotes around running since TiVo took it upon themselves to turn off one of them, which I paid a lifetime subscription for. I received and email warning and I emailed back to TiVo and even attached screenshot showing I had a lifetime subscription and never received any response. The proceeded to shut off my box. I then had the pleasure of calling TiVo. Should you ever call them, be prepared to be on hold forever. After giving up on two previous occasions, I finally planned my day around it and was able to get through after about 20 minutes of being on hold. The customer service representative was less than helpful. He claimed I called and cancelled my account, which I had not. I explained I had a lifetime subscription and he insisted I cancelled my account and claimed my credit card was credited. My credit card was never credited and I explained that. He then claimed their records showed they issued me a credit and he blamed my credit card company and said I had to take it up with them.
I called my credit card company and they confirmed I never received a credit from TiVo.
I got online with TiVo, which still took about 30 minutes to get a representative. The guy looked at my account and agreed something did not look correct; however, he would have to send it to a supervisor to look at. Even though he did absolutely nothing to rectify the problem, except pass it along, he seemed helpful. He told me someone would call me and I asked if they would leave a message with a number I could call back without being on hold forever, since I don’t answer calls I don’t recognize, since they’re oftentimes sales calls. He said they would leave a number that was a direct line. Did they ever call and so much as leave a message? No.
Bottom line: TiVo can take your money, claim you cancelled, claim they refunded your money, and leave you with a useless TiVo box and out hundreds of dollars. But they’ll make sure they wait a few months, so you don’t even have recourse with your credit card company. TiVo SUCKS.
2 Tivo sucks ass // Jul 25, 2010 at 4:17 pm
I hate Tivo and their condescending customer support assholes. They think everyone is stupid. I agree, we are stupid to pay Tivo for their primitive crap and ghetto customer service.
3 Once again, Tivo sucks ass! // Sep 12, 2010 at 10:51 am
Almost there… Just a few more decades.
They want me to pay $149 replacement fee for their crappy box that I called for about 40 times ( no exaggeration). So, they have an incentive to have faulty boxes out there so they could capitalize on it as well. This is where I see a lawsuit. I have to send them my box 1st, then wait for them to send me a replacement, in meanwhile I have no television for 2 wks, and when I get a new one, I have to spend a whole day or 2 resetting all my recordings, while still paying to cable and to Tivo monthly fee plus $149. TIVO SUCKS. Tivo is a total rip-off. Tivo reviews. Don’t get Tivo. Stay with your cable company, at least they have local technicians.
4 Don't get Tivo! Warning!!! // Sep 12, 2010 at 11:42 am
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Your local Cable Company does not charge you to get a DVR Box, only monthly fee. You have to pay for Tivo Box + monthly fee to Tivo + Monthly Fee to Cable and you will be footballed around between the 2 when the crappy Tivo Box does not restart, about once a week. Customer service is only there to make notes. If the Greeting of Tivo when you call starts with ”
Unplug your Tivo to resolve problems…” this is a clear indication that they are overwhelmed with technical issues because they sold so many faulty boxes. I’m waiting for a Class Action lawsuit. I’ve never had any problems of this sort with Verizon, I only got Tivo because I thought it would be an upgrade. I was wrong, and I regret getting Tivo. If it rains and power goes of momentarily, Tivo box will take 40 minutes to 2 hours to restart, that is after you move your media center furniture around, molest the box out of it scratching your counters, break your nails disconnecting and reconnecting everything while holding your phone on your shoulder listening to Tivo “tech support” demanding that you remain professional about it.
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5 Fuck Tivo // Jan 20, 2011 at 11:12 am
Fuck Tivo. Piece of primitive shit. Even if they go Internet, I will never even look at it from across the street. What a Garbage!
I’m getting my Verizon DVR back, I thought that Tivo Was an upgrade, boy was I wrong. This crap gets frozen once to thrice a week. (Hey Conan!) So fuck you Tivo! You suck ass of a blowfish.
6 TiVo is...Dishonest Business Practice // Aug 8, 2011 at 1:21 pm
I called TiVo 8 months ago to tell them I needed to activate my new Premier HD box to replace my old Series 2. They activated the new box but 7 months later we realized they never cancelled the service on the old box..\ theyt claim it is my responsibility to cancel by calling or asking to be redirected to a different department even though I used the terminology “Replace” when I called to activate the new box. The fact that the old box was in a box in the closet and never connected to the Internet was not enough for them, they just thrive of such dishonesty to do business and provide a service that is crap… and YES, their customer service is less than acceptable with their condescending and arogant employees. TiVo SUCKS the big one.
7 Rick // Nov 2, 2011 at 1:25 pm
The Tivo product is good, it’s the greedy executives looking to screw the customer base for recurring revenue. I just called Tivo to look into upgrading to a Premier. Seems that lifetime has been shortened, if you box dies after 3 years and you’re not a $40 maintenance plan, your lifetime plan dies. I’ve used Tivo for the past 10 years, and I understand they have to make money, but there is zero loyalty to the customers and their staff (support and sales) have a crappy attitude. I’m going to ween myself off of Tivo and work with Time Warner’s DVR for $2 a month. Hell, maybe I’ll even short their stock.
8 Jim // Mar 7, 2012 at 4:02 pm
So here is an example of a chat with TiVo from this week. In the month before this we went round and round with TiVo on replacing the other unit mentioned in the chat under warranty–just finished shipping the failed unit back to them last week.
Michael: Thank you for contacting TiVo! My name is Michael. So that I may
better assist you, are you an existing customer?
yes
Michael: Excellent! I was able to locate an account with your
information! For security purposes, would you mind verifying the address
and telephone number that would match your account?
Michael: Perfect! Thank you for verifying your contact
information for me, . What can I do for you today?
one of our tivos stopped communicating with tivo for
updates today
it started failing on “Connecting” with a state of
“getting account status”
Michael: I see. Have you tried any troubleshooting to fix the
problem?
the unit is livingroomtivo
Michael: I see. Have you tried any troubleshooting to fix the
problem?
Michael: ? Still with me?
yes
Michael: OK. Can you please provide the steps you’ve already tried?
we’ve rebooted the tivo
we’ve tested from the other tivo (masterbroomtivo
works fine)
we’ve had livingroomtivo attempt a test connection
which succeeds
Michael: Stop
Michael: If the connection succeeds, then why did you say earlier
that it was failing?
a test connection succeeds, the actual connection fails
Michael: Oh I see!
Michael: I understand the situation. The best way to solve a
networking problem like this is to restart the entire network, but we want
to do things in order to ensure everything re-connects properly. Please
unplug power from your modem, router, and TiVo box. Let all of them sit
unplugged for 30 seconds. Then, please plug-in your modem first. Wait
about 2 minutes, then plug-in your router. Wait another 2 minutes, then
finally plug-in power to the TiVo box. This should allow all of your
network devices to re-detect each other and will likely solve the problem.
Yeh
one of your hosts keeps sending a TCP reset when
livingroomtivo tries to connect
you see, I’m in IT and I’m
sniffing the traffic when it tries to connect out
Michael: If you’d prefer to troubleshoot this problem on your
own, feel free. However, if you’re looking for assistance from TiVo,
please go through the steps we offer.
I already have
Michael: Odd. I didn’t see our chat disconnect.
i tried it before I contacted you
wow
I’m going to call in and have a supervisor review the
chat transcript
Michael: Sounds good! Is there anything else I can help you with
today?
you haven’t even helped
Michael: I didn’t say I did. I asked if there was something else
you’d like help with. Would you like me to explain the difference?
oh please do, this will be fun to post to
tivocommunity.com
Michael: If I were to ask if I helped you I would ask, “Have I
helped you?” however instead I asked “Is there anything else I can help
you with today?” which is not the same question.
very well, I’ll make sure to complain about you
specifically when I call in
Michael: OK. I do not expect that will solve your networking
problem, but if it makes you feel better be sure to file your complaint.
Let us know when you’re ready to actually troubleshoot the problem and
we’ll be happy to provide assistance with that as well.
i’ve already stated that I have troubleshot the problem
i’ve rebooted the box, i’ve powered off the devices
the box connects to (firewall and modem)
what precisely have I not done?
Michael: You have not cooperated.
Michael: Once you’re willing to go through the steps we suggest
when we suggest them, we can start working toward a resolution.
how have I not been cooperative
Michael: I asked you to reset your entire network, you did not.
Michael: See, if you had been cooperating, you would have gone to
your router, modem, and TiVo box, disconnected power from them and
proceeded from there as my instructions outlined. However, you did not.
Michael: Do you understand how not doing what is asked is the
same as not cooperating?
i did all of that before the chat
it would have been difficult to chat if i waited until
after trying a chat to do that
Michael: See, you’re doing it again. You’re not proceeding with
the steps I’ve suggested and instead are arguing about how this has been
done in the past. This is a perfect example of not cooperating. Do you
understand?
agent on the phone says it looks like the box is
reporting in
and that indicates the network transport is fine
Michael: That does not change the facts, . You’re now
changing the subject, which is not going to help solve the problem.
So I’m going to go because the rep on the phone is
more helpful
and I’m not changing facts I’m stating what the rep on
the phone is telling me while I’m also chatting with you
Michael: Sounds good! I’m sure you’ll find a solution if you’re
willing to cooperate with our phone support!
At this point though it is silly for me to tie up two
reps at TiVo though so good bye
Michael: Thank you for using TiVo Chat and have a great day!
9 Matt // Mar 11, 2012 at 6:32 am
I bought a Tivo premier as a present to my self for christmas. This past December the Tivo started resetting. Then it went into a constant reboot. I called Tivo support. They had me try everything. Nothing worked. My favorite is when they tell me to plug into the wall out let as apposed to the surge protector/power strip… its funny to me because I keep explaining that my entire home theater system is hooked up to a power center that regulates the power and protects. its in a rack and I can just simply unplug it and switch the wall. The outlet is not the problem is what I am getting at. So after 45 minutes of going back and forth I get approval to replace for a $50 fee. I was pissed because this unit is less than a year old and I assumed like every other electronic nowadays it would have at least a year warranty… I was wrong. So at this point I dont even want to talk. I decided to hold off. Then I forget about it because Ive been busy with work. I called a week ago and explained what happened and they said no problem. I paid the 150+ deposit so I can get the new one first. It shows up on Thursday. Im all excited to finally be able to watch my shows when I want to and not as reruns. I take the old out and put in the new. I go through all of the setup steps. The on screen guide says it has to add all the channels and it could take 10-20 minutes. I decided to step outside to check on something. I come back and the Tivo is on the splash screen that says something like “just a few more minutes”. Im excited at this point. I pick up a magazine and start reading. Now I’m done with the magazine. I realize the Tivo just rebooted about 6 times. I call Tivo support at this point. They walk me through the same steps as before… I even unhooked my power center and went straight to the wall like they wanted and now things are worse. At this point Im pissed off . They transfer me to another department. They said they understand and they will ship me another unit. I said I DO NOT WANT ANOTHER REFURB UNIT! The guy says no problem… we will ship you a new one. I said is there anything you can do to expidite the shipping on this one since I have already waited a long time without a TV and the one you shipped me was defective? He replied… yes. I will ship it 2day air. Here it is Sunday and 3 days later (I know they dont ship on Sundays) and I decided to check the tracking number. The new (it better be new) is still sitting at Tivo. Its still sitting at the UPS in Texas. That is definitely not 2 day air. Ive just about had enough… Im almost to the point where Tivo wishes I never bought one of their boxes. Anyone else hoping for a class action lawsuit because they sell defective equipment?
10 scott // Sep 11, 2012 at 10:13 am
Tivo openly admits that I have not used the service since 2011, but wants seven dollars because I did not “formally” cancel the account.
Thieves. Liars. Cheats. A dead company still flopping around pretending they are alive.
11 Erock // Oct 14, 2012 at 10:20 am
LOL, Tivo. They pushed an update to my box that scrambled all my channels, then they claim that they don’t support my cable system. Uh, it worked until you guys screwed it up! I’m pretty sure it’s part of a “kick these lifetime members off our service” program.
Of course, there’s no way to manually map channels. At least they didn’t take the opportunity to try to sell my another unit.
12 Jude // Oct 23, 2012 at 7:57 pm
Bought a TiVo box at BstBuy. $250. Bought a wireless network adapter $100. Signed up for monthly service $15 per month. Called Cable company and fight with them for 2 weeks to get a tuning adapter and a cable card. After 2 trips to my house…finally got it! I’m all excited because I use to have TiVo years ago….and it was a good experience. It took a while to get it all set up. Had to figure it out myself cause customer support doesn’t know what they are doing. Calling them for setup support is the biggest waste of time…read your little booklet and use your noggin because 10 times out of 10….you are smarter than they are. So….I’m all set and can’t wait for the little Bloop! sounds TiVo makes. WHAT A NIGHTMARE. Pause your remote control and run to the bathroom…you’ll come back and find it started playing without you. So, much for the pause function on your “smart” DVR! Want to watch a movie on Netflix? Be prepared to watch the movie blink, blink, blink, blink all the way through the movie. You’ll miss half of it. You can download music on your Premier XL!! NO YOU CAN’T. TiVo box never recognized the music on my computer….and I paid for every single song through iTunes! I’m reading some of these blogs on tivo community and learning about all the software glitches and I’m thinking…uh unh! Life is hard enough without putting up with grief over an entertainment box! Before anything else could piss me off….I pack up that box and the wireless adapter, nice and neat and take it back to BestBuy. Got my $300 bucks back. I even called my cable company and asked them to bring me their HD DVR and take the tuning adapter and cable card back. I’m not going to deal with TiVo. So, I’m inside of 30 days and I’m down. I don’t even own the TiVo box! I try for 3 weeks to get those sons of bitches on the phone….just to cancel. They must have sniffing dogs that can detect a canceller through the phone wire….cause you’ll be holding for an hour. Seriously, I’ve got better things to do with my time. My time, is my time. I’m not paid to sit on hold waiting for TiVo! I gave up trying to cancel with them and just called my credit card company and blocked TiVo from charging my account again. You can only CHANGE your info on line….you can’t delete it. I figured….they’ll contact me when they don’t get their monthly payment!! And they do. Finally….I get them on the phone. So, I tell them; “I want to cancel. I’ve been trying to contact you. But I don’t have an extra hour per day to waste on you. I took the box back. I’m done. TiVo guy says to me: “I don’t see where you have ever called in and requested Tech support.” I told him: I’m nipping this crap in the bud. I’ve read on line the problems people are dealing with and how long it takes to resolve it. I’m not dealing with all your problems. Your box is glitchy as hell. You don’t deliver what you promise and it looks like you enjoy making peoples’ lives miserable from what I have read in the blogs on-line. And don’t tell me I have signed up for 12 months and I’m stuck in a contract. I don’t own the box anymore. (It’s at Bestbuy waiting on some other poor schmuck to purchase it). The arrogant TiVo prick proceeds to talk down to me…..”Well, when you signed up you were agreeing to a 12 month commitment.” I tell him again. I don’t own the box. You’re telling me I have to pay you for the next 11 months, $15 per month for a service I don’t have? He says to me; “Miss ***, This is what I am going to do for you.” I stop him dead in his tracks. “Buddy….I couldn’t give two flying figs what you think you’re going to do for me. I’m not paying it. Period. Sue me! You have a good day, now. He hears dial tone. Moral to this story. I’m 45 years old. Been around the block a few times and I don’t put up with peoples’ shit. I have never heard such arrogance from a customer service rep in my life. You can never get them on the phone and they offer no help. They just spew out the same dribble from their script. They really don’t know what to do to help you. When Jim told Michael that he’d already done all the trouble shooting tricks….Michael probably shit his pants….so, he proceeds to tell Jim that he is not cooperating. What an arrogant dick. So, I got rid of TiVo before they could fuck me. Cause it certainly looks like that is how they are staying in business…..
13 Mark Williams // Oct 24, 2012 at 5:50 pm
I’ve been loyal to tivo with 9 tivo boxes over the years (4 that are still active). Can you believe that tivo wouldn’t give me more than $100 off of a lifetime service plan on my newest box, even though I’ve already paid $180 in service charges on it? I expected better!
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