# Series 3 Deal for $529.34 through Thursday 12/21



## dlmerchant (Feb 15, 2004)

I just ordered a Series 3 TiVo from Dell Home for $529.34 with free shipping. Dell is offering free shipping and an automatic 15% off in their accessories store through 12/21 at 7AM CST. The discount will not appear until you add the item to your shopping cart. Just go to Dell Home and Accessories at the following URL and search on "TiVo 3":

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/default.aspx?c=us&l=en&cs=19

You can then get another 10% off by buying a stackable coupon on eBay. Just search on 10% Dell stackable. There are a number of vendors that are offering instant coupon delivery via. email. NOTE THE STACKABLE COUPONS ARE ONLY VALID THROUGH 12/20!!

So, here is the breakdown. TiVo Series 3 is $691.95 less 15% off ($93.41), less 10% stackable coupon ($69.20) yields final price of $529.34. (Plus cost of eBay coupon).

Good luck!

Dave


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## bmgoodman (Dec 20, 2000)

Looks like a great deal, but I didn't have PayPal set up so looks like I can't easily snag a 10% off stackable coupon. I'm still trying to scare one up somewhere, but I'm guessing it's hard to charge $1 to MasterCard!  

Happy holidays!


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## Jadedone (Sep 9, 2006)

Thanks Dave,

I did just that and I got it for $555 after tax (free shipping).


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## edubbrulez (Mar 5, 2004)

This is promising. I bet the series 3 does drop to under $500 in early January!


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

Note most have a $2.99 "shipping", but some have $.99. So the "stackable coupon" can be had for about $2.


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## funtoupgrade (Mar 15, 2005)

Note stackable 10% coupon only good thru 12/20.


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## dlmerchant (Feb 15, 2004)

edubbrulez said:


> This is promising. I bet the series 3 does drop to under $500 in early January!


The problem is you might not be able to transfer your lifetime service on purchases made after 12/31. Personally, I think it will take a while longer for street prices to drop to this level as a whole.


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## mtchamp (May 15, 2001)

I have no PayPal account. Anyway around this. I can't open one and fund it in time.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

mtchamp said:


> I have no PayPal account. Anyway around this. I can't open one and fund it in time.


You can't fund it, even with a credit card??


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## mtchamp (May 15, 2001)

I had PayPal at one time and closed it. I just signed up again tonight. The only option they are giving me is funding through a checking or savings account with a transfer in 3-4 days. The other option would be to apply for a PayPal Credit Card with a 30 second approval to fund the account. I don't think I want to apply for a credit card to spend a buck. I already have enough credit cards. I guess I'm going to have to find someone tomorrow from work who can buy the coupon off Ebay for me. It looks like the seller only accepts PayPal for this instant coupon.


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## pogopogo (Jan 6, 2005)

Thanks Dave. You just saved me over $100!

 $551.97 after discounts
+ $3.98 for coupon
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$555.95 total shipped


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## mtchamp (May 15, 2001)

OK. I see that I can use my own credit card through PayPal right away as an option when actually making the purchase. I think I'll be buying some now.


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## Einselen (Apr 25, 2006)

Dave,

I think your math is wrong. However the end result is all that matters, but here is what I get.

Series 3 $691.95 less 15% off ($103.79), less 10% stackable coupon ($58.82) yields final price of $529.34.

Still good find.

E


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## alyssa (Dec 7, 2003)

Thanks Dave!!
I've been on the fence for months but this offer was indeed too good to pass up. It'll arrive between the 26th & 28th, plenty of time to transfer my S2 lifetime.

eta; the price of the coupon from ebay should be factored in also.


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## ThreeSoFar (May 24, 2002)

wtf is this buying coupons crap?

Just give it to me here.


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## alyssa (Dec 7, 2003)

Three,
I did a quick search for the dell coupon & wasn't able to find any except for ebay. I'm sure they could be found but I personally MUST finish packing for my plane flight tomorrow. I ended up paying $2.98 to save $58.82.


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## ThreeSoFar (May 24, 2002)

alyssa said:


> Three,
> I did a quick search for the dell coupon & wasn't able to find any except for ebay. Not to say they're not out but I personally MUST finish packing for my plane flight tomorrow. I ended up paying $2.98 to save $58.82.


What was the one you used? I'll try that one....


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## ThreeSoFar (May 24, 2002)

Or alternatively, does it look like this is the right one?

http://cgi.ebay.com/DELL-HOME-STACK...ryZ31411QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


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## alyssa (Dec 7, 2003)

ebay item # 
190063909415

eta yep, that's the one. the code came with the ebay notice that I'd won.


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## edubbrulez (Mar 5, 2004)

dlmerchant said:


> The problem is you might not be able to transfer your lifetime service on purchases made after 12/31.


That's okay with me.


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## ThreeSoFar (May 24, 2002)

alyssa said:


> ebay item #
> 190063909415
> 
> eta yep, that's the one. the code came with the ebay notice that I'd won.


uh...where in the ebay notice?

Paid for and got my ebay notice but see no code.


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## mtchamp (May 15, 2001)

Thank you! Everything went perfectly. I have been in charge of buying bargain priced TiVos for family and friends for 5 years. I just placed a big order. I now have everybody covered that wanted to upgrade Lifetime units to Series3's for only $554 each including sales tax. Wait till I tell them tomorrow! They will be happy!


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## VanGoghLikesTivo (Jan 18, 2005)

Thank you so much for your post! I bought the 10% coupon off of eBay for $1.98 (Item #190064304918) and applied it on Dell's website and the final price was $529.34 with FREE shipping. I did have to pay sales tax of $31.76, bringing my final total to $561.10. 

I had been thinking of ordering from Buy.com with Google checkout for $629.99, but your post just saved me $66.91 over that price. Thanks again!


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## alyssa (Dec 7, 2003)

Three,
When I forced a connection to my mail server I got a notice from ebay, paypal & the seller. The sellers email had the coupon code in it. All three emails came at the same time.


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## ThreeSoFar (May 24, 2002)

alyssa said:


> Three,
> When I forced a connection to my mail server I got a notice from ebay, paypal & the seller. The sellers email had the coupon code in it. All three emails came at the same time.


Oh, come on!

I got just two, from ebay and paypal.

And no, not in the spam software.


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## nathanziarek (Sep 1, 2006)

Good find! I just put in my order. Still not sure if I want to give up directv for cable, but at that price, I'm pretty sure I can break even on ebay if I decide not to keep it.

So, as Dell has no *real* presence in WI, do I have to pay tax because of those stupid mall kiosks?


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## ThreeSoFar (May 24, 2002)

How do you get the free shipping?

and why did the ebay seller decide to screw me out of three bucks and not anyone else?


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## Einselen (Apr 25, 2006)

nathanziarek said:


> So, as Dell has no *real* presence in WI, do I have to pay tax because of those stupid mall kiosks?


Probably. Technically speaking though even with internet orders with no tax you are supposed to claim that during tax season. Now it would be hard as hell for the IRS to do research on your internet orders, but technically speaking...


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## nathanziarek (Sep 1, 2006)

Three - free shipping was just part of the deal for me. I had to wait about 5 minutes before my coupon came, and it was in my junk mail box.


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## nathanziarek (Sep 1, 2006)

@Einselen: if you work for the IRS, forget my name


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## alyssa (Dec 7, 2003)

Einselen said:


> Probably. Technically speaking though even with internet orders with no tax you are supposed to claim that during tax season. ....


Except if you're from tax free New Hampshire<grin>


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## Einselen (Apr 25, 2006)

nathanziarek said:


> @Einselen: if you work for the IRS, forget my name


For a fee I can make you disappear...

from my memory. J/K and I don't work for IRS so no need to worry.


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## ThreeSoFar (May 24, 2002)

Phew.

OK. Not sure why, but I bought our third S3 with this deal. Thanks Alyssa for your PMs helping. Sure, I know why. I'll likely sell one of my three lifetimed S3's for over $1000 at some point. This will take us from three lifetime's S2's left down to two, and bring our lifetimed S3's from two up to three. So far.

My code failed to come until after midnight, but the order was started before midnight.

Total $555.81 plus the $2.98 ebay.

Hope I don't regret not getting the Costco warranty. But this was $100 less than there almost.


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## iceman (Mar 2, 2003)

Ooh what a deal... should I? Shouldn't I? I think I should. But maybe I should sleep on it .

What's the rush, Three? The deal should be good for almost another full day .


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## ThreeSoFar (May 24, 2002)

iceman said:


> Ooh what a deal... should I? Shouldn't I? I think I should. But maybe I should sleep on it .
> 
> What's the rush, Three? The deal should be good for almost another full day .


Well, the one extra day to get it here before the 31st, for one.

But really, I wasn't sure if it expired on or after the 20th.


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## alyssa (Dec 7, 2003)

yeah, I know I'm supose to be packing but I want to do the lifetime transfer so the earlier I bought the better plus tomorrow is going to be a bear. 

I've been looking around for the past month & consiquently know a deal when I see it. 

Three, glad it worked out eventually. I always forget about sales tax...


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## dreamseason (Mar 14, 2003)

Thanks for posting, dlmerchant. I just saved $150 more than the Costco deal.


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## iceman (Mar 2, 2003)

ThreeSoFar said:


> Well, the one extra day to get it here before the 31st, for one.


Well, it only needs to be _purchased_ before the 31st... then you have all of January to activate it!
What? Oh, yeah, I _do_ tend to wait till the last minute .


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## iceman (Mar 2, 2003)

alyssa said:


> yeah, I know I'm supose to be packing but I want to do the lifetime transfer so the earlier I bought the better plus tomorrow is going to be a bear.
> 
> I've been looking around for the past month & consiquently know a deal when I see it.


You're absolutely right, I've been putting this off while checking around myself, and I know I should jump on this... The VIP transfer deadline is looming!


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## iWish (May 16, 2005)

I bit. All hail TIVO!!! Moxi has been a fun fling but I'm going back to ball and chain.

We'll see if the VIP transfer really goes away at year end but otherwise I don't think I'll have any regrets.

It's been a hard couple of months waiting, but saved about $275 and will still get the lifeime transfer.

It all took about 7 minutes with the speed of the internet.

Looking forward to 30 hours of HD capability!!!!!

Hopefully Tivo will come through with their promises on improvements/added features, but I'm not holding my breath....


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## dtee (Sep 29, 2006)

I was on the fence, but no longer. I will be switching from Direct to FiOS in the very near future so I grabbed this deal and ran. The only regret is they nicked me for tax in NY, but since the deal is at least a hundred better with the tax, I cannot really complain.Thanks to those who started and contributed to this thread, it is greatly appreciated. The power of the internet is truly awesome. Happy Holidays to all.


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## Todd S (Dec 19, 2006)

OK, here's a weird one: I bought a coupon from the same seller as did alyssa, and got the code almost immediately. However, it's in the form xxxx?xxx?xxxxx. As you may imagine, the Dell store doesn't accept it. Should the question marks be dashes? Spaces? Or do valid codes actually contain two question marks?


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## dreamseason (Mar 14, 2003)

My code had one question mark and it worked fine. I just copied and pasted the code directly from the e-mail... did you try that?


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## MrMike1876 (Dec 13, 2002)

do you know if there is an extended warranty offered by dell?

can you purchase a warranty somewhere else - like the tivocommunity store?


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## GoHokies! (Sep 21, 2005)

MrMike1876 said:


> do you know if there is an extended warranty offered by dell?
> 
> can you purchase a warranty somewhere else - like the tivocommunity store?


Yep!

http://store.tivocommunity.com/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=EXTDWRNT&Store_Code=EA

This is an awesome deal - I don't have any need for a second S3, but am glad to see that maybe, just maybe Tivo will the the response so far and start trimming back on the price in early 2007.


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## iceman (Mar 2, 2003)

I've been looking at the Warrantech extended warranty offered in the TivoCommunity Store - if you read the Terms and Conditions, it would appear you can purchase this warranty for any electronics product purchased anywhere.

"Registrations must be received within 10 days of product purchase" seems to be the most restrictive term in there.


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## iceman (Mar 2, 2003)

Just put the S3 in my shopping cart again (session timed out), and now it shows as $667.95 -/- 100.19 = 567.76!


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## alyssa (Dec 7, 2003)

Are you saying the coupon you bought off ebay didn't work?
or wait, when I bought the orginal price was $691.95, DELL Droped the starting price to $667.95?? Is the ebay stackable coupon still good?

Obviously I'm confused...

eta; OK so I didn't read the bold print at the top of icemans post<shakes my head & laughs at self>


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## Chew (Jan 22, 2003)

Tried to order this morning and I get this when I submit the order:

*Bad Request (Request Header Too Long)*



This happens to me all the time when I'm getting a good deal.


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## alyssa (Dec 7, 2003)

I was just able to get to the select shipping page-
did you get the bad request after that page?


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## Chew (Jan 22, 2003)

The final "submit order" after the complete summary page is where the error occured.

But, it must of been a Firefox thing. I got the error at home on Firefox, but a half hour later on IE at work it went through no problem.

Thanks OP for the deal!


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## alyssa (Dec 7, 2003)

Chew, I used foxfire too go figure.

Woohoo we're getting a S3<happy dance>


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

I just got this deal a few minutes ago! $536.53 after Virginia Taxes. Excellent price. I used my AMEX card which will extend the warranty for another year for free. I wish I would have used this deal for my first two units. I got those from BB and paid for their 4 year extended warranty. But at least I got 3 years no interest from BB.


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## buddhawood (Oct 9, 2000)

Extra 3% using Dell Prefered Account - You must choose pay by CREDIT/DEBIT card to be offered this option. DO NOT choose Prefered account to begin or the offer doesn't show.

Tivo Series3 HD Digital Media Recorder $667.95 1 $667.95 
10% off Select S&P!! Excludes notebook batteries, toner and ink - $66.80 
Get 15% of any Electronics and Accessories order of $400 or more - $90.17 
ADDITIONAL DISCOUNTS AND COUPONS 
Dell Home Customers: Save 3% when you use DPA! Special offer - Expires: 1/31/07. Save 3% instantly (before tax and shipping) when you purchase online using the Dell Preferred Account as your payment option with approved credit. - $15.33 
Subtotal: $495.65 
Shipping and Handling: $19.00
Shipping Discount: -$19.00
Tax Total: $29.74 
Total: $525.39


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## drew2k (Jun 10, 2003)

Einselen said:


> Probably. Technically speaking though even with internet orders with no tax you are supposed to claim that during tax season. Now it would be hard as hell for the IRS to do research on your internet orders, but technically speaking...


The IRS is federal, and has nothing to do with collecting STATE sales tax. It's your STATE tax authority that would want to see that unpaid sales tax reported on your STATE tax return when you file it, and then only if you live in the states that have laws requiring sales tax be paid on items purchased out of state, online, etc.

(Regardless, it's not very easy for states to determine what you did or didn't pay sales tax on, so it's mostly an "honor system" at this point.)


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## bmgoodman (Dec 20, 2000)

I gave up on the whole idea of buying a coupon. I hate to let savings slip by me, but it turned into a circus trying to get money into my dormant PayPal account to spend $4 and hope it would let me save $60. I just decided to order the thing anyway. I ended up at $594 delivered because Dell charged me VA sales tax. Still, my "get it next Christmas" target price was $500, so $594 was hard to resist.

Now to make sure I can transfer my old S1 lifetime onto this unit....

Thanks again to dlmerchant for the for the heads up!!


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## David Platt (Dec 13, 2001)

Wow, thanks so much for posting this!

I had just ordered a S3 on buy.com on Monday for what I thought was a good price ($650), but the order was canceled because I made a typo in my credit card billing address. If that hadn't happened, I wouldn't have been able to save $120 dollars and get it from Dell. 

Final total: $529.34 + $1.98 for eBay coupon

This is an absolutely smoking deal.


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

Are these eligible for the lifetime transfer deal?


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

buddhawood said:


> Extra 3% using Dell Prefered Account - You must choose pay by CREDIT/DEBIT card to be offered this option. DO NOT choose Prefered account to begin or the offer doesn't show.
> 
> Tivo Series3 HD Digital Media Recorder $667.95 1 $667.95
> 10% off Select S&P!! Excludes notebook batteries, toner and ink - $66.80
> ...


You tell us this Now? i could have used this a few hours ago. Oh well $536.53 with taxes is still a good deal. Of course in a few months there will probably be $400 deals and now I'll have 3 units by the end of the year. Plus I still have 3 DirecTV HD TiVos.


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## David Platt (Dec 13, 2001)

morac said:


> Are these eligible for the lifetime transfer deal?


Yep, any S3 unit purchased before December 31 is eligible for the transfer.


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## Hippster (Nov 28, 2001)

Purchased two! One for me and one for my dad! Wooohooo!!!

I have an extra coupon code that I didn't use. I bought 2 codes just in case I needed to do 2 orders but I did them both on 1.

Here it is: 2LKFFVTP0NRHS?

May it go to a good home!


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## dreamseason (Mar 14, 2003)

If you want to save every last penny, you can go for the Dell Preferred Account 3% as mentioned above and get another 3% back from cash back rebate on fatwallet.com.

On fatwallet, register for an account, and click thru to Dell Home from the fatwallet Cashback page. Your 3% rebate shows up 120 days after purchase, which you can then transfer to a Paypal account. Some hoops to jump through for sure, but it's about $15. The DPA 3% involves applying for credit, which might affect your outstanding credit level, so that may not be worthwhile for some people (like me).


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## PaulS (Sep 16, 2002)

Thanks for the deal, I scored one.

Wahoo! Christmas came early this year!


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## David Platt (Dec 13, 2001)

David Platt said:


> Wow, thanks so much for posting this!
> 
> I had just ordered a S3 on buy.com on Monday for what I thought was a good price ($650), but the order was canceled because I made a typo in my credit card billing address. If that hadn't happened, I wouldn't have been able to save $120 dollars and get it from Dell.
> 
> ...


Okay, this is just getting too funny. Turns out that I never actually SUBMITTED my order with Dell last night-- one of the final steps is presenting you with a page that looks a hell of a lot like a receipt, but then you have to actually submit the order from that page. I forgot to do that.

So the deal just gets even better-- I got in on the new pricing this morning, so it was $510!! Wow!


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## nathanziarek (Sep 1, 2006)

Are there rules about what lifetimes can be transferred? I have a friend that says he has lifetime on his DirecTV box and is willing to sell. I see a couple of directv boxes with lifetime on ebay, so I assume he is correct. Is a direcTV tivo lifetime eligible for transfer to an S3?


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## dreamseason (Mar 14, 2003)

David Platt said:


> Okay, this is just getting too funny. Turns out that I never actually SUBMITTED my order with Dell last night-- one of the final steps is presenting you with a page that looks a hell of a lot like a receipt, but then you have to actually submit the order from that page. I forgot to do that.
> 
> So the deal just gets even better-- I got in on the new pricing this morning, so it was $510!! Wow!


  I did the same thing. With the lower price and and remembering to use fatwallet, my mistake last night saved me about $35.


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

My only worry is that come Jan 1st TiVo will drop the price to something like $500 making all this unnecessary, but since the price actually came out to $495 pre-tax it is better.

I think I'm going to get this despite the fact that the S3 still doesn't have MRV or ToGo (hoping). Since the lowest service fee is $199 and the lifetime transfer fee is $199 I think I'll go the lifetime route. 

I forgot, after a year how much is the monthly payment for the old box?


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## nathanziarek (Sep 1, 2006)

@morac - i don't know if I see that happening. Tivo.com still sells it for $800, even though retailers have dropped to ~680 (on average). Do you think TiVo would take a $300 chunk off in one swoop? I don't know. If so, I only $50 more. My goal was a $500 S3. I almost made it


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## Einselen (Apr 25, 2006)

nathanziarek said:


> @morac - i don't know if I see that happening. Tivo.com still sells it for $800, even though retailers have dropped to ~680 (on average). Do you think TiVo would take a $300 chunk off in one swoop? I don't know. If so, I only $50 more. My goal was a $500 S3. I almost made it


With Fatwallet CashBack total drops to 495 and some change, but then gotta factor in tax, which I think with Dell they tax almost every state.


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## nathanziarek (Sep 1, 2006)

I've been debating, since my order hasn't shipped, contacting Dell for the extra $20 or so off, since the TiVo dropped in price on their site overnite. I've decided I don't want to mess with a good thing.


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## Todd S (Dec 19, 2006)

*dreamseason*: Thanks, copying and pasting the coupon code worked.

Even with sales tax and next-day shipping, it was still $100 less than Amazon ($690 currently). That's more money to put towards a bigger drive!


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## JPA2825 (May 15, 2000)

nathanziarek said:


> Are there rules about what lifetimes can be transferred? I have a friend that says he has lifetime on his DirecTV box and is willing to sell. I see a couple of directv boxes with lifetime on ebay, so I assume he is correct. Is a direcTV tivo lifetime eligible for transfer to an S3?


Almost certain that DirectTv lifetimes CANNOT be transferred to S3. I'd certainly check before counting on it.


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## alaan (Nov 2, 2003)

Does Dell charge sales tax in every state? I'm in Illinois, anywone know? Thanks.


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## alaan (Nov 2, 2003)

to answer my own question...yes they do...they charge tax in 35+ states I was told. I used my Dell acoount (-3%) and got out at $526 including tax. $500 was my buy price, but I don't think we will see $500 as a normal market price until at least March.


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## crowfan (Dec 27, 2003)

I just bought a coupon code on eBay from seller "couponexpress." The code was not in the email they sent me that was supposed to contain the code, and the website they provide (where I'm supposed to be able to look it up using my PayPal email address, zip, and eBay item code #) is telling me there is no matching record.  They haven't responded to emails yet and time will run out soon.


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## VanGoghLikesTivo (Jan 18, 2005)

I called Dell about the price drop since my order last night and they said they would issue a $24 credit on my credit card to me for the price difference after the item ships out. (They actually offered a $30 off coupon for a later purchase first, but I wanted the credit back)


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## bricknothitback (Jun 12, 2006)

Got one for $529, add $8 for the coupon, $537 total.

Ebay Coupon worked like a charm.


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## MrMike1876 (Dec 13, 2002)

ME TOO - i AM NOT HAPPY!!!


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## AdamP (Dec 28, 2004)

crowfan said:


> I just bought a coupon code on eBay from seller "couponexpress." The code was not in the email they sent me that was supposed to contain the code, and the website they provide (where I'm supposed to be able to look it up using my PayPal email address, zip, and eBay item code #) is telling me there is no matching record.  They haven't responded to emails yet and time will run out soon.


I faced the exact same experience just now. I wish I would have read your post before I made the coupon purchase.


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## crowfan (Dec 27, 2003)

I'm trying to be patient but I don't have the time. I'm thinking of just getting another one, but it really pisses me off.


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## onecastdan (Nov 25, 2006)

I've been on the fence about buying the S3, but I just got off! 
total -- 541.64 with PA tax
Ebay coupon -- 7.98
Grand Total = 549.62
I will be transferring lifetime from S2 to S3.
Thanks Dave


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## onecastdan (Nov 25, 2006)

crowfan said:


> I just bought a coupon code on eBay from seller "couponexpress." The code was not in the email they sent me that was supposed to contain the code, and the website they provide (where I'm supposed to be able to look it up using my PayPal email address, zip, and eBay item code #) is telling me there is no matching record.  They haven't responded to emails yet and time will run out soon.


I just bought one, mine worked fine, here is the link. Ebay coupon 
Dan


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## Hippster (Nov 28, 2001)

This is the auction I used this morning from CouponExpress for $1.98 total:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220061868236

Instant delivery and coupon code worked!

Puzzled that anyone is having problems with it - seemed to work like a champ. Note the fine print: E-mail is sent to your registered PAYPAL e-mail and NOT ebay.


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## MrMike1876 (Dec 13, 2002)

they sent me the email - stating: Here is your coupon code

and then the rest of the email was blank!

and i tried to look it up through their website -- ebayfast.com and the code could not be found.


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## AdamP (Dec 28, 2004)

MrMike1876 said:


> they sent me the email - stating: Here is your coupon code
> 
> and then the rest of the email was blank!
> 
> and i tried to look it up through their website -- and the code could not be found.


Ditto here. I received two emails that stated:

Here are your coupons:

Thanks for your purchase.

CouponExpress​
No codes, the online lookup did not work, no response to my email.


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## Valdier (Dec 20, 2006)

Just got one myself... was going to go with costco for $650... but...

$667.95 
10% off Select S&P
Expires Wednesday, December 20, 2006
View Details

- $66.80

Get 15% of any Electronics and Accessories order of $400 or more
Limited Time Offer!!

- $90.17 

Sub-total 
$510.98

Tax 
$42.16

Total Price 
$553.14

+$8 for Ebay Coupon, 561.14, still saved well over $100 after tax and shipping from costco...

(Didn't have time for fatwallet)


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## silverball (Jan 18, 2002)

AdamP said:


> Ditto here. I received two emails that stated:
> 
> Here are your coupons:
> 
> ...


Same Problem with coupon express. Blank email.


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## Granticus (Dec 16, 2006)

I had the same poor experience with couponexpress as well. Empty email and no luck on the ebayfast site.


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## onecastdan (Nov 25, 2006)

Looks like Dell is going to be shipping a lot of S3's.


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## crowfan (Dec 27, 2003)

Dammit. Now I have to buy another one and spend another $6.


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## nathanziarek (Sep 1, 2006)

VanGoghLikesTivo said:


> I called Dell about the price drop since my order last night and they said they would issue a $24 credit on my credit card to me for the price difference after the item ships out. (They actually offered a $30 off coupon for a later purchase first, but I wanted the credit back)


I just took a look at their 30-day policy -- if the price drops within 30 days, you can request that they match their new price. I'm guessing that they'll bring up something about the ~20% off and not match if there are no comparable coupons, but still could be a nice thing to look at in 30 days. I'm going to gamble my $20 now for the chance of a price drop after the new year 

Now, who will remind me to check?


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## vstone (May 11, 2002)

Could it be that Tivo has notified vendors of a price drop next year and Dell has too many on hand at the old price?

I'd go for this if I knew that MRV was coming!


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## crowfan (Dec 27, 2003)

Just got another coupon code, and this seller actually sent it to me .

I now own an S3 for $555!


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## GregComeLately (Nov 27, 2006)

Is it just me, or are all these stackable coupons gone from Ebay, as of right now (2pm central time)? I see a ton in the completed listings, but ZERO in the current open listings.



alaan said:


> Does Dell charge sales tax in every state? I'm in Illinois, anywone know? Thanks.


Sad to report, yes, there is sales tax for us and it indeed makes me ILL. 

It must be because of those wretched kiosks in shopping malls. I bought a camera last year through Dell online, and it had tax applied for that reason, I presume.


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## Chew (Jan 22, 2003)

GregComeLately said:


> Is it just me, or are all these stackable coupons gone from Ebay, as of right now (2pm central time)? I see a ton in the completed listings, but ZERO in the current open listings.


99% of them going to S3 TiVos, no doubt.


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## JPA2825 (May 15, 2000)

Tough call for me. I have an HDTV and an old S1 w/ Lifetime gathering dust in the attic. Wife doesn't want to shell out ~$750 for S3 w/ Lifetime. I'd save $11/mo. by eliminating 1 S2 @ $6.95/mo. in the house and saving $4/mo. by replacing Insight DVR w/ 2 CableCards.

If I don't take the plunge w/ the S3, I think I have to try to "monetize" the old S1 w/ Lifetime by selling it (or just the TSN) to someone who buys an S3 before 12.31.06 and wants to tag it w/ Lifetime.

Would I rather have cold hard cash in hand (~$200?) or the asset (S3 w/ Lifetime)?


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## GregComeLately (Nov 27, 2006)

if anybody has any extra one of those super cheap codes (.99 + 2.99 or whatever), please pm me. I'll give you some referral points when I go to transfer my lifetime (or whatever/whenever the procedure is) to the new S3, if applicable. 

If I am not supposed to put in a request here like this, let me know and I'll slap myself silly, deleting this post in the process.


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## matneh (Jul 16, 2005)

JPA2825 said:


> Tough call for me. I have an HDTV and an old S1 w/ Lifetime gathering dust in the attic. Wife doesn't want to shell out ~$750 for S3 w/ Lifetime. I'd save $11/mo. by eliminating 1 S2 @ $6.95/mo. in the house and saving $4/mo. by replacing Insight DVR w/ 2 CableCards.
> 
> If I don't take the plunge w/ the S3, I think I have to try to "monetize" the old S1 w/ Lifetime by selling it (or just the TSN) to someone who buys an S3 before 12.31.06 and wants to tag it w/ Lifetime.
> 
> Would I rather have cold hard cash in hand (~$200?) or the asset (S3 w/ Lifetime)?


Your wife is right  Take the cash and go with the cable company's DVR. Their monthly fees take a LONG time to add up to the cost of a TiVo with lifetime. Any other argument is purely emotional 

I tried to justify the Series 3 too, but without On-Demand, we would actually be going backwards in functionality from the Comcast DVR.


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## nathanziarek (Sep 1, 2006)

Are the coupons reusable?


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## GregComeLately (Nov 27, 2006)

generally not. (I'm about 89% sure on this)


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## nathanziarek (Sep 1, 2006)

JPA2825 said:


> Would I rather have cold hard cash in hand (~$200?) or the asset (S3 w/ Lifetime)?


Buy the S3 for $550, transfer the Lifetime to it for $200 and then sell the S3 on eBay for $1000. Or, sell me the S1 for $100 and let me use it for my S3.

You win either way! 

Nate


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

I'm looking for a coupon too..


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## GregComeLately (Nov 27, 2006)

back off, mattack!  

(just kidding. Mattack's good people. Very helpful on the dvd recorder forum, for example. I heart is helpful internet personality.  )


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## dreamseason (Mar 14, 2003)

I think Ebay (with Dell's influence?) has pulled the coupon code auctions. Even though I had already completed the coupon purchase from a seller last night, I received an e-mail this morning stating that the auction had been ended by ebay and I was no longer under any obligation to complete my transaction.


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## twassel (Feb 20, 2006)

My dad just bought from Dell ($616 including tax, without the coupon), and they gave him a ship date of 1/20/07! Will he still be able to transfer his Series 1 lifetime? I know the purchase date has to be by 12/31. Is the "purchase date" the date he ordered it, the date it's shipped, or the date he gets it? If he loses the lifetime transfer, he'll cancel the Dell deal and pay more elsewhere.


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## rainwater (Sep 21, 2004)

twassel said:


> My dad just bought from Dell ($616 including tax, without the coupon), and they gave him a ship date of 1/20/07! Will he still be able to transfer his Series 1 lifetime? I know the purchase date has to be by 12/31. Is the "purchase date" the date he ordered it, the date it's shipped, or the date he gets it? If he loses the lifetime transfer, he'll cancel the Dell deal and pay more elsewhere.


It's the purchase date. Plus, if he didn't receive it until February, I'm sure TiVo would make an exception to transfer lifetime.

That brings up a good question though. The 12/31 deadline seems meaningless now because initially you had to buy it from the TiVo store. Now that you don't, TiVo really has no way of knowing when you purchase it, do they?. I would venture to say that date is not even used by the CSR to transfer service.


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## nathanziarek (Sep 1, 2006)

the S3 doesn't show up in the search anymore either. we'll see if cancellation notices ring out now that dell has caught wind of this amazing deal...

OK...it shows up now, but the link doesn't work. Usually ships is 6+ weeks. Hopefully the early entries get shipped out sooner than that.

nate


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## dzirpolo (Oct 14, 2001)

Purchased mine from Dell this morning. I just got a shipping notice. How cool is that. 

I was lucky too, I had a couple of customer service issues with my new PC so they sent me a couple of coupons for my trouble. I was able use them to get my series 3 for $486 shipped.

WooHoo...


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## bkdtv (Jan 9, 2003)

If anyone has a 10% off Dell coupon they don't need, feel free to PM me.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

Argh, did they just remove the series 3 from their store??


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## msrolla (Feb 11, 2004)

Ordered mine about 10:30 (Central) this morning. Ship date still shows as 12/22.


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## jtown (Sep 26, 2002)

Darn you! Darn you all to Heck!

I just got an HDTV panel and was grousing about the crummy 120 gig HD DVR the cable company provides (or the 160 gig with terrible standard-def output). Ranted about how I'd get a Series 3 if it wasn't $800 plus $300 for 3 years with a clock ticking on my service contract. Now I can get it for $800something with my lifetime service transferred. (Missed the 10% coupon by a day.)

I told myself I was done spending money for the year and now I've just spent another $600 with $200 coming soon. 

Looks like I just made it, too. I hope. Like nathanziarek said, it doesn't show up in the search any more. My confirmation was sent about 25 minutes ago.


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## Jazhuis (Aug 30, 2006)

Whoo! Even without the stackable discount, this deal fell squarely enough in the WAF zone that she went ahead and ordered one this morning. I guess I can't be claiming to sit on the S3 fence anymore.


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## dzirpolo (Oct 14, 2001)

I ordered mine at about 5am Mountain this morning and I will have it by Saturday if DHL delivers on Saturday otherwise on the 26th. 

I can't wait to get rid of the Comcast DVR and the price they are charging.


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## Chew (Jan 22, 2003)

Ordered first thing this morning, order status now shows "shipped".


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## Granticus (Dec 16, 2006)

I was unable to grab a coupon. If anyone has a spare, please PM me.


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## onecastdan (Nov 25, 2006)

Dell removed S3 off there site


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

Granticus said:


> I was unable to grab a coupon. If anyone has a spare, please PM me.


You're out of luck. As we have said, it's disappeared from Dell's site.


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## Granticus (Dec 16, 2006)

Dammit! That's what I get for holding out for a coupon. I would've saved $90 over what I just paid at costco's site.

Oh well. If it weren't for this great forum, I never would have known about either deal in the first place.


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## Dssturbo1 (Feb 23, 2005)

the coupons were one use only but you could buy multiple (2-10) S3 with one coupon. bet someone did that to turn them on ebay.
someone has coupons right now but upped the price to $14, dell pulled S3 due to out of stock also


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## ktuley (Feb 21, 2003)

You must have bought them out. I can't seem to find any S3 on Dell's site. just S2s.


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## GregComeLately (Nov 27, 2006)

I always have wondered how these Ebay guys end up with dozens upon dozens of coupon codes to sell. What is their secret? Loophole geniuses or shyster shenanigans?


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## dolcevita (Jan 1, 2004)

Darn, the one day I don;t visit the TCF because I'm crunching on project deadlines.

This would have got me off the fence. And my Dell account would have allowed me to pay for it over the next 12 months with no interest; always like using OPM for free.


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## ThreeSoFar (May 24, 2002)

GregComeLately said:


> I always have wondered how these Ebay guys end up with dozens upon dozens of coupon codes to sell. What is their secret? Loophole geniuses or shyster shenanigans?


Or Dell system admins?

Expected shipping date: 12/26

Hey, who was it telling me last night I was rushing for no reason, hmmm? And they're out of coupons today, hmmm?


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

Mine shipped this evening. I ordered it this morning but the expected delivery date is 12/26. Hopefully it will arrive sooner.


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## PaulS (Sep 16, 2002)

Mine's still "In Production", which I guess is a semi-purgatory state between "Ordered" and "Shipped". It's been like that all day. Not sure if Dell pulling the S3 from the web site had any effect on the order status. Ship date remains 12/22.


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## SC0TLANDF0REVER (Dec 9, 2001)

THIS would defintely got me off the fence...

alas they are sold out.


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## David Platt (Dec 13, 2001)

PaulS said:


> Mine's still "In Production", which I guess is a semi-purgatory state between "Ordered" and "Shipped". It's been like that all day. Not sure if Dell pulling the S3 from the web site had any effect on the order status. Ship date remains 12/22.


I wouldn't sweat it-- I've had items ordered from Dell show up on my doorstep when the order status still shows "In Production." Sometimes I've even gotten shipping notices after I've already received the order.


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## PeterDC (Dec 21, 2006)

THIS DEAL IS STILL AVAILABLE BY PHONE. I called Dell and the Series 3 is still in their system, even though it is not on the webpage! I got one for $548.36 -- including DC tax and $7.98 for a stackable coupon on e-Bay.


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## iceman (Mar 2, 2003)

If you log into your Dell business account, the S3 will still show - with a delivery estimate of 6 weeks though.


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## Granticus (Dec 16, 2006)

Thank you so much PeterDC! After I read your post, I called Dell and found out they still had a few left so I got one. It took awhile for the guy to check availability and confirm the price, so I went ahead and ordered a stackable coupon on eBay while I waited. Total cost = $544.19 + $7.98 for the stackable coupon.

The only downer is that the expected ship date isn't until 1/22/07. I will be cutting it close for the lifetime transfer.


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## iceman (Mar 2, 2003)

ThreeSoFar said:


> Hey, who was it telling me last night I was rushing for no reason, hmmm? And they're out of coupons today, hmmm?


You have been vindicated!


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## dtee (Sep 29, 2006)

I saw this promo on the site last night at 1am. Grabbed an ebay coupon,ordered the Series 3 and it has already shipped. The only hitch was the price drop several hours after I purchased the thing. Called India and got a commitment to match the new price, which they did not want to do. This site is the best. Dells not too bad either!


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## bmgoodman (Dec 20, 2000)

dtee said:


> Called India and got a commitment to match the new price, which they did not want to do. This site is the best. Dells not too bad either!


Before they agreed to match the new price, did they first ask you to reload Windows? 

Sorry, but after several support calls to India went horribly wrong, Dell is in my dog house.


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## crowfan (Dec 27, 2003)

I got an email from couponexpress that their site was hacked and that was why they sent blank emails. The only reason I tend to believe them is that they had 100% positive feedback before yesterday. They took a major hit on feedback because of this, and I have already left them a negative. They offered to give me 2 new coupon codes on Friday, when Dell releases their new codes (which wouldn't have helped me for the S3 deal), or refund my money.

I chose the latter, of course. Once they actually refund the money, I will leave followup feedback for them.


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## bricknothitback (Jun 12, 2006)

I bought the S3 from Dell at about 2:00pm on Wednesday, got an estimated ship date of today. 

Order was "in production" as of this morning. 

After chatting with a dell service rep, it turns out my order due to ship on Jan 3 and that they were doing their "level best" to get it out earlier. We will see....


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## nathanziarek (Sep 1, 2006)

Mine says it shipped with a delivery date of tomorrow. We'll see. If it does, though, I'll need an excuse to take some vacation. Any ideas?


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## bmgoodman (Dec 20, 2000)

nathanziarek said:


> Mine says it shipped with a delivery date of tomorrow. We'll see. If it does, though, I'll need an excuse to take some vacation. Any ideas?


Yeah, I hear there's some sort of holiday coming up. Perhaps you could use that as your cover story?


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

PaulS said:


> Mine's still "In Production", which I guess is a semi-purgatory state between "Ordered" and "Shipped". It's been like that all day. Not sure if Dell pulling the S3 from the web site had any effect on the order status. Ship date remains 12/22.


Mine's showing as "In Production" as well, which really doesn't make much sense since this is the status they use when they are actually building/testing a computer. When I bought my Dell laptop from them, it was "In Production" for less than 24 hours. The S3 is already in a box so the "In Production" part should just be going to the warehouse (or wherever it is) and putting it on a truck.

Shipping date is listed as tomorrow, but we will see.


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## nathanziarek (Sep 1, 2006)

bmgoodman said:


> Yeah, I hear there's some sort of holiday coming up. Perhaps you could use that as your cover story?


The day before a long break is the hardest day to convince someone you need off


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## Anchorman (Mar 2, 2002)

I thought I was a day late and a dollar short when I tried the website and the S3 was indeed no longer there. But I tried calling the number on the web page (1-800-449-3355) and the sales person I got said that they still had the S3 and since I had called within 24 hours of the price expiring, I could still get one.

The price was $567.75 plus MI tax, and I had no coupon, but it's still a great price. :up: Shipping was free, and he said it should ship by 1/3/2007.


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## Valdier (Dec 20, 2006)

Just as a note, my order that was scheduled to ship out tomorrow is being delayed till the 3rd also... apparently dell's website doesn't show actual inventory status, and their automatic shipping guestimator doesn't use any form of inventory control to guess ship dates...

This was after 2 calls to their horrible customer service and one online chat


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## Rez (Dec 23, 2001)

Came home to a nice shiny new series 3 today, and I can't get rid of that #^@($ SA 8300 fast enough. I'm very happy it came so fast as I was able to schedule my cable card install before the rush of new owners from Christmas.


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## berg69 (Oct 7, 2006)

well, i called dell and they no longer have the series 3 available over the phone. does anyone know where is the least expensive place to currently buy one prior to the 31st? also, does it matter where you buy the s3 in order to get the lifetime service switched from another device?

appreciate any info.

thanks.
p.


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## ThreeSoFar (May 24, 2002)

berg69 said:


> well, i called dell and they no longer have the series 3 available over the phone. does anyone know where is the least expensive place to currently buy one prior to the 31st? also, does it matter where you buy the s3 in order to get the lifetime service switched from another device?
> 
> appreciate any info.
> 
> ...


Does not matter where.

Costco.com (for members) is the cheapest there is. Excellent (infinite) warranty is a plus.

But they're delivery only. Cutting it close.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

berg69 said:


> well, i called dell and they no longer have the series 3 available over the phone. does anyone know where is the least expensive place to currently buy one prior to the 31st? also, does it matter where you buy the s3 in order to get the lifetime service switched from another device?


This thread
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=330017
usually has the most up to date prices, but has been (temporarily?) ignored because of this lower priced deal.

No, it doesn't matter where.

ARGH, I missed out on the deal too.


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## jtown (Sep 26, 2002)

I hope mine ships on schedule. I set up my cablecard install for next Saturday to make sure I could get it on the one day I'll be home.


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## VanGoghLikesTivo (Jan 18, 2005)

berg69 said:


> does anyone know where is the least expensive place to currently buy one prior to the 31st?


Buy.com w/Goggle checkout is now at $629.99 + shipping.


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## robbytein (Dec 22, 2006)

VanGoghLikesTivo said:


> BUY w/Goggle checkout is now at $629.99 + shipping.


Yeah I think BUY is the best deal at the moment. I think I'll just wait till afetr xmas though for a price reduction.


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## nathanziarek (Sep 1, 2006)

Mine is "Out for Delivery" as we speak!

Stay at work - Go Home and wait for it - stay at work - go home and wait for it

Tough call.


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## GoHokies! (Sep 21, 2005)

nathanziarek said:


> Mine is "Out for Delivery" as we speak!
> 
> Stay at work - Go Home and wait for it - stay at work - go home and wait for it
> 
> Tough call.


It's the Friday before Christmas. Go home.


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## GregComeLately (Nov 27, 2006)

I wonder if it's worth it to pick up one of those Dell coupons today, seeing as how they are back down to $4 again? How long do these coupons remain viable? This would all be on the chance that the deal comes back again before the end of the month.

I'm not sure how likely that is, but I remember when I was on the hunt for a Logitech Harmony 880 remote, and Dell had an incredible sale for this remote, sure not to be repeated twice. But as it turned out.. they _did_ repeat the incredible deal again. Possible fly-in-the-ointment: I forget how far apart they held the sales, probably greater than a 7-10 days though, as that's about all the time left we have to purchase an S3 (for us last minute lifetime transfer scramblers, that is).

oh, and of course, I missed out on BOTH of those Harmony remote sales, each by about 20 minutes. My string of non-luck continues on with the S3. bloody hell.


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## Dssturbo1 (Feb 23, 2005)

the ebay seller usually clearly states the expiration of the coupon, IF not then beware or at least email with the question when does it expire exactly.


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## GregComeLately (Nov 27, 2006)

yep, I just got a response back from the seller. They've got the listing up, but they have yet to include detailed info, including expiration. They said that they won't know that info until later, whenever "later" is.


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## alyssa (Dec 7, 2003)

I got in on this deal the night of the 19th. The unit has shipped and is schedualed for delivery on the 28th. Will it arrive in the orange tivo box?

regarding transfer of lifetime, I'm sure this has been gone over but is it as simple as calling up the Tivo CSR & paying the $$. Along with the applicable service #'s of course.

eta;
dell has these units listed again for 667.95 ships in 6 weeks
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&cs=19&sku=A0749340


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## ChuckyBox (Oct 3, 2005)

alyssa said:


> I got in on this deal the night of the 19th. The unit has shipped and is schedualed for delivery on the 28th. Will it arrive in the orange tivo box?


The S3 box is black. But I don't know if Dell reboxes it.



> regarding transfer of lifetime, I'm sure this has been gone over but is it as simple as calling up the Tivo CSR & paying the $$. Along with the applicable service #'s of course.


Yep, it's that easy.


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## PaulS (Sep 16, 2002)

morac said:


> Mine's showing as "In Production" as well, which really doesn't make much sense since this is the status they use when they are actually building/testing a computer. When I bought my Dell laptop from them, it was "In Production" for less than 24 hours. The S3 is already in a box so the "In Production" part should just be going to the warehouse (or wherever it is) and putting it on a truck.
> 
> Shipping date is listed as tomorrow, but we will see.


Web site still listed "in production", so I called 'em up.

The guy on the phone said "yup, it's gonna ship today (12/22). let me set up a case # so you can monitor the situation and call us back for updates".

Got a call later at home from someone at Dell saying the ship date was now 12.29.

Got an automated call after that saying the ship date was now 1/3.

So, it's coming, I just don't know when..,


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## dreamseason (Mar 14, 2003)

My Tivo box from Costco ($690) is sitting here unopened, because I got in on the Dell ($530) deal. I don't mind waiting for the box from Dell to arrive, but I am tempted to open the Costco one now and return the Dell one to Costco whenever it arrives. I see that the serial number is included with the UPC symbol on the side of the box.

Do they do any sort of serial number tracking that might cause me problems if I try to return a different (but brand new, unopened) box?


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## Ivomir (Apr 5, 2006)

I got the same thing. I ordered on 12/20 in the morning and it listed ship date 12/22. But after just talking to CSR they now say 1/3. Will I still be able to transfer my lifetime? I technically bought it before the deadline.


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## ThreeSoFar (May 24, 2002)

dreamseason said:


> My Tivo box from Costco ($690) is sitting here unopened, because I got in on the Dell ($530) deal. I don't mind waiting for the box from Dell to arrive, but I am tempted to open the Costco one now and return the Dell one to Costco whenever it arrives. I see that the serial number is included with the UPC symbol on the side of the box.
> 
> Do they do any sort of serial number tracking that might cause me problems if I try to return a different (but brand new, unopened) box?


I wouldn't risk it. That's just me.


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## drew2k (Jun 10, 2003)

dreamseason said:


> Do they do any sort of serial number tracking that might cause me problems if I try to return a different (but brand new, unopened) box?


Best Buy matches the MAC address of network adapter hardware to the MAC address on the package, so I wouldn't be surprised if Costcot didn't do the same with TiVo TSN / SN.


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## Rez (Dec 23, 2001)

ChuckyBox said:


> The S3 box is black. But I don't know if Dell reboxes it.


The shipment I received was not double boxed, just the black S3 box with a shipping label slapped on it.


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## 1283 (Sep 8, 2000)

dreamseason said:


> Do they do any sort of serial number tracking that might cause me problems if I try to return a different (but brand new, unopened) box?





Rez said:


> The shipment I received was not double boxed, just the black S3 box with a shipping label slapped on it.


Try to return a box with Dell's shipping label to Costco.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

Rez said:


> The shipment I received was not double boxed, just the black S3 box with a shipping label slapped on it.


Well that sucks. I see mine arrived at the local DHL facility today but too late to go out with todays deliveries. I'm hoping I can pick it up tomorrow, but if they are like UPS you can't do that until a delivery has been attempted.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

alyssa said:


> regarding transfer of lifetime, I'm sure this has been gone over but is it as simple as calling up the Tivo CSR & paying the $$. Along with the applicable service #'s of course.


Not the normal Tivo customer service, the special # in the VIP page.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

GregComeLately said:


> I wonder if it's worth it to pick up one of those Dell coupons today, seeing as how they are back down to $4 again? How long do these coupons remain viable? This would all be on the chance that the deal comes back again before the end of the month.


I guess it's kind of pointless since Dell is saying 6+ weeks shipping.. But just in case it fixes in the next few days -- what % off coupons are you finding?

I just searched for dell coupons, and the ones I see are just for specific computers.


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## Deacon West (Apr 16, 2006)

Black & Silver box came today from DHL. It was not double boxed.


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## nathanziarek (Sep 1, 2006)

yay! he's in! I'm so proud.

now, i'd really like to get this machine registered with lifetime, but I don't have a box. I've been looking on eBay, and there apear to be lots of older tivos with "lifetime" included. Is there a way to check this without calling Tivo? Assuming you have the TSN, will Tivo even release that information to someone other than the owner? Is there a site I can type on the TSN? Tivo will quickly tire of me calling every time I find a Tivo


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## dreamseason (Mar 14, 2003)

c3 said:


> Try to return a box with Dell's shipping label to Costco.


Yeah, I guess I will have to be patient then...


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## GregComeLately (Nov 27, 2006)

mattack said:


> I guess it's kind of pointless since Dell is saying 6+ weeks shipping.. But just in case it fixes in the next few days -- what % off coupons are you finding?
> 
> I just searched for dell coupons, and the ones I see are just for specific computers.


a single seller had a listing up for 96 "10% Off" coupons, for the original .99 coupon + $2.99 shipping price. However, details weren't available yet, and the seller posted a notice in the description requesting ebayers to please refrain from purchasing until the coupon details were available. Of course, there were still a few people who went ahead and purchased anyway.

But sometime within the next couple of hours, the listing had an "ended early" notice, so either the seller or Ebay pulled it. I assume it was the seller, who perhaps wasn't able to secure the coupon codes, or something of the sort.


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## ThreeSoFar (May 24, 2002)

nathanziarek said:


> yay! he's in! I'm so proud.
> 
> now, i'd really like to get this machine registered with lifetime, but I don't have a box. I've been looking on eBay, and there apear to be lots of older tivos with "lifetime" included. Is there a way to check this without calling Tivo? Assuming you have the TSN, will Tivo even release that information to someone other than the owner? Is there a site I can type on the TSN? Tivo will quickly tire of me calling every time I find a Tivo


Just curious--how much would you pay for a lifetime at this point just to transfer it?


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## nathanziarek (Sep 1, 2006)

> Just curious--how much would you pay for a lifetime at this point just to transfer it?


not much, to be honest. I figure this Tivo is good for 3 years (especially since I'm in Time "we love SDV" Warner's area). Part of that is my general hesitation about cable cards. Part is my love of new stuff.

So, if my Tivo's "lifetime" is 3 years, I can get that for $299 right now. but, that doesn't give it any resale value. If I could find a lifetime'd Tivo for ~$200 and then transfer it, I'd spend $100 more, but I feel like Ive increased it's resale value significantly, if it came to that.

I wouldn't pay more than $200 for an old Tivo box, and I'm hoping with Christmas here, I might be able to find a better deal on ebay. If I can't, I go with 3 years. No biggie, but I thought I'd try...


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

Got a pleasant surprise. DHL delivered the S3 from Dell today. I didn't expect Saturday delivery. I'm in the process of setting it up now.


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## alyssa (Dec 7, 2003)

mattack said:


> Not the normal Tivo customer service, the special # in the VIP page.


Thanks for the heads up. I would have tried the regular # 

The reason I asked about the orange box was 'cus it's being delivered to my work & a big orange box woiuld be bound to raise comments.


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## 1283 (Sep 8, 2000)

alyssa said:


> The reason I asked about the orange box was 'cus it's being delivered to my work & a big orange box woiuld be bound to raise comments.


A big black box wouldn't?


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

I called yesterday and was told it would ship that day, now it says shipping Jan 3rd.


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## crowfan (Dec 27, 2003)

Yeah mine was originally scheduled to be shipped out on 12/22. I was excited cause I'd get to play with it during my week off. Now it's bumped to a ship date of 1/3.


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## YupYup (Sep 13, 2006)

Ivomir said:


> I got the same thing. I ordered on 12/20 in the morning and it listed ship date 12/22. But after just talking to CSR they now say 1/3. Will I still be able to transfer my lifetime? I technically bought it before the deadline.


I had the same concern, so I called TiVo to ask how I could prove that I bought the unit before 12/31 if it was delivered in January, especially if I did not buy it from TiVo. The rep (Erica) said it was a good question and put me on hold a long time to consult with a supervisor. When she came back, she said that the 12/31 purchase deadline ONLY applied to units purchased from TiVo, for units purchased elsewhere they don't care when you bought it, as long as you do the lifetime transfer before 1/31/2007. So now I can only hope that my 12/20 evening order from Dell, which has a ship date of 1/22 gets here in time (estimated 1/27-1/29)!


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

I must have placed my order just in time since it was placed on the morning of the 20th and shipped out the same day.


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## PaulS (Sep 16, 2002)

crowfan said:


> Yeah mine was originally scheduled to be shipped out on 12/22. I was excited cause I'd get to play with it during my week off. Now it's bumped to a ship date of 1/3.


Same here, on all counts. It's going to be a long wait.


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## Emacee (Dec 15, 2000)

Now Dell's website is saying *"usually ships" within 6+ weeks.*
Sounds like after this thread started, there was a major run on their stash and they sold out.
If you got in early, you got a Series3 quickly.
The rest of us have to wait. 
If predictions that the price will go down in January are correct, we may see a lower price before we see a new TiVo (keep shopping).

I am waiting because an e-Bay vendor named _"couponsfan"_ yanked me around for half of the day. His auto-response said I would get the coupon within a few minutes. I sent him two emails before get a coupon immediately from someone else. Later on, he finally sent me the coupons - after I had told him to cancel the order. And then acted shocked - shocked - when I gave _"couponsfan"_ a negative evaluation (which he asked to have withdrawn). _"Couponsfan"_ finally did refund my money (three bucks) but now I'm waiting six plus weeks for the TiVo. I guess so many e-Bay sellers get such good ratings is because e-Bay works to discourage any unfavorable evaluations.


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## nathanziarek (Sep 1, 2006)

Well, I got it. I don't have cable card installed yet, so I'm only doing OTA.

My complaint list is 3 items long, and two are _really_ nitpicky and might only be due to my DirecTivo.

- No "List" button. I've never had an SA, so maybe that's how its always been. I like the list button on my D* Tivo to get to the Now Playing section. I found that pressing "Left" on live TV does it as well, so it is still 1-touch, but I have the feeling I'll be chaning aspect ratios pretty often until I get used to it 

- Tivo graphics are "fuzzy." I've got it in 16:9 and 1080i, but the graphics are clearly not very high resolution. I guess just not enough juice to power higher resolutions, but I admit I was a little bummed when I saw the "jaggies" on the text. prefectly readable (more so than my DTivo over Svideo), just a little disapointing.

- Seems stuttery. When browsing the guide in "grid" mode, you press down four times, the highlighted box moves down twice, then seems to pause before jumping down two more. I remember someone mentioning when I first got my DTivo that the indexing can cause some jumpiness at the beginning. Does anyone else see this?

If those are my complaints, I must be pretty happy with it


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

YupYup said:


> I had the same concern, so I called TiVo to ask how I could prove that I bought the unit before 12/31 if it was delivered in January, especially if I did not buy it from TiVo. The rep (Erica) said it was a good question and put me on hold a long time to consult with a supervisor. When she came back, she said that the 12/31 purchase deadline ONLY applied to units purchased from TiVo, for units purchased elsewhere they don't care when you bought it, as long as you do the lifetime transfer before 1/31/2007.


I sure wish we could somehow get this officially stated by one of the Tivo employees that sometimes post here.. (Others have quoted fishy things that customer service people have said in the past.)

Though I'm not sure if there'll be any good deals during January..


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## rainwater (Sep 21, 2004)

mattack said:


> I sure wish we could somehow get this officially stated by one of the Tivo employees that sometimes post here.. (Others have quoted fishy things that customer service people have said in the past.)
> 
> Though I'm not sure if there'll be any good deals during January..


There's really no way TiVo will know when you purchased the unit, so I don't see how they can force you to buy it before 12/31. The only way would be to require a proof of purchase sent to them, and I highly doubt they will go to that much trouble.


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## alyssa (Dec 7, 2003)

c3 said:


> A big black box wouldn't?


Something about that international orange color that just seems to start the yak-yak going.

I've gotta get the cable card install set up...


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## Valdier (Dec 20, 2006)

So big update as to my Dell/Tivo corporate calls today...

I purchased on the 20th, Dell said, ships the 22nd, (then got a call saying) updated to the 27th, then to the 3rd of january...

I called Dell on the 22nd, and they said they would try to expedite it. I got a call this morning from the same Customer Service rep from before saying, _"Ok, it will ship on the 11th so you will still have it before the end of January"_.

I said ok...

An hour ago, Dell Corporate calls me and tells me, not only will it not ship on the 11th, it will take 6 weeks. So it won't ship till mid march... after I explained to her how 6 weeks wasn't mid march but early February, she ignored it saying "well, 6 weeks is mid march".

*THEN* she suggested I instead cancel my order and buy a different product for which she could have a sale rep advise me on.

I explained to her that there wasn't something comparable. She again said _"well perhaps you should just buy something other than a tivo..."_ I said, _no thanks... ship it and at worst I will just collect the *new* lifetime fees (I figure 5 years) in small claims seeing as how you have already charged me for the order and are delaying the shipping for 3 months (costing me my lifetime transfer)_. She got flustered at that and said she would have to call me back.

In the meantime, I called Tivo... explained the situation, told them Dell was calling and advising people to buy something other than their product. The customer service rep talked to his supervisor and put a note on my account extending out the deadline for me (past 1/31/07) if I gave him my Dell order confirmation number.

So, it appears Tivo is willing to extend it in this case, if you call and give them proof of the order being purchased prior to 12/31, if the shipping will take longer than 1/31/07.

(Of course I also got a confirmation number of the note).

(Sorry if this seems rambling, lots of info to condense.)


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## crowfan (Dec 27, 2003)

It would be nice to hear from a TiVo employee on this issue. I specifically jumped on that deal when I did so that I could transfer lifetime.


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## jtown (Sep 26, 2002)

I was getting ready to post something similar but you spent a lot more time on the phone with Dell than I did. Now I'm glad I gave up and backed out of the conversation early because, if I'd taken it as far as you did, I probably would have blown a gasket.

After the Dell rep was unable to guarantee that my new ship date of 01/22/07, I called Tivo and explained the situation. I was given a case number and told that I could reference that case number and transfer my lifetime service even if Dell misses the 01/31/07 deadline. Tivo's not dumb. They want my money.

However, I'm considering ordering from Abe's of Maine. I don't want to deal with another NY/NJ company trying to push extended warranties and overpriced cables but I also don't want to let a month of HD service from the cable company go to waste. Maybe more than a month if Dell can't get their act together. I'll sleep on it and decide in the morning.


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## threephi (Jan 16, 2002)

Well I've just gotten off the phone with a TiVo customer service rep asking about this very issue. I didn't get in on time for the $550 S3's (I didn't check the forums until it was 12 hours too late!).

According to the rep, as long as you transfer your lifetime subscription before the January deadline, you're good. I specifically asked about what happens if you've ordered your TiVo from another vendor and they don't execute the sale or ship the unit before 2006 comes to a close, and he said that it wouldn't matter. As long as you transfer your lifetime subscription before the end of January, you're ok.

I'm going to order mine now from the Tivocommunity store since the $120 coupon still seems to be good.


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

This thread is beginning to remind me of the TiVo store S3 shipping snafu that began.......when was it?.........oh yeah.........SEPT. 12


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## threephi (Jan 16, 2002)

jtown said:


> However, I'm considering ordering from Abe's of Maine.


Never ordered from them, are they reliable?


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## jtown (Sep 26, 2002)

threephi said:


> Never ordered from them, are they reliable?


I've never used them and I despise buying from those NY/NJ stores. They (as a whole, not Abe's specifically) have a reputation for substituting grey-market items for US models, scaring people into buying extended warranties, and pushing overpriced accessories of questionable quality. Read the reviews and you'll see. I don't recommend these shops to anyone who isn't a seasoned, savvy internet shopper.

Abe's is known for pushing extended warranties, overpriced accessories, selling used items as new, and occasionally pulling the grey-market switch. SOP for the NY/NJ crowd. Fortunately, there aren't a lot of accessories to push with the S3 and the only model that exists is manufactured for the US market so that just leaves fending off the warranty and hoping you don't get stuck with someone else's returned unit.

It's a gamble and I wouldn't have considered them for my initial purchase attempt even if they were cheaper than Dell. But Dell dropped the ball so now I'm weighing my options.

FWIW, the vast majority of their transactions turn out just fine.


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## GregComeLately (Nov 27, 2006)

aka, the "crooklyn" internet merchants.


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

Valdier said:


> An hour ago, Dell Corporate calls me and tells me, not only will it not ship on the 11th, it will take 6 weeks. So it won't ship till mid march... after I explained to her how 6 weeks wasn't mid march but early February, she ignored it saying "well, 6 weeks is mid march".


Now this is disturbing because originally Dell told me Dec 22, now it says Jan 3rd. When I just spoke to a representative they still said it will ship Jan 3rd.
I can't wait till March to get it because that's too late to do the transfer.

On top of it they already charged my DPF account.


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## Valdier (Dec 20, 2006)

morac said:


> Now this is disturbing because originally Dell told me Dec 22, now it says Jan 3rd. When I just spoke to a representative they still said it will ship Jan 3rd.
> I can't wait till March to get it because that's too late to do the transfer.
> 
> On top of it they already charged my DPF account.


My suggestion is, call Tivo and make sure you explain to them that you ordered before 12/31, that you have the order confirmation number available... then ask that they extend your cutoff time in case it arrives past 1/31/07... they did for me, and it seems at least one other person. Just ask to have it added to your case notes that they will extend it past the cutoff time, and make sure to get a confirmation number for the case with that note.


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## alyssa (Dec 7, 2003)

here's a pic of Abe's store front

http://donwiss.com/pictures/BrooklynStores/h0002.htm


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## kemac (Apr 27, 2004)

I'll pass on Abes...

Just pulled the trigger on 649.99 Plus S&H at buy.com. Shows in stock. :up:

http://www.buy.com/prod/Tivo_648250..._Recorder_w_300_Hour/q/loc/111/203305032.html


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## Sauron (Jan 5, 2005)

I got one of those, your order has been bumped to 1/3/2007 phone calls last friday.

I went and check the status of my order tonight, and the F-ING CANCELED MY ORDER!!! I'm so POed at the moment!!!!!


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## Ed Siegler (Nov 8, 2003)

I ordered three of them on the 20th around 2:15 east coat time, and it was bumped back to the 3rd of January, but I was not fortunate enough to receive a call.

Thanks for the tip on calling TiVo ahead of time if there is a possibility of not receiving the boxes by the 31st.

I ordered three of them and will be transferring three lifetime services. When I called about origionally ordering three boxes directly from TiVo, the rep said they'd do something for me. Hope that still holds true if the order is delayed in shipment.


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## GregComeLately (Nov 27, 2006)

alyssa said:


> here's a pic of Abe's store front
> 
> http://donwiss.com/pictures/BrooklynStores/h0002.htm


That's painfully funny stuff. Is there, like, a school one goes to learn all sorts of techniques to obscure the true nature of your business enterprises? They all seem to be following some textbook technique for creating an aura of legitimacy, and at the same time, setting themselves up to be able to deflect as much scrutiny and accountability as possible.


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## Runch Machine (Feb 7, 2002)

nathanziarek said:


> Well, I got it. I don't have cable card installed yet, so I'm only doing OTA.
> 
> My complaint list is 3 items long, and two are _really_ nitpicky and might only be due to my DirecTivo.
> 
> ...


As far as the List button, the Series3 will respond to the List button on the Directv/Tivo remote.


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

Valdier said:


> My suggestion is, call Tivo and make sure you explain to them that you ordered before 12/31, that you have the order confirmation number available... then ask that they extend your cutoff time in case it arrives past 1/31/07... they did for me, and it seems at least one other person. Just ask to have it added to your case notes that they will extend it past the cutoff time, and make sure to get a confirmation number for the case with that note.


Since it seems that TiVo doesn't care when you buy it as long as you activate before the end of Jan, if it doesn't ship on Jan 3rd I'll do that.

The Dell phone support person said the S3 is back ordered, but she insisted it will still ship on the 3rd. She said she'd call me back in a few days with more info so hopefully it is good info.


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## Valdier (Dec 20, 2006)

morac said:


> Since it seems that TiVo doesn't care when you buy it as long as you activate before the end of Jan, if it doesn't ship on Jan 3rd I'll do that.
> 
> The Dell phone support person said the S3 is back ordered, but she insisted it will still ship on the 3rd. She said she'd call me back in a few days with more info so hopefully it is good info.


Yeah, I was promised the same thing on my call, but then the corporate office called and insisted otherwise, and tried to talk me into cancelling.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

nathanziarek said:


> Well, I got it. I don't have cable card installed yet, so I'm only doing OTA.
> 
> - Tivo graphics are "fuzzy." I've got it in 16:9 and 1080i, but the graphics are clearly not very high resolution. I guess just not enough juice to power higher resolutions, but I admit I was a little bummed when I saw the "jaggies" on the text. prefectly readable (more so than my DTivo over Svideo), just a little disapointing.


If you think the S3 graphics are fuzzy, you should try the HR10-250. The S3 graphics are in 720P. The HR10-250 graphics are only 480p. The S3 graphics are crystal clear compared to the HR10-250 graphics.


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## TriBruin (Dec 10, 2003)

kemac said:


> I'll pass on Abes...
> 
> Just pulled the trigger on 649.99 Plus S&H at buy.com. Shows in stock. :up:
> 
> http://www.buy.com/prod/Tivo_648250..._Recorder_w_300_Hour/q/loc/111/203305032.html


You can also use Google Checkout to get an extra $20 off.


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## Sauron (Jan 5, 2005)

Just got off the phone with Dell after 50 minutes. Basically, I'm screwed. They can't/won't reopen the old order, and can't/won't place a new one because the item was backordered. They said Tivo is (Or whoever makes the unit for tivo) is the one who canceled the order because of a lack of stock.

I also got the same BS about getting connected to sales about an alternative product. I told them that was insulting because it told me they didn't understand the tech they were selling, complete BS.

If you havn't gotten your unit from dell, good luck.... You should check online to see if they canceled your order too.

Mark


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## crowfan (Dec 27, 2003)

Maybe they cancelled your order because you're the supreme evil? 

Sorry, that sucks. 

It probably has to do with when you ordered it. I just checked and I'm still on for shipping on 1/3. Originally I was on for 12/22. I just hope they actually do ship it on the 3rd. I feel like I will still get one on that date because I think I got in early enough.


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## dzirpolo (Oct 14, 2001)

My S3 is at the DHL office in my hometown but I just checked with DHL and they do not know when they will be able to deliver it. It was suppose to be delivered yesterday. They are backed up due to the blizzard last week and now there may be another blizzard tomorrow.

Hopefully, I can leave the office early today and go pick it up, or I may not have it in time for my CableCard install, but then again if we get the Blizzard tomorrow my install may get delayed too.


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## joe mama (Oct 29, 2002)

I ordered my S3 -- thru Dell -- on the morning of 12/20. It was scheduled for 12/22 then pushed to 1/3/07. I just checked my order and now have a DHL tracking number. It should be here 1/2/07. I won't have it for the major bowls -- don't get Fox HD -- but I'll make thru.


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## threephi (Jan 16, 2002)

morac said:


> Since it seems that TiVo doesn't care when you buy it as long as you activate before the end of Jan, if it doesn't ship on Jan 3rd I'll do that.


I just want to clarify that if you *do* buy your S3 from TiVo directly, the 12/31 deadline *does* apply. This is also all unofficial, if consistent, info from Tivo CS reps, so if you buy from another vendor, I would recommend calling TiVo and hearing it from them first hand.


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## christophc11 (Dec 21, 2006)

Valdier said:


> My suggestion is, call Tivo and make sure you explain to them that you ordered before 12/31, that you have the order confirmation number available... then ask that they extend your cutoff time in case it arrives past 1/31/07... they did for me, and it seems at least one other person. Just ask to have it added to your case notes that they will extend it past the cutoff time, and make sure to get a confirmation number for the case with that note.


I called Tivo to try this, but I got a rep who said they were unsure if they could do this and would look into it. They just told me to call back when I get my Tivo and refer to a case number they gave me regarding the conversation we just had. It made me a little wary, so I decided to buy a Tivo from somewhere else and return the one I got from Dell to that store. It's a small hassle, but worth it not to complicate things in case Tivo screws me over.


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## jtown (Sep 26, 2002)

I decided to buy some "insurance". Abe's is now $635 shipped (unless you live in NJ and get hit with tax). I spent an extra $7 to upgrade my shipping one notch to 4-6 business days. That makes it about $30 more than Dell since I missed the coupon by a day. I can live with that. Once I get a tracking number from Abe's, I'll cancel my Dell order. Of course, I'm not going to cancel it and lose my place in line until I know my order from Abe's has shipped.


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## PaulS (Sep 16, 2002)

Update :

My order now indicates SHIPPED, and lists a DHL tracking number. The DHL site, of course, has no information concerning this tracking number. Delivery date is 1/1/2007 - 1/3/2007.


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## Valdier (Dec 20, 2006)

Just checked after seeing the above post, I too after being told it wouldn't arrive till mid-march now have a Shipped confirmation and a DHL Tracking number...

What the heck is wrong with Dells system? Two different people give two different dates, varying by over 3 months... and now the next day the item is shipped? 

I wonder if it is just coincidence or if the calls and complaints actually helped somehow?


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## rainwater (Sep 21, 2004)

Valdier said:


> What the heck is wrong with Dells system? Two different people give two different dates, varying by over 3 months... and now the next day the item is shipped?


Maybe they use the same system as the TiVo.com Store?


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## David Platt (Dec 13, 2001)

WOO HOO!! 

Mine shipped today too-- and I just spoke with a Dell representative this morning who said my ship date was still 1/3.


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## crowfan (Dec 27, 2003)

WOO HOO! Mine is shipped early too! It's a festivus miracle!


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## jtown (Sep 26, 2002)

Darnit. This is what I get for hedging my bets. My estimated order date is still 01/22/07. Now I don't want Dell to ship early because I just ordered from Abe's and I don't want to have to deal with canceling or returning that order. But I don't want to cancel my Dell order until I get a pickup notice from UPS/FedEx/DHL/whoever stating that they have my shipment from Abe's in hand.


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## msrolla (Feb 11, 2004)

msrolla said:


> Ordered mine 12/20 about 10:30 (Central) this morning. Ship date still shows as 12/22.


It shipped today via DHL. Estimated arrival is 1/1 - 1/3. Woo hoo!!! :up:


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## jtown (Sep 26, 2002)

Heh. Checked my order statuses again. Dell said "shipped". Abe's said "processed". Called Abe's to cancel. "No problem. We'll cancel the order."

So my Dell order with an estimated ship date of 01/22/07 is going out today. Way too much stress for what should be a simple process.


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

They must have got a bunch of S3s in since mine's listed as shipped as well.

Estimated delivery date is 1/1/07. Somehow I don't think so


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## Ivomir (Apr 5, 2006)

I ordered mine on 12/20 around 9AM Pacific. My order still shows as "Not Shipped" and Estimated Ship Date on 1/3/07.

Maybe only folks that call Dell and raise a stink get their Tivos shipped earlier?  Maybe I should call too...

Ivo


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## Granticus (Dec 16, 2006)

Woohoo! Mine shows as shipped, too. I ordered it at 11:30pm on 12/20 and was originally told it would ship 1/22/07. Now Dell shows an estimated delivery date of 1/2 - 1/3, but they also have a tracking number and link to DHL. DHL shows an estimated delivery date of 12/29, Friday!

Me very happy! Now I can return the one I originally got from Costco.


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## GregComeLately (Nov 27, 2006)

I remember ordering a digital Canon camera from Dell last year, and their shipping estimations were all over the map. First a week, then a month, then they actually shipped within a few days, or close to it. _crazy_.


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## Ed Siegler (Nov 8, 2003)

PaulS said:


> Update :
> 
> My order now indicates SHIPPED, and lists a DHL tracking number. The DHL site, of course, has no information concerning this tracking number. Delivery date is 1/1/2007 - 1/3/2007.


I now have the same exact thing for all three of the ones I ordered. Sad thing is that they are shipped individually with three different tracking numbers. You'd think for a multiple order that the boxes would be combined.

I have to chuckle as 1/1/07 is being considered as a valid delivery day. Guess I'll get mine on the 2nd or 3rd.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

Each box will have a packing slip and the shipping label on it since Dell doesn't double box it.


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## SC0TLANDF0REVER (Dec 9, 2001)

RBlount said:


> You can also use Google Checkout to get an extra $20 off.


It's not working for me 

Dunno if that means I'm doing it wrong or that the offer is no longer valid.


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## TromboneKenny (Mar 28, 2003)

I'm another case of ordering on the 20th, intially shipping on the 22nd, shifted back to 1/3. Mine shipped today out of Memphis, TN with a estimated 1/2 delivery date, but I anticipate/hope it's sooner than that. I'm glad it shipped from the midwest!

-TBK


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## David Platt (Dec 13, 2001)

SC0TLANDF0REVER said:


> It's not working for me
> 
> Dunno if that means I'm doing it wrong or that the offer is no longer valid.


Looks like the offer is over. I've used it many times, but it's not showing up anymore for me either.


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## YupYup (Sep 13, 2006)

Yippee!!! I order late on 12/20 (about 11pm central) and was quoted the 1/22 estimated ship date. This thread had me worried with all the talk of dates moving out, but even yesterday my order status was still 1/22. Nice to read others were getting pulled up, and was in total shock when I checked a few minutes ago and my status too was SHIPPED. Checked the DHL tracking number and delivery is scheduled for tomorrow!


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## YupYup (Sep 13, 2006)

Oh man! Can there be too much of a good thing? I just got an email from my back-up provider (PCSuperDeals) that they had shipped my unit too, and FedEx has the delivery scheduled for 1/2. "Lucy, you got some 'spane-in to do!" My wife said I could get 1 (and in fact the Dell unit was her gift to me, after I got that great deal with the coupon and all), but now I've got 2 arriving within a few days time... Guess there will be some fireworks shortly after New Years this year!


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## Einselen (Apr 25, 2006)

David Platt said:


> Looks like the offer is over. I've used it many times, but it's not showing up anymore for me either.


Google Checkout expired a few days ago.


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## moscovitzd (Dec 6, 2006)

I had the Dell 1/22 ship date until today. It is showing shipped today and I have a DHL tracking number.


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## timgsu (Aug 4, 2003)

Mine had a ship date of 1/25 and it shipped today!!!! YES!!!! I'm going to keep the Series 3!

I called after the offer was over and dell was nice enough to get me $548.45 + tax on my tivo unit!


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## ThreeSoFar (May 24, 2002)

Mine arrived 12/22. Supposed to be delivered 12/26, so early.


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## dzirpolo (Oct 14, 2001)

I picked up mine at DHL last night. I can't wait to get the cablecards installed.


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## Valdier (Dec 20, 2006)

So, anticipating the arrival of my box, should I call my cable provider to request the cable cards now do you guys think? (or do they need the info from the Tivo)

(No HD tv yet, but probably in the next month or two)


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

Valdier said:


> So, anticipating the arrival of my box, should I call my cable provider to request the cable cards now do you guys think? (or do they need the info from the Tivo)
> 
> (No HD tv yet, but probably in the next month or two)


I don't have an HDTV yet either. I'm waiting for the supposed price drop in LCDs that's supposed to happen in the coming months.

Even if you don't have an HDTV you can still use the CCs to watch digital channels. I already had "fun" with this when I called Comcast and requested 2 cable cards only to be told they won't work with the Tivo S3, only with TVs.  It's been how many months and they are still as clueless as ever. On top of that his computer kept crashing so eventually he said he'd have to call me back. Makes me wonder what kind of stuff they are downloading over at support.

Oh well hopefully I'll get someone better next time I call.


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## PaulS (Sep 16, 2002)

My S3 is currently sitting in a DHL shipping facility which is a 20 minute drive away. I called DHL up to see if I could swing by and pick it up myself. The CSR said that since it was a Dell package, I could only pick it up if they had attempted a delivery first (trucks rolled at 9AM and my S3 wasn't on board) or if Dell filled out some form and sent it to DHL allowing them to allow me to pick it up (which takes about 24 hours). So, my S3 will be sitting in the shipping facility for 3-4 days due to the holidays, since the red tape prevents me from picking it up. ARGH!


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## dzirpolo (Oct 14, 2001)

PaulS said:


> The CSR said that since it was a Dell package, I could only pick it up if they had attempted a delivery first (trucks rolled at 9AM and my S3 wasn't on board) or if Dell filled out some form and sent it to DHL allowing them to allow me to pick it up (which takes about 24 hours).


That's strange. I picked mine up.

I just called the 800 number and said I would like to pick it up since delivery would be not able to be completed soon. They filled out a form to have the local office pull the item. The local office called to say it was ready for pick-up and I went a got it. It took a little more than an hour from the initial call.

I guess different areas have different policies.

D


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## PaulS (Sep 16, 2002)

dzirpolo said:


> That's strange. I picked mine up.
> 
> I just called the 800 number and said I would like to pick it up since delivery would be not able to be completed soon. They filled out a form to have the local office pull the item. The local office called to say it was ready for pick-up and I went a got it. It took a little more than an hour from the initial call.
> 
> ...


Called who ? Dell or DHL ? You could be the greatest person of all time if you could enable me to pick up the S3 today! I'm Jonesing, man! I need my S3!


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## PaulS (Sep 16, 2002)

No dice. 

Called Dell. "Nope, you can just go pick it up with a driver's license."

Called DHL. "Whoever you talked to at Dell is wrong. You can't pick it up today."


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## dzirpolo (Oct 14, 2001)

I called the 800-CALL-DHL, automatically tracked my item, then pressed zero for a CSR. Told the CSR since they could not delever the item now could I go pick it up. They said sure. They filled out the form to pull the item and I was good to go.


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

Ack! According to the DHL track site they left it on my doorstep without anyone signing for it! 
It wasn't supposed to get here to next week. It better be there when I get home!


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## Valdier (Dec 20, 2006)

DHL Attempted delivery for me today, but since I wasn't there I just called them and they said I can pick it up after 6pm with a drivers license and my delivery notification paper... so now I am off to pick up my cable cards from TW.


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## alyssa (Dec 7, 2003)

morac said:


> Ack! According to the DHL track site they left it on my doorstep without anyone signing for it!
> It wasn't supposed to get here to next week. It better be there when I get home!


OMG-
Let us know what happend/s, please!

And Valdier, what's this about "picking up cable cards" from Time Warner.....Jeez you rate. I'm in wait for another day for the cable guy to show up.


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## David Platt (Dec 13, 2001)

Got mine today, even though it wasn't supposed to be here until Jan 3rd. The DHL guy said it was a good thing I was home, because there was no way he was going to leave it in my step since they didn't rebox it. Already upgraded to 60 hours, and the lifetime is already transferred. :up:


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## crowfan (Dec 27, 2003)

Got mine today too. I was very excited. I already set it up without having my cablecards. But I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Cablevision is coming to install my cablecards on Sunday!!  :up:


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

alyssa said:


> OMG-
> Let us know what happend/s, please!
> 
> And Valdier, what's this about "picking up cable cards" from Time Warner.....Jeez you rate. I'm in wait for another day for the cable guy to show up.


Thanks for your concern. Fortunately it was there on my doorstep when I got home, but I'm very annoyed with DHL.

First off it is in a very well marked box (says TiVo HD on it) which makes it more of a target for thieves and second off the tracking site said it was going to be arriving on Jan 2nd up until the time it showed up on my door step. What if I had gone away for the weekend and they just left it there. I even signed up for DHL to call me when it delivered but they didn't do that. I'm pretty sure I've never signed any consent forms for DHL to leave packages (especially expensive ones). Bad form on DHL's part.


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## VanGoghLikesTivo (Jan 18, 2005)

DHL was very disorganized on my shipment also. Their contact people were in Houston and did not know what was going on at the local delivery office. The tracking info on their site was incorrect. DHL told me that my signature was required, but then simply left the box outside by my garage and made no attempt to get a signature. After the delivery they said no signature was needed.


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## bmgoodman (Dec 20, 2000)

DHL is easily my 5th favorite shipping company. They are SO on the ball.


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## jtown (Sep 26, 2002)

The decision to leave or keep a package generally rests with the driver. "signature required" shipping instructions and "please leave the package" release forms mean nothing. If the driver decides to leave the package, they'll leave it. If they decide to keep it they'll keep it. I've found that all delivery companies are like this. It doesn't matter which one you use and it doesn't matter what instructions you or the shipper have on file and it doesn't matter how "attractive" the package is.

If you want a delivery handled a specific way if you're not going to be home, leave a note on the door. They'll usually pay attention to that.

And I got my Tivo early. Tracking said it was at the local warehouse but hadn't been put on a truck so I called and asked if I could pick it up. "I don't see why not. I'll put a hold on it. Get there before 5, though, because that's their closing time." Too bad I rescheduled my cablecard install for next weekend.


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## dzirpolo (Oct 14, 2001)

I got mine setup today without the cablecards. The installer from Comcast is suppose to be here tomorrow to install the cards but with the weather here in Colorado, i don't know if they will make it. I really hope they are able to come by. I don't want to wait any longer.


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## Ed Siegler (Nov 8, 2003)

With the delivery date of my three S3s' of 1/1 to 1/3, I was VERY suprised to have my doorbell ring at 17:30 with the DHL driver saying he had a delivery of three boxes. This is a good day.

I then called my Comcast office in Norristown, PA. to first get an option to pay my bill (auto pay credit card expired and new card just placed on file). It took me 9 minutes to get thru to the customer service person that the card was just changed and the auto pay would happen on my due date. Yes, it actually took 9 minutes to have the customer service rep to admit my card would be charged on the due date (this after the same rep put me on hold to verify with her supervisor thaqt it may take two or three billing cycles to actually bill the new card (what nonsense)).

Once this was complete, I asked to be transferred to service. The same rep said she could handle service. I said I wanted to setup installation of six cable cards. She actually said "Cablecard. What is that?" At that point I had to laugh out loud and asked her if she was service, how could she not know what a cablecard is? After being put on hold for two minutes, this individual gave me a number to call directly that all they do at that number is setup cablecard installation.

Called that number and the nice guy said "Well, sure, we can come out and install them. You can have them as there is no fee for them, but it is $29 per card to have them installed." My response "WHAT? I need six of them. Does that mean I have to spend $174 for cablecards?" He said with that many cards, they could work a deal. Came back and said he'd do all six cards for one fee of $29. That was nice. Even nicer, when he suggested Wednesday as an installation day and I asked about Tuesday since I am off work that day, he said "Sure. We can come Tuesday."

It has been a great day. All I have to do now is transfer the lifetime service for all three of these boxes. In the past a TiVo rep said they may cut me a break on three transfers. I hope so and will find out this weekend.

I know I have to call the VIP line to transfer the lifetime services. Anyone know what that is offhand?

Do I have to transfer the services before I set up the boxes?

Can I setup the boxes without the cablecards? What will they do w/o the cards installed? What am I actually setting up ahead of time here?

Thanks in advance for any help!


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## jtown (Sep 26, 2002)

You can do the setup without cards. You'll just have to do it again after the cards are installed. If you do a channel scan after the setup, it'll find all your unencrypted channels. Local HD stations are probably in the clear, tho you won't have guide data.

I called tivo to transfer my lifetime from an old S1. Looks like he got it backwards. Lifetime still on the old S1 and 1 year prepaid on the S3. And they were closed by the time I noticed (5 minutes later). Have to fix that in the morning.


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## Ed Siegler (Nov 8, 2003)

Thanks! After posting and thinking about it, I thought that I may be able to set up the TiVo with the basic cable channels for now.

I actually posted my previous post without even opening any of the boxes.


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## rainwater (Sep 21, 2004)

jtown said:


> I called tivo to transfer my lifetime from an old S1. Looks like he got it backwards. Lifetime still on the old S1 and 1 year prepaid on the S3. And they were closed by the time I noticed (5 minutes later). Have to fix that in the morning.


From tivo.com/vip:


> Both boxes will be activated once this process is complete, but the contract information may take over 60 days to be reflected on the DVR or "Manage My Account".


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## Ivomir (Apr 5, 2006)

How are you guys getting your Tivos so quickly??

When I ordered on the 20th my ship date was estimated on the 12/22. On the 22nd I called Dell and they said they are out of stock and the new estimate is 1/3. After I saw many people here already getting theirs shipped or even delivered I called again yesterday (the 28th). I was told they will check with the supplier and call me within 24 hours. Of course noone called. I'm really worried because for new orders the estimate is 6+ weeks.

I'm bummed...  

Ivo


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## dzirpolo (Oct 14, 2001)

I got my cablecards installed this morning. I only had a couple of issues with the install but after calling comcast and having them send another signal to the cards, it looks like everything is working great.

I just wish I could do a channel scan. When I did the scan from the cable without the cable cards I picked up a couple of channels that I do not have with the cards installed. Oh well you can't have everything....


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

dzirpolo said:


> I got my cablecards installed this morning. I only had a couple of issues with the install but after calling comcast and having them send another signal to the cards, it looks like everything is working great.


That's good. I keep hearing horror stories about cablecards.

I called to get Comcast to come out and after spending about 20 minutes on hold I spoke to someone who couldn't figure out how to actually put the code into their system WRT giving the customers 2 cards for one device. She said the code was there but it wasn't working. So after an hour she gave up and said I'd have to call back.

She called back about 20 minutes later and we spent another 30 minutes on the phone (I just had her on speakerphone in the background  ) and she finally decided just to schedule the appointment even though she couldn't get the code into the system. So it took 90 minutes to get an appointment. 

I'm somewhat confused on the pricing. I was told the CC is free, but now I'm being told that one is free and the 2nd one costs money. I actually looked at Comcast pricing guide and a CC is supposed to result in a credit, not a charge. Hopefully it will all straighten itself out at some point.


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## dzirpolo (Oct 14, 2001)

> So it took 90 minutes to get an appointment


That's sounds like my experience getting the install scheduled. I was at about 2.5 hours, three calls and ended up with someone who worked my account for over an hour and called me back with everything scheduled for installation.


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## PaulS (Sep 16, 2002)

jtown said:


> The decision to leave or keep a package generally rests with the driver. "signature required" shipping instructions and "please leave the package" release forms mean nothing. If the driver decides to leave the package, they'll leave it. If they decide to keep it they'll keep it. I've found that all delivery companies are like this. It doesn't matter which one you use and it doesn't matter what instructions you or the shipper have on file and it doesn't matter how "attractive" the package is.
> 
> If you want a delivery handled a specific way if you're not going to be home, leave a note on the door. They'll usually pay attention to that.
> 
> And I got my Tivo early. Tracking said it was at the local warehouse but hadn't been put on a truck so I called and asked if I could pick it up. "I don't see why not. I'll put a hold on it. Get there before 5, though, because that's their closing time." Too bad I rescheduled my cablecard install for next weekend.


Well, my S3 was delivered today. :up:

However, the driver decided to leave in outside in the freezing cold and on a pile of snow, even though someone was home to accept the package. :down:

It's resting comfortably inside now, warming up, waiting for me to come home from work and set up it tonight. Yahoo!


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## Ed Siegler (Nov 8, 2003)

I am on hold with Comcast as I type. They were supposed to be here at 13:00 to install six cablecards. well, at 13:30, I received a call from the service tech stating that he was not comming as he was out of cablecards.

Nothing like taking a 1/2 vacation day and this happening. The initial customer service man, who is very polite, offered me the $20 late credit for their not showing up. After asking to not be insulted like that again, I am waiting for a supervisor to approve a month's credit (hopefully).


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## GregComeLately (Nov 27, 2006)

PaulS said:


> Well, my S3 was delivered today. :up:
> 
> However, the driver decided to leave in outside in the freezing cold and on a pile of snow, even though someone was home to accept the package. :down:


DHL, I presume?

They're the worst, as far as my experiences have been. Out of the dozen times over the last several years I've received a package from them, they may have rung the bell twice. They like to dump and run. I understand it must get exhausting on the shoulder muscle to have to ring a bell.


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## PaulS (Sep 16, 2002)

GregComeLately said:


> DHL, I presume?
> 
> They're the worst, as far as my experiences have been. Out of the dozen times over the last several years I've received a package from them, they may have rung the bell twice. They like to dump and run. I understand it must get exhausting on the shoulder muscle to have to ring a bell.


Give that man a cigar! Yes, it was DHL. Not my choice, though. It was Dell's choice.

Luckily the delivery was noticed quickly and the package came in out of the cold quickly.


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## Valdier (Dec 20, 2006)

Luckily my Tivo was picked up without problem from the DHL office but when I got home I had a different delivery through them and the box was sitting on my front porch opened and empty (not really a shipment of major value, but... ) luckily it wasn't my tivo.


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## David Platt (Dec 13, 2001)

GregComeLately said:


> DHL, I presume?
> 
> They're the worst, as far as my experiences have been. Out of the dozen times over the last several years I've received a package from them, they may have rung the bell twice. They like to dump and run. I understand it must get exhausting on the shoulder muscle to have to ring a bell.


The DHL guy in my neighborhood must be an exception. He ALWAYS rings the bell, and one time he even came back after leaving a package on the doorstep because he noticed some shady-looking teenagers in the area and were worried they might try to steal my package. He delivered it again later that day.


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

I got a call yesterday (Jan 1st) from DHL's automated tracking system telling me the package was delivered. Since it arrived two days earlier I don't see how the notification system is all that useful. Better late then never I guess.


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## Einselen (Apr 25, 2006)

morac said:


> I got a call yesterday (Jan 1st) from DHL's automated tracking system telling me the package was delivered. Since it arrived two days earlier I don't see how the notification system is all that useful. Better late then never I guess.


That way you at least know if it was delivered and stolen and then can yell at DHL and go through that hassle.


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## Hippster (Nov 28, 2001)

DHL did the drop and run at my house today. The driver didn't even put them close to the door as they were sitting at the very edge of my front patio, making them more obvious to anyone driving by. I happened to check the tracking info and saw they were delivered not 5 minutes prior so they weren't outside long thankfully.

DHL :down: :down:


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## drew2k (Jun 10, 2003)

I just shake my head at all the potential problems that could arise from "shoddy" deliveries like what is being described here: Damaged or stolen shipments, frustrated customers, wishes/delivery instructions not honored, maybe even fraud if a customer lies and reports a package stolen thinking they could get away with a golden opportunity ... I'm surprised there aren't stringent regulations regarding how/where/when delivery companies may leave packages.


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## ThreeSoFar (May 24, 2002)

drew2k said:


> I just shake my head at all the potential problems that could arise from "shoddy" deliveries like what is being described here: Damaged or stolen shipments, frustrated customers, wishes/delivery instructions not honored, maybe even fraud if a customer lies and reports a package stolen thinking they could get away with a golden opportunity ... I'm surprised there aren't stringent regulations regarding how/where/when delivery companies may leave packages.


please...dont ask for regulation.

The market can do that just fine. Silly for any state/federal regulation in this sort of thing.

DHL, likely, will be drummed out of business by their betters. Write to Dell--commplain that they shouldn't use such a shoddy company. Yes, fine.

But don't ask for regulation. That's just silly.


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## drew2k (Jun 10, 2003)

ThreeSoFar said:


> please...dont ask for regulation.
> 
> The market can do that just fine. Silly for any state/federal regulation in this sort of thing.
> 
> ...


Well, the good news is I didn't ask for any, just expressed some surprise that there AREN'T (or don't seem to be) any, especially as far as Dell is concerned.

Regulations don't always have to be federal or state. Dell could have created their own shipping regulations that they expected DHL to commit to in order to become Dell's shipper of choice. Dell could have specified whether or not a delivery may be left if there is no one home, or if signatures are required, etc.

Regardless, I agree that Dell is the one to complain to here, but I also think anyone burned should also be complaining to their state consumer protection organization and/or better business bureaus.


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## ThreeSoFar (May 24, 2002)

drew2k said:


> Regulations don't always have to be federal or state. Dell could have created their own shipping regulations that they expected DHL to commit to in order to become Dell's shipper of choice.


ah...ok.

in my world, regulation means government. Your world makes no sense to me.


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## DonWidmore (Dec 28, 2006)

ThreeSoFar said:


> please...dont ask for regulation.
> 
> The market can do that just fine. Silly for any state/federal regulation in this sort of thing.
> 
> ...


Actually the Federal government regulated delivery of packages for years and there's still a federal monopoly on letter delivery given to the Postal Service.

There is nothing silly about the people standing up to corporations with the gov't as a billy club. Do you think that Microsoft will be "drummed out" of business in the next 20 years through market forces? I minored in econ, the market is exceedingly ineffectual. there are myths about what it can do, but things like advertising or B2B partnerships subvert theoretical market forces in the extreme, making the classic examples of market forces theoretical only and never existent in the real-world.

Don


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## BlackBetty (Nov 6, 2004)

I wish this deal would come around again.


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## buddhawood (Oct 9, 2000)

It has...sort of:
The TiVo S3 at Dell home just dropped from $799 to $659.

Pretty much everyone out there should have a 15% off EA Mothers day coupon which brings it down to $560, then do the CC trick for DPA to get an extra 4% off, *total price before taxes is now $537*.

It isn't as sweet as the direct from TiVo deal last week, but for those that don't want to commit for a few years, it is a pretty decent deal, and beats the $599 at Costco.

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=a0749340

Ripped from Fatwallet


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## BlackBetty (Nov 6, 2004)

$399 S3 TiVo finally here!!!! After $200 Mail In Rebate. . Rebate is good on purchases from May 27th through June 16th. Part of a Fathers day promotion.

There is currently a thread on this subject located here .


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