# Tivo Mini subscription



## Goober96 (Jun 28, 2005)

I noticed on TiVo's website that there is no longer a subscription fee for Tivo Minj. Is that true only for devices purchased directly from Tivo or for units purchased second hand as well? Thanks.


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

All Minis can be activated with lifetime service for free. It doesn't matter where you bought it or how much you paid for it.


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## crs751 (Jan 23, 2012)

And to confirm it doesn't matter which version Mini it is? Are there special instructions you follow to make sure you get the lifetime service.


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

crs751 said:


> And to confirm it doesn't matter which version Mini it is? Are there special instructions you follow to make sure you get the lifetime service.


It doesn't matter if it's the old version or the new version. There is no trick. You just activate it on the TiVo website for free.


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## crs751 (Jan 23, 2012)

OK thanks. I saw somewhere else that the unit can't have a previous subscription or there are problems. Is that true? Thanks for your help.


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

crs751 said:


> OK thanks. I saw somewhere else that the unit can't have a previous subscription or there are problems. Is that true? Thanks for your help.


That's not true. A previously activated Mini can be activated with lifetime service for free. A user just reported successfully doing it 5 days ago. See post #269:

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=525350&page=9


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## crs751 (Jan 23, 2012)

Great thanks for the help.


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## MikeekiM (Jun 25, 2002)

My buddy has the old mini and activated when they had a monthly service...

I am not sure what he's paying...I think it is something like $5/mo (but may be less)... He told me that he called TiVo a while ago to see if he could upgrade to lifetime, and they told him that it would cost him $50.00 to upgrade to lifetime...

Do you think if he called today, that they would just move him over gratis?


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

MikeekiM said:


> My buddy has the old mini and activated when they had a monthly service...
> 
> I am not sure what he's paying...I think it is something like $5/mo (but may be less)... He told me that he called TiVo a while ago to see if he could upgrade to lifetime, and they told him that it would cost him $50.00 to upgrade to lifetime...
> 
> Do you think if he called today, that they would just move him over gratis?


Nope. That is what the CSRs have always said when you call and ask. If he wants the free lifetime service, he has to cancel the monthly service and then activate lifetime service online for free. But if he is under a service contract, he will have to pay the cancellation fee, which I think for the Minis is $25.


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## MikeekiM (Jun 25, 2002)

tarheelblue32 said:


> Nope. That is what the CSRs have always said when you call and ask. If he wants the free lifetime service, he has to cancel the monthly service and then activate lifetime service online for free. But if he is under a service contract, he will have to pay the cancellation fee, which I think for the Minis is $25.


Interesting... But if he is month-to-month with no service contract, then he simply needs to cancel and reactivate... Is it really as simple as that?


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

MikeekiM said:


> Interesting... But if he is month-to-month with no service contract, then he simply needs to cancel and reactivate... Is it really as simple as that?


Yes.


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## PopcornGuy (Apr 6, 2007)

Here is a message I sent to TiVo...
I have 6 TiVo Mini's on my account that were purchased and activated about 18 months ago. I am looking to add a 7th Mini and clearly see on your site that TiVo service is FREE on Mini's. I have paid over $600 in service fees on Mini's over the last year and a half. After a little research it looks like this has been the case for a little over a year. So $5.99 x 6 Minis x 12 months = $431.28. This is a problem. I await your prompt attention to this matter.

Here is the reply...
Thank you for contacting TiVo Customer Support. The Product Lifetime service on the Mini boxes would be 149.99 for each box. You can call in to add that to the Minis.

So...service is free. Unless you are already happily paying for it then you can keep doing that. And converting to lifetime service is still $149.99 per box even though you already have the box. Did I read that correctly? The TiVo rep never did address the free service statement on their website.


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

PopcornGuy said:


> Here is a message I sent to TiVo...
> I have 6 TiVo Mini's on my account that were purchased and activated about 18 months ago. I am looking to add a 7th Mini and clearly see on your site that TiVo service is FREE on Mini's. I have paid over $600 in service fees on Mini's over the last year and a half. After a little research it looks like this has been the case for a little over a year. So $5.99 x 6 Minis x 12 months = $431.28. This is a problem. I await your prompt attention to this matter.
> 
> Here is the reply...
> ...


Have you tried cancelling service on a Mini and then trying to activate it as if it were a new Mini to see if you can get free lifetime service on it? If not, I suggest you give it a shot. Please report back if it works.


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## PopcornGuy (Apr 6, 2007)

I just spoke to the Tivo rep on the phone because you cannot deactivate online. She put me on a brief hold to talk to the advanced billing team and said they could offer lifetime for $50 per box. I said I wanted to think about it and they actually suspended billing on the Minis for 2-3 months (she said January 7 for earliest one so looks like 2 billing cycles). I also asked what if I cancelled and then tried to reactivate a mini and she told me it would only offer a $5.99 monthly option since the Tivo service number is associated with a pre-free service included device. I offered to buy my 7th Mini direct from Tivo instead of a retailer (so Tivo gets 100%) and she could not offer better than the $50 per box. I did not cancel any boxes since they are free now for the next couple of months.

Thoughts?


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

PopcornGuy said:


> I just spoke to the Tivo rep on the phone because you cannot deactivate online. She put me on a brief hold to talk to the advanced billing team and said they could offer lifetime for $50 per box. I said I wanted to think about it and they actually suspended billing on the Minis for 2-3 months (she said January 7 for earliest one so looks like 2 billing cycles). I also asked what if I cancelled and then tried to reactivate a mini and she told me it would only offer a $5.99 monthly option since the Tivo service number is associated with a pre-free service included device. I offered to buy my 7th Mini direct from Tivo instead of a retailer (so Tivo gets 100%) and she could not offer better than the $50 per box. I did not cancel any boxes since they are free now for the next couple of months.
> 
> Thoughts?


This is what the TiVo reps always tell people, and they have still been able to cancel service on a Mini and activate it online for free. If the Mini is under a 1-year service contract, you may have to pay a $25 cancellation fee, but that's less than the $50 they want to change you for lifetime. If I were you, I'd still call and cancel service on one of the Minis and then go online and try activating it as if it were a new unit to see if you can get the free lifetime. I bet it will work.


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## midnightmarauder (Oct 9, 2006)

was there any resolution to this?


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## y2jdmbfan (May 7, 2004)

I am curious as well. I bought a Tivo Mini II because I thought I had to pay 149.99 for lifetime on the existing unit I had on month to month, but when I called to cancel the month to month unit, the rep asked if I knew I could get lifetime on it for $50.00. I told them no, it said $149.99 online. I am now thinking about returning the new unit, but I only paid 119.00 and it has an RF remote which I need, as my Tivo Slide Gen 1 doesn't work well with the Mini wall mounted behind my TV in the bedroom.


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

Recent post in another thread:



Adam1115 said:


> THANK YOU for this. The $50 lifetime was showing online as a 'future plan' so I cancelled it online. I activated it today for free.
> 
> So GET THIS CRAP! I logged in and cancelled the future $50 lifetime plan.
> 
> ...


http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=507790&page=99


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## dlfl (Jul 6, 2006)

Don't argue with them! They may wise up and nix the free deal!


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

dlfl said:


> Don't argue with them! They may wise up and nix the free deal!


+1

Calling in and asking the TiVo CSRs about this is a pointless waste of time. We already know what they are going to say, as they have consistently refused to acknowledge that you can activate lifetime service on an old Mini online for free. People need to stop calling in and asking the CSRs about it and just freaking do it themselves online.


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## fcfc2 (Feb 19, 2015)

tarheelblue32 said:


> +1
> 
> Calling in and asking the TiVo CSRs about this is a pointless waste of time. We already know what they are going to say, as they have consistently refused to acknowledge that you can activate lifetime service on an old Mini online for free. People need to stop calling in and asking the CSRs about it and just freaking do it themselves online.


I have a saying that seems to apply in situations like these. "You can never make anything idiot proof, the idiots keep improving!"


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## y2jdmbfan (May 7, 2004)

Guys, this works. I finally got them to deactivate the mini that was at 5.99 a month. Took 4 calls and a supervisor. It took 12 hours but finally deactivated. Then I went into my account and it was listed under inactive devices. The key is to not click re-activate service from that screen but to go to the activate a new device screen. Once I did that, it activated automatically and it is listed with lifetime now under my devices.


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## the block (Jan 9, 2006)

Would be nice if those of us that bought a mini + lifetime subscription could receive a credit for the subscription.


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## dlfl (Jul 6, 2006)

y2jdmbfan said:


> Guys, this works. I finally got them to deactivate the mini that was at 5.99 a month. Took 4 calls and a supervisor. It took 12 hours but finally deactivated. Then I went into my account and it was listed under inactive devices. The key is to not click re-activate service from that screen but to go to the activate a new device screen. Once I did that, it activated automatically and it is listed with lifetime now under my devices.


Fortunate TiVo probably isn't reading this thread. I suspect this is unintended behavior of their website and they would "fix" it.

Of course the intended behavior should be to allow free lifetime on all mini's, (without having to play these games) or at least on the current model 93000's.


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

dlfl said:


> Fortunate TiVo probably isn't reading this thread. I suspect this is unintended behavior of their website and they would "fix" it.
> 
> Of course the intended behavior should be to allow free lifetime on all mini's, (without having to play these games) or at least on the current model 93000's.


TiVo actually does monitor this forum, so yeah they probably know already.


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## WRX09MD (Aug 25, 2013)

I would love to get some of my money back on 2 mini lifetimes. Give me half and i'll be happy.


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## PopcornGuy (Apr 6, 2007)

I just completed getting free lifetime service on all 6 of my Tivo Minis. To update, I had temporary $5.99 bill suspension granted on the 6 boxes in October while I decided what to do. This week I called and cancelled service on the Minis. The Tivo rep offered the $49.99 lifetime per box and asked why I was cancelling. I just said I was "doing something different". The boxes were listed as "Inactive Tivo devices" with paid options to reactivate. Adding through "Activate a Tivo device" got a very quick, no hassle, free lifetime activation as advertised by Tivo. Forced a connection to the Tivo service on the DVRs then restarted the Minis and back up and running. The Tivo reps will not (not allowed to) tell you about free activation, just paid reactivation. Previously paid monthly service fees added up do not earn you credit toward lifetime service cost in Tivos eyes.


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