# Warranty



## fpirelli (Oct 27, 2014)

New to TiVo and wanted the opinions of the veteran Tivo owners here. Do you folks think it is wise to buy the extended warranty? I normally don't get them but thinking this might be worth doing. What are your thoughts?

Fred


----------



## uw69 (Jan 25, 2001)

I bought a warranty because I got my Roamio when they first came out and I didn't have a feel for how reliable they were/are. If I was buying one today, I would not get one. Units seem to be very reliable.


----------



## bradleys (Oct 31, 2007)

I have owned several TiVo's and never purchased the extended warranty. I did have to send a Series 2 back to TiVo years ago for service, but nothing since then.

Some Series 3 TiVo's had issues with bad capacitors, but only after several years... Really the only thing at risk is a bad hard drive - and on a Roamio, that is such an easy replacement process - it wouldn't be worth the time to package the unit up.

(I have never actually had a hard drive fail on me)


----------



## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

Like the above posts state, the only thing that generally fails outside of the 90-day warranty is the hard drive, and that is a ridiculously easy fix on the Roamios. The best insurance for a TiVo is not buying the warranty, but buying a UPS (uninterrupted power supply). But even that probably isn't really necessary. 

The way I look at it, if I didn't buy a warranty for the $2,000 Samsung TV, then I'm not going to buy a warranty for the $700 TiVo that is attached to it.


----------



## consumedsoul (Jan 13, 2013)

agree w/ all replies above, had tivos for many years and the only thing that ever failed was a HD once.


----------



## waynomo (Nov 9, 2002)

Never a TiVo extended warranty.


----------



## fpirelli (Oct 27, 2014)

I really appreciate your thoughts on this matter. I see there is no need for the extended warranty. Thanks for sharing your insights. 

Fred


----------



## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

If you're getting lifetime then it's cheap insurance. A lifetime TiVo costs $700+ so $35 for 3 years is totally worth it.


----------



## jakerock (Dec 9, 2002)

I've only bought an extended warranty for a TiVo once. I bought it with the Premier that we got a while back. I don't recall why I bough it but I just used it to replace the unit because one of the tuners stopped working. 

So I've only bought one and have only needed one. It boggles my mind because I don't generally do extended warranties.


----------



## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

Dan203 said:


> If you're getting lifetime then it's cheap insurance. A lifetime TiVo costs $700+ so $35 for 3 years is totally worth it.


Depends on how you define "worth it". Insurance, in general, is a for-profit business, so if you can afford any potential loss, you will come out better in the long run to always self-insure. For me, a $700 loss would certainly ruin my day, but it won't put much of a dent in my bank account. If, however, you couldn't afford to cover a $700 loss, then by all means insurance can come in handy.

I have made the decision to never buy warranties on any consumer electronics, and I have never been unhappy with that decision. And honestly, if my 2 year old Roamio Plus were to crap out, I would much rather be able to just go buy a new one rather than deal with the hassle of trying to get TiVo to honor a warranty. Calling up customer no-service, going through the hassle of shipping it back to them, and waiting for who knows how long for them to either repair it or send me a refurbished replacement unit that someone else didn't want for some unknown reason...No thanks. I'd much rather be able to just go down to Best Buy and buy a brand new one the same day.


----------



## mae (Dec 10, 2001)

fpirelli said:


> New to TiVo and wanted the opinions of the veteran Tivo owners here. Do you folks think it is wise to buy the extended warranty? I normally don't get them but thinking this might be worth doing. What are your thoughts?
> 
> Fred


As someone else said, you also have an investment in the lifetime service. I bought a 4 year service plan from Best Buy on my PXL. It died 2 months short of expiration. They replaced it with a Roamio and TiVo transferred my lifetime service. That made the cost worthwhile (IMHO) and I bought one on the replacement.

Something to think about, see this thread, particularly post 11, http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=514639


----------



## jrtroo (Feb 4, 2008)

Never. If you never buy these, and essentially self insure, you are better off financially. Investments are for things that increase in value, Tivos do not. Folks like to use single case scenarios to prove their value, but they are nearly never used...


----------



## 59er (Mar 27, 2008)

I've used my warranty in the past, and would get one again.


----------



## mae (Dec 10, 2001)

jrtroo said:


> Never. If you never buy these, and essentially self insure, you are better off financially. Investments are for things that increase in value, Tivos do not. Folks like to use single case scenarios to prove their value, but they are nearly never used...


I generally agree with you, but the high cost of PLS,and the relatively low cost of coverage makes TiVo the exception that proves the rule (to me).

It all comes down, as Dirty Harry says, to "Just how lucky do you feel?"


----------



## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

mae said:


> I generally agree with you, but the high cost of PLS,and the relatively low cost of coverage makes TiVo the exception that proves the rule (to me).
> 
> It all comes down, as Dirty Harry says, to "Just how lucky do you feel?"


Would you buy a warranty on a $650 TV? If not, then you shouldn't buy one for a TiVo either.


----------



## trip1eX (Apr 2, 2005)

What everyone else said. And what is the cost for a replacement Roamio? I thought I heard Tivo might only charge you $150 for a refurb or something if yours did break?

I'd only buy it for resale purposes. It's easier to sell something that has a warranty and you get more money for it too.


----------



## kokishin (Sep 9, 2014)

mae said:


> I generally agree with you, but the high cost of PLS,and the relatively low cost of coverage makes TiVo the exception that proves the rule (to me).
> 
> It all comes down, as Dirty Harry says, to "Just how lucky do you feel?"


Close but no cigar.


----------



## ncbill (Sep 1, 2007)

$35 for 4 years of coverage is a bargain, especially considering the free upgrade you get if they don't have your old model in stock anymore.

Sure, my outdoor antenna is grounded, but that's more of a suggestion than a guarantee...

EDIT: the above refers to Best Buy's warranty, not the one Tivo sells.


----------



## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

tarheelblue32 said:


> Would you buy a warranty on a $650 TV? If not, then you shouldn't buy one for a TiVo either.


For $40 I would.

My Roamio Pro cost $960 with lifetime service. A 3 year warranty costs $40. I'd much rather pay $40 now to be safe rather then potentially pay $960 to replace it later. If it were a bigger percentage of the replacement cost I'd probably reconsider.


----------



## kbmb (Jun 22, 2004)

I chose the warranty for both my Roamio Lifetime units. 

Yes, warranties are generally profit makers for the company. But quite frankly I don't want to have to spend $700 to replace a Tivo and service. Even though I can....I choose not to have to worry about it.

The way I looked at it was, $80 dollars total for the 2 warranties......we as a family chose to skip going out to eat 2 times to cover it.....done, warranties paid for.

-Kevin


----------



## fred2 (Jan 20, 2006)

While I presume upgrading to a larger hard drive probably voids the warranty, are there seals or other ways Tivo knows you might have been inside. Obviously, if the Tivo reports back your storage capacity beyond what they expect, they might "MARK" that down to tinkering on the inside of the unit.


----------



## CoxInPHX (Jan 14, 2011)

Dan203 said:


> If you're getting lifetime then it's cheap insurance. A lifetime TiVo costs $700+ so $35 for 3 years is totally worth it.


+1

base Roamio w/ Lifetime, DIY HDD upgrade - *No*
base Roamio w/ Lifetime, left Stock - *Yes*

Roamio Plus w/ Lifetime, DIY HDD upgrade - *Probably not, but maybe*
Roamio Plus w/ Lifetime, left Stock - *Yes*

Roamio Pro w/ Lifetime, left Stock - *Yes*


----------



## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

fred2 said:


> While I presume upgrading to a larger hard drive probably voids the warranty, are there seals or other ways Tivo knows you might have been inside. Obviously, if the Tivo reports back your storage capacity beyond what they expect, they might "MARK" that down to tinkering on the inside of the unit.


They know as soon as the box calls in. However, thus far, they have never denied an extended warranty claim just because the drive had been upgraded.


----------



## fred2 (Jan 20, 2006)

Dan203 said:


> They know as soon as the box calls in. However, thus far, they have never denied an extended warranty claim just because the drive had been upgraded.


Thanks for the answer. My drive is in slow transit across the US and maybe some other parts of the world.


----------



## chiguy50 (Nov 9, 2009)

Dan203 said:


> For $40 I would.
> 
> My Roamio Pro cost $960 with lifetime service. A 3 year warranty costs $40. I'd much rather pay $40 now to be safe rather then potentially pay $960 to replace it later. If it were a bigger percentage of the replacement cost I'd probably reconsider.


Agreed. I have never purchased an extended warranty and view them as little more than a proven source of profits for the sellers--with the exception of a high-end TiVo DVR w/PLS. Here, as Dan says, it seems like a worthwhile investment of $40 to get the extended coverage for the unit + PLS.

And, besides the purely financial considerations, there is also the intangible factor of the peace of mind you derive from knowing that your $700 to $1000 DVR investment is fully protected for at least three years vice 90 days.


----------



## mae (Dec 10, 2001)

tarheelblue32 said:


> Would you buy a warranty on a $650 TV? If not, then you shouldn't buy one for a TiVo either.


No, but Plus, $399, PLS $399 = $798, not $650.

I didn't buy an EW on my $1400 tv, it is still going after 6 years, but did buy it on AMEX to double the warranty. It is also all solid state, no moving parts and from a brand with a pretty good track record for longevity, unlike the number of problems reported here on TiVo's with some related to software glitches and lockups of unknown origin as well.

Buying from a retailer like BB, the option of their EW, replacement with a current model (as you said you wanted, at retail), and my own personal experience going back to my Sony series one, shows an average time to failure of 3-4 years and makes this worth it to me. I've bought all 5 of my TiVo's from retail with 4 year EW's, and collected an upgraded model or refund of my purchase price on all but my current Roamios, 6 and 3 months old.

YMMV, those are my data points and experience.


----------



## dbwilbur (Apr 6, 2007)

I always get the 3-year extended warranty for $40 on all of my PLS Tivos, just for piece of mind. I have only had to use it once out of 5 different units, but I still think it's been worth it.


----------



## jrtroo (Feb 4, 2008)

Anyone want to hire me as their personal Tivo insurance agent? Seems like a lucrative business.


----------



## mae (Dec 10, 2001)

jrtroo said:


> Anyone want to hire me as their personal Tivo insurance agent? Seems like a lucrative business.


While I trust you completely, this brings up an interesting point about the warranty provider, their solvency.

One of my TiVo EW's was from the late Circuit City, and the unit failed after their bankruptcy. At first I thought I was SOL, but it was backed by a third party insurer, who issued a check refunding the purchase price. The BB warranty has a similar backing, but it is something to consider.


----------



## Diana Collins (Aug 21, 2002)

I never buy extended warranties on anything, but did for our two Roamio Pros, for the same reasons put forth by Dan203 above. At $40 for the coverage, and $900 to replace a DVR with PLS, the cost/benefit ratio seemed reasonable. Were I paying for service monthly, I wouldn't have bothered.


----------



## dbwilbur (Apr 6, 2007)

I agree 100% that if you are paying monthly service, it's really not worth it; but for PLS boxes I believe it surely is.


----------



## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

mae said:


> No, but Plus, $399, PLS $399 = $798, not $650.


I really hope nobody is paying full retail for a Plus these days. Regardless, you still shouldn't pay for a warranty on a $798 TV or TiVo.



mae said:


> I didn't buy an EW on my $1400 tv, it is still going after 6 years, but did buy it on AMEX to double the warranty.


I think most credit cards double the manufacturer's warranty on pretty much all consumer electronics, so TiVos would probably be covered too. Of course trying to collect on those warranties is still a pain in the ass.



mae said:


> It is also all solid state, no moving parts and from a brand with a pretty good track record for longevity, unlike the number of problems reported here on TiVo's with some related to software glitches and lockups of unknown origin as well.


The only failure you are likely to see outside the 90-day TiVo warranty period is the spinning hard drive, which is easy and relatively cheap to fix yourself. And I would much rather just replace that myself than have to ship it back to TiVo to replace.


----------



## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

I typically buy extended warranties on all my Lifetime Tivos. Mainly because it can help with the resale when I sell it a few years from now. I have the TiVo three year extended warranty on some of my TiVos and the Best Buy four year warranty on others.


----------



## jcthorne (Jan 28, 2002)

Dan203 said:


> If you're getting lifetime then it's cheap insurance. A lifetime TiVo costs $700+ so $35 for 3 years is totally worth it.


If you buy a tivo with lifetime and it fails during the first 3 years, they only charge you the repair fee for the tivo and transfer the lifetime. The warranty is only protecting you against one repair fee during the first 3 years. Not a good benifit to cost ratio at all.

I have also had really good luck getting tivo to waive the repair fee on a tivo that failed during the first year on a lifetime sub but past the 90 days. Just had to ask.

My roamio basic had a tuner fail. Tivo replaced it.


----------



## ncbill (Sep 1, 2007)

I thought the 'repair fee' (really an exchange fee) was officially $150, though many here report paying $100.

So a 3-4 year extended warranty @ $35-$40 still beats the above.


----------



## jcthorne (Jan 28, 2002)

A $35 extended warranty cost to protect you from the possibility of a $100 repair for 3 years is a pretty overpriced extended warranty. Especially since the vast majority of Tivos that live past the 90 day warranty period live for many years.


----------



## iconoclast (Oct 27, 2014)

tarheelblue32 said:


> I think most credit cards double the manufacturer's warranty on pretty much all consumer electronics, so TiVos would probably be covered too. Of course trying to collect on those warranties is still a pain in the ass.


I use VISA for all products with warranties & it doubles it, up to an extra 1 year. I have used this service a few times over the years & VISA has always sent me a check to cover the cost of either the repair or a replacement product. You must have a copy of your receipt & a copy of the warranty. (Good Idea to scan both & save a PDF for every product you buy with a warranty in case you lose the paper copy.)

In general, I do not think it a good financial decision to purchase extended warranty coverage on anything.


----------



## siclmn (Nov 5, 2014)

To everybody who thinks it's not worth it, I am a year and a month into owning my Roamio and it broke during a electrical wind storm here. It is going to cost me $150 to get another one. I should have paid the $40 when I bought it.
Whatever happens when the power goes off and on a few times is what broke it. Yes it is plugged into a surge protector.


----------



## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

siclmn said:


> To everybody who thinks it's not worth it, I am a year and a month into owning my Roamio and it broke during a electrical wind storm here. It is going to cost me $150 to get another one. I should have paid the $40 when I bought it.
> Whatever happens when the power goes off and on a few times is what broke it. Yes it is plugged into a surge protector.


You should have it plugged into a UPS.


----------



## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

aaronwt said:


> You should have it plugged into a UPS.


+1

Take the money you would have spent on extended warranties and buy a UPS.


----------



## ej42137 (Feb 16, 2014)

aaronwt said:


> You should have it plugged into a UPS.


+2

The very first time I played the slots in Reno I won. Does that mean casino slots are a profitable investment for the player? No, in the long run he'll always lose. Just like you'll always lose in the long run if you pay for extended warranties. It's a sucker's bet.


----------



## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

But extended warranties are also great when reselling an item. It gives the buyer peace of mind knowing that the used item they are purchasing is under warranty. That is the main reason I get most of my extended warranties. To help with the resale.


----------



## jrtroo (Feb 4, 2008)

siclmn said:


> To everybody who thinks it's not worth it, I am a year and a month into owning my Roamio and it broke during a electrical wind storm here.


This is just dumb luck, and the extra $110 you would have saved makes you a statistic but not a rule of thumb. Not paying these insanely high insurance rates across all products that offers them still puts you in a better place overall.

Sorry it happened, but contact your insurance co and cc provider. If its the HDD, you can fix it yourself easily.


----------



## trip1eX (Apr 2, 2005)

siclmn said:


> To everybody who thinks it's not worth it, I am a year and a month into owning my Roamio and it broke during a electrical wind storm here. It is going to cost me $150 to get another one. I should have paid the $40 when I bought it.
> .


Are you saying a warranty is worth it if you know for sure your equipment will break within the warranty period? If so then I agree with you.


----------

