# The New tiVo's FEEs



## BoxerMom (Dec 16, 2002)

*Really? ....DVR Tariff Fees?*
This sounds ridiculous to me:

"the TiVo box would be available for an extra $5 / month service fee, in addition to the $10 / month HD Access and $7 / month DVR tariffs."

http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/06/directvs-tivo-ready-to-return-december-8th-in-a-few-markets/


----------



## stevel (Aug 23, 2000)

Yes, apparently so. The $10 HD fee is not relevant (and is easily avoided.)


----------



## sjberra (May 16, 2005)

BoxerMom said:


> *Really? ....DVR Tariff Fees?*
> This sounds ridiculous to me:
> 
> "the TiVo box would be available for an extra $5 / month service fee, in addition to the $10 / month HD Access and $7 / month DVR tariffs."
> ...


that was mentioned in the agreement 3 years ago that it would be a "premium" device with additional cost


----------



## litzdog911 (Oct 18, 2002)

Is anyone really that surprised that there's an additional "Tivo Fee"?


----------



## self (Jul 10, 2002)

I predicted it years ago, and was scoffed at.


----------



## ncted (May 13, 2007)

Not surprised at all.


----------



## stevel (Aug 23, 2000)

I'm not at all surprised that there is a fee, but it's higher than I expected.


----------



## brentil (Sep 9, 2011)

The $5/m is less than I pay monthly for CableCards & SDV boxes so I can get my TiVo working on a digital cable at least.


----------



## HiDefGator (Oct 12, 2004)

stevel said:


> I'm not at all surprised that there is a fee, but it's higher than I expected.


iIf no one agrees to pay it, it will be lowered. I think Tivo is just trying to see how much they can get for all the effort.


----------



## stevel (Aug 23, 2000)

If nobody agrees to pay the fee, then DirecTV will stop marketing the TiVo box. I doubt they will lower it. The contract between DirecTV and TiVo specifies what the payment to TiVo is - we don't know. It is almost certainly less than $5/month, but how much less, we don't know.


----------



## litzdog911 (Oct 18, 2002)

Note that there's supposedly no $7 DVR Fee if you're replacing an older Tivo that had lifetime subscription.


----------



## dirk1843 (Jul 7, 2003)

IMHO.....I am paying TiVo 12 or 13 bucks a month now.

7 + 5 would just be even swap.


----------



## HiDefGator (Oct 12, 2004)

stevel said:


> If nobody agrees to pay the fee, then DirecTV will stop marketing the TiVo box. I doubt they will lower it. The contract between DirecTV and TiVo specifies what the payment to TiVo is - we don't know. It is almost certainly less than $5/month, but how much less, we don't know.


i'm still betting on $3 in 6 months


----------



## innocentfreak (Aug 25, 2001)

Not surprised at all since it is directv and they love their fees.


----------



## GusMan (Nov 16, 2004)

stevel said:


> Yes, apparently so. The $10 HD fee is not relevant (and is easily avoided.)


I know this might be a derail, but how can the HD fee be avoided?


----------



## HiDefGator (Oct 12, 2004)

GusMan said:


> I know this might be a derail, but how can the HD fee be avoided?


agree to credit card billing.


----------



## BoxerMom (Dec 16, 2002)

HiDefGator said:


> agree to credit card billing.


And, if we are already doing automatic payments, then must we go back to paper billing, before asking? TIA


----------



## BoxerMom (Dec 16, 2002)

Are the fees going to be the same for their H34 which will release the same day? 

Am I missing something wonderful about the H34? I can already access tivo from any room in the house through our IR remote. Five recordings at once is nice, however if the programming being watched is the same to every room, such as the kids room watching the same thing we are, well then it's not going to help. I haven't been following closely because I thought I wanted tivo, so is there something more to the H34?


----------



## litzdog911 (Oct 18, 2002)

BoxerMom said:


> And, if we are already doing automatic payments, then must we go back to paper billing, before asking? TIA


No. If you're already on automatic payments, call DirecTV and tell them. They should waive the $10 HD Package fee.


----------



## litzdog911 (Oct 18, 2002)

BoxerMom said:


> ...
> 
> Am I missing something wonderful about the H34? I can already access tivo from any room in the house through our IR remote. Five recordings at once is nice, however if the programming being watched is the same to every room, such as the kids room watching the same thing we are, well then it's not going to help. I haven't been following closely because I thought I wanted tivo, so is there something more to the H34?


Yes, the HR34 is much more. With 5 tuners it can record five different channels simultaneously. It can also stream recordings to three different HD Receivers/DVRs simultaneously using Whole Home DVR networking. And each remote room still has its own HD Receiver/DVR to view its own different live channels.

More info here ....
http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=197609


----------



## catocony (Nov 14, 2006)

So, is this a single $5.00 fee, even if you have multiple THR-22s? 

It's a moot point for me. In the 8 months since I switched over to HR-24s, I don't really miss Tivo anymore. There are still a few things I really dislike about the DirecTV DVR method, but it's adequate for my purposes. It's too bad, if this new unit had come out a year ago, I think I would not have too much of a problem with paying an extra $5.00 a month - assuming that's for "unlimited" DirecTivos - for Tivo quality.


----------



## willmw (Apr 30, 2000)

litzdog911 said:


> No. If you're already on automatic payments, call DirecTV and tell them. They should waive the $10 HD Package fee.


They told me they'd waive the fee for 2 years, after which I'd HAVE to pay it. I guess I'll have to call in again in 2 years and see what they say.


----------



## stevel (Aug 23, 2000)

Yes, that's what the CSRs tell you, but most generally expect DirecTV to allow you to renew the offer.

As for the TiVo fee, the information I have seen suggest it is per-box.


----------



## litzdog911 (Oct 18, 2002)

catocony said:


> So, is this a single $5.00 fee, even if you have multiple THR-22s?
> 
> It's a moot point for me. In the 8 months since I switched over to HR-24s, I don't really miss Tivo anymore. There are still a few things I really dislike about the DirecTV DVR method, but it's adequate for my purposes. It's too bad, if this new unit had come out a year ago, I think I would not have too much of a problem with paying an extra $5.00 a month - assuming that's for "unlimited" DirecTivos - for Tivo quality.


$5 per Tivo.


----------



## Idearat (Nov 26, 2000)

No surprise at all. All these years I've been waiting I've always said I'd be willing to pay a premium to get the TiVo UI if that's what the barrier was to using it over the home-grown DirecTV version. 

I'm more annoyed by the new "we only lease boxes, don't sell them" policy. My old and moldy DirecTiVo which are owned don't incur a monthly lease fee. If I'd paid $5 a month lease on the one I'm using now over the 9 years I've had it that would have added up to another $500+ on top of the price I paid for the box at the time.

So my monthly cost will go up the TiVo fee plus the lease fee at least, and the HD fee if I can't talk them out of it.
But, last I looked it was all still better than dealing with my small-town cable TV company with cable cards, the USB tuning adapter ( they do switched video ) and paying the full TiVo fee on top of it. I'd get a little price break since my internet access is through the cable company, but it didn't look too appealing last I checked.


----------



## stevel (Aug 23, 2000)

Idearat said:


> My old and moldy DirecTiVo which are owned don't incur a monthly lease fee.


Lease fee or mirroring fee, you pay the same either way. Just the name on the statement changes.


----------



## HiDefGator (Oct 12, 2004)

Idearat said:


> I'm more annoyed by the new "we only lease boxes, don't sell them" policy. My old and moldy DirecTiVo which are owned don't incur a monthly lease fee. If I'd paid $5 a month lease on the one I'm using now over the 9 years I've had it that would have added up to another $500+ on top of the price I paid for the box at the time.


The lease fee is the exact same price as the old box fee before it. So it didn't really change any when they started leasing the boxes. Even if you owned it you would pay the same monthly fee just with a different name.

The only effect leasing really has is to make you return the box if you stop service. Without service the box would be nothing more than a door stop anyway.


----------



## BoxerMom (Dec 16, 2002)

litzdog911 said:


> ...It can also stream recordings to three different HD Receivers/DVRs simultaneously using Whole Home DVR networking. And each remote room still has its own HD Receiver/DVR to view its own different live channels...


Does that mean in order to get different programs playing simultaneously in different rooms, (or to watch any programming at all in more than one room) I'll have to have leased receivers at every tv where I wish to watch? And, are there going to be fees for each one of them?

Thanks for helping to sort this out.


----------



## litzdog911 (Oct 18, 2002)

BoxerMom said:


> Does that mean in order to get different programs playing simultaneously in different rooms, (or to watch any programming at all in more than one room) I'll have to have leased receivers at every tv where I wish to watch? And, are there going to be fees for each one of them?
> 
> Thanks for helping to sort this out.


Yes. Each TV will need its own Whole Home DVR networked Receiver. And each of those receivers will add its own lease fee.


----------



## BoxerMom (Dec 16, 2002)

litzdog911 said:


> Yes. Each TV will need its own Whole Home DVR networked Receiver. And each of those receivers will add its own lease fee.


Well then, I can see the advantage...for Directv  I'll have to get out a printing calculator to estimate the monthly fees.  All I want is a tivo with HD, still be able to split the signal to a few tvs, and still be able to use my IR remote to control it. Likely they've somehow made sure that can't happen. I can't imagine ever using five tuners, three maybe. I have Total Choice Plus where 10 percent of the channels are religion-based, probably another 10 percent are selling crap at any given moment, then there's the large number which are children's programming (no kids here), and OMG...we do not watch sports -- I keep wondering where else would PIP make sense?

Thanks for your help...by the way, We're in the Clearview area, daughter lives in Mill Creek...so it is a small world.


----------



## Idearat (Nov 26, 2000)

HiDefGator said:


> The lease fee is the exact same price as the old box fee before it. So it didn't really change any when they started leasing the boxes. Even if you owned it you would pay the same monthly fee just with a different name.
> 
> The only effect leasing really has is to make you return the box if you stop service. Without service the box would be nothing more than a door stop anyway.


The old boxes were _not_ doorstops. They could be bought, sold or given away and re-used.

The fees as described above do not appear to be correct.

I have only 1 DirecTiVo on my account right now, my statement consists of 2 items:
Choice Xtra Monthly
DirecTV DVR Service Monthly: $7.00

No "box fees".

When I go through the steps for ordering the new DirecTiVo it shows 3 additional monthly items:

Lease Fee: $6.00
HD Access: $10.00
TiVo Service: $5.00

So if I replace my current TiVo with the new one, it appears like I add in $11 in fees ( not counting the HD service which may be waived). Unless the $5 TiVo Service replaces the current DVR service, fees will go from $7 per month to $18 per month.

I'm not big on trusting CSRs on the phone for accurate information, so I'd probably have to go through with the purchase and after eventually dropping the old DirecTiVo from the account would I see the true difference. But on face value it appears that in addition to paying the $200 for the box my bill could go up by $21 per month, unless I get something waived.


----------



## sjberra (May 16, 2005)

Idearat said:


> The old boxes were _not_ doorstops. They could be bought, sold or given away and re-used.
> 
> The fees as described above do not appear to be correct.
> 
> ...


the 5.00 does not replace the current DVR service charge it is in addition to the current fee for the TIVO box alone and it is per TIVO unit


----------



## jsharper (Jan 28, 2002)

Has anyone talked to CSRs and received confirmation of how it works if you have lifetime tivo/dvr service on your directv acct?


----------



## stevel (Aug 23, 2000)

I have read in multiple places that if you have Lifetime service you are exempt from the $5 TiVo fee, and also the DVR fee.


----------



## jsharper (Jan 28, 2002)

That's good news. I just tried it and it looks like the website does add the $5 Tivo Fee to my shopping cart, though. I guess I'd have to call a CSR to deal with that.

Also, does anyone know how the installer process works? I've had DirecTV since 1997 but I've always done installs myself and owned my equipment. It appears that to go to HD or to update your service address, they require that they send their installer out to install a dish now. I have a couple of receivers active on my acct that are stuck in storage, unhooked. But, I don't want to remove them from my acct because I don't want to deal with D* when I want to use them again. Will the installer care that they aren't present and ready to be hooked up when they come? Will they insist on deactivating them from the acct?


----------



## litzdog911 (Oct 18, 2002)

jsharper said:


> T....
> 
> Also, does anyone know how the installer process works? I've had DirecTV since 1997 but I've always done installs myself and owned my equipment. It appears that to go to HD or to update your service address, they require that they send their installer out to install a dish now. I have a couple of receivers active on my acct that are stuck in storage, unhooked. But, I don't want to remove them from my acct because I don't want to deal with D* when I want to use them again. Will the installer care that they aren't present and ready to be hooked up when they come? Will they insist on deactivating them from the acct?


Yes, you'll want a professional installation to replace your old dish with an HD Slimline dish. They won't care about any unused Receivers you may have. But if you own them outright (which you probably do if they're older than 2006), then you can safely deactivate them and stop paying any monthly fees on them. Since you own them you can reactivate them onto your current account at any time with a phone call.


----------



## temp357 (Feb 18, 2004)

Here's what i got back from customer service. apparently the $5 fee covers all tivo dvr's.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I understand your concerns on the cost to replace your 3 units or receivers to our new DIRECTV-branded TiVo HD DVR (THR22) and that you'd also need someone to come out and replace your round dish. I am grateful that your letter was brought to my attention. I'd be glad to help and provide you with the information that you need. 

We have worked closely with TiVo to launch the new THR22 in your market. DIRECTV prides itself in offering a variety of products to ensure our customers' needs are met. We listened to our customers' requests and we're excited to offer the first TiVo unit capable of receiving MPEG 4 High Definition, as the newest product option.

You can upgrade your receivers to a TiVo HD-DVR for an up front payment of as little as $199 per receiver. Note that the $5 TiVo monthly service fee is in addition to any fees you'll pay for this upgrade and will cover all TiVo HD-DVRs in your home. Applicable taxes, shipping & handling charges may also apply. Depending on your individual equipment/system setup, an installation fee may apply. Also, this upgrade will include a programming agreement of 24 months.

If you're ready to order, just call us at 1-800-531-5000.

As a reminder, the THR22 HD-DVR is not compatible with the Whole-Home DVR, 3D programming, DIRECTV App for iPad (except DVR Scheduler), TV Apps and nomad. Nevertheless, these services are still available on your DIRECTV HD-DVRs which will allow you to open the door to the entire universe of entertainment and features DIRECTV has to offer. 

In reference to your request for a service call to replace your round dish, please call our technical support at the same number (1-800-531-5000) so we can assist you.

I hope this information is helpful, Dr. Gilani. Thanks again for writing. 

Sincerely,

Marriam C. - 100235344
DIRECTV Customer Service"


----------



## leres (Jun 1, 2001)

litzdog911 said:


> If you're already on automatic payments, call DirecTV and tell them. They should waive the $10 HD Package fee.


Confirmed; after verifying I already had already set up auto payments, I was offered free HD for 24 months.

Thanks for the tip!


----------



## litzdog911 (Oct 18, 2002)

leres said:


> Confirmed; after verifying I already had already set up auto payments, I was offered free HD for 24 months.
> 
> Thanks for the tip!


Glad to help. Enjoy!


----------



## sjberra (May 16, 2005)

temp357 said:


> Here's what i got back from customer service. apparently the $5 fee covers all tivo dvr's.
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> "I understand your concerns on the cost to replace your 3 units or receivers to our new DIRECTV-branded TiVo HD DVR (THR22) and that you'd also need someone to come out and replace your round dish. I am grateful that your letter was brought to my attention. I'd be glad to help and provide you with the information that you need.
> 
> ...


Don't read it that way, they are talking about a single unit and they mention the fee, am I missing the statement that it is for all units installed in the email?


----------



## spudly (Sep 19, 2001)

stevel said:


> I have read in multiple places that if you have Lifetime service you are exempt from the $5 TiVo fee, and also the DVR fee.


Steve can you point to one of these sources?
I have lifetime DVR service and take great umbridge of having to pay the $5 fee if I upgrade my recievers.

I am no lawyer but think anyone with lifetime would have a pretty good class action case if they tried to force us to pay an addtional $5 fee. I understand that this was an agreement DTV made with TiVo, but not one in which *I/we* made with DirecTV. Companies have to make business to business transactions all the time and that is just part of the process. One single transaction they do on the 'back end' can't and shouldn't nullify a preesting agreement they have with me. If that were the case, why couldn't my personal dealings nullify contracts or agreements I have with other companies (cell phone, TV programming, credit cards)? They can't! (unless it's bankruptcy )


----------



## stevel (Aug 23, 2000)

See the CSR reply quoted just above your post.


----------



## spudly (Sep 19, 2001)

stevel said:


> See the CSR reply quoted just above your post.


Really? 
The only pricing (beyond equipment) I see is referenced here:
Note that the $5 TiVo monthly service fee is in addition to any fees you'll pay for this upgrade and will cover all TiVo HD-DVRs in your home​
Not being difficult but I don't see anything in the above post that says "if you have a lifetime DVR service there is no $5 added fee" or words to that effect.

-Glenn


----------



## stevel (Aug 23, 2000)

Whoops. Wrong quote. See http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=199334


----------



## 230 (Nov 3, 1999)

Have any long time customers with good standing had any luck at getting the $199 acquisition fee reduced?


----------



## SpacemanSpiff (Jan 31, 2004)

EJ said:


> Have any long time customers with good standing had any luck at getting the $199 acquisition fee reduced?


On my account right now I've got a free HD DVR upgrade waiting for me at $199 credit. I'm hoping that by the time it is available in my area, that upgrade is still there.


----------



## ccostan (Oct 25, 2001)

EJ said:


> Have any long time customers with good standing had any luck at getting the $199 acquisition fee reduced?


I've been a customer since 2003. I've been on 3 old DTivos this whole time (holding my breath). They gave me 2 for free and a 3rd for a reduced price of 60 bucks. I took the 2 free ones. I was also able to get them to waive the $49 dollar installation fee for a new SlimLine 3 dish (I had an 18inch round).

They mentioned that Subscribers are usually entitled to 1 free service visit a year and I never called them in all this time. I also leveraged the fact that I'd been offered free upgrades to their OWN HD DVR but passed it up in anticipation of the DTivos which took almost 3 years to release.

Going to call next week and try to get them to waive the $10 buck HD fee for the Credit Card AutoPay.. (Thanks for the Tip!).

Good Luck!
CARLO.


----------

