# Instructions with Mini?



## michaelfb68 (Jan 5, 2019)

I have been a Tivo customer for 18 years. I now own a Bolt and 2 Minis and just added a VOX Mini. WHY IS IT SO HARD TO INCLUDE PROPER SETUP INSTRUCTIONS IN THE BOX?

The tech support guy was robotic and next to useless. I'd ask a question and he just kept reading instructions off the page. 45 minutes in and I presented with a Downgrade screen on my mini that is supposed to take an hour so that I don't have to use that pathetic, God awful interface.

I went through hell on my first mini setup as well, but it was only 30 min. After all these years, they know the steps that you need to take to add a mini. Why won't they include the steps? 

I am close to returning it, selling the rest, and using whatever fios gives me.


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## jrtroo (Feb 4, 2008)

Dunno, costs probably, I believe you can find full instruction manuals online. I'm confused why the lack of them is impacting you so much.


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

Guides|How To|Get Connected| How to install your TiVo Box

"manuals"


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## michaelfb68 (Jan 5, 2019)

jrtroo said:


> Dunno, costs probably, I believe you can find full instruction manuals online. I'm confused why the lack of them is impacting you so much.


Because the included instructions don't tell you anything that you need to go through to get it setup. The end result is a massive waste of time, especially when it tricks you to upgrade to Hydra only to find out you need to waste an hour downgrading it.

How hard is it to lay out a few steps so that people don't need to call? And FWIW, the tech said that so many of his calls are Mini setups and he apologized multiple times for the lack of instruction.

So the 2 hours of my life that I will never get back???? That is why it is an impact.


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## mdavej (Aug 13, 2015)

Imagine how confused a new user would be if presented with 2 GUI options. When you set up a new PC it doesn't ask you if you want to run XP or Windows 10. It installs Windows 10. It's on you to downgrade if you don't like it.


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## michaelfb68 (Jan 5, 2019)

mdavej said:


> Imagine how confused a new user would be if presented with 2 GUI options. When you set up a new PC it doesn't ask you if you want to run XP or Windows 10. It installs Windows 10. It's on you to downgrade if you don't like it.


Could you be a bigger fanboy? Seriously???

How about if the mental midgets at Tivo made the *crazy* assumption that if you were setting up a Mini, odds are like 180% that you already owned a Bolt or equivalent? And since you own such a device, you have already made your choice as to what OS you wanted? Therefore, you install the OS on the mini that is compatible with what you already own and use?

If I didn't already have such a big investment in Tivo, I'd never buy it.


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## mdavej (Aug 13, 2015)

Nearly 3 months later you come back to post that? I don't even use Tivo anymore. Must not be that big of a fanboy after all.


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## mbernste (Apr 6, 2003)

Why would anyone need a manual to set up a TiVo or any of its sister devices? It takes you through a guided setup for goodness sakes and the menus are so drop-dead dumb easy to figure out, I bet my friend's great dane could even use it. How "low intelligence" does one have to be?


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

mbernste said:


> Why would anyone need a manual to set up a TiVo or any of its sister devices? It takes you through a guided setup for goodness sakes and the menus are so drop-dead dumb easy to figure out, I bet my friend's great dane could even use it. How "low intelligence" does one have to be?


So-called Smart TVs can be less than obvious in some operations (and restrictions), IME. Mind you, I haven't read my own manual, but I've used it to look some things up (e.g. my TV's settings have a grayed out BT keyboard setting--the manual explains that BT only is a feature in certain countries).


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