# Roamio Pro / Lifetime (AIP) Deal Pulled



## Toni (Nov 23, 2002)

I'm pretty annoyed. About three weeks ago, my husband and I called TiVo about getting a Roamio Pro with lifetime service, because you can't buy that on the website. The woman I spoke with told me they had a deal running until April 30:

Romio Pro for $699
AIP Plan originally $599, with a $500 discount, so $99
Total cost around $800

My husband heard the call - we are both certain she said this deal was good until April 30, and that's how I wrote it down in my notes.

We took a couple of weeks to figure out how to set up a Moca network, how much we'd do ourselves verses having Charter come out to do for us, and to consider whether it was worth adding a Mini at the same time.

I called today to place the order, and the guy I spoke to said that deal had been pulled. If I want a Roamio Pro with lifetime service, instead of it being $800, it'll be $1,200. He said he had no option to override this to honor what the first rep told me.

Has anyone had any luck getting them to honor a deal in this situation? We've had TiVos for 15 years and really don't want to pay monthly/annually for service. I thought they treated longtime customers better than this.


----------



## NJ Webel (Dec 8, 2004)

CSR roulette. Call again and speak to a different rep. Don't know why they can't all be on the same page with things, but that seems to be the reality with TiVo customer service.


----------



## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

I was able to get the Roamio Pro with lifetime for $700 last week. Try calling back and seeing if a different CSR will give you the deal. If you aren't able to get it, you can get a Roamio Pro on Amazon for $448, which includes the first year of service for free. I'm a big proponent of going for lifetime service, so I understand wanting it, but the Amazon price is decent.


----------



## Toni (Nov 23, 2002)

Thank you. I'll call back and try again. I asked for a supervisor, but they played the, "They're all in a meeting, I'll have someone call you back" maneuver.


----------



## jonw747 (Aug 2, 2015)

Toni said:


> Has anyone had any luck getting them to honor a deal in this situation? We've had TiVos for 15 years and really don't want to pay monthly/annually for service. I thought they treated longtime customers better than this.


If that was their goal they'd post their current promotions on their web site and be done with it. Sometimes you just have to be ready to jump on a good deal. Good luck with the next CSR, your mileage definitely will vary.


----------



## plpmke (Nov 27, 2010)

I know it's been mentioned all over these forums, but CSR Roulette can/does work. I just hit a winner this evening. I have been paying $9.99/mo (cust since 2004) for my Roamio Basic for the past 19 months, and have been calling every few weeks for the past 4 months to inquire about switching to Lifetime (AI)...after I realized it was dumb of me not to jump on the OTA Amazon deal! Every rep until tonite, quoted me the going new device/subscriber All-In rate ($599), to which I politely told them I'll stick with my current plan. Tonite, the rep said $199. SOLD! In essence I have now ending up paying $389 for lifetime, saving $11 along the way :/ (I would have been able to get lifetime for $399 at the time of purchase).


----------



## SomeRandomIdiot (Jan 7, 2016)

plpmke said:


> I know it's been mentioned all over these forums, but CSR Roulette can/does work. I just hit a winner this evening. I have been paying $9.99/mo (cust since 2004) for my Roamio Basic for the past 19 months, and have been calling every few weeks for the past 4 months to inquire about switching to Lifetime (AI)...after I realized it was dumb of me not to jump on the OTA Amazon deal! Every rep until tonite, quoted me the going new device/subscriber All-In rate ($599), to which I politely told them I'll stick with my current plan. Tonite, the rep said $199. SOLD! In essence I have now ending up paying $389 for lifetime, saving $11 along the way :/ (I would have been able to get lifetime for $399 at the time of purchase).


That's entirely different than the Former $600, $700 in March Pro+AIP.

The CSRs have no flexibility with that - where there are ways around adding AIP to older units.


----------



## SomeRandomIdiot (Jan 7, 2016)

Toni said:


> I'm pretty annoyed. About three weeks ago, my husband and I called TiVo about getting a Roamio Pro with lifetime service, because you can't buy that on the website. The woman I spoke with told me they had a deal running until April 30:
> 
> Romio Pro for $699
> AIP Plan originally $599, with a $500 discount, so $99
> ...


In reality, your original CSR lied. I spoke with CSRs once or twice a week for several months to see if the deal was still in place. Every time I asked if they know how long it would run and the response was always they did not know. They would probably come in one day and find it was over.

Given this, and this, http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=539622 they COULD be reducing their liability.


----------



## Toni (Nov 23, 2002)

SomeRandomIdiot said:


> In reality, your original CSR lied. I spoke with CSRs once or twice a week for several months to see if the deal was still in place. Every time I asked if they know how long it would run and the response was always they did not know. They would probably come in one day and find it was over.
> 
> Given this, and this, http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=539622 they COULD be reducing their liability.


I think everything you said is very accurate. Surprisingly, a manager did return my call tonight. He basically said just what you did: 1) the original rep gave me wrong information; 2) he had no control over being able to continue that promotion; 3) they are offering promotional deals on the Bolt now, because the cost of the Bolt is about to increase.

The first rep I spoke to earlier today also told me that he was off for 3 days on bereavement leave, and when he came back to work on Monday his first call was from someone wanting that Roamio+AIP deal. He said sure, thinking it was still in play, and when he went to pull it up it was gone.

But, this has a pretty reasonable update. The supervisor, after telling me repeatedly (I was insisting) that he had nothing he could offer on the Pro, started telling me what he could offer on a Roamio basic and on a Bolt. In the middle of this, he said oh wait, there is something here for the Pro.... let me put you on hold and talk to the Accounting department. When he came back he said they would offer the Pro - new, not refurb - for a hardware price of $475, which is a bit of a discount off the full price of $600, and they would offer an AIP service for $400, down from $600. So total cost would be $875, which is $75 more than the original deal, but far better than paying $1,200.

This wasn't something he could even put in the order for himself. The Accounting department person he spoke to had to complete the order, so he told me it could be an extra couple of days to be processed since it was already 6pm on Friday night. However, he called back about an hour later to explain how the emails I'd be getting would look, and I did already receive the hardware order confirmation.

I don't know where that resolution came from, if it's something special he worked out with them, or if it's something anyone could ask for.


----------



## SomeRandomIdiot (Jan 7, 2016)

Toni said:


> I think everything you said is very accurate. Surprisingly, a manager did return my call tonight. He basically said just what you did: 1) the original rep gave me wrong information; 2) he had no control over being able to continue that promotion; 3) they are offering promotional deals on the Bolt now, because the cost of the Bolt is about to increase.
> 
> The first rep I spoke to earlier today also told me that he was off for 3 days on bereavement leave, and when he came back to work on Monday his first call was from someone wanting that Roamio+AIP deal. He said sure, thinking it was still in play, and when he went to pull it up it was gone.
> 
> ...


Actually that's $275 more than February and $175 more than March.

Plus you will have tax on the higher amount, depending on If your state charges for services (which is what the subscription is).


----------



## Toni (Nov 23, 2002)

The info I got was wrong from the start. I was expecting to pay $800 and instead am paying $875, both before tax. Whether what I was expecting to pay is what I actually would have paid is another issue.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk


----------



## ihtc (Apr 3, 2010)

It seems you can get a bolt on amazon for $232 (if you want a bolt) and take advantage of the $400 lifetime offer many have been getting calling matching the weeknees deal


----------



## mark1958 (Feb 13, 2005)

It seems like the prices are going like the stock market up down up up, we picked up 1 Roamio Pro 2/23/16 for $600 all in and grabbed another 3/4/16 for the same.
It must have been like the second week in March the price really jumped.


----------



## Toni (Nov 23, 2002)

The rep and manager said the prices jumped April 1. Also, the Roamio has been moved to the outlet section. It seems like it's being phased out.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk


----------



## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

Toni said:


> The rep and manager said the prices jumped April 1. Also, the Roamio has been moved to the outlet section. It seems like it's being phased out.


They moved the Roamios to the outlet section when they launched the Bolt. They will probably keep the Roamio Pro around until they either launch a Bolt Pro or they discontinue retail sales entirely.

As for the date, April 1 makes sense as that is the end of the first quarter. They were probably trying to juice up their sales to make the first quarter results look better for a potential sale of the company.


----------



## SomeRandomIdiot (Jan 7, 2016)

The thing that shows that TiVo is clueless is the way they are setting these prices.

When a unit is a closeout - and you are selling them out - you clearly know your inventory (especially if the acting CEO is the CFO numbers guy).

After 4 months, they raise the price of the close out unit from $499 to $599....plus the $99 All In. That makes no sense - and is unheard of in retail.

Now clearly, you know how few of the Roamio units you have a month ago....and so you do not RAISE the price - only to move it to outlet at a higher price ($600+$600).

This shows that (1) TiVo is just making stuff up as they go (2)r expect prices on the Roamio Pro to rise with No Bolt Pro coming or (3) limiting liability of Lifetime Subs.

NOTE: I see Roamio Pros in the Outlet section for $599 have a 1 Year Sub. Why would anyone buy one from TiVo Direct for $599 when you could save $150 for the same thing on Amazon?


----------



## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

SomeRandomIdiot said:


> The thing that shows that TiVo is clueless is the way they are setting these prices.
> 
> When a unit is a closeout - and you are selling them out - you clearly know your inventory (especially if the acting CEO is the CFO numbers guy).
> 
> ...


The special lifetime pricing on the Roamio Pro was never advertised and was only available to current customers who called in and asked for it, so I don't think it can really be considered to be a "closeout price". True "closeout pricing" is what they did with the Roamio OTA a few months ago where they were selling them with lifetime for $300 on Amazon.


----------



## Series3Sub (Mar 14, 2010)

SomeRandomIdiot said:


> The thing that shows that TiVo is clueless is the way they are setting these prices.
> 
> When a unit is a closeout - and you are selling them out - you clearly know your inventory (especially if the acting CEO is the CFO numbers guy).
> 
> ...


Because a lot of people don't do shopping to price compare. Many just go to the TiVo site and make their decision to buy or not to buy there ( I know people who just don't want to price compare or at too lazy to do it or don't even THINK to price compare. Those people do exist). TiVo is not unique in this regard with products at higher or full MSR at direct manufacturer home site but less at Amazon with its army of buyers who get several emails with suggestions to buy or even suggestions as they shop along with posted reviews (all of that makes Amazon a powerful tool for sellers) among thsoe who have Prime for 2day delivery and just love Amazon's return policies or just love buying from Amazon and may NOT want to do so at TiVo direct site (sometimes even Weaknees can brign lower total cost than direct through TiVo) or other reputable sites. It is the way retail on the internet works and has been for quite some time. Yeah, TiVo is willing to get less money for the hardware at Amazon (something all sellers do NOT like), but TiVo (and others) aren't going to give away anything or discount nearly as much of someone if foolish enough to buy direct without price comparing at other reputable sites.


----------



## SomeRandomIdiot (Jan 7, 2016)

tarheelblue32 said:


> The special lifetime pricing on the Roamio Pro was never advertised and was only available to current customers who called in and asked for it, so I don't think it can really be considered to be a "closeout price". True "closeout pricing" is what they did with the Roamio OTA a few months ago where they were selling them with lifetime for $300 on Amazon.


An email with it went out on or around Thanksgiving to anyone with an account, so I would call that promoted.

And moving a unit to the "outlet" section is clearly a close out.


----------



## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

SomeRandomIdiot said:


> An email with it went out on or around Thanksgiving to anyone with an account, so I would call that promoted.


I said it was never advertised. Promotion of a deal through private emails isn't advertisement.



SomeRandomIdiot said:


> And moving a unit to the "outlet" section is clearly a close out.


They moved all the Roamios to the "outlet" section back when the Bolt launched, but the Roamio Pro is still quite prominent on the TiVo website. They have a comparison chart between the Bolt and the Roamio Pro and the Roamio line has its own section under the "SHOP" header. It is likely that TiVo is still producing the Roamio Pro for retail as well as a version for their MSO partners, and will likely continue to do so until either a Bolt Pro is launched (which appears less and less likely) or they exit retail entirely. The Roamio Pro MSO version may even outlast the Bolt line. That's hardly a "close out" in the normal sense of the word.


----------



## SomeRandomIdiot (Jan 7, 2016)

tarheelblue32 said:


> I said it was never advertised. Promotion of a deal through private emails isn't advertisement.





tarheelblue32 said:


> They moved all the Roamios to the "outlet" section back when the Bolt launched, but the Roamio Pro is still quite prominent on the TiVo website. They have a comparison chart between the Bolt and the Roamio Pro and the Roamio line has its own section under the "SHOP" header. It is likely that TiVo is still producing the Roamio Pro for retail as well as a version for their MSO partners, and will likely continue to do so until either a Bolt Pro is launched (which appears less and less likely) or they exit retail entirely. The Roamio Pro MSO version may even outlast the Bolt line. That's hardly a "close out" in the normal sense of the word.


Ok, for those that do not speak "TiVO" or 99.999% of America, what does the word "Outlet" means to Mainstream America (who shop in the Factory Outlet Stores?).

And as for advertising, interesting that no one ever sees any TiVo ads!?!? A quick Google Search of this forum show the last time anyone here reported seeing a TiVo TV Commercial was 2008 (and before that, 2006).

2 schedules in 10 years!

(Search parameters "TiVo Advertisement" and "Tivo Commercial")

Yep, that's advertising!

I guess they think people who want a DVR to skip commercials will go search for commercials on YouTube and watch them!


----------



## jonw747 (Aug 2, 2015)

tarheelblue32 said:


> I said it was never advertised. Promotion of a deal through private emails isn't advertisement.


Maybe not what you were thinking of, but it is advertising ... that is direct market advertising ... very effective!

The fact TiVo sells directly to endusers is problematic and they risks pissing off their retail distribution chain if they did anything too overt that stole sales from their partners.


----------



## SomeRandomIdiot (Jan 7, 2016)

jonw747 said:


> Maybe not what you were thinking of, but it is advertising ... that is direct market advertising ... very effective!
> 
> The fact TiVo sells directly to endusers is problematic and they risks pissing off their retail distribution chain if they did anything too overt that stole sales from their partners.


Retail Distribution Chain and TiVo?

That's comical.


----------



## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

jonw747 said:


> Maybe not what you were thinking of, but it is advertising ... that is direct market advertising ... very effective!


Dictionary.com defines "advertising" as:

"to announce or praise (a product, service, etc.) in some public medium of communication in order to induce people to buy or use it"

And private emails are not a public medium.


----------



## SomeRandomIdiot (Jan 7, 2016)

tarheelblue32 said:


> Dictionary.com defines "advertising" as:
> 
> "to announce or praise (a product, service, etc.) in some public medium of communication in order to induce people to buy or use it"
> 
> And private emails are not a public medium.


Tell that to 50 of the Fortune 500 Companies who's emails end up in my inbox everyday.

Dictionary.com living in the pre-Internet age.


----------



## TonyD79 (Jan 4, 2002)

jonw747 said:


> Maybe not what you were thinking of, but it is advertising ... that is direct market advertising ... very effective! The fact TiVo sells directly to endusers is problematic and they risks pissing off their retail distribution chain if they did anything too overt that stole sales from their partners.


Really? There are many examples of direct sales as well as retail sales in many product lines. TiVo is hardly unique in that regard. I wonder how Apple pulls it off?


----------



## Skybolt (Mar 17, 2016)

Toni said:


> I'm pretty annoyed. About three weeks ago, my husband and I called TiVo about getting a Roamio Pro with lifetime service, because you can't buy that on the website. The woman I spoke with told me they had a deal running until April 30: ... Has anyone had any luck getting them to honor a deal in this situation? We've had TiVos for 15 years and really don't want to pay monthly/annually for service. I thought they treated longtime customers better than this.


The same thing happened to me, they not only refused to honor the deal, but asked if I wanted them to cancel my service.

I don't think much of Tivo as a company, I don't like my cable provider either but I still pay them. Tivo is just another layer of BS you need to deal with once in a while.

I like my Romeo DVR and the mini's so that's what I focus on instead.


----------



## jonw747 (Aug 2, 2015)

TonyD79 said:


> Really? There are many examples of direct sales as well as retail sales in many product lines. TiVo is hardly unique in that regard. I wonder how Apple pulls it off?


I didn't say it was uncommon, I said they need to be careful not to piss off their retail channel or risk losing it. Common sense.


----------



## samccfl99 (Sep 7, 2013)

skybolt said:


> i don't think much of tivo as a company. Tivo is just another layer of bs you need to deal with once in a while.
> 
> I like my romeo dvr and the mini's so that's what i focus on instead.


+1

+1

*Did I Say +1???...Well Said!!!

An Unhappy NON LS Tivo Customer...
*


----------

