# Where's Pony? (deafening silence)



## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

I as much of a TiVo supporter as most of you here, and I truly appreciate the help that Pony and the other TiVo employees have been over the years here in the TCF. But I am as dismayed as most of you by the deafening silence over the S3 shipping fiasco the last few days. We have not heard a peep from them, and the e-mail that folks are receiving is certainly not much consolation. I know they're under no obligation to post here, but we are, after all, spoiled, aren't we?

Is anybody listening? Can you hear me now?


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## ah30k (Jan 9, 2006)

Sounds like they TivoStephen (nee TiVoOpsMgr) got out just in time.

In defense of Pony, isn't he more of a product engineering guy rather than ops?


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## etsolow (Feb 8, 2001)

*hears a pin drop*


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

ah30k said:


> Sounds like they TivoStephen (nee TiVoOpsMgr) got out just in time.
> 
> In defense of Pony, isn't he more of a product engineering guy rather than ops?


His title (at least here) is TiVo product marketing. Sounds like he should be the one to respond.


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## jfh3 (Apr 15, 2004)

ah30k said:


> Sounds like they TivoStephen (nee TiVoOpsMgr) got out just in time.
> 
> In defense of Pony, isn't he more of a product engineering guy rather than ops?


TivoPony is in Tivo marketing.

TivoJerry is the engineer.


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## tunnelengineer (Jul 21, 2006)

Wow, this sure sounds like a marketing problem to me.


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## ah30k (Jan 9, 2006)

Bierboy said:


> His title (at least here) is TiVo product marketing. Sounds like he should be the one to respond.


I guess if you think of it as the product captain taking full end-to-end responsibility, I guess you're right.


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## jjarmoc (Sep 15, 2006)

I'm guessing he's probably busy trying to get/keep things running well, rather than taking time to post here when there's little he can say but 'sorry, we're working on it.'


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## TiVotion (Dec 6, 2002)

In defense of TiVoPony, he's marketing, but he's probably not really responsible for fulfillment and shipping. He likely would have to interface with other people in the organization to figure out what happened, and also have time to prepare a response. I'm sure he'll weigh in on the subject either today or tomorrow.


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## robbins (Aug 23, 2005)

They are probably on an island somewhere on Vacation with all of the money you used to overpay for the S3! $800, no way!


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## SullyND (Dec 30, 2004)

jfh3 said:


> TivoPony is in Tivo marketing.
> 
> TivoJerry is the engineer.


If memory serves they're both engineers... But that's neither here nor there.


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

jjarmoc said:


> I'm guessing he's probably busy trying to get/keep things running well, rather than taking time to post here when there's little he can say but 'sorry, we're working on it.'


That's just horse crap. They've had several days to work on a response to the hundreds (and perhaps thousands) of folks who have had their direct order from TiVo unexpectedly delayed. I respect Bob's contributions greatly here at TCF. But, as someone who deals in public relations, marketing and customer service for a living, I KNOW they have seriously dropped the ball in this regard. The shipping charge refund is a step in the right direction, but still won't ease the pain very much. This is a nightmare that will haunt TiVo for a long time. It will not be easily be forgotten.


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## jjarmoc (Sep 15, 2006)

Oops.. wrong thread somehow.


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## Dennis Wilkinson (Sep 24, 2001)

If I were guessing, I'd say he's probably manning the TiVo booth at CEDIA.


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## sommerfeld (Feb 26, 2006)

Bierboy said:


> IBut I am as dismayed as most of you by the deafening silence over the S3 shipping fiasco the last few days.


I don't have any insider information, but my guess is that you'll only be able to hear the complete story a few years from now. And only if you're the one buying the beer.


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## Stormspace (Apr 13, 2004)

If I had to guess, I'd say every tivo employee is currently in the warehouse helping with distribution to get over the hump until demand settles down.


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## tunnelengineer (Jul 21, 2006)

I think he's right. I tried to call and never got anyone to pick up.


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## TiVotion (Dec 6, 2002)

(Imagination Mode):

TiVoShanan, while throwing another Series 3 box into the back of a tractor trailer truck:

"Is that cool or what!"

(/Imagination Mode)

Sorry. Just trying to add a little levity.


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## cap (Jan 27, 2001)

robbins said:


> They are probably on an island somewhere on Vacation with all of the money you used to overpay for the S3! $800, no way!


hahaha, where is is ChuckyBox by the way.
This is his kind of rant.


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## Canoehead (Sep 12, 2006)

In the big scheme of things, a delay of one or two days isn't that huge. In MY scheme, it's a major piss-off. I tend to work some very long days - if the S3 arrives Monday or Tuesday, it won't get set up until next weekend, losing another week's worth of hi-def network shows (don't know why but Bones is just awful even on Best on the SD Tivo - even more than other programs).


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

cap said:


> hahaha, where is is ChuckyBox by the way.
> This is his kind of rant.


He's probably hanging out with the TiVo fat cats in a hot tub no where near any product distribution warehouse.


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## MurrayJimW (Apr 21, 2004)

Stormspace said:


> If I had to guess, I'd say every tivo employee is currently in the warehouse helping with distribution to get over the hump until demand settles down.


Wouldn't they have to all fly to Texas for that.....I seem to remember that these boxes are being shipped from TX but I may be misinformed.


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## Bighouse (Sep 3, 2004)

One of the sad turn of events with the advent of the internet and faster communications is that we all expect life to be streamed to us immediately when we want it. Sadly, physically manufactured products can't be streamed until we figure out how the teleporter worked on Star Trek.

I'm disappointed that there's an apparent (only one or two day!!!) delay for shipping our orders, but I can live with it and it won't make my enjoyment of the box any less once it arrives at my door next week.

Maybe Jerry or Tony or whoever is busy in the shipping warehouse cramming TTG and MRV and enabling the eSATA ports before they ship!


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## TiVoPony (May 12, 2002)

Dennis Wilkinson said:


> If I were guessing, I'd say he's probably manning the TiVo booth at CEDIA.


You sir, are correct.

I'm pulling long hours working here at CEDIA, I haven't been available to post. I'm just reading some of the threads here this morning...sorry if some of you are having shipping issues (I honestly don't know the background on any of this).

I'm about to head back over to the show, and won't be online again until late tonight.

By the way, the show is going *great*. The people here (retailers, installers, etc) love the new box.

Pony


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

TiVoPony said:


> You sir, are correct.
> 
> I'm pulling long hours working here at CEDIA, I haven't been available to post. I'm just reading some of the threads here this morning...sorry if some of you are having shipping issues (I honestly don't know the background on any of this).
> 
> ...


Thanks, Bob, but why can't you get something definitive from one of your colleagues and have _*THEM*_ post it here? I really feel this issue deserves more than just cursory attention.


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## zordude (Sep 23, 2003)

Bighouse said:


> One of the sad turn of events with the advent of the internet and faster communications is that we all expect life to be streamed to us immediately when we want it. Sadly, physically manufactured products can't be streamed until we figure out how the teleporter worked on Star Trek.
> 
> I'm disappointed that there's an apparent (only one or two day!!!) delay for shipping our orders, but I can live with it and it won't make my enjoyment of the box any less once it arrives at my door next week.
> 
> Maybe Jerry or Tony or whoever is busy in the shipping warehouse cramming TTG and MRV and enabling the eSATA ports before they ship!


The 2 (3-5)day delay isn't what is making most people angry. It's the fact that they ordered from "the source" and people ordering from Best Buy, Circuit City, Fry's are getting the product much faster.

Z


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

zordude said:


> The 2 (3-5)day delay isn't what is making most people angry. It's the fact that they ordered from "the source" and people ordering from Best Buy, Circuit City, Fry's are getting the product much faster.
> 
> Z


...AND there's been inconsistent, erroneous and insufficient communication to the most loyal TiVo customers.


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## beerkensp (Dec 29, 2003)

Tivo is good at making hardware and Best Buy, CC, etc is good at selling boxes. It is to be expected that Best Buy can handle these big launches better than Tivo.com can as Best Buy are doing this stuff all the time.

I rather give my money to Tivo than to some big retailler even if that means gettign the box a few days later.

Compared to other big launches like the XBOX 360 this one seems to be going very well. It took months before you could buy an xbox at realtail prices.

Still it would be nice to get mine on Monday.


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## Sixto (Sep 16, 2005)

As I just posted on another thread ...

I ordered Tuesday morning and have the cable company coming Sunday. Called Wednesday when all the controversy started, was told by tivo.com "definitely shipping Thursday", called yesterday to confirm because Circuit City would guarantee Friday delivery, was told by tivo.com "absolutely it was shipping overnight", called back last night after the e-mail, was told "it shipped", called this morning and was told "sorry there's now been a delay!".

Now have the box in my possession from bestbuy.com ... they just got two in locally this morning and now I'm all set for this weekend ...

But sure not VIP treatment from TiVo ... but I'm still a fan ... and very happy now.


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## jfh3 (Apr 15, 2004)

TiVoPony said:


> You sir, are correct.
> 
> I'm pulling long hours working here at CEDIA, I haven't been available to post. I'm just reading some of the threads here this morning...sorry if some of you are having shipping issues (I honestly don't know the background on any of this).
> 
> ...


Glad everyone likes the box. Too bad that the only Series 3 in Colorado is apparently in Denver at a trade show ...


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## davezatz (Apr 18, 2002)

Bierboy said:


> But I am as dismayed as most of you by the deafening silence over the S3 shipping fiasco the last few days.


CEIDA?
http://www.cedia.net/expo/

Nevermind, Pony responded - I missed it. I need to read slower and skim less.


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

From Pony in another thread -- response.


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## TiVoStephen (Jun 27, 2000)

Jerry, Pony and I are defiitely here and still reading the forums. I'm no longer in service operations, but I know first-hand that all available employees are working as hard as possible to rectify the situation. The fulfillment/sales operations teams have pulled all-nighters both Wednesday night and Thursday night. I'll see if I can get a more specific status update, but in the meantime we appreciate your patience and are working as hard as possible to get the situation straightened out.


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## Stu_Bee (Jan 15, 2002)

Can you clarify the Lifetime Service Transfer situation?
Looks like it's russian roulette with calling the operators....Did the policy change?

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=316557


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## aztivo (Feb 23, 2005)

TiVoStephen said:


> Jerry, Pony and I are defiitely here and still reading the forums. I'm no longer in service operations, but I know first-hand that all available employees are working as hard as possible to rectify the situation. The fulfillment/sales operations teams have pulled all-nighters both Wednesday night and Thursday night. I'll see if I can get a more specific status update, but in the meantime we appreciate your patience and are working as hard as possible to get the situation straightened out.


How have they been pulling all nighters and none have shipped? are you guys building them by hand in CA now?


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## Sixto (Sep 16, 2005)

It appears that as of right now (1:43pm ET) that not one person in the United States of America has received one Series3 from TiVo .... that's the real problem. 

Unfortunate but true ...


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## mserabian (Sep 24, 2003)

So what I'm hearing you guys say - TiVoSteven and TiVoPony - is that even though last nights email promised that our TiVos would ship today for arrival on Monday there really is no guarantee that they will ship today. Nice.


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## TiVoStephen (Jun 27, 2000)

That's not what I said at all. I'm working on getting the data for you, but I know that units have shipped today and yesterday, and we do expect all units to ship today as promised.


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## etsolow (Feb 8, 2001)

Is there somewhere we can call to find out if ours was one of the ones that shipped today or yesterday? I was calling (800)292-9104 but now they redirect S3 inquiries to (877)367-8486, which is a voicemail maze.


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## bpurcell (Mar 16, 2005)

aztivo said:


> How have they been pulling all nighters and none have shipped? are you guys building them by hand in CA now?


Actually they're built in Mexico.


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## aztivo (Feb 23, 2005)

bpurcell said:


> Actually they're built in Mexico.


I know what i was trying to get at is how could they be working all night and not get the units shipped? agaig I ordered mine at 5:18am PST on Tuesday and no one here has said they got anything saying theirs have shipped. So what were they doing?? All night


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## joey398 (Dec 6, 2002)

I wonder how many people will really come on the boards when they get their unit. Personally as soon as my arrives...I will be playing with it...forever!


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## jjarmoc (Sep 15, 2006)

joey398 said:


> I wonder how many people will really come on the boards when they get their unit. Personally as soon as my arrives...I will be playing with it...forever!


Some of us work... if I were home, rest assured I would not be on the boards. But really, it's not like there's a ton to 'play' with. Once it's setup, it does it's thing..


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

jjarmoc said:


> Some of us work... if I were home, rest assured I would not be on the boards. But really, it's not like there's a ton to 'play' with. Once it's setup, it does it's thing..


That's exactly right. I didn't spend NEARLY the time with it I thought I would once it was set up last night. It's very straightforward, and there's not a whole lot new that takes a lot of time to fiddle with. I was done within an hour or so. Most of my time was spent re-programming my Harmony remote!


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## miller890 (Feb 15, 2002)

TiVoStephen said:


> That's not what I said at all. I'm working on getting the data for you, but I know that units have shipped today and yesterday, and we do expect all units to ship today as promised.


Thank you for the promising words. Should we expect to see an email with a tracking number or an estimated delivery date prior to delivery? Reason I ask is because I need to arrange for someone to sign for the package and maybe reschedule my CC install.


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## bubba1972 (Mar 28, 2005)

Bierboy said:


> Most of my time was spent re-programming my Harmony remote!


Does Harmony have codes already for the S3 remote?


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## RCflier (Feb 17, 2004)

bubba1972 said:


> Does Harmony have codes already for the S3 remote?


I just finished configuring mine. I put in "Tivo Series 3" for the model, and it worked fine... presumably anyways, since I don't have my S3 yet... Just wanted the harmony to be ready to be updated for it ;-)


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

RCflier said:


> I just finished configuring mine. I put in "Tivo Series 3" for the model, and it worked fine... presumably anyways, since I don't have my S3 yet... Just wanted the harmony to be ready to be updated for it ;-)


That's what I did too (for the SST-659), and it worked. There's no model number yet in their database, so I wonder if the IR codes for the S2 peanut work for the S3?

I will say that, initially, it was VERY finicky with number punches. If I pressed 5, it would enter it twice. I had to adjust repeats, delays and the place where it asks how you punch in numbers (do you use two digits or three - picking three seemed to fix it).


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## Aiken (Feb 17, 2003)

TiVoStephen said:


> That's not what I said at all. I'm working on getting the data for you, but I know that units have shipped today and yesterday, and we do expect all units to ship today as promised.


I just spoke to a CSR manager who said there were definitely no units shipped yesterday. Are you certain? Do you have manifests in hand, or did you just ask someone else who might not have direct knowledge either?


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## drew2k (Jun 10, 2003)

Aiken said:


> I just spoke to a CSR manager who said there were definitely no units shipped yesterday. Are you certain? Do you have manifests in hand, or did you just ask someone else who might not have direct knowledge either?


I'm curious, did the CSR manager you speak to have manifest in hand, or did the CSR manager just ask someone else who might not have direct knowledge?


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## Dssturbo1 (Feb 23, 2005)

TiVotion said:


> (Imagination Mode):
> 
> TiVoShanan, while throwing another Series 3 box into the back of a tractor trailer truck:
> 
> ...


 no when they finally do help load em they will be saing cha ching cha ching. umm guess they already said that just not loaded any trucks yet, except the ones to cc, bb and frys.


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## Aiken (Feb 17, 2003)

drew2k said:


> I'm curious, did the CSR manager you speak to have manifest in hand, or did the CSR manager just ask someone else who might not have direct knowledge?


Beats me. In absence of any certain data and contrary assertions, I'm asking for clarification on the sources of such data.


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## HDTiVo (Nov 27, 2002)

I don't get it. With S3s being able to record 2 things at once, there should be plenty to go 'round.


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## cwpomeroy (Oct 3, 2001)

I realize everyone wants their new box, but cut them a little slack. I've been on the other side of one of these situations and they're probably killing themselves.

Tivo Staff - how about throwing out a secret backdoor trick to calm down the riot? You know you've got something up your sleeve... Now would be a good time to cash it in.

peace


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## Aiken (Feb 17, 2003)

TiVoStephen said:


> I'll see if I can get a more specific status update, but in the meantime we appreciate your patience and are working as hard as possible to get the situation straightened out.


So, uh... it's 8 hours later. Are you getting anywhere with that more specific status update?


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## dsm363 (Jun 26, 2002)

cwpomeroy said:


> I realize everyone wants their new box, but cut them a little slack. I've been on the other side of one of these situations and they're probably killing themselves.
> 
> Tivo Staff - how about throwing out a secret backdoor trick to calm down the riot? You know you've got something up your sleeve... Now would be a good time to cash it in.
> 
> peace


I agree. It would be nice for them to send out an e-mail or something to people who placed their order from TiVo.com saying "things have been delayed" or something like that.


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## Aiken (Feb 17, 2003)

Aiken said:


> TiVoStephen said:
> 
> 
> > I'll see if I can get a more specific status update, but in the meantime we appreciate your patience and are working as hard as possible to get the situation straightened out.
> ...


Bueller?

Bueller?


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## Turtleboy (Mar 24, 2001)

Is it really nice, or polite to call people out like this?

This isn't a Tivo owned board. The Tivo employees who post here do so out of a courtsey. They even come to events and consider some of us their friends. How many other companies have employees that do that?

There's no reason to be rude to them.

This isn't about being a 'fan boy' or some other crap. It's about treating people with respect.


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## rainwater (Sep 21, 2004)

I hope Pony is at home drinking a beer watching HD on his S3


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## cpucrash0 (Sep 15, 2002)

did pony get his S3 free? just wondering.


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## musicforme (Nov 19, 2003)

Turtleboy said:


> Is it really nice, or polite to call people out like this?
> 
> This isn't a Tivo owned board. The Tivo employees who post here do so out of a courtsey. They even come to events and consider some of us their friends. How many other companies have employees that do that?
> 
> ...


What period of time do you think is acceptable before people should feel like their being ignored? I'd like to read your answer.


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## Turtleboy (Mar 24, 2001)

musicforme said:


> What period of time do you think is acceptable before people should feel like their being ignored? I'd like to read your answer.


Well, I'm replying to you in a minute, so I'm not ignoring you. .

Remember, it isn't Pony's or Stephens or anyone's job to post to this forum. They don't have to do it.

I'm sure they are very very very busy, especially with the Series 3 just coming out. Would you rather them be working getting the S3 out and fixing whatever fires are popping up because if it, or would you rather them be answering the 500000'th person who asks "how come it's not $49.95 and it doesn't work with satellite you [expletive deleted]?"

Just treat them with a bit of respect, and have patience, and know that they are doing the best they can.

Ranting and raving may make some people feel better, but it doesn't accomplish much.


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## Aiken (Feb 17, 2003)

Turtleboy said:


> Is it really nice, or polite to call people out like this?


I can't speak for other posters, but speaking for myself, I'm looking for TiVoStephen's follow-up. He said he was going to go off and look for more information, and never came back. He may not have gotten more information, but if we're talking about being polite, it would have been polite to return and say he hadn't gotten any more information, rather than leave us hanging.

I don't think that's being unrealistic or demanding.


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## Aiken (Feb 17, 2003)

By the way, although I am indeed quite put out by all of this, I do think I should say that I have otherwise had very good experiences with the TiVo* people over the years.

TiVoPony and TiVoStephen (aka TiVoOpsMgr) have both done a lot of great things for those of us on this side of the company/consumer fence and are generally in quite good humor. The past few days, their communications have been disappointing, but it's really quite out of character. I'm actually hoping that this is more due to instructions from upper management and not because they themselves have an interest in keeping us in the dark. I'd really rather not be annoyed with them. I don't like being annoyed with people I usually like.

Either way, though, I'm still pretty frustrated by the lack of information, and I'm still going to press for more to come through. If Pony and Stephen are not at fault for not giving it to us, then I just have to hope they'll not take it too personally.


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

If those of you who feel we're being rude or unfair to Pony and Stephen will take the time read my original post, I expressed my appreciation for the postings the TiVo employees have made in TCF. They have always been of great assistance to the community. As Aiken says, this is out of character, and I, too, hope it's due to one of the TiVo fat cats at the top giving them express orders to not say anything at this point. I've been in PR & marketing for nearly 20 years now, and, trust me, this lack of communication with the customer (and NOT the shipping delays) is what will leave a sour taste in peoples' mouths for years.


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## HDTiVo (Nov 27, 2002)

For goodness sake: call TiVo; cancel the order; call ABT or whoever; buy without tax or shipping; get the unit; VIP Transfer; and be done with it.

Best advice I can give ya'll.


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## Aiken (Feb 17, 2003)

And still, no update from TiVo. No email, no tracking number, no information from CSRs, and no follow-up from Stephen or Pony.


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## etsolow (Feb 8, 2001)

It's funny: they pretty much have us over a barrel. The worst threat I've heard yet is to still buy their product, but to buy it from a different store! Guess they don't think they _need_ to worry about customer service. We'll see how that works out for 'em long term.


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

The longer this drags on, the worse it gets for TiVo. Even an official response saying "we'll have a comment on Monday" would be better than this deafening silence. Sad.


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## MurrayJimW (Apr 21, 2004)

It is Saturday Folks!!

I'm sure everyone available at Tivo, their shipping partners, and anyone else who has ANYTHING to do with the distribution of S3's is hard at work on your behalf. I am just as sure that despite all their planning and hard work the snafu that has occurred with getting these units out the doors in a timely manner has been more than a headache to these same folks.

I know it's frustrating. I would be extremely upset as well, but from the previous posts from employees and from the email that went out waiving all shipping costs we can see that they are at least trying. If the try is not good enough for you; refuse shipping and order from someone else or pick it up at a local store if you can find one close.

As ridiculous as it seems I actually feel sorry for these guys. They've been working, coding, and engineering for three years to bring this box to market and the simplest portion of that long road (the shipping) is killing them. It's sad to see your largest fan base turn on you like rabid dogs because you couldn't get their box to UPS in time...............


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## ljg (Jan 23, 2003)

Boy some of you Tivo lovers have sure been drinking the Kool aid, wake up


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

MurrayJimW said:


> It is Saturday Folks!!
> 
> I'm sure everyone available at Tivo, their shipping partners, and anyone else who has ANYTHING to do with the distribution of S3's is hard at work on your behalf. I am just as sure that despite all their planning and hard work the snafu that has occurred with getting these units out the doors in a timely manner has been more than a headache to these same folks.
> 
> ...





ljg said:


> Boy some of you Tivo lovers have sure been drinking the Kool aid, wake up


Boy, kool-aid is right.

How difficult is it to shoot an e-mail out to EVERY person who ordered from TiVo.com apologizing and giving every one of them the SAME information (plus a nice discount), whether it simply be a statement saying we'll have more info on Monday, or they'll all ship on Monday, or our warehouse was bombed the day we took all the orders, or whatever.

The issue quickly became not one of delayed shipping, but one of ignoring their best customers by refusing to quickly, regularly and accurately communicate with them.

Three :down: :down: :down:


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## George Cifranci (Jan 30, 2003)

Didn't Pony say he was at CEDIA this weekend?

http://www.cedia.net/


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

George Cifranci said:


> Didn't Pony say he was at CEDIA this weekend?
> 
> http://www.cedia.net/


So what? Is he the ONLY TiVo employee who can communicate to their customers?


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## Aiken (Feb 17, 2003)

MurrayJimW said:


> I'm sure everyone available at Tivo, their shipping partners, and anyone else who has ANYTHING to do with the distribution of S3's is hard at work on your behalf.


That doesn't do any good if they don't actually have any units to ship, which is my theory.


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## majortom (Apr 17, 2002)

Bierboy said:


> I as much of a TiVo supporter as most of you here, and I truly appreciate the help that Pony and the other TiVo employees have been over the years here in the TCF. But I am as dismayed as most of you by the deafening silence over the S3 shipping fiasco the last few days. We have not heard a peep from them, and the e-mail that folks are receiving is certainly not much consolation. I know they're under no obligation to post here, but we are, after all, spoiled, aren't we?
> 
> Is anybody listening? Can you hear me now?


I bet Pony and many others are at CEDIA doing booth duty.

/carmi


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## SoBayJake (Feb 6, 2002)

majortom said:


> I bet Pony and many others are at CEDIA doing booth duty.
> 
> /carmi


No one is questioning that. But there are PLENTY of other people at corporate/sales/etc that could send an email to everyone that ordered. The forum is not the only way to contact people that have placed an order.


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## boomvader (Feb 18, 2002)

cpucrash0 said:


> did pony get his S3 free? just wondering.


I would think that he has had one for at least 6 months. Internal employees were probably the beta testers for the beta testers.


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## MurrayJimW (Apr 21, 2004)

Bierboy said:


> Boy, kool-aid is right.


Wrong.....

It's the beer from the blue moon video..........


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## Canoehead (Sep 12, 2006)

HDTiVo said:


> For goodness sake: call TiVo; cancel the order; call ABT or whoever; buy without tax or shipping; get the unit; VIP Transfer; and be done with it.
> 
> Best advice I can give ya'll.


Your "best advice" sucks since Tivo WONT'T LET YOU CANCEL. I spoke to a guy on the phone and said that once they were "in the system" they could not be cancelled. Of course, they can't say when they'll ship either - that sort of customer service on a "Premium Component" goes beyond suckage to total incompetence. I didn't order 2 day shipping to get the box sometime in the next fortnight or so.


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## HDTiVo (Nov 27, 2002)

Canoehead said:


> Your "best advice" sucks since Tivo WONT'T LET YOU CANCEL.


So buy another one and send this freakin' one back 

Save money and get it today.


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## Aiken (Feb 17, 2003)

HDTiVo said:


> So buy another one and send this freakin' one back
> 
> Save money and get it today.


Maybe you haven't been paying attention? Us "VIPs" have been strung along by false promises and outright lies to the point that WE can no longer get the damned things at retail. I've called everywhere I can think of in the Seattle area. There aren't any.


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## HDTiVo (Nov 27, 2002)

Aiken said:


> Maybe you haven't been paying attention?


Its true. I've been off paying attention to the people getting them in stores and overnight on the Internet before that possibility runs out too.


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## Aiken (Feb 17, 2003)

HDTiVo said:


> Its true. I've been off paying attention to the people getting them in stores and overnight on the Internet before that possibility runs out too.


I guess that lack of attention would be why you also don't know that I've already said I cannot GET one in a store here, and overnight from some internet store is probably no more certain than TiVo at this point, and won't arrive until at least Tuesday.

Why don't you stop harassing people who are having a bad time and find something more wholesome to do?


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## HDTiVo (Nov 27, 2002)

You harassed me. 

Telling people how to fix the problem to do even better than they expected is pretty wholesome.

You are you're own worst enemy.


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## Aiken (Feb 17, 2003)

On the bright side, you keep bumping this thread, so more people will get to see what's (not) going on.


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## HDTiVo (Nov 27, 2002)

Aiken said:


> On the bright side, you keep bumping this thread, so more people will get to see what's (not) going on.


And what _not _ to do.

Bump.


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## TiVoPony (May 12, 2002)

George Cifranci said:


> Didn't Pony say he was at CEDIA this weekend?
> 
> http://www.cedia.net/


Yes, I've been at CEDIA since Wednesday.

I worked the show today, then got on a plane, and just walked in the door here at home.

Going through my email from today, I see that all orders which were placed by 9am Friday have been shipped.

There have been some operational issues this week, and the team has been working to fix them. As you're aware, our customer support folks didn't always have the latest info - that was a systems issue. It is my understanding that they still will not be able to confirm shipment of your order, it's just not appearing on their screen. But the orders through Friday 9am have shipped. Confirmation emails are also going out, with tracking information. Although it was expected that those emails would be able to go out yesterday, it was not possible. They're going out now.

We understand that those of you who paid for expedited shipping expected to receive your unit on Friday. We apologize that that didn't happen, and as stated earlier, your shipping charges have be refunded. Everyone who ordered with standard ground shipping should be receiving their systems within the original 4-6 business days you were quoted.

Although the team ran into some unexpected issues this week, most of these issues have been resolved, and they continue to work this weekend to get the latest information available to the support representatives.

There has been a wide range of reactions expressed this week on this topic. To those of you who are frustrated, I can only share with you that it appears as though good progress has been made, and you should receive your system soon. For those that chose to chalk it up to small things that happen in life, we appreciate your understanding. Neither side is right or wrong, but soon you'll be able to end that debate and focus on discussing your new, shiny Series3 recorders.

And now my family has just walked in the door, and I haven't seen them all week. I hope you understand if I turn off my laptop for a bit.

Cheers,
Pony


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## raober (Sep 10, 2006)

TiVoPony said:


> Yes, I've been at CEDIA since Wednesday.
> 
> I worked the show today, then got on a plane, and just walked in the door here at home.
> 
> ...


Bravo! And thank you. Yes, some of us got a little too irked (me among them). I'm relieved that the problems have been resolved. Some issues still remain, but I'm sure I'll be quite forgiving long about Tuesday. 

EDIT: Nah, no issues remain. I'm happy now.


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## shady (May 31, 2002)

Thanks for the update Pony.

Looking forward to playing with this new toy


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## Gregor (Feb 18, 2002)

Thanks for the update, I am really looking forward to being able to test drive this puppy on Monday


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## HDTiVo (Nov 27, 2002)

Thanks Pony for ruining another really good thread. 

You and TiVo have caused several promising others to pop up though.


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## George Cifranci (Jan 30, 2003)

Bierboy said:


> So what? Is he the ONLY TiVo employee who can communicate to their customers?


The subject of this thread that YOU created is called "Where's Pony? (deafening silence)". I simply answered your question.

In any case, Pony has now answered.


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

George Cifranci said:


> The subject of this thread that YOU created is called "Where's Pony? (deafening silence)". I simply answered your question.
> 
> In any case, Pony has now answered.


 Yes, you correctly stated the subject of the thread. However, you must not have closely read the entire text of my first post. Here's a portion of it...


Bierboy said:


> ... I truly appreciate the help that Pony *and the other TiVo employees* have been over the years here in the TCF. But I am as dismayed as most of you by the deafening silence over the S3 shipping fiasco the last few days. We have not heard a peep from *them*...


I clearly mentioned there are other TiVo employees who could very easily have either posted here or sent e-mails to ALL people who had ordered from TiVo.com. That did not happen. It took several days for anyone to respond. That is NOT good customer service. Yes, he has finally responded. I'm still curious as to what "operational issues" they had that prevented them from promptly communicating with their most loyal customers.


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## Canoehead (Sep 12, 2006)

Frankly, until I have the box in my hands, I don't consider this problem solved at all. More spin and bafflegab doesn't mean a hell of a lot at this point. If Tivo can't properly inform their CSRs, well that's just another strike against them.


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## montivette (Sep 7, 2006)

Maybe Pony or other TiVo staff can comment as to the correct method for us to send the boxes back to TiVo. TiVo staff has said to refuse delivery which according to their own policy will mean a restocking fee will be charged. Is this the correct thing for us to do Pony and does TiVo plan to charge a restocking fee when they are the ones telling everyone to refuse delivery?


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## bluetex (Apr 24, 2005)

Bierboy said:


> Yes, you correctly stated the subject of the thread. However, you must not have closely read the entire text of my first post. Here's a portion of it...
> I clearly mentioned there are other TiVo employees who could very easily have either posted here or sent e-mails to ALL people who had ordered from TiVo.com. That did not happen. It took several days for anyone to respond. That is NOT good customer service. Yes, he has finally responded. I'm still curious as to what "operational issues" they had that prevented them from promptly communicating with their most loyal customers.


Bierboy has a point. TiVo knows we're here. This forum is, however, not an official TiVo property. While the TiVo employees do frequent the site, this is not one of their Marketing Communications tools.

HOWEVER, they do have several mar-comm tools, and TiVo used them quite poorly this time. Lessons learned are sometimes learned in the most painful ways.

I'm included in the mob who are waiting for the shipments from the VIP online ordering. I too am frustrated. I ordered thinking I'd have a new TiVo this weekend to set up before I leave town for 2 weeks. It didn't quite happen that way.

I'm still VERY thankful that Pony, Steve, Shanan, and the others who come here and tell us stuff. Pony's answer post was spot on. It tells us exactly what we needed to hear.

Thanks TiVoPony! I'm droolin' while I wait for the UPS man to show up.

Jeff


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## Canoehead (Sep 12, 2006)

bluetex said:


> I'm still VERY thankful that Pony, Steve, Shanan, and the others who come here and tell us stuff. Pony's answer post was spot on. * It tells us exactly what we needed to hear.
> *
> 
> Jeff


Or perhaps what we *wanted *to hear? Not believing anything until I get the box in my hands - don't even have a shipping email yet.

Does that mean I think Pony's lying - no, not really, but I am not ready to believe that he's able to access accurate information either. Clearly Tivo has completely muffed this launch - and now they are finally shipping the units and sending emails at random rather than the order in which they were recieved. There have simply been too many shifting stories to take anything at face value - and frankly having Tivo employees posting here is not exactly the kind of mass-communication required at this point. The official Tivo website is still devoid of any useful information, and there's no way for customers to check status online.


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## russkle (Sep 25, 2003)

Pony,

You say all shipments for orders before 9am on 9/15 have shipped. Can you confirm the following:

1.) Are you saying ALL orders or just the VIP orders. From the VIP website I only thought those doing LT transfers could order from there. I already have 2 TiVo's, yet I ordered through the normal TiVo store hours. Am I out of luck until the next batch?

2.) Have all of the notifications been sent? I still haven't received mine and I'm starting to get nervous.

Thanks!


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## bluetex (Apr 24, 2005)

Canoehead said:


> Or perhaps what we *wanted *to hear? Not believing anything until I get the box in my hands - don't even have a shipping email yet.
> 
> Does that mean I think Pony's lying - no, not really, but I am not ready to believe that he's able to access accurate information either. Clearly Tivo has completely muffed this launch - and now they are finally shipping the units and sending emails at random rather than the order in which they were recieved. There have simply been too many shifting stories to take anything at face value - and frankly having Tivo employees posting here is not exactly the kind of mass-communication required at this point. The official Tivo website is still devoid of any useful information, and there's no way for customers to check status online.


I for one have no reason to think that Pony would "stretch" the truth to tell us what we wanna hear. I've seen him in action on this site and have dealt directly with Stephen and other TiVo regulars here. They have my trust so far. For the CSRs, a bit less of that trust has been preserved.

I do agree with your point - one of TiVo's Lessons learned here is give the customer USEFUL and ACCURATE info. If you have to delay (and even if you don't) -- let them have a way to check that info (an online method, phone number with good info, etc).

The S3 launch has been less than ideal for all of us. I'm sure it's been no cakewalk at their offices this week either.


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## HDTiVo (Nov 27, 2002)

Canoehead said:


> Frankly, until I have the box in my hands, I don't consider this problem solved at all.


Why be so optimistic? There's plenty opportunity for further problems once its in your hands.


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## Canoehead (Sep 12, 2006)

HDTiVo said:


> Why be so optimistic? There's plenty opportunity for further problems once its in your hands.


Please note that I did say _*this * _ problem. The CC install and setup will be a whole 'nother set of problems



> I for one have no reason to think that Pony would "stretch" the truth to tell us what we wanna hear. I've seen him in action on this site and have dealt directly with Stephen and other TiVo regulars here. They have my trust so far. For the CSRs, a bit less of that trust has been preserved.


Sure, but he isn't in the warehouse watching them go out, or fail to go out, (he's at home following CEDIA, as he noted) - so he's relying on something that someone else told him - and that someone may have their head up their ass or be lying to him.


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## curiousgeorge (Nov 28, 2002)

I ordered just after I got the VIP email on Tuesday, and my CC has been authorized for the purchase price, but not charged. I haven't received any shipment confirmation yet, either. I want to believe that my S3 will be here Monday, but I'm still very skeptical. At one point last week one of the CSRs said my order had been cancelled, even though it wasn't. I'm hoping that didn't spontaneously happen again.


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## baked (Aug 11, 2002)

curiousgeorge said:


> I ordered just after I got the VIP email on Tuesday, and my CC has been authorized for the purchase price, but not charged. I haven't received any shipment confirmation yet, either. I want to believe that my S3 will be here Monday, but I'm still very skeptical. At one point last week one of the CSRs said my order had been cancelled, even though it wasn't. I'm hoping that didn't spontaneously happen again.


I'm in the same boat CG - ordered Tuesday, CC authorized (I called TiVo CSR to confirm), but not charged, no 'delay' email, no shipment confirmation, fingers crossed.


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## Hellrot (Sep 17, 2006)

TiVoPony said:


> ...I see that all orders which were placed by 9am Friday have been shipped...


Your CSRs and the emails being sent to customers do not agree with that.

My order was placed on Tueday @ approximately 11:30am pacific time. Not having received an email, I called Thursday afternoon and the CSR said my order had shipped. That night I got the "dear John" email stating it had NOT shipped. So I called again on Friday and was told it had "almost certainly" shipped and an email should show up Real Soon Now. It's now Saturday and still no email so I call again. It "definitely should have" shipped, should have gotten the email by now, and unit should arrive Monday... or Tuesday... but no tracking number available, sorry. Saturday night, guess what email I get? Shipping conformation? HA! I get a "Thanks for the order, we'll let you know once it has shipped" email! So I call again today (Sunday), why ruin the streak, and get told... "all I can tell is that your order is confirmed. I have no way to tell if it has shipped or not. You should call back tomorrrow if you don't receive the unit or at least a shipping email."

At this point "disappointed" doesn't begin to describe how I feel about how Tivo has handled this situation. I have purchased from your online store before without any issue at all. This time however, information is generally unavailable at all. When it is offered, it has thus far been contradicited by your own people within hours. From what I have been told, your CSRs have absolutely zero communications with your shipping department.

What really aggravates this is the necessaity to schedule an appointment with one's cable company to get the cablecards installed (don't get me started on THAT high profit margin scam). Silly me, when I was told my unit shipped, I made an appointment. Then when I found out I had been tolld incorrectly, I had to reschedule it. Lather, rinse, repeat for each "it shipped" / "no it didn't" pair.

Anyone representing Tivo is free to contact me if they feel they can somehow come up with a believeable explanation for all this. BTW, "we've been really busy with all these orders" is NOT going to cut it.


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## TostitoBandito (Sep 18, 2006)

Ordered Tuesday morning, have not received any email stating that mine has shipped nor has my credit card been charged.

This is getting pretty ridiculous. The ONLY reason to order it from Tivo was so we could use the supposedly-exclusive $199 lifetime transfer option. However, since anyone can apparently do that, even if purchased from a retail outlet, it was a giant waste of time and money for anyone who ordered from them. I could've saved $100 AND had my unit late last week if I had purchased it elsewhere. They should really give free $199 transfers to all the people who ordered from the VIP site on Tuesday, at least. That's why we ordered them from Tivo and we got screwed, lied to, and screwed some more. Who knows when we will actually get our orders, or if we will. This is 2006 and there is NO order status page of any kind on the Tivo site where I can check the status of my order. I have to wait for your stupid email that probably won't come until a week after the Tivo is delivered, to the wrong address. Rant over.


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## NJChris (May 11, 2001)

How did you save $100? I ordered from CC using the 10% coupon. That's $80. But I used overnight ($25) plus taxes (around $50) made it close to the 799 price. Tivo is giving you all free shipping, so the difference would be about $3-$4. Does Tivo charge tax?

Timing is another story, and I'd be frustrated (although not as apocolyptic as some have made it seem  ).


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## TostitoBandito (Sep 18, 2006)

NJChris said:


> How did you save $100? I ordered from CC using the 10% coupon. That's $80. But I used overnight ($25) plus taxes (around $50) made it close to the 799 price. Tivo is giving you all free shipping, so the difference would be about $3-$4. Does Tivo charge tax?
> 
> Timing is another story, and I'd be frustrated (although not as apocolyptic as some have made it seem  ).


Some states don't have sales tax 

My primary complaint though is the total lack of meaningful communication and the fact that I have no way of knowing if my order has even shipped.


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## ThreeSoFar (May 24, 2002)

Thanks for the response, Pony. Can't say it gives me warm fuzzies though.

No confirmation email yet, and since they "are going out now", as of over 20 hours ago, I'm a bit worried that I haven't gotten one (an e-mail) and that I won't get one soon (a S3 TiVo).


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## rwaldin (Aug 23, 2001)

Wow, this is getting frustrating. Ordered my S3 + 3 years service + 1 day shipping on Tuesday at 8:12 PDT, got an order confirmation email immediately. Got an email a couple days later apologizing for the delay and promising to ship by Friday and to deduct my shipping costs. Then yesterday, Saturday, I get another order confirmation email for the same order (same order number even) still with a charge for shipping, but a slightly higher total price. $4.50 higher to be exact. Still no ship email. What gives?


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## comicsacrifice (Sep 14, 2006)

TiVoPony said:


> You sir, are correct.
> 
> I'm pulling long hours working here at CEDIA, I haven't been available to post. I'm just reading some of the threads here this morning...sorry if some of you are having shipping issues (I honestly don't know the background on any of this).
> 
> ...


has anyone from tivo addressed the switched digital scare?


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## jfh3 (Apr 15, 2004)

comicsacrifice said:


> has anyone from tivo addressed the switched digital scare?


There is no "scare". Unless you are in one of the three (I think) test markets for TimeWarner, SDV won't impact you for YEARS


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## Aiken (Feb 17, 2003)

jfh3 said:


> There is no "scare". Unless you are in one of the three (I think) test markets for TimeWarner, SDV won't impact you for YEARS


That seems like ridiculously wishful thinking. As soon as one MSO has success converting the majority of their channels over to SDV, the others will probably follow rapidly. There's just too much appeal: slightly more bandwidth, obsolescence of cablecards, forced use of MSO STB, complete control, direct viewership data that can be sold to networks, etc.


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## jfh3 (Apr 15, 2004)

Aiken said:


> That seems like ridiculously wishful thinking. As soon as one MSO has success converting the majority of their channels over to SDV, the others will probably follow rapidly. There's just too much appeal: slightly more bandwidth, obsolescence of cablecards, forced use of MSO STB, complete control, direct viewership data that can be sold to networks, etc.


Maybe. Or perhaps one subscriber will fill a lawsuit or complaint with the FCC.


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## Aiken (Feb 17, 2003)

jfh3 said:


> Maybe. Or perhaps one subscriber will fill a lawsuit or complaint with the FCC.


Oh, don't get me wrong, I certainly hope that's what will happen and that there will be success with it. However, lawsuits can take a lonnnnnng time, and the FCC is notorious for having no spine and/or also taking a long time to do something about a problem.


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## Aiken (Feb 17, 2003)

By the way, Sunday and thus the weekend are officially over, with no shipping confirmation or tracking information for my Tuesday 12:32pm PDT order.

Neat, huh?


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## ThreeSoFar (May 24, 2002)

Aiken said:


> By the way, Sunday and thus the weekend are officially over, with no shipping confirmation or tracking information for my Tuesday 12:32pm PDT order.
> 
> Neat, huh?


Same here!


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## nightstrm (Sep 12, 2006)

Same here... I was pretty laid back about the whole shipping thing, but I'd seriously like to know if I should keep my cablecard appointment or not on Wednesday. Besides sending me another order invoice with incorrect information, I've heard next to nothing since my initial order Tuesday morning.


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## Adam1115 (Dec 15, 2003)

Aiken said:


> That seems like ridiculously wishful thinking. As soon as one MSO has success converting the majority of their channels over to SDV, the others will probably follow rapidly. There's just too much appeal: slightly more bandwidth, obsolescence of cablecards, forced use of MSO STB, complete control, direct viewership data that can be sold to networks, etc.


Are you kidding? These cable companies are still supporting ANALOG CABLE because they don't want to lose the subs that refuse a STB, do you honestly think they're going to alienate all cable card subs? Would be a bad business move to tell your subs that you're taking away channels just so you have to buy their box..


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## RoanokeHokie (Nov 16, 2000)

The only thing I'm glad for in this entire mess is that I didn't schedule my CableCARD installation right after I placed my order. But, then, that was because I ordered at 10:15AM PST on Tuesday and figured that TiVo might have sold out. Now that I've seen people with order times after mine who have received tracking numbers... frustrating only begins to describe it.

As I've said before... until this evening, I'm willing to give TiVo the benefit of the doubt. They sent an e-mail on Thursday promising a Friday ship. TiVoPony confirmed as much. I selected overnight shipping, therefore I expect to receive my unit today. Obviously others have started to receive their units from TiVo; I guess by 7pm this evening I'll know if TiVo (and TiVoPony) have been truthful.

How do you continue to trust a company that makes software that could be monitoring our viewing habits? Their privacy policy is only as good as their word, and right now I'm seeing this shipping issue as a measure of their word...


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## Canoehead (Sep 12, 2006)

Sunday, 12:08 am

Elipses added:


TiVoPony said:


> . . .
> 
> Going through my email from today, I see that all orders which were placed by 9am Friday have been shipped.
> 
> ...


Well, we now know that the first statement is completely false - and now we have "due to backorder" issues.

And the CSRs have no useful information this morning. Of course, perhaps that IS the latest info.

And, no, I don't think Pony was lying - but I do think he was lied to by head office, which was really pretty obvious even at the time.

Kudos Tivo.


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

Canoehead said:


> ....no, I don't think Pony was lying - but I do think he was lied to by head office, which was really pretty obvious even at the time....


That has been my contention all along. He's been delivering the "company line" and either doesn't know the "real" issues or, if he does, he's been ordered not to share them here.

I don't blame him; I blame the TiVo fat cats who have been busy smoking their expensive Cuban cigars in their hot tubs populated by buxom women, eating caviar, sipping champagne and counting their money.


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## Aiken (Feb 17, 2003)

I doubt Pony is in the dark. He may not be speaking here because he doesn't want to lie, or because he's been told to stay quiet. Hard to say. All I know is he doesn't seem to be posting, unless I missed something.


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## russkle (Sep 25, 2003)

Since he was gone all last week, I wouldn't' be surprised if he was re-introducing himself to his family (and understandably so). 

Isn't it nice that so many people know so much about you!


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## comicsacrifice (Sep 14, 2006)

TiVoPony said:


> Neither side is right or wrong, but soon you'll be able to end that debate and focus on discussing your new, shiny Series3 recorders.


And focus on the SDV cablecard and cable company (TWC) cooperation debate.


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