# Once in a lifetime PLS transfer coming back?



## sfhub (Jan 6, 2007)

TiVo | Exclusive Offer | Product Lifetime Service Transfer Sale

This is posted at the top of TiVoCommunity

Breaking News - Word is the sale is coming back... "Our "once in a lifetime" PLS promotion was such a hit, that we've decided to launch it again! It will be announced today that the PLS Transfer Sale will be available again for the last 3 days of the month. This will include the BOLT+ 3TB, and 4 refurb units (BOLT 500GB, BOLT 1T, Roamio Pro and the TiVo Mini)."

TiVo Summer Meltdown for comparison (Roamio Pro $450 outright vs $400 using PLS transfer)
TiVo DVR Summer Meltdown Sale 2017 - Buy Now and Save.


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## sfhub (Jan 6, 2007)

Don't understand why I would want to transfer PLS onto a TiVo Mini.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

Thanks for posting this. I'd noted the notice but X'd it away before taking a screenshot, and I hadn't been able to find any other mention of this "breaking news" on the forum. (Duh; just use a different browser session.)






​
Nice that they may be expanding the offer to the whole line, though, yeah, here's hoping they don't actually allow transfers to a Mini.  Correction: Ah, looks like the Roamio OTA isn't included, which makes sense, since, like with the Mini, service is already included in the price.


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## PatEllis15 (Mar 3, 2010)

Woah! Perfect timing!

I'm considering the bolt... I have a Series II and a Premiere. Is this PLS sale mean the $99.00 one time transfer fee? Is this rumor, or more than that?


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## brentsg (Sep 19, 2004)

Well I doubt I'd do anything at this point but I'm connecting to TiVo with my old Series 3 w/lifetime just in case. It hasn't connected in 2 years b/c of my Roamio OTA replacement.

I should have connected when I found out I missed the last transfer, but who would have thought another one so soon?


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## series5orpremier (Jul 6, 2013)

If they would expand the transfer from units to include two-tuner Premieres I would bite.


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## hummingbird_206 (Aug 23, 2007)

I have 2 series 3 with lifetime. But I haven't had them connected for a couple of years. Wonder if I'll be eligible this time since I wasn't for the last offer?


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

series5orpremier said:


> If they would expand the transfer from units to include two-tuner Premieres I would bite.


Good idea, and I'd suggest you PM, DM or Tweet that in the direction of @Ira Bahr (or @IraBahr on Twitter), highlighting that getting users to upgrade 2-tuner Premieres (i.e. anything less than a 4-tuner model) would drive demand for Minis.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

brentsg said:


> but I'm connecting to TiVo with my old Series 3 w/lifetime just in case





hummingbird_206 said:


> I have 2 series 3 with lifetime. But I haven't had them connected for a couple of years. Wonder if I'll be eligible this time since I wasn't for the last offer?


Hope you connected in time... (presuming this isn't rumor)


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

hummingbird_206 said:


> I have 2 series 3 with lifetime. But I haven't had them connected for a couple of years. Wonder if I'll be eligible this time since I wasn't for the last offer?


Connect right now, and I mean now, before any promotion begins! If I recall correctly, the last promotion, from March/April, required one's boxes to have connected up before the promotion began, by no later than the day before the promotion began (and going a year back). *Now.*


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

What he said.

p.s. That may also be why they leaked the sale a bit early, to spur people to get their boxes connected if interested in the sale.


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## hummingbird_206 (Aug 23, 2007)

OK! I ran and got both out of the closet, got them powered up, and they phoned home!! Hopefully it will work. I have a Premiere that I still use that I'd like to replace, too.


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## hummingbird_206 (Aug 23, 2007)

So of the TiVos listed in the Breaking News (BOLT+ 3TB, and 4 refurb units (BOLT 500GB, BOLT 1T, Roamio Pro) are the BOLT 500GB and BOLT 1T able to do OTA and the BOLT+ and Roamio Pro not able to do OTA?


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

hummingbird_206 said:


> ... the BOLT 500GB and BOLT 1T able to do OTA and the BOLT+ and Roamio Pro not able to do OTA?


Correct... noting that the 4-tuner BOLT 500GB/1TB models can do either OTA *or* CableCARD. The BOLT+ and Roamio Pro are limited to CableCARD-only, though 6 tuners!


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

hummingbird_206 said:


> So of the TiVos listed in the Breaking News (BOLT+ 3TB, and 4 refurb units (BOLT 500GB, BOLT 1T, Roamio Pro) are the BOLT 500GB and BOLT 1T able to do OTA and the BOLT+ and Roamio Pro not able to do OTA?


Correct.


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## DawnW (Nov 28, 2008)

Do the Bolts connect to the Tivo minis the same way? MoCa bridge connection?


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## brentsg (Sep 19, 2004)

krkaufman said:


> Hope you connected in time... (presuming this isn't rumor)


Honestly, TiVo is such a train wreck anymore that I'm not sure it matters.

Just playing with the Series 3 again.. what a great box that was. It feels like my Oppo 203 and the Roamio feels like a plastic lunchbox in comparison.


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## UCLABB (May 29, 2012)

series5orpremier said:


> If they would expand the transfer from units to include two-tuner Premieres I would bite.


I'd love to transfer the pls from my xl4 to a new Bolt+, but I doubt they'll go that far.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

DawnW said:


> Do the Bolts connect to the Tivo minis the same way? MoCa bridge connection?


Or Ethernet. (And some people have had success using Powerline adapter or wireless bridge connections (have a good wireless network for the latter), although TiVo does not endorse/"support" them.)


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## tivotvaddict (Aug 11, 2005)

Ack! I have a Humax Series 2 Tivo. Never was connected to current TV/Cable/CableCard setup. Is it even possible? 

Current connection has coax cable to cable box, different coax cable between cable box and tivo Roamio and then tivo HD to TV. 
Series 2 somehow used a wife connection (had some sort of adaptor thingie on top of set that connected through wifi). 

i have in my possession an Tivo Roamio my sister used for a month and then ditched, subscription status unknown. If it doesn't have lifetime can I transfer to that or is it only for new purchases?

tta


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## pfiagra (Oct 13, 2014)

sfhub said:


> This is posted at the top of TiVoCommunity
> 
> Breaking News - Word is the sale is coming back... "Our "once in a lifetime" PLS promotion was such a hit, that we've decided to launch it again! It will be announced today that the PLS Transfer Sale will be available again for the last 3 days of the month. This will include the BOLT+ 3TB, and 4 refurb units (BOLT 500GB, BOLT 1T, Roamio Pro and the TiVo Mini)."


This promotion may be legit, but it seems like someone just mashed the two recent promotions together. Nowhere here does it mention PLS transfer from only a series 3 or earlier and the PLS transfer sale in April was for a new Bolt or Bolt+. Just seems odd.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

DawnW said:


> Do the Bolts connect to the Tivo minis the same way? MoCa bridge connection?


The same way as what?

The BOLT/BOLT+, 6-tuner Roamios and 4-tuner Premieres all include built-in MoCA hardware, capable of connecting as MoCA clients or acting as MoCA/Ethernet bridges and establishing a MoCA network. 4-tuner Roamios, 2-tuner Premieres and all earlier DVRs have no MoCA functionality.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

tivotvaddict said:


> Ack! I have a Humax Series 2 Tivo. Never was connected to current TV/Cable/CableCard setup. Is it even possible?
> 
> Current connection has coax cable to cable box, different coax cable between cable box and tivo Roamio and then tivo HD to TV.
> Series 2 somehow used a wife connection (had some sort of adaptor thingie on top of set that connected through wifi).
> ...


It sounds like you were connected previously, right? I'd try connecting it again _right now_, yet today, before a possible sale starts tomorrow, for the reason stated above (i.e., a possible sale requirement that your box have connected up before the sale began--this was required with the last lifetime transfer sale, in March/April). And yes, if you connected previously, it should be possible now, _assuming that you have a current (e.g. lifetime) subscription_.

Note that for purposes of simply making a connection, you can have your TiVo do this on a stand-alone, OTA basis. You really don't care about the reception--you just want to have a record, at TiVo Central, that you had connected up, for purposes of the sale.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

pfiagra said:


> This promotion may be legit, but it seems like someone just mashed the two recent promotions together. Nowhere here does it mention PLS transfer from only a series 3 or earlier and the PLS transfer sale in April was for a new Bolt or Bolt+. Just seems odd.


I'm assuming it must be legit, since the notification method used would seemingly require admin rights.


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## tivotvaddict (Aug 11, 2005)

The Series 2 was never connected to this cable box or tv - it had only been connected to an older CRT type tv. I'd have to disconnect current and try to connect with digital cable card, hdmi, etc. 

Going to try to figure out.


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## DancnDude (Feb 7, 2001)

I meant to hook up my old S3 after the last promo, but I just plugged it in and connected it now. I still love the screen on the front. Ready. Set. TiVo! 

Anyways, hope I can still get in on the promo, but will understand if not. I liked having this as a backup but will be happy to retire my 2-tuner Premiere or 4-tuner Premiere to get a new one if I can get in on this deal.


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## brentsg (Sep 19, 2004)

tivotvaddict said:


> The Series 2 was never connected to this cable box or tv - it had only been connected to an older CRT type tv. I'd have to disconnect current and try to connect with digital cable card, hdmi, etc.
> 
> Going to try to figure out.


I can't even remember what Series 2 had for network connectivity. Was it still telephone?

You can't care about any TV signal. I simply connected my S3 to my network and had it phone home.. done.

Edit: By TV signal, I mean you don't need it to receive any programming. Just need it to contact the mothership.


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## DancnDude (Feb 7, 2001)

brentsg said:


> I can't even remember what Series 2 had for network connectivity. Was it still telephone?
> 
> You can't care about any TV signal. I simply connected my S3 to my network and had it phone home.. done.


I think you had to plug in an adapter to the USB port if you wanted network capabilities. There were only certain ones that worked.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

tivotvaddict said:


> The Series 2 was never connected to this cable box or tv - it had only been connected to an older CRT type tv. I'd have to disconnect current and try to connect with digital cable card, hdmi, etc.
> 
> Going to try to figure out.


Again, no need to be concerned about reception--you really just want the box to phone home yet today, to have a record at TiVo that the Series 2 box is "current." Easiest likely would be just to do OTA connected to a TV (like what you had before), and connected to your network as before using the network adapter (the adapter thingie you had on top of the box before) plugged into the Series 2's USB port.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

pfiagra said:


> This promotion may be legit, but it seems like someone just mashed the two recent promotions together. Nowhere here does it mention PLS transfer from only a series 3 or earlier and the PLS transfer sale in April was for a new Bolt or Bolt+. Just seems odd.


Well, the notice at the top of the forum simply is a forum head's up--guess we'll find out tomorrow what's up.


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## tivotvaddict (Aug 11, 2005)

Mikeguy said:


> Again, no need to be concerned about reception--you really just want the box to phone home yet today, to have a record at TiVo that the Series 2 box is "current." Easiest likely would be just to do OTA connected to a TV (like what you had before), and connected to your network as before using the network adapter (the adapter thingie you had on top of the box before) plugged into the Series 2's USB port.


I think I'm just too technically challenged.  I have the red/white/yellow output from the Series 2 trying to plug into back of tv directly (skipping cable box which I think is what you're telling me to do). I'm cycling through the tv input but nothing shows up for components in (either AV or either component). I do have a usb with a network adapter plugged into the Series 2, and the series 2 plugged in (it says welcome on the front screen).

tta


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## brentsg (Sep 19, 2004)

It sounds like your challenge is getting the TiVo 2 to display on your newer TV. It's possible that your current display won't do that. 

We were simply telling you that your TiVo didn't actually need to work on the cable/whatever (programming side).


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## tivotvaddict (Aug 11, 2005)

brentsg said:


> It sounds like your challenge is getting the TiVo 2 to display on your newer TV. It's possible that your current display won't do that.
> 
> We were simply telling you that your TiVo didn't actually need to work on the cable/whatever (programming side).


Yes, exactly. :: idea :: - trying to find older tv now


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## tivotvaddict (Aug 11, 2005)

tivotvaddict said:


> Yes, exactly. :: idea :: - trying to find older tv now


Getting there!  Found tv. Plugged in. Got the "welcome! Powering Up" screen. We'll if it ever goes beyond that.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

tivotvaddict said:


> Getting there!  Found tv. Plugged in. Got the "welcome! Powering Up" screen. We'll if it ever goes beyond that.


Good show! Again, the box just needs to connect back to TiVo Central for present/possible sale purposes--no concern about actual TV reception. Hopefully, your set-up process will go well at this point--next up will be setting up the WiFi connection (as part of TiVo's set-up process, which you'll be walked through) so your box can connect back home to TiVo over your network and the Internet.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

pfiagra said:


> This promotion may be legit,


Kinda surprised we haven't heard anything from @davezatz on this.


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## tivotvaddict (Aug 11, 2005)

Mikeguy said:


> Good show! Again, the box just needs to connect back to TiVo Central for present/possible sale purposes--no concern about actual TV reception. Hopefully, your set-up process will go well at this point--next up will be setting up the WiFi connection (as part of TiVo's set-up process, which you'll be walked through) so your box can connect back home to TiVo over your network and the Internet.


So appreciate all the help! It's just stuck on the "Welcome! Powering Up" screen, so I'm guessing it's fried. Worth a jolly effort. :relaxed: Thank you to everyone for the advice and apologies if this was a bit of a thread hijack.

tta


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## Millionaire2K (Jun 16, 2008)

Do we know any details beside the headline? Has Tivo made any statements? Any emails? Any links? Just don't wanna miss this. Thanks


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

tivotvaddict said:


> So appreciate all the help! It's just stuck on the "Welcome! Powering Up" screen, so I'm guessing it's fried. Worth a jolly effort. :relaxed: Thank you to everyone for the advice and apologies if this was a bit of a thread hijack.
> 
> tta


Last thought--unplug and try again. My old Series 2 could get stuck, at times. Also, and then, just leave it be--maybe it's doing something internally, to get ready, which could take some time, given the age of the processor.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

Millionaire2K said:


> Do we know any details beside the headline? Has Tivo made any statements? Any emails? Any links? Just don't wanna miss this. Thanks


I don't think there's anything but the above, as of now (nothing in my email box). I'd watch email and here between today and tomorrow . . . .


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## brentsg (Sep 19, 2004)

tivotvaddict said:


> So appreciate all the help! It's just stuck on the "Welcome! Powering Up" screen, so I'm guessing it's fried. Worth a jolly effort. :relaxed: Thank you to everyone for the advice and apologies if this was a bit of a thread hijack.
> 
> tta


Imagine that you've just woken from a years long slumber only to find out about the Rovi deal. It might take it some time to process... or it may just go back to sleep.


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## Hank (May 31, 2000)

Since the first round of S2/S3s haven't been deactivated yet, I wonder if you can double-dip and order another one?


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## Millionaire2K (Jun 16, 2008)

Mikeguy said:


> I don't think there's anything but the above, as of now (nothing in my email box). I'd watch email and here between today and tomorrow . . . .


Thanks, just wanted to be sure I wasn't missing anything.

So I was hoping for advise as to what I should buy? I currently have 5 Tivos. Premier 4xl Roamio Pro, Plus and normal. Also 1 Series 3. All units have lifetime. The Series 3 is no longer used. The Premier is on 4th TV but is owned by brother who is moving next month.

I was planning on doing the deal for my disconnected Series 3 (it phoned home like 2 weeks ago).

This would be for the soon to be rarely used 4th TV. So what Tivo should I buy to replace the Series 3 lifetime? Should I just go all in with Bolt+, Get another Roamio Pro? A Bolt 500gb and maybe upgrade HDD?

Thoughts?

I don't want my lifetime Series 3 to go to waist, so I was thinking I should get something.


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## Millionaire2K (Jun 16, 2008)

Hank said:


> Since the first round of S2/S3s haven't been deactivated yet, I wonder if you can double-dip and order another one?


That's what they are hoping you do so they can charge you $550 for lifetime and tell you tuff cookies. These new Rovi people are genius.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

Millionaire2K said:


> I don't want my lifetime Series 3 to go to waist, so I was thinking I should get something.


Work a trade with your brother for the XL4 & S3... and then he can take advantage of the deal and get a more responsive box?


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## Millionaire2K (Jun 16, 2008)




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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

Millionaire2K said:


>


Thanks for the post.  Could you also post the website link to the sale info.? (And did you receive an email notice of the sale, or find it at TiVo's website?)


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## Millionaire2K (Jun 16, 2008)

TiVo | Exclusive Offer | Product Lifetime Service Transfer Sale

I don't know what one to get. So the $250 Bolt is a REALLY good deal (I think). But then for only $150 more I could get the Roamio Pro with 2 extra Tuners and 6x the storage. But then I see that the Roamio Pro offer is only $50 less than the normal Summer deal price but with that my Series 3 keeps its service.

So. Is Series 3 service worth $50?
Is 2 extra tuners and 6x the storage worth $150?
I might just upgrade the bolt anyway, but I may not. The Bolt would be in an extra room hardly used.

PS. The Bolt+ option is out for me. $600 for Bolt+ < $400 for Roamio Pro.


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## brentsg (Sep 19, 2004)

I would have bitten on this but looks like my phone home missed the cut. Can't say I understand why it needed to phone home in that timeframe, so long as I have a working box to transfer from.

Playstation VUE it is!

Edit: Looks like it was 6/20 when I learned of the last transfer deal and was pissed. If I had hooked up old faithful then I'd be set now. Who would have thought they'd do it again so soon. Oh well.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

Millionaire2K said:


> TiVo | Exclusive Offer | Product Lifetime Service Transfer Sale
> 
> I don't know what one to get. So the $250 Bolt is a REALLY good deal (I think). But then for only $150 more I could get the Roamio Pro with 2 extra Tuners and 6x the storage. But then I see that the Roamio Pro offer is only $50 less than the normal Summer deal price but with that my Series 3 keeps its service.
> 
> ...


People will wake to a nice surprise and many such choices and decisions! 

Options (in addition to $99 lifetime service transfer fee):

-- Bolt+ (3TB; cable only; 6 tuners) -- $598.99
-- Bolt 1TB (renewed; cable and OTA; 4 tuners) -- $323.99
-- Bolt 500GB (renewed; cable and OTA; 4 tuners) -- $248.99
-- Roamio Pro (renewed; 3TB; cable only; 6 tuners) -- $398.99

At least for me, it does not appear that the pricing is yet active, as the needed promo codes for the deals have not yet been posted.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

brentsg said:


> I would have bitten on this but looks like my phone home missed the cut.


Dang--sorry about that. I was hoping that with the sale starting today, the cut-off would have been yesterday, so that some people could sneak in the door . . . .


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## Millionaire2K (Jun 16, 2008)

Mikeguy said:


> People will wake to a nice surprise and many such choices and decisions!
> 
> Options (in addition to $99 lifetime service transfer fee):
> 
> ...


Those prices are AFTER the $99 fee. The website says "Total price" on the offer page.

So its:

-- Bolt+ (3TB; cable only; 6 tuners) -- $499.99 + $99 Fee = $598.99
-- Bolt 1TB (renewed; cable and OTA; 4 tuners) -- $224.99 + $99 Fee = $323.99
-- Bolt 500GB (renewed; cable and OTA; 4 tuners) -- $149.99 + $99 Fee = $248.99
-- Roamio Pro (renewed; 3TB; cable only; 6 tuners) -- $299.99 + $99 Fee = $398.99


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

Millionaire2K said:


> Those prices are AFTER the $99 fee. The website says "Total price" on the offer page.
> 
> So its:
> 
> ...


Yep, I was wondering about that and was finding the wording confusing, and so tried adding items to the cart to confirm the final cost, but the promo codes are not yet there to confirm.

Thanks for the check and hopefully you are right--will be a new low in the pricing!


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## Millionaire2K (Jun 16, 2008)

Mikeguy said:


> Yep, I was wondering about that and was finding the wording confusing, and so tried adding items to the cart to confirm the final cost, but the promo codes are not yet there to confirm.
> 
> Thanks for the check and hopefully you are right--will be a new low in the pricing!


Normal everyday price has the New Bolt+ cost $499. Add $99 and you get their $598.99 price. So if they added the $99 to the Bolt+ you know it's added to the rest.

Now I just need to pick something. I don't know what to do. Money is really not a concern.

If $$ is no object is the Bolt+ better than the Roamio Pro Refurb. Maybe Bolt+ would do better long term? IDK.

Is the only difference between the Bolt and Bolt+ the HDD and 2 tuners?


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## PatEllis15 (Mar 3, 2010)

Arg! Totally kicking myself for not getting my S2 fired up after I heard about the first offer ( a month after it expired...). I'll try calling later today and see if customer service will work with me.

Pat E


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## mlsnyc (Dec 3, 2009)

Millionaire2K said:


> Is the only difference between the Bolt and Bolt+ the HDD and 2 tuners?


The Bolt can do OTA or cable whereas the Bolt+ is cable only.


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## pj1983 (Dec 26, 2016)

series5orpremier said:


> If they would expand the transfer from units to include two-tuner Premieres I would bite.


Seconded. Looks like the lesson here is to connect those old boxes once a month or so just in case this "Once in a Lifetime" deal is repeated later this year, or expanded to include Premieres.


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## Millionaire2K (Jun 16, 2008)

pj1983 said:


> Seconded. Looks like the lesson here is to connect those old boxes once a month or so just in case this "Once in a Lifetime" deal is repeated later this year, or expanded to include Premieres.


I think the lesson is to connect them at least once a year or every 6 months to be safe.


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## Hank (May 31, 2000)

Millionaire2K said:


> That's what they are hoping you do so they can charge you $550 for lifetime and tell you tuff cookies. These new Rovi people are genius.


I think it would work. Who's willing to try?


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## worachj (Oct 14, 2006)

Hank said:


> I think it would work. Who's willing to try?


I only have one S3 which I used last time for a new Bolt. Its still active and running just fine. I tried entering the discount code XXXXXXXX and got the following error.

Sorry, this promotion code is not currently valid. Please call 877-289-8486 for additional help.


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## dprichter (Nov 19, 2005)

I have a Series 3 that I would love to get in on this deal however I did not connect it until last night. I do however have a HD that I could use but I did not get an email with a promo code.


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## jrtroo (Feb 4, 2008)

dprichter said:


> I have a Series 3 that I would love to get in on this deal however I did not connect it until last night. I do however have a HD that I could use but I did not get an email with a promo code.


Call them, I never used a code last time.


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## DVR_Dave (Apr 19, 2017)

It's interesting to note that they set a specific date (July 31, 2017) for deactivation of old boxes for this round.


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## scandia101 (Oct 20, 2007)

The 2nd S2 on my account was unplugged for well over a year before the last deal, but I plugged it in just in case for a couple weeks in April, so I'm good to go for another deal. I already have a 1TB R OTA with a cable card adapter added that I got a great deal on that is just sitting in the box. I can't pass this up though, so I'll have a second lifetime Tivo just sitting around waiting for me to find a use for it.


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## scandia101 (Oct 20, 2007)

DVR_Dave said:


> It's interesting to note that they set a specific date (July 31, 2017) for deactivation of old boxes for this round.


What will be more interesting is if they actually do it at that time.


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## DVR_Dave (Apr 19, 2017)

scandia101 said:


> What will be more interesting is if they actually do it at that time.


And will they deactivate this round before the first round is complete.


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## Gold51 (Apr 20, 2017)

My Series 2 has been on since the time since I missed the last deal. I spent 2 hours getting all my parts hooked up, besides, finding my old USB wifi adapter, hunting, hunting for the 13 year old pigtail optical channel changer to use for the HD antenna converter, that was an unused govt coupon Channel Master box from 2009.
It all worked, finally and it's been online since, recording Star Trek shows. 
My email offer arrived this morning- they recognized that my Series 2 box was active during that time frame of 6-22-16 to 6-22-17 for the $99 transfer offer.
But the promo code they sent me (it's not xxxxxxxx, it' your box number) doesn't work yet, so I will try again when the customer service hours start.
--Getting the base 500gb Bolt. It's for OTA.


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## myf16 (Nov 9, 2006)

I've been *using* my Series 2 all this time with a DTA box and IR emitter, which makes it a single-tuner Tivo. I don't mind losing all the stored shows on my Tivo, even though I did upgrade it to a 1TB drive so it has a LOT of shows. Maybe I'll steal that drive for my PC!

I don't care about 4k but I care about how long the new box will last. I'm thinking about buying the Tivo-renewed Roamio Pro and maybe the $40 3-year warranty to make sure it lasts at least that long. Opinions?

Edit: Since the only risk of not buying the warranty is paying actual repair cost, and since I've never had a Tivo break in 16 years of using Series 1 and 2, I'm decided to self-insure. I bought the non-4K Roamio.

I figure even if I decide I'm not getting good value from the Roamio it should have a good market value for resale with lifetime service.

I am looking forward to being able to record more than one show or even to watch a different show than I'm recording. Also to once again being able to schedule recordings remotely.


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## Gold51 (Apr 20, 2017)

What is interesting to me is the dedicated July 31st shutoff date, which makes me wonder, if they are going to deactivate the channel guide service for all the old Series 2 SD boxes at that time. Can they do that? Perhaps only a couple thousand of those boxes are still being used- and people like me fooled them , by bringing their old Series 2 boxes back to life after the last deal was missed. It's not an easy task to do that. I tried over a year ago to do it and I failed. I was missing the optical IR tuner changer cord and gave up looking for it - in April I scoured the house and garage up and down searching for it. I must have spent 6 hrs- and there it was in a cubby compartment in the entertainment center, mixed in with some old VHS tapes.


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## timckelley (Oct 15, 2002)

Ha! During the last offer I hooked up an old lifetimed single tuner S2, just in case something like this would happen, and now it has, so I assume that this S2, which had been dormant for years, but which I resurrected in April of this year by having it call in to the mothership, is probably now eligible. 

Having said all this, I don't really need another TiVo.


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## scandia101 (Oct 20, 2007)

Gold51 said:


> What is interesting to me is the dedicated July 31st shutoff date, which makes me wonder, if they are going to deactivate the channel guide service for all the old Series 2 SD boxes at that time. Can they do that? Perhaps only a couple thousand of those boxes are still being used- and people like me fooled them , by bringing their old Series 2 boxes back to life after the last deal was missed. It's not an easy task to do that. I tried over a year ago to do it and I failed. I was missing the optical IR tuner changer cord and gave up looking for it - in April I scoured the house and garage up and down searching for it. I must have spent 6 hrs- and there it was in a cubby compartment in the entertainment center, mixed in with some old VHS tapes.


Your S2 didn't need to be a fully functioning unit, it just needed to connect to the mothership once and have it's subscription status verified.


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## GBL (Apr 20, 2000)

worachj said:


> I only have one S3 which I used last time for a new Bolt. Its still active and running just fine. I tried entering the discount code XXXXXXXX and got the following error.
> 
> Sorry, this promotion code is not currently valid. Please call 877-289-8486 for additional help.


You need to enter the TSN of your S3 as promo code, not XXXXXXXX.


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## scandia101 (Oct 20, 2007)

Gold51 said:


> M
> My email offer arrived this morning- they recognized that my Series 2 box was active during that time frame of 6-22-16 to 6-22-17 for the $99 transfer offer.
> But the promo code they sent me (it's not xxxxxxxx, it' your box number) doesn't work yet, so I will try again when the customer service hours start.


You mean the TSN?
with or without dashes or spaces?


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## myf16 (Nov 9, 2006)

scandia101 said:


> You mean the TSN?
> with or without dashes or spaces?


Without. Copy it from your email (it's in a tiny font) and paste it as promo code.


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## Ereth (Jun 16, 2000)

Bummer. I have a Series 3 that's got fried tuners, so it's not been connected since about 2011. When this leaked I hooked it up last night, but clearly that's after 6/22. Oh well.


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## amyf (Sep 24, 2014)

Thanks to GBL and myf16. I called to try to place my order and they were clueless - there is a glitch in the system that prevents them from placing the order. I was having the same issue until I put the TSN in the promo code and then it worked like a charm. Maybe someone should tell TiVo tech support/sales how to get orders placed.

Thanks,
Amy


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## dprichter (Nov 19, 2005)

I entered my HD TSN number and it says it was not valid even though it has been connected for the past year. I put my my Series 2 number in which I don't think has been connect for over a year and it said it was valid.


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## DawnW (Nov 28, 2008)

YAY! I just ordered the 1T For $323.99.


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## brentsg (Sep 19, 2004)

I don't understand the cutoff date for connecting to the service. If a person can connect, then the device clearly works. That's the concern.

My S3 wasn't connected because it's clearly obsolete. This is punishment for buying a newer box with lifetime service along the way.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

DVR_Dave said:


> It's interesting to note that they set a specific date (July 31, 2017) for deactivation of old boxes for this round.


Sounds like they learned from the confusion with the previous deal. My old S3 boxes still haven't been deactivated.


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## doopstr (Nov 13, 2004)

Is there any difference between the 500GB and 1TB Bolts besides storage? Can the 500GB accept an external drive to expand storage?


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## Rustwood (Sep 6, 2015)

I tried both of my series 3 boxes that have been off line for over a year - no dice. I even made a service connection and then called them, but still no dice. I guess I am going to have to keep one of the old boxes plugged in in case this comes back a third time.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

brentsg said:


> Honestly, TiVo is such a train wreck anymore that I'm not sure it matters.
> 
> Just playing with the Series 3 again.. what a great box that was. It feels like my Oppo 203 and the Roamio feels like a plastic lunchbox in comparison.


Really? When I was messing with my S3 boxes. I thought I took a step back in time. I couldn't believe how slow the S3 was. And how archaic the UI looked. I don't know how I put up with it back in 2006. The ROmaio and Bolts run circles around the S3. The ROmaio and Bolts are so much better than the S3 ever was.


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## Gold51 (Apr 20, 2017)

Still, no luck getting the promo code in my email to work. Tried another browser to be sure, then called TiVo sales just a few minutes ago.
I know I am eligible for the $99 transfer , but their order system has "choked", which is my translation. Someone from TiVo is calling me back later today to manually take my order. The rep verified my account and said I qualified.
I wonder is too many people put XXXXXXXX, as the promo code and the system went down?


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

doopstr said:


> Is there any difference between the 500GB and 1TB Bolts besides storage? Can the 500GB accept an external drive to expand storage?


Yes only the storage size is the only difference. And they will accept only the one specific WD external drive that can be used with TiVos(if you can find one). It's easier and cheaper to just add a larger drive to the Bolt.


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## jgolden (Feb 17, 2003)

DawnW said:


> YAY! I just ordered the 1T For $323.99.


I did too, and then ordered a 3TB drive.


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## doopstr (Nov 13, 2004)

My TSN promo code is not working either


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## worachj (Oct 14, 2006)

aaronwt said:


> Sounds like they learned from the confusion with the previous deal. My old S3 boxes still haven't been deactivated.


And I was able to double dip and use mine to order a another bolt. I have it setting in the checkout queue right now, haven't pulled the trigger yet.


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## scandia101 (Oct 20, 2007)

myf16 said:


> Without. Copy it from your email (it's in a tiny font) and paste it as promo code.


I haven't received the email, that's why I asked


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## worachj (Oct 14, 2006)

Gold51 said:


> Still, no luck getting the promo code in my email to work. Tried another browser to be sure, then called TiVo sales just a few minutes ago.
> I know I am eligible for the $99 transfer , but their order system has "choked", which is my translation. Someone from TiVo is calling me back later today to manually take my order. The rep verified my account and said I qualified.
> I wonder is too many people out XXXXXXXX, as the promo code and the system went down?


Instead of XXXXXXX you need to use your TSN of the qualified box without dashes.


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## brentsg (Sep 19, 2004)

aaronwt said:


> Really? When I was messing with my S3 boxes. I thought I took a step back in time. I couldn't believe how slow the S3 was. And how archaic the UI looked. I don't know how I put up with it back in 2006. The ROmaio and Bolts run circles around the S3. The ROmaio and Bolts are so much better than the S3 ever was.


It's slow for sure. I'm talking about the construction of the device. It's much nicer than the newer ones.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

doopstr said:


> Is there any difference between the 500GB and 1TB Bolts besides storage? Can the 500GB accept an external drive to expand storage?


1. No. 2. Recommended instead to do an internal drive replacement (an external drive adds an additional potential failure point, for all of your recordings (the box splits each recording between the internal and external drives))--relatively easy to do, one step more difficult than plug-'n-play. Threads here and Youtube videos (recommended) on the process. (The only real "issue": the effect on one's warranty. But TiVo has tended to looking the other way on this.)


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## Gold51 (Apr 20, 2017)

OK, thanks to Slickdeals website, at 6:37 AM someone posted the email offer link for the $99 deal, so this is now public knowledge and anyone who has an old series 2 or 3 TiVo in the garage, that hasn't been online in a over year, may be trying to order a Tivo today.


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## brentsg (Sep 19, 2004)

Did they only target people with certain boxes phoning in? I'm wondering why I didn't get an e-mail for my Roamio OTA that is used daily.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

worachj said:


> And I was able to double dip and use mine to order a another bolt. I have it setting in the checkout queue right now, haven't pulled the trigger yet.


That thought is tempting. But I might/would be concerned that TiVo would pull the subscription on the 2nd Bolt, in the end, for there not being any lifetime to transfer . . . .


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## tomhorsley (Jul 22, 2010)

Finally, about 50 posts into this thread someone mentioned that PLS stands for Product Lifetime Service. Why am I supposed to know that off the top of my head? .


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

Gold51 said:


> Still, no luck getting the promo code in my email to work. Tried another browser to be sure, then called TiVo sales just a few minutes ago.
> I know I am eligible for the $99 transfer , but their order system has "choked", which is my translation. Someone from TiVo is calling me back later today to manually take my order. The rep verified my account and said I qualified.
> I wonder is too many people put XXXXXXXX, as the promo code and the system went down?


And if/when TiVo doesn't call back, I would try again myself (or even before then) . . . .


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## DVR_Dave (Apr 19, 2017)

I have 2 S2DT that last connected 5/12/17 and 2 S3HD that have continuously connected thru today but no email for me.

I did the last "once in a lifetime offer" (bought 2 Bolt 500GB) but still don't know which 2 of the 4 will be deactivated.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

jgolden said:


> I did too, and then ordered a 3TB drive.


Might I ask, which 3TB and from where?


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## dark54555 (May 25, 2008)

I just got off the phone with them, and there's an issue with the codes. They promised me a call back, too, but I'll likely keep trying online.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

brentsg said:


> Did they only target people with certain boxes phoning in? I'm wondering why I didn't get an e-mail for my Roamio OTA that is used daily.


The deal is for older lifetime boxes. S3 and S2 boxes.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

DVR_Dave said:


> I have 2 S2DT that last connected 5/12/17 and 2 S3HD that have continuously connected thru today but no email for me.
> 
> I did the last "once in a lifetime offer" (bought 2 Bolt 500GB) but still don't know which 2 of the 4 will be deactivated.


My recommendation always is: talk to a rep. live and tell them, if you have any preference.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

brentsg said:


> I don't understand the cutoff date for connecting to the service. If a person can connect, then the device clearly works. That's the concern.
> 
> My S3 wasn't connected because it's clearly obsolete. This is punishment for buying a newer box with lifetime service along the way.


Or the other possible way to look at it, from TiVo's perspective: this is not simply a "rewards" offer for longtime customers (unfortunately), but rather also a way to clear away old boxes still being used (which could be a drain on TiVo or which could be slated for EOL).

Since TiVo did its "retirement program" for Series 1 boxes last Summer/Fall, I've recommended that people connect their older, unused boxes to the TiVo service periodically, in case TiVo repeats a variation of its Series 1 program, and especially after the Series 2/3 promotion last March/April and the follow-up info. from TiVo customer reps. that the offer could be repeated.


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## Gold51 (Apr 20, 2017)

Ok, reading slickdeals comments. People are bragging that they got the $99 deal on multiple boxes with only one promo code . Obviously, a major fubar!! TiVo will have to analyze every order now. Cancel those orders with too many boxes and call them back? Sheesh!!


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## Gold51 (Apr 20, 2017)

They are telling people to try any old TiVo service number to try for the deal.


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## brentsg (Sep 19, 2004)

Mikeguy said:


> Or the other possible way to look at it, from TiVo's perspective: this is not simply a "rewards" offer for longtime customers (unfortunately), but rather also a way to clear away old boxes still being used (which could be a drain on TiVo or which could be slated for EOL).
> 
> Since TiVo did its "retirement program" for Series 1 boxes last Summer/Fall, I've recommended that people connect their older, unused boxes to the TiVo service periodically, in case TiVo repeats a variation of its Series 1 program, and especially after the Series 2/3 promotion last March/April and the follow-up info. from TiVo customer reps. that the offer could be repeated.


Right, but most normal people aren't looking at forums such as these unless it's time for an upgrade. I looked at the forum a month or so ago and was disappointed about missing the offer, but I didn't see that they had to be connected. I finally got back to it with the Summer Sale, and I placed an order that hasn't arrived. That's $1100 worth of gear that will now get refused at the delivery. I paid an extra $200 for it than I would have with this deal, that I've again missed because of the phone-in situation.

TiVo should instead look at the long time customers that will be telling them to piss off. It's not like their service isn't going downhill at the same time. This is the kind of stuff that can turn their most vocal supporters into ex-customers.

Initially I thought it was because the sales folks couldn't see if a box was in service, so perhaps they got a list handed to them, essentially. Nope, the lady on the phone could clearly see I am connected yesterday and today.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

Gold51 said:


> Ok, reading slickdeals comments. People are bragging that they got the $99 deal on multiple boxes with only one promo code . Obviously, a major fubar!! TiVo will have too analyze every order now. *Cancel those orders with too many boxes *and call them back? Sheesh!!


Definitely possible and the risk. If I were TiVo, I would be manually verifying each order's credentials (easy enough for the Philippines call center folks to do)--and I simply would cancel orders from a fraudulent purchaser, no notice given.

This is not like placing an order for a discrete product and "getting away with it"--there is the on-going subscription, which can be cancelled at any time, to be concerned about.


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## DVR_Dave (Apr 19, 2017)

Mikeguy said:


> My recommendation always is: talk to a rep. live and tell them, if you have any preference.


I did back on 6/3.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

brentsg said:


> Right, but most normal people aren't looking at forums such as these unless it's time for an upgrade. I looked at the forum a month or so ago and was disappointed about missing the offer, but I didn't see that they had to be connected. I finally got back to it with the Summer Sale, and I placed an order that hasn't arrived. That's $1100 worth of gear that will now get refused at the delivery. I paid an extra $200 for it than I would have with this deal, that I've again missed because of the phone-in situation.
> 
> TiVo should instead look at the long time customers that will be telling them to piss off. It's not like their service isn't going downhill at the same time. This is the kind of stuff that can turn their most vocal supporters into ex-customers.
> 
> Initially I thought it was because the sales folks couldn't see if a box was in service, so perhaps they got a list handed to them, essentially. Nope, the lady on the phone could clearly see I am connected yesterday and today.


I understand it and the frustration. Again, I think it's related to TiVo's goals here: including to retire old boxes (my guess: which will be EOL'ed by TiVo in the nearer future, and so TiVo wants to avoid legal and customer issues with previously-purchased "lifetime" service). And also, to stop the situation where people are (cashing in) on junked boxes that are sitting in garages and attics and just haven't been sent to the recycler yet. (And also preventing people from going out and buying old boxes simply to get the promotion--which people still are doing, with old boxes that have dialed in .)


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## worachj (Oct 14, 2006)

Mikeguy said:


> That thought is tempting. But I might/would be concerned that TiVo would pull the subscription on the 2nd Bolt, in the end, for there not being any lifetime to transfer . . . .


That's my thought as well and the reason I haven't done it yet. I really don't need another Bolt, but was thinking of doing it to sell.


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## lpwcomp (May 6, 2002)

I just went through the process to do this and they ended up charging me full price. Waiting for a rep on the phone.


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## brentsg (Sep 19, 2004)

Mikeguy said:


> I understand it and the frustration. Again, I think it's related to TiVo's goals here: including to retire old boxes (my guess: which will be EOL'ed by TiVo in the nearer future, and so TiVo wants to avoid legal and customer issues with previously-purchased "lifetime" service). And also, to stop the situation where people are (cashing in) on junked boxes that are sitting in garages and attics and just haven't been sent to the recycler yet. (And also preventing people from going out and buying old boxes simply to get the promotion--which people still are doing, with old boxes that have dialed in .)


They can look at an account and see that a person hasn't gone out to buy a box. I've had lifetime boxes on my account and have always had at least 1 active at all times since the Series 1 was launched and I had lifetime on a Sony box. In fact I think I've had one (or more) of every series except Bolt. Heck as of last week I had 6 active TiVo devices (4 DVR, 1 stream, 1 Mini).

Anyways I've said my bit. The good news is that they've now pissed me off enough over the past couple of weeks that I don't even want to be a customer. I was just looking to move my license from S3 to low end Bolt today so it wouldn't get EOL in case I wanted to use it someday.


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## PatEllis15 (Mar 3, 2010)

Long wait if you call.... Hoping I can convince them to honor my S2 which I connected yesterday.

Update: Elevated to the Supervisor... not having much luck.


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## lpwcomp (May 6, 2002)

This is freaking insane! Apparently, I am not the only one experiencing this problem. What's worse is their system won't allow them to cancel the order until it gets a FedEx tracking #! So I have to call back when I get the tracking # email.


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## brentsg (Sep 19, 2004)

lpwcomp said:


> This is freaking insane! Apparently, I am not the only one experiencing this problem. What's worse is their system won't allow them to cancel the order until it gets a FedEx tracking #! So I have to call back when I get the tracking # email.


It's very unlikely that you will be able to cancel. I tried for 2 hours the other day and it'll arrive today.

TiVo told me I had to stop payment on the credit card side, then acted like my CC company sucked when they couldn't stop something that had already posted successfully. At that point all I could do is dispute it, which is a long process. TiVo didn't seem to realize that they are the ones that sucked for not being able to stop the order from shipping. Now they get to pay the return shipping.


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## scandia101 (Oct 20, 2007)

25 minutes (nearly 15 just to get to a person) to have them verify that I have an eligible S2, take my order and verify the shipping address and then tell me that they are having issues with their system and that he will personally call me back in 24-48 hours to complete the order.


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## lpwcomp (May 6, 2002)

If I cannot cancel tomorrow, my next step will be to try to file federal wire fraud charges.


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## lpwcomp (May 6, 2002)

Was going to dispute the charge with my bank but since it is still pending, it doesn't show up yet as a transaction I can dispute.


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## dmk1974 (Mar 7, 2002)

I'm thinking about this deal as well since I still have an old S2 and placing the new box in the basement. I currently have a 6-tuner Roamio Pro and would like to get another 6-tuner box. Is the Bolt+ really worth the extra $200 compared to getting another Roamio Pro? I don't have any 4K TVs (yet).


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## brentsg (Sep 19, 2004)

lpwcomp said:


> Was going to dispute the charge with my bank but since it is still pending, it doesn't show up yet as a transaction I can dispute.


Yeah when I was placing my order/canceling, this happened too. They were also having processing issues (that they denied) so there were multiple successful transactions processed but in pending on the CC.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

lpwcomp said:


> If I cannot cancel tomorrow, my next step will be to try to file federal wire fraud charges.


Are you going to add Amazon to the lawsuit as well, for it's refusal to cancel orders placed only moments earlier (even when shipment doesn't occur until days later)?


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## Millionaire2K (Jun 16, 2008)

I had no issues. Just 5 mins ago I checked my email. Got the code, selected and completed checkout in 5 mins. Ordered Roamio Pro.


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## brentsg (Sep 19, 2004)

Mikeguy said:


> Are you going to add Amazon to the lawsuit as well, for it's refusal to cancel orders placed only moments earlier (even when shipment doesn't occur until days later)?


I do this with Amazon all the time, no issues.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

brentsg said:


> I do this with Amazon all the time, no issues.


I often have gotten a, "it's too late to cancel" message.


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## lpwcomp (May 6, 2002)

Got the tracking #, called back and was assured that it will be canceled. Even if true, it will probably take a couple of weeks for my account to be credited.

Just another example of how Rovi has totally FUBARed TiVo.


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## Millionaire2K (Jun 16, 2008)

lpwcomp said:


> Got the tracking #, called back and was assured that it will be canceled. Even if true, it will probably take a couple of weeks for my account to be credited.
> 
> Just another example of how Rovi has totally FUBARed TiVo.


I have returned 2 boxes this past month the day after they were delivered to me. Both were returned to Tivo just a few days later with their FREE return label. I received return confirmation and credit less then 1 week after mailing the boxes back.

NOTE: Tivo.com has a clear cancel policy. "In an effort to ship your order as soon as possible, all orders are processed as soon as we receive them. As a result, you can cancel or make changes to your order for a maximum of 15 minutes after the order is placed. Please Contact TiVo Support if you would like to change your order."


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## lpwcomp (May 6, 2002)

Millionaire2K said:


> NOTE: Tivo.com has a clear cancel policy. "In an effort to ship your order as soon as possible, all orders are processed as soon as we receive them. As a result, you can cancel or make changes to your order for a maximum of 15 minutes after the order is placed. Please Contact TiVo Support if you would like to change your order."


And that is a BS policy, especially since I was on hold for 15 minutes before I was connected to a CSR when I made the original call.


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## Millionaire2K (Jun 16, 2008)

lpwcomp said:


> And that is a BS policy, especially since I was on hold for 15 minutes before I was connected to a CSR when I made the original call.


Up until 15mins after placing the order on the website there is a "Cancel order" button that will cancel the order in just 2 simple clicks. After 15 mins the button disappears.

PS, It's the policy you agree to when placing the order. Just saying.


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## HerronScott (Jan 1, 2002)

lpwcomp said:


> I just went through the process to do this and they ended up charging me full price. Waiting for a rep on the phone.


You mean it was showing the discount price when you ordered but they charged your card the full price???

Scott


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## HerronScott (Jan 1, 2002)

tomhorsley said:


> Finally, about 50 posts into this thread someone mentioned that PLS stands for Product Lifetime Service. Why am I supposed to know that off the top of my head? .


Because you've been a member here for almost 7 years with a bunch of posts? 

Scott


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## brentsg (Sep 19, 2004)

Millionaire2K said:


> Up until 15mins after placing the order on the website there is a "Cancel order" button that will cancel the order in just 2 simple clicks. After 15 mins the button disappears.
> 
> PS, It's the policy you agree to when placing the order. Just saying.


If the policy is this clear then they should save their customers time and effort when they call, and simply explain the policy. Instead they wasted 2 hours of my time chasing around, going from CSR to CSR, being instructed to call the credit card company, etc.

The end result would have been the same and I would have been far less irritated.


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## lpwcomp (May 6, 2002)

HerronScott said:


> You mean it was showing the discount price when you ordered but they charged your card the full price???
> 
> Scott


When I placed the order, the web page had the correct price. Both the email confirmation and the actual charge were the full, non-discounted price.

BTW, I *never *saw a "cancel" button on the order list page and I looked immediately after getting the email.


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## Millionaire2K (Jun 16, 2008)

brentsg said:


> If the policy is this clear then they should save their customers time and effort when they call, and simply explain the policy. Instead they wasted 2 hours of my time chasing around, going from CSR to CSR, being instructed to call the credit card company, etc.
> 
> The end result would have been the same and I would have been far less irritated.


100 percent agree. My 1 return they told me to wait for it to ship. Then they told me to wait for it to be delivered. I then had to call a 3rd time to return. The return process is very easy if you just wait till you get the box and make 1 5 min phone call. But them giving false info about when you can cancel etc, etc. is nonsense.


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## Millionaire2K (Jun 16, 2008)

lpwcomp said:


> When I placed the order, the web page had the correct price. Both the email confirmation and the actual charge were the full, non-discounted price.
> 
> BTW, I *never *saw a "cancel" button on the order list page and I looked immediately after getting the email.


I have never not seen the button. I even used it this past month to change what CC I used for an order. The button is located where they put the "track shipment" button. It's blue.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

brentsg said:


> If the policy is this clear then they should save their customers time and effort when they call, and simply explain the policy. Instead they wasted 2 hours of my time chasing around, going from CSR to CSR, being instructed to call the credit card company, etc.
> 
> The end result would have been the same and I would have been far less irritated.


You're right, of course. But, like so many things, my guess is that some/many of the reps. don't know that this is the policy and that it is stated somewhere. (In my dealings with customer service reps., I not infrequently have found that I need to educate the reps. (of any company) as to a company policy or practice.) This is the first time that I've seen someone actually refer to this policy here and state it/the basis for it--interesting.


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## HerronScott (Jan 1, 2002)

lpwcomp said:


> BTW, I *never *saw a "cancel" button on the order list page and I looked immediately after getting the email.


When I did the last Bolt upgrade special I had a cancel option on orders page up until it shipped but that one took a long time to fulfill.

Scott


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

Millionaire2K said:


> NOTE: Tivo.com has a clear cancel policy. "In an effort to ship your order as soon as possible, all orders are processed as soon as we receive them. As a result, you can cancel or make changes to your order for a maximum of 15 minutes after the order is placed. Please Contact TiVo Support if you would like to change your order."





Millionaire2K said:


> Up until 15mins after placing the order on the website there is a "Cancel order" button that will cancel the order in just 2 simple clicks. After 15 mins the button disappears.
> 
> PS, It's the policy you agree to when placing the order. Just saying.


Interesting--I don't recall having seen or heard of this before. Just like Amazon with its not infrequent almost immediate placement of an item into the processing/preparation for shipment process, with a blackout on order changes (even when the item doesn't actually ship for days).


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## jgolden (Feb 17, 2003)

Mikeguy said:


> Might I ask, which 3TB and from where?


I ordered the Toshiba 3.0TB MQ03ABB300 thru Amazon


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## lpwcomp (May 6, 2002)

Millionaire2K said:


> I have never not seen the button. I even used it this past month to change what CC I used for an order. The button is located where they put the "track shipment" button. It's blue.


*I DON'T GIVE A DAMN WHAT YOU'VE 'NEVER NOT SEEN SEEN"! IT WASN'T THERE TODAY. THE "TRACK ORDER" BUTTON WAS THERE FOR PREVIOUS ORDERS BUT THERE WAS NO CANCEL BUTTON!*


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## Millionaire2K (Jun 16, 2008)

lpwcomp said:


> *I DON'T GIVE A DAMN WHAT YOU'VE 'NEVER NOT SEEN SEEN"! IT WASN'T THERE TODAY. THE "TRACK ORDER" BUTTON WAS THERE FOR PREVIOUS ORDERS BUT THERE WAS NO CANCEL BUTTON!*


Wow you had a rough day. Overcharged when they said a difference price AND no cancel button? Dang such bad luck.


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## sfhub (Jan 6, 2007)

Millionaire2K said:


> Wow you had a rough day. Overcharged when they said a difference price AND no cancel button? Dang such bad luck.


FWIW I had a cancel button for 25+ days for the previous PLS offer. When I ordered a Mini recently, the cancel button was there in the beginning. I called to check on something the next day, the cancel button was gone, but the rep said on his screen it was still there. My order shipped 3 hrs later.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

dmk1974 said:


> I'm thinking about this deal as well since I still have an old S2 and placing the new box in the basement. I currently have a 6-tuner Roamio Pro and would like to get another 6-tuner box. Is the Bolt+ really worth the extra $200 *compared to getting another Roamio Pro*? I don't have any 4K TVs (yet).


FYI... The current price of the Roamio Pro as part of the Summer Meltdown Sale is $450, though the sale certainly started with the Pro priced at $700.

Value of PLS transfer offer, relative to Summer Meltdown Sale pricing...

*BOLT+* (new) $600 vs $800 ===> *$200*
*BOLT 1TB* (refurb) $325 vs n/a ===> ???
*BOLT 500GB* (refurb) $250 vs $500 ===> *$250*
*Roamio Pro* (refurb) $400 vs $450 ===> *$50*​
Basically, you'd be spending $50+ to maintain the Lifetime service on your qualified S2/S3 device, were you to choose a Roamio Pro.


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## Millionaire2K (Jun 16, 2008)

krkaufman said:


> *Roamio Pro* (refurb) $400 vs $450 ===> *$50*​
> Basically, you'd be spending $50+ to maintain the Lifetime service on your qualified S2/S3 device, were you to choose a Roamio Pro.


Seems like a good marketing ploy.

"Hey I could just buy the Roamio Pro via the Summer sale, it's only $50 more. I can then use the S2/S3 to upgrade to the Bolt 500. Cool I got 2 dope boxes for cheap."

And TiVo gets the extra $300.

Seems like they trying to unload stock of Roamio Pros. For them to drop it's price $250 more for the summer sale screams ploy/slow sales.

NOTE: I went with the S3 to Roamio Pro transfer. S3 was just sitting in storage since a few months ago. No point of handing them $50 just to keep service on it. I was gonna get the Bolt 500 but then thought I would most likely upgrade it's HDD. So I figured I should just get the Pro for only $150 more.


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## DawnW (Nov 28, 2008)

worachj said:


> And I was able to double dip and use mine to order a another bolt. I have it setting in the checkout queue right now, haven't pulled the trigger yet.


What do you mean by double dip? You were able to use the same code twice?


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## dprichter (Nov 19, 2005)

Has anyone had there new units shipped yet? Mine said delivery by Saturday 7/1.


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## TIVO_GUY_HERE (Jul 10, 2000)

i have one series 2 that I could use for this offer.

Question to those who have both the Bolt and Roamio plus. Is there a big speed difference between the two? I never use my premiere any more, since it's so much slower going into netflix, amazon, than my bolt. But if I lose that 4 tuner, spending about 70 more for 6 tuners and 300+ more HD recording hours seems like a no brainer, if the unit isn't as slow as a premiere.


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## amyf (Sep 24, 2014)

Mine shipped yesterday - just a few hours after placing the order.


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## atmuscarella (Oct 11, 2005)

TIVO_GUY_HERE said:


> i have one series 2 that I could use for this offer.
> 
> Question to those who have both the Bolt and Roamio plus. Is there a big speed difference between the two? I never use my premiere any more, since it's so much slower going into netflix, amazon, than my bolt. But if I lose that 4 tuner, spending about 70 more for 6 tuners and 300+ more HD recording hours seems like a no brainer, if the unit isn't as slow as a premiere.


I posted some info about apps here: Is the BOLT faster than Roamio ?

Basically Bolts are faster than Roamios when it comes to apps especially Netflix.

There are some other comments also.


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## worachj (Oct 14, 2006)

DawnW said:


> What do you mean by double dip? You were able to use the same code twice?


In April they had a similar lifetime transfer deal that I took and my qualifying S3 was never deactivated. I'm still able to use the same S3 again for this promotion (double dip).

By the way I never went though with the purchase, I really don't need another Bolt and was only thinking of getting it for resell.


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## sfhub (Jan 6, 2007)

krkaufman said:


> Basically, you'd be spending $50+ to maintain the Lifetime service on your qualified S2/S3 device, were you to choose a Roamio Pro.


Thanks, $450 outright for Roamio Pro is what I would consider a decent deal. That $700 before was something else.

Tomato Tomahto, rather than paying $50 to maintain lifetime, I look at it as valuing one's S2/S3 lifetime at $50 vs valuing it at $250 for the 500GB offer. So if you could get $200 (net) for your lifetime S2/S3 on ebay, valuing it at $50 not worth it. Valuing it at $250 saves you the trouble of selling it and gives you $50 in your pocket and some spare parts.


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## doopstr (Nov 13, 2004)

I'm pretty annoyed that my TSN isn't working. It's a valid TSN for a TivoHD that has been running for about 10 years. I called customer support yesterday and all they said was "yeah we see it's not working, will call you back." I'm going to be upset if I can't take advantage of this upgrade.


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## lpwcomp (May 6, 2002)

As expected, they lied. The order has not been canceled. FedEx shows it "In Transit".

Talking to yet another CSR. She says the problem "was escalated" when I called the second time yesterday, which is completely useless information.

Once again, they claim that it will be canceled but if it does show up, I can just send it back, which means I will have to make the effort to get it to a facility that can do that. Also means a delay in getting the refund.

Edit: Just checked. The 1TB Bolt is now "OUT OF STOCK".


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## scandia101 (Oct 20, 2007)

The 1TB Bolt has been out of stock for about 12 hours now.
I just tried calling again and was told that because I did not get the email notification of this offer, I do not qualify for the deal even though I do have a S2 that would otherwise be a qualifier.


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## lpwcomp (May 6, 2002)

I wonder if they have already allocated my "cancelled" one to someone else.


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## PatEllis15 (Mar 3, 2010)

Well, I'm getting a new Bolt+. I was not able to convince anyone at Customer service to allow me to do the transfer off my Series 2 (which connected on Tuesday, but was outside their 12 month proscribed window).

Though I didn't get the $99.00 transfer, after spending about 45 minutes on hold yesterday, and 45 minutes on hold today, they finally offered a $100.00 additional credit. So, I'll end up with the Bolt + at ~$699.00, rather than the summer melt down sale of ~$799. I'm a little disappoint to not get the transfer, but they are not deactivating my Series 2, so I have the ability to potentially get a further credit if they sunset S2's, or do another lifetime transfer down the line.

Pat E


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

scandia101 said:


> The 1TB Bolt has been out of stock for about 12 hours now.
> I just tried calling again and was told that because I did not get the email notification of this offer, I do not qualify for the deal even though I do have a S2 that would otherwise be a qualifier.


Then try it anyway . . . .


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

DawnW said:


> What do you mean by double dip? You were able to use the same code twice?


And if TiVo catches the double-dipping . . . .


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## Millionaire2K (Jun 16, 2008)

Mikeguy said:


> And if TiVo catches the double-dipping . . . .


The terms of the original sale said they will charge you full price if you don't have a qualifying box to disable.


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## scandia101 (Oct 20, 2007)

Mikeguy said:


> Then try it anyway . . . .


Gosh, never thought of trying more than once 
That was my 4th call with no success (5th if you include the time I waited over 20 minutes for a rep before being disconnected) and I only called because a dozen attempts to order online failed to recognize my TSN as a valid promo code


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

scandia101 said:


> Gosh, never thought of trying more than once
> That was my 4th call with no success (5th if you include the time I waited over 20 minutes for a rep before being disconnected) and I only called because a dozen attempts to order online failed to recognize my TSN as a valid promo code


Well, how was I to know that, and that you had tried doing it online (really, my suggestion)?


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## bguild (Jul 1, 2004)

Hey guys, I just wanted to let you know I called up Tivo and begged and pleaded but they wouldn't transfer the Lifetime service on my Premier XL to a New Bolt. Yes, I knew the promo was strictly for Series 2/3 but I thought I might be able to break down the wall on an unsuspecting call center employee. haha. No dice. Any ideas? Do we think Tivo might offer something for Premier owners soon?


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## PatEllis15 (Mar 3, 2010)

bguild said:


> Hey guys, I just wanted to let you know I called up Tivo and begged and pleaded but they wouldn't transfer the Lifetime service on my Premier XL to a New Bolt. Yes, I knew the promo was strictly for Series 2/3 but I thought I might be able to break down the wall on an unsuspecting call center employee. haha. No dice. Any ideas? Do we think Tivo might offer something for Premier owners soon?


My begging and pleading got my an extra $100 off the Melt Down sale price for a Bolt + (2 days of calls), but that was with a S2 that checked in this week, but not before the cut off date.


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## jjberger2134 (Nov 20, 2002)

I received the email this week as well. I have 2 unplugged Lifetime S2's and a TivoHD. The TSN number in the email was for the HD because that machine is in use and connects regularly. I'm going to plug in the S2's and maybe TiVo will have this promotion again. I would consider doing this on my SD S2 units, but not the HD, since it still works fine and is HD.

Quick question though, looking at the current models, it looks like the Bolt is the latest incarnation of TiVo. Can the hard drives be upgraded, like the S2's and the TiVoHD. I believe I upgraded the internal hard drive in 2 of the 3 units, a long long time ago. So I was just wondering if that is still available to customers, or if TiVo somehow stopped that practice.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

jjberger2134 said:


> Can the hard drives be upgraded, like the S2's and the TiVoHD.


Yep.


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## AntiPC (Jul 22, 2005)

jjberger2134 said:


> Quick question though, looking at the current models, it looks like the Bolt is the latest incarnation of TiVo. Can the hard drives be upgraded, like the S2's and the TiVoHD. I believe I upgraded the internal hard drive in 2 of the 3 units, a long long time ago. So I was just wondering if that is still available to customers, or if TiVo somehow stopped that practice.


Bolts and Roamios are easier to upgrade: The tivo can format up to 3TB drives and you're off and running. Roamios use 3.5" drives and Bolts use 2.5".


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## doopstr (Nov 13, 2004)

doopstr said:


> I'm pretty annoyed that my TSN isn't working. It's a valid TSN for a TivoHD that has been running for about 10 years. I called customer support yesterday and all they said was "yeah we see it's not working, will call you back." I'm going to be upset if I can't take advantage of this upgrade.


Called customer service and after speaking to a supervisor got this worked out. I went with a Bolt 500GB. Unfortunately the Minis are now out of stock.


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## jjberger2134 (Nov 20, 2002)

AntiPC said:


> Bolts and Roamios are easier to upgrade: The tivo can format up to 3TB drives and you're off and running. Roamios use 3.5" drives and Bolts use 2.5".


Thanks. Has the process gotten easier over the years, or do I still need to secure an image and use specialty software to format the upgrade drive?


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## opus123 (Feb 14, 2005)

jjberger2134 said:


> Thanks. Has the process gotten easier over the years, or do I still need to secure an image and use specialty software to format the upgrade drive?


No imaging or software needed. Just drop in a blank compatible drive and the Tivo formats the HD as needed. If you're a cable user, you'll need to call your provider to re-pair the cablecars to get the premium channels. The only issues you'll find are buying a hard drive with a proven track record (do a search in these forums, certain drive type cause Tivo errors down the road). Seems like Toshiba makes the only drive that works in the Bolt. The Bolt is also difficult to open up if you haven't done it before. There's a youtube video that walks you through it step by step. Good luck.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

opus123 said:


> No imaging or software needed. Just drop in a blank compatible drive and the Tivo formats the HD as needed. If you're a cable user, you'll need to call your provider to re-pair the cablecars to get the premium channels. The only issues you'll find are buying a hard drive with a proven track record (do a search in these forums, certain drive type cause Tivo errors down the road). Seems like Toshiba makes the only drive that works in the Bolt. The Bolt is also difficult to open up if you haven't done it before. There's a youtube video that walks you through it step by step. Good luck.


No extra work needed for up to 3TB drives. Over 3TB, you put in the new drive, let the TiVo box start its set-up process, and at one point, remove the drive and connect it to a PC to reformat the drive using freeware MFS Reformatter (available here)--then put the drive back in the box and let the box complete its work.


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## PatEllis15 (Mar 3, 2010)

Gah!

6 hours after my haggling, Tivo sends me an invitation to transfer my lifetime for the $99! The code they provided doesn't work on the website, but it looks like others have been able to call..... I'll try tomorrow, and if successful, I'll return the first one, and keep the savings!

Pat E


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## Ereth (Jun 16, 2000)

Ereth said:


> Bummer. I have a Series 3 that's got fried tuners, so it's not been connected since about 2011. When this leaked I hooked it up last night, but clearly that's after 6/22. Oh well.


Huh. I just now (10 pm EST Saturday night) got an email from TiVo saying that this Series 3 qualifies (it lists its TSN specifically). Naturally, though, when I try to put the TSN in as a promo code it tells me it's invalid and to call, but they are closed. Guess I'll try tomorrow on the off chance it works.

Both the OTA tuner and the Cable tuner are totally fried in this unit, and at one point TiVo said they'd fix it for $149, but I didn't have the cash and simply never got around to it. IF I can instead transfer to a working Bolt, that's a huge deal for me. I hope it works out.


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## innocentfreak (Aug 25, 2001)

Same my email just came in and tsn doesn't work.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

Ereth said:


> Huh. I just now (10 pm EST Saturday night) got an email from TiVo saying that this Series 3 qualifies (it lists its TSN specifically). Naturally, though, when I try to put the TSN in as a promo code it tells me it's invalid


The promo ends Friday, so no wonder you were having trouble trying to enter the code on Saturday night.


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## Gold51 (Apr 20, 2017)

My series 2 qualifies, I got the promotional email, but like so many others the service number shows invalid when I try online ordering. I have had 2 service reps on Wednesday promise me they would call back and complete my order- the Tivo apology email says don't do anything, they will call me within 24hrs, now about 40 hrs ago. I took a picture of my screen to show I have shows recorded in May and in June before the cutoff date. I will try to call one more time today. Tivo is really making me not like them.
My refurb $99 Mini is hooked up now. It's a new old stock Mini for Atlantic wireless, according to the logo on the custom remote. It didn't work at first- dead batteries dated 2014. That is how I figured out its a NOS item.


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## Ereth (Jun 16, 2000)

krkaufman said:


> The promo ends Friday, so no wonder you were having trouble trying to enter the code on Saturday night.


According to the email I received "*Offer ends JUNE 30th or while supplies last."
*
Oh. Today is Friday. Ok. I meant last night. I obviously was not in the future. ooops! Sorry!


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## lpwcomp (May 6, 2002)

Once again as expected, the package showed up.

On hold waiting for CSR.


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## Ereth (Jun 16, 2000)

Ouch. Waited on hold for an hour to be told they're having problems putting in any TSNs for any customers and to try back later when hopefully they get it fixed. I complained that I wouldn't be able to get through and he put me on hold and came back and offered to call me back and reserve my spot so it'd be possible even if the sale is over. Supposed to hear back "within 24 hours".


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## Gold51 (Apr 20, 2017)

Ereth said:


> Supposed to hear back "within 24 hours".


, Well, I was told that twice- no call at all, yet.
It was told to me by expats, during a trip to the PI in 1998, that Filipinos are liable to tell you anything,which is not exactly true, to avoid conflicts and to put off dealing with problems, for as long as they can.


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## lpwcomp (May 6, 2002)

Something came up so had to give up after 25m. Have now been on hold the second time for >35minutes.

Question for those who have returned one: Is the return label inside the box? It sure as heck isn't on the outside. I have no printer if they want me to create one.


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## brentsg (Sep 19, 2004)

Ereth said:


> Ouch. Waited on hold for an hour to be told they're having problems putting in any TSNs for any customers and to try back later when hopefully they get it fixed. I complained that I wouldn't be able to get through and he put me on hold and came back and offered to call me back and reserve my spot so it'd be possible even if the sale is over. Supposed to hear back "within 24 hours".


Feel free to be skeptical. I was told they'd transfer my old license and give me a total of $200+ refund from the Summer Sale order I'd placed, as I was going to ship that stuff back otherwise. They said the credit would be done ASAP and I'd receive e-mail correspondence confirming everything. Essentially this was to switch from Summer Sale pricing to $99 transfer to same Bolt+ box. That was 2 days ago.

Then at one point I called to inquire about this and had a rep tell me the refund credit wouldn't be applied until after my 30 day period. F that, just give me the return label. I'm not that stupid. Their CS has really gone to hell, so sad. It undermines my confidence in them as a company, and it's really making me think I should cut and run while I can.

It was seriously stupid of them do do the Summer Sale first, then overlap with this $99 transfer offer. First off, they probably pissed off a lot of people who bought Summer discounted items but would have been better off with the transfer. Overlapping things just lets people return and re-order. Second, they don't have the customer service might to handle all of this at once, clearly..


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## tomhorsley (Jul 22, 2010)

Why does my imagination see management declaring: "We have to get rid of this inventory before the end of the fiscal year!", and also declaring: "Everyone has to use all of their vacation time before the end of the fiscal year!". The perfect storm .


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## lpwcomp (May 6, 2002)

Finally connected, gave the CSR the case #, He said "this about a change of shipping address". When I corrected him, he said that the previous CSR(s) had done the wrong thing. I lost what little patience I had and accused him of lying. He said that they would email a return label and i could take the email to FedEx and they would process it. Why should I believe that? Now on hold for a supervisor.


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## jlb (Dec 13, 2001)

I kind of want to take advantage of this offer this time but my TiVoHD is working fine. And we are mid-move and don't get to our temp apt until Sunday. With all the chaos and costs of moving and all I will prob hold off. Worst worst worst case scenario if my TiVo died and they won't transfer then is to get the Comcast dvr for $20/m 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## lpwcomp (May 6, 2002)

You really think that the India or wherever call center workers actually get vacation time?


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## lpwcomp (May 6, 2002)

Had to give up again. Need to get some things done.


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## scandia101 (Oct 20, 2007)

Mikeguy said:


> Well, how was I to know that, and that you had tried doing it online (really, my suggestion)?


Well, I did say that I had called *again. *That would mean that I had tried at least twice and you responded as if I had never tried at all.


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## scandia101 (Oct 20, 2007)

tomhorsley said:


> Why does my imagination see management declaring: "We have to get rid of this inventory before the end of the fiscal year!", and also declaring: "Everyone has to use all of their vacation time before the end of the fiscal year!". The perfect storm .


 If that were the case, all of these refurbed units would have already been available online at the tivo outlet but all they ever have there are the N adapters.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

scandia101 said:


> Well, I did say that I had called *again. *That would mean that I had tried at least twice and you responded as if I had never tried at all.


Sorry for my not having intuited all of your efforts and my trying to make a helpful suggestion.


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## Millionaire2K (Jun 16, 2008)

lpwcomp said:


> Something came up so had to give up after 25m. Have now been on hold the second time for >35minutes.
> 
> Question for those who have returned one: Is the return label inside the box? It sure as heck isn't on the outside. I have no printer if they want me to create one.


The return label is a FedEx link that you can either print or have printed at FedEx.


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## lpwcomp (May 6, 2002)

Will third time (today) be the charm? been on hold this time for >35+minutes.

Edit: Connected. I proposed that they credit me with the difference in price and I keep the box. CSR is working on it.

Edit2: Unbelievable. CSR initially wanted me to wait 30 days and check to see if the refund had been approved. In other, wait until I could no longer return it and trust them to do the right thing.

On hold again for an extended period and when CSR came back, she reiterated that I would have to wait until the return period had expired to get the refund. So I am just going to return it since there is no way I can trust them.

While it is not a Point Of Sale system, it certainly is a POS!


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## Millionaire2K (Jun 16, 2008)

lpwcomp said:


> Will third time (today) be the charm? been on hold this time for >35+minutes.
> 
> Edit: Connected. I proposed that they credit me with the difference in price and I keep the box. CSR is working on it.
> 
> ...


I say keep the box and call the credit card and tell them you were overcharged. Do you have anything that shows the correct price of the order vs the price you were charged?

I hope this horror show ends for you soon.


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## brentsg (Sep 19, 2004)

lpwcomp said:


> Will third time (today) be the charm? been on hold this time for >35+minutes.
> 
> Edit: Connected. I proposed that they credit me with the difference in price and I keep the box. CSR is working on it.
> 
> ...


I'm on hold for probably the 6th time this week for the same reason. I have a case number and a $220 refund approved, but not in hand. The last rep told me I'd have to wait 30 days as well and I'm no the same page. I'll just send it all back. The rep got that got the initial approval kept me on hold 1.5 hours trying to get it done on the spot but failed.

To be clear, this is just my second call about the refund. All the others have been about other things. I'm way out of patience.

Edit: I also see my second ~$1100 charge is still on my card as well, as pending. Thought that would drop by now since it's 5 days.


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## lpwcomp (May 6, 2002)

Millionaire2K said:


> I say keep the box and call the credit card and tell them you were overcharged. Do you have anything that shows the correct price of the order vs the price you were charged?
> 
> I hope this horror show ends for you soon.


No documentation, and am unwilling to take the risk. Got the return label email, forwarded it to my phone and will be taking it and the unopened box to FedEX tomorrow.

Was thinking that if I had agreed, when the 30 days was up I would have been given the contact information for a Nigerian prince from whom I needed to request the refund.


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## DancnDude (Feb 7, 2001)

I got an email last night saying my S3 box was eligible for the promo, but in the fine print I know it was connected after the cutoff. After 45 minutes on hold, the guy just looked it up and said it wasn't eligible. No negotiation or anything, just that he couldn't help me. He didn't even try to get me to buy with the Summer Meltdown sale pricing. Had he offered to split the difference in price between the two, I would have signed up right away. Oh well, I'm not sure what I'm going to do at this point.


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## brentsg (Sep 19, 2004)

DancnDude said:


> I got an email last night saying my S3 box was eligible for the promo, but in the fine print I know it was connected after the cutoff. After 45 minutes on hold, the guy just looked it up and said it wasn't eligible. No negotiation or anything, just that he couldn't help me. He didn't even try to get me to buy with the Summer Meltdown sale pricing. Had he offered to split the difference in price between the two, I would have signed up right away. Oh well, I'm not sure what I'm going to do at this point.


Another rep would hook you up since you got the e-mail, sure of it. But is it worth the effort?


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## lpwcomp (May 6, 2002)

brentsg said:


> Another rep would hook you up since you got the e-mail, sure of it. But is it worth the effort?


Doubt it. Unlike in years past, the current CRSs have zero authority.


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## brentsg (Sep 19, 2004)

lpwcomp said:


> No documentation, and am unwilling to take the risk. Got the return label email, forwarded it to my phone and will be taking it and the unopened box to FedEX tomorrow.
> 
> Was thinking that if I had agreed, when the 30 days was up I would have been given the contact information for a Nigerian prince from whom I needed to request the refund.


On hold 40 mins before I got a person.

First thing she tells me after reading the whole case is that I am not eligible for their 30 day return period because I took advantage of "price matching. She says I just need to wait until 30 days have passed before I can get my $220 credit.

Nope. I don't believe a thing they say, so I press and she relents and says it is possible but that I should plan to be on hold for "HOURS".

I'm now on hold waiting for my RMA and return label. I'm half tempted to just mail it back and dispute through the credit card company, but I fear they'd retaliate and shut down my 2 year old lifetime OTA box.


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## Gold51 (Apr 20, 2017)

[QUOTE="lpwcomp, post: 11249263, member: 22613"
---Was thinking that if I had agreed, when the 30 days was up I would have been given the contact information for a Nigerian prince from whom I needed to request the refund.[/QUOTE]
 That's a good one!
I just got off the phone with Tivo 47 minutes - 30+ min on hold.
The rep looked at my acct and told me the Bolt 1T is sold out, which is what I knew would happen on Wednesday when my order choked on their "technical issues", which "have now been resolved", the CSR guy informed me. I went with the 500gb Bolt and my wife agreed we should add the 3yr warranty, so it was a total of $301.xx.
*I am like the man at the all you can eat smorgasbord with prime rib and crab legs*- I'm totally full of Tivo, and won't be buying anything more for a long time!
I spent $210 on 2 Premiers in April- then due to tuner issues on the $30 box, the lifetime Premiere was converted by the CSR to a Lifetime Roamio for $80, then that Premiere that was on Lifetime, was switched to my $6.95/mo box ( the bad one), which I just sold last week for $100 more than I paid for it- (value went up when it became a $6.95 mo box), Last week I bought a Refurb Mini for $99 on Summer sale
(actually a new old stock Mini) and today I transferred my Series 2 for a Bolt refurb for $301* = $589 total, out of pocket*, 1 Bolt 500gb, 1 Roamio 500 gb and one Mini, all with PLS- and I still have my bad Premiere with a good 500gb HD- Tivo told me to recycle it and forget the RMA #. I have Tivo for 3 rooms and it only took a whole days' worth of calls to Tivo in the last 2 months to get these transfers, product upgrades, bad box fixed and now the $99 PLS transfer to a Bolt. I am glad I am retired and have to time to sit on hold!
I only just put my Series 2 back in service in April when I saw their last $99 transfer deal- I didn't expect them to do it again so soon.


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## brentsg (Sep 19, 2004)

Gold51 said:


> *I am like the man at the all you can eat smorgasbord with prime rib and crab legs*- I'm totally full of Tivo, and won't be buying anything more for a long time!


This is me as well. I think I've had all of their products except HD/Premier, as I skipped from 3 to Roamio. I was a beta tester, downright TiVo evangelist. Boy have they fixed that.

Now they've switched their language from "price matched" to ... well we actually were going to transfer the license from an old S3 box to my new Bolt+ and credit me $220. So now they are saying I'll forfeit my S3 license if they process my return. Keeping in mind of course that the price match offer was what.. 2 days ago... and for a credit that I apparently won't see for 30 days? I don't think so.

But honestly I don't even know if I care. I'm not too far removed from taking my TiVo gear out to burn it in the back yard.

On the phone for just over an hour now.


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## Gold51 (Apr 20, 2017)

brentsg said:


> But honestly I don't even know if I care. I'm not too far removed from taking my TiVo gear out to burn it in the back yard.
> 
> On the phone for just over an hour now.


I Have been following your travails ( Latin word: trepalium, meaning "instrument of torture.") with Tivo. MY gawd, they have mistreated you. They flogged you with lousy customer service.


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## sfhub (Jan 6, 2007)

brentsg said:


> for a credit that I apparently won't see for 30 days? I don't think so.


My experience with credits from TiVo is they are unlike credit from other companies that get processed right away. For TiVo, they often create a billing account for one of your units (if you have no units with a billing relationship, they pick one of your lifetime units), then they add a credit to that account for that unit which you can see online right away. Depending on when the batch cycle is for that account, it can be anywhere from a few days to slightly over a month before you see the credit hit your card. Kind of like your bill is generated at the end of the month, when this process goes through and sees you have a credit, it issues a refund, when it sees a (net) charge, it would bill your card.

I don't know why they do the credits this way as they clearly have a process that can do things immediately because they charge you when they ship it, they don't wait a month to charge you.


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## brentsg (Sep 19, 2004)

Gold51 said:


> I Have been following your travails ( Latin word: trepalium, meaning "instrument of torture.") with Tivo. MY gawd, they have mistreated you.


Well the offer to credit me was a good one, and one I would have been glad to take them up on. Really all I needed was an e-mail confirming everything, as I was promised. Then if I didn't get it after 30 days I could take it up with my bank. But nope.


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## brentsg (Sep 19, 2004)

So here's the last kicker I guess. It doesn't matter b/c I'll definitely be sending back my gear... but she said if I fail to return it within 15 days of my service termination (which has already happened), they will charge me MSRP for all of the equipment, even if I originally paid less for it.

Bizarre..

It would make sense if it was a situation where I was making monthly payments that eventually helped to pay off the stuff, but not when it's an all-in situation.



sfhub said:


> My experience with credits from TiVo is they are unlike credit from other companies that get processed right away. For TiVo, they often create a billing account for one of your units (if you have no units with a billing relationship, they pick one of your lifetime units), then they add a credit to that account for that unit which you can see online right away. Depending on when the batch cycle is for that account, it can be anywhere from a few days to slightly over a month before you see the credit hit your card. Kind of like your bill is generated at the end of the month, when this process goes through and sees you have a credit, it issues a refund, when it sees a (net) charge, it would bill your card.
> 
> I don't know why they do the credits this way as they clearly have a process that can do things immediately because they charge you when they ship it, they don't wait a month to charge you.


Thank you for the post. TiVo should explain this to people better. It wouldn't take a whole lot of additional communication to make the process feel safe. I'm not going to starve if I don't get a credit for 30 days, but I simply do not trust them at this point. The TiVo that I trust is no longer.

The first rep should have also communicated the terms of the credit to me. I wouldn't have accepted them without something in writing, and it would have saved everyone a lot of time. It would have also kept me from installing the Bolt+ and setting up my remote. Now they get a used box back.


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## opus123 (Feb 14, 2005)

I feel your pain. I went thru similar situation during the first once-in-a-lifetime, when TiVo mistakenly charged full price for lifetime (rather than $99). I noticed the full charge in email AND posted to my credit card while on the phone placing the order!! They swore up and down that it was showing $99 on their system... and the charge on my card was a temporary authorization that would drop and be replaced with the correct charge in a few days. It never did. I spent 7 hours on the phone over the next few days (mostly on hold) trying to resolve.

Credit card dispute would remedy the charge immediately, but would cancel my lifetime and tie up my 'qualified' unit to a new transfer order. TiVo gave me the option of A. keeping the unit (which was still in transit) and getting a refund after the 30 return period ended, or B. going through the return process and re-ordering a back-order unit. After getting too many conflicting stories from various reps, I lost confidence they would keep their word after 30 days... and opted to return the unit. Luckily all processed in time for me to re-order, but this aggravation is inexcusable.

Don't know why their remedy process is so flawed, or why they continue to offer specials without the capacity to handle the volume of online and telephone orders. These reports of people receiving email with TSN's that don't work online are beyond comprehension.


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## brentsg (Sep 19, 2004)

The worst part is that regardless of all the issues I've had, I like the service that I've had for so many years. I'm sitting here drawing my wife's ire while pondering that $450 Roamio Pro deal. She's of the "you're just stupid now" opinion. But again, all they needed to do was handle the credit smoothly or at least send an e-mail confirmation. I need something better than "it's in our computer" after all the weird BS I've heard from them.

The current plan is to use Playstation VUE or similar instead, but it doesn't quite meet all my checkboxes. Yahoo TV looks promising (but not in my area). DirecTV Now looks promising if they add a DVR.

I suspect that those services will trend up in quality while TiVo will trend down.


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## opus123 (Feb 14, 2005)

I was hoping Amazon would buy TiVo... but no telling how far Amazon wants to get into the TV game. Still hopeful FireTv 3 may include an OTA antenna (guessing late summer/early fall) which could lead to DVR capability. I'm not a fan of cloud DVR, but if anyone has the capacity to pull it off it's Amazon.

I like my Bolt, but TiVo left enough of a bad taste in my mouth, that I'll now be on the lookout for alternatives.


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## alk (Oct 6, 2007)

Like many folks, when I tried to use my S2 TSN to buy the 1TB Bolt on Wednesday, the site claimed that my TSN wasn't a valid promo code. I called in and the CSR elevated my case. He told me that someone would call within 48 hours.

Of course, I never got a call. I tried to use my TSN several times over the last two days, and it never worked. And I watched very disappointed as the 1TB Bolt sold out...

I called TiVo back today, and the CSR saw that I had already called in once. He tried my TSN with the 500GB Bolt and it worked for him. Now I have a 500GB Bolt on the way that cost me about $250. So there's that.

But I am disappointed that TiVo never called me and that I had to spend 40 mins on hold before I got a CSR today. Customer service does not seem to be a strength for TiVo.


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## Millionaire2K (Jun 16, 2008)

alk said:


> Like many folks, when I tried to use my S2 TSN to buy the 1TB Bolt on Wednesday, the site claimed that my TSN wasn't a valid promo code. I called in and the CSR elevated my case. He told me that someone would call within 48 hours.
> 
> Of course, I never got a call. I tried to use my TSN several times over the last two days, and it never worked. And I watched very disappointed as the 1TB Bolt sold out...
> 
> ...


Did you try to test buy with your TSN another box b4 calling? I wonder if your error was related to the 1tb just not being in-stock and the dumb website didn't reflect this.


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## AntiPC (Jul 22, 2005)

I called on 6/28 because the TSN didn't work online. The CSR "took my order", but I never got an email, and there's no order online. There is a support ticket open, so I guess I'll call back on Monday and see if they'll honor the pricing. I'm actually having a bit of buyer's remorse at choosing the 1 TB Bolt over the 500 GB model so hopefully I can downgrade and get the promo.


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## Gold51 (Apr 20, 2017)

No call back either, even though the email said they would call back. Got my order done through CSR on Friday afternoon. My 500gb Bolt came to $288 with the 3 yr warranty. The CSR could still see my hung order for the 1T Bolt, which was sold out. I am probably better off with the 500gb Bolt AND a warranty, than the 1T I originally tried to order w/no warranty. If that refurb crapped out later and I was left with a busted box, my wife would remind me how I should have gotten a warranty.


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## brentsg (Sep 19, 2004)

I would totally have bitten on a transfer for the 500 Bolt with no regrets. Even if I didn't use it, would be good insurance in case I'm not ok with cloud DVR when NHL starts back up. That's my biggest concern, since I watch most things time delayed, but while they are still airing. Otherwise I don't mind just buying some TV seasons to stream.

Gonna keep the old S3 hooked up and TRY to watch this space.


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## Gold51 (Apr 20, 2017)

brentsg said:


> I would totally have bitten on a transfer for the 500 Bolt with no regrets. Even if I didn't use it, would be good insurance in case I'm not ok with cloud DVR when NHL starts back up. That's my biggest concern, since I watch most things time delayed, but while they are still airing. Otherwise I don't mind just buying some TV seasons to stream.
> 
> Gonna keep the old S3 hooked up and TRY to watch this space.


 FYI, my new 55" 2017 TCL Roku 4K TV has 90 minutes of live TV program recording built in. 
It's an 55s403 model from Costco for $419- use their branded credit card and get 2x longer warranty. It also has HDR, which makes you wish all 4K and HD shows had that feature.
Roku TV sets can now pause live TV


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## DoubleFastForward (Nov 29, 2016)

AntiPC said:


> I called on 6/28 because the TSN didn't work online. The CSR "took my order", but I never got an email, and there's no order online. There is a support ticket open, so I guess I'll call back on Monday and see if they'll honor the pricing. I'm actually having a bit of buyer's remorse at choosing the 1 TB Bolt over the 500 GB model so hopefully I can downgrade and get the promo.


I too had the invalid TSN problem on my old S2. I fired it up and had it connect in May after my S2 didn't qualify for the first sale -- saved two photos just in case. It took two days to get two different CSRs to override the TSN and manually place my order. And of course the Bolt 1TB sold out quickly. I now wish I had ordered using the TSN of one of my S3HD units, which was accepted, and then gotten them to change the TSN to be deactivated.

@anti-PC: if you end up getting your 1TB order through, maybe we can swap.


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## dmk1974 (Mar 7, 2002)

TiVo reps really pissed me off. I had to call yesterday (waiting 35 min on hold) and they said the system was so busy, she took my order for the Roamio Pro $399 upgrade deal and said it would be done manually and they would call me back for my CC info. Did they call me? No!

I called today and after wasting another 40 minutes, today's rep tells me that the offer is no longer active and they have no more Roamio Pros or Bolt+ units. I told them I KNOW the offer is no longer active TODAY, but that is why I have a case number (which I provided) stating the order would be honored. Dumb rep kept repeating that the deal is no longer available today. WTF TiVo?!?!?!


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

dmk1974 said:


> TiVo reps really pissed me off. I had to call yesterday (waiting 35 min on hold) and they said the system was so busy, she took my order for the Roamio Pro $399 upgrade deal and said it would be done manually and they would call me back for my CC info. Did they call me? No!
> 
> I called today and after wasting another 40 minutes, today's rep tells me that the offer is no longer active and they have no more Roamio Pros or Bolt+ units. I told them I KNOW the offer is no longer active TODAY, but that is why I have a case number (which I provided) stating the order would be honored. Dumb rep kept repeating that the deal is no longer available today. WTF TiVo?!?!?!


Yep, bad rep. Having said that, are you now set, hopefully, in getting the deal?


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## dmk1974 (Mar 7, 2002)

Nope, not yet at least. I did an online chat this time and the rep on there gave me another case number and said I should get a call sometime in the next few days. Apparently they are still having "system issues". We'll see...such a pain in the rear this is!


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## brentsg (Sep 19, 2004)

Gold51 said:


> FYI, my new 55" 2017 TCL Roku 4K TV has 90 minutes of live TV program recording built in.
> It's an 55s403 model from Costco for $419- use their branded credit card and get 2x longer warranty. It also has HDR, which makes you wish all 4K and HD shows had that feature.
> Roku TV sets can now pause live TV


Don't need a display, or have room for another, but I think it's neat they are doing that. It would be handy in a lot of situations.



dmk1974 said:


> TiVo reps really pissed me off. I had to call yesterday (waiting 35 min on hold) and they said the system was so busy, she took my order for the Roamio Pro $399 upgrade deal and said it would be done manually and they would call me back for my CC info. Did they call me? No!
> 
> I called today and after wasting another 40 minutes, today's rep tells me that the offer is no longer active and they have no more Roamio Pros or Bolt+ units. I told them I KNOW the offer is no longer active TODAY, but that is why I have a case number (which I provided) stating the order would be honored. Dumb rep kept repeating that the deal is no longer available today. WTF TiVo?!?!?!


Not to beat a dead horse, but that's the bad blood that got me started with TiVo this past week. Ordering experience Sunday for a 48 hour sale where the site repeatedly failed, but put a pending charge on the CC each time. Monday they wouldn't make it right.. never did make it right, actually. In fact they denied having any site issues.


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## jlb (Dec 13, 2001)

On one hand, I'm glad I did not jump to swap my working s3 TiVoHD..... working fine and no headaches with CSRs


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

dmk1974 said:


> Nope, not yet at least. I did an online chat this time and the rep on there gave me another case number and said I should get a call sometime in the next few days. Apparently they are still having "system issues". We'll see...such a pain in the rear this is!


If it's any consolation, there are likely so many new/renewed units hitting the streets that eBay availability will be favorable _(edit: for the buyer, for the near-term)._


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## Ereth (Jun 16, 2000)

Believe it or not, TiVo actually called me to offer me the promo price I couldn't get during the sale. Didn't even question the TSN not having dialed in during the appropriate time and my new Bolt should be here in 4-6 business days.

I honestly did not expect to hear from them, but my phone rang this afternoon and they had my address and my TSN so it was clearly TiVo.


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## DancnDude (Feb 7, 2001)

Congrats Ereth! I wish I had been as successful. When I called, they guy wouldn't budge. I guess I could have played CS roulette but I did not want to waste my time with a 40 minute wait time just to be told I wasn't eligible again.


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## Ereth (Jun 16, 2000)

I didn't even call. They called me. I would not have expected it at all. She told me they were trying to get to everybody, and I had opened a case when I called in on Saturday, so maybe that's why. Did you get a case opened?


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## DancnDude (Feb 7, 2001)

Ereth said:


> I didn't even call. They called me. I would not have expected it at all. She told me they were trying to get to everybody, and I had opened a case when I called in on Saturday, so maybe that's why. Did you get a case opened?


No. He just kept saying that my box did not qualify and there was nothing he could do for me. I asked why I got the email with the serial number on it, and he said they just sent the "last chance" email to all Series 3 owners whether or not they qualified in the time period.


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## DVR_Dave (Apr 19, 2017)

DancnDude said:


> I asked why I got the email with the serial number on it, and he said they just sent the "last chance" email to all Series 3 owners whether or not they qualified in the time period.


I have 2 qualifying S3HD; I did NOT get the email.

I did get an email for the original Once in a Lifetime upgrade. Two of my four old boxes still have not been deactivated.


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## DancnDude (Feb 7, 2001)

DVR_Dave said:


> I have 2 qualifying S3HD; I did NOT get the email.
> 
> I did get an email for the original Once in a Lifetime upgrade. Two of my four old boxes still have not been deactivated.


I did not get the first email. Then I hooked up my S3 that was in a box and hooked it up, then later in the week I got an email 2 days before the offer expired, listing my serial number. But when I called, they told me I really didn't qualify because it hadn't called in during the promotion period.


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## Ereth (Jun 16, 2000)

So, I'm curious. I have one of those old TiVo branded WD external eSATA drives, I don't even remember how big it is, but is there value to using it over just any eSATA drive?


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## Ereth (Jun 16, 2000)

DancnDude said:


> I did not get the first email. Then I hooked up my S3 that was in a box and hooked it up, then later in the week I got an email 2 days before the offer expired, listing my serial number. But when I called, they told me I really didn't qualify because it hadn't called in during the promotion period.


That's exactly the situation I'm in. But when I called to talk to them they were having computer problems and they just wanted me to keep calling back every hour, and I wasn't going to do that, so the guy opened a ticket, which is why I got the call back. I'm guessing that I got lucky in that case, because they couldn't verify my TSN while the computer problems were ongoing.


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## Gold51 (Apr 20, 2017)

I'm glad to hear of the success stories on getting their old box lifetimes transferred. My Bolt 500 gb should arrive on Friday and tomorrow I am mailing back my week-old $99 refurb Mini. Like I told Tivo- I have 2 TVs and with one connected to a Roamio and now a Bolt for mine, I have no need for the Mini right now.
The wife and I were visiting retired neighbors down the street who have a new Roku and just cut the cord to cable TV. I was explaining how our Tivos work for OTA and I gave up. They just didn't get it. They are 5 years older than me and not technical. Their old rabbit ears only pick up 1/2 of the local stations, so I am giving them my extra double bow tie antenna and hanging it in the attic and running the coax for them, all because they give our Silky Terrier lots of treats.


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## LynnL999 (Oct 7, 2002)

Got my 1TB Bolt. Swapped out the cable card and TA from my HD. Easiest setup I've been through since cable cards started. Knock wood everything continues to go well! Will be putting my Premiere XL with lifetime up for sale soon.


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## jlb (Dec 13, 2001)

LynnL999 said:


> Got my 1TB Bolt. Swapped out the cable card and TA from my HD. Easiest setup I've been through since cable cards started. Knock wood everything continues to go well! Will be putting my Premiere XL with lifetime up for sale soon.


I'm surprised the CC didn't need to be re-paired.....

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## LynnL999 (Oct 7, 2002)

It did need to be re-paired, but it was a 5 minute phone call. Everything worked, including premiums, the first time.


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## gweempose (Mar 23, 2003)

Ereth said:


> So, I'm curious. I have one of those old TiVo branded WD external eSATA drives, I don't even remember how big it is, but is there value to using it over just any eSATA drive?


Now that it's so easy to upgrade the internal storage, I see no compelling reason to use an external drive. That being said, I'm pretty sure the WD DVR Expander is the only external drive that is officially supported by the Bolt. You just plug it in and it should work. The use of any other external drive will require a hack. IIRC, the only model that allowed you to conveniently use your own eSATA drive in an enclosure was the original S3.


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

Ereth said:


> So, I'm curious. I have one of those old TiVo branded WD external eSATA drives, I don't even remember how big it is, but is there value to using it over just any eSATA drive?


There were two different models. I had the 1TB with both eSATA and USB. It took six months for it to fail, but I didn't lose a lot. Then I got a basic Roamio, so I pulled the drive (WD10EURX) and put it into the Roamio. Things were good for about a year, then I started getting macro blocking on different shows. I bought a new WD10EURX and installed it. It's still there, running a heavy load, and my MBT dropped 3C.

As for your choice, there really isn't one. Use the TiVo/WD drive (and for a Bolt fix the cable) or buy a better internal drive. There is a whole thread on that in the Bolt forum.


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## Ereth (Jun 16, 2000)

What do you mean by "Fix the cable"?


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

Ereth said:


> What do you mean by "Fix the cable"?


The original cable connector isn't quite a perfect fit. Some have filed some plastic off to make it fit. Some have called TiVo and received a new cable for free.

Example: Older WD external hard drive with bolt


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## dmk1974 (Mar 7, 2002)

Well, to my surprise I actually received a voice-mail from TiVo today following up on my attempted order from 6/30. I was at work, but then called back an hour later and after about 16 minutes total on the phone, they placed the order for me. Likely won't receive it until end of next week though, but as long as its the right box (Roamio Pro refurb...though the order says TiVo Series 5 Argon XL) I'll be satisfied.


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## lpwcomp (May 6, 2002)

I hope I haven't screwed myself. I took the package and the return email to FedEx, had them print out the label and sent it back. I didn't put the RMA # on the box and didn't put a copy of the email in the box as I had no way to print it out and never opened the box.


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## Millionaire2K (Jun 16, 2008)

lpwcomp said:


> I hope I haven't screwed myself. I took the package and the return email to FedEx, had them print out the label and sent it back. I didn't put the RMA # on the box and didn't put a copy of the email in the box as I had no way to print it out and never opened the box.


I think the rma written on the box is incase the fedex label falls off. The fedex label does have the RMA number on it. Also if the original paperwork is still in the box, you should be ok.

Then again you could get a BS Tivo worker handling the return and they may try to screw you. If that happens it's time to call your CC company to contest the charge.

GL sir.


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## opus123 (Feb 14, 2005)

what M2K said. writing on the box is a redundancy that shouldn't be needed in almost every case, so you should be fine. for my return i did write the info on the shipping box b/c my faith in TiVo was seriously diminished by the CS i received on the lengthy phone calls, but in hindsight it's highly unlikely it's needed.


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## jcrandall (Feb 9, 2017)

Finally was able to order on this promo after trying around the last couple days of the promo eight or nine days ago. I had 3-4 calls that just resulted in "they would call me back" after reviewing the case number. Finally today someone that answered was able to assist and placed the order. Easy once I got someone that was empowered. The outsourced service center really isn't doing them any favors customer service wise.

Ordered Bolt Plus with transferred lifetime and 3 year warranty for $639.


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## Gold51 (Apr 20, 2017)

My 500gb Bolt arrived this afternoon and it's running fine-and with a quiet cooling fan.
It has a 3-17-17 mfg date and looks new to me. Perhaps it was a quickie RMA return. I felt a twinge of sadness, as I disconnected my old 2004 Series 2- she was as steady as my old 54 Chevy.


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## AntiPC (Jul 22, 2005)

My 500GB Bolt is being delivered today. After the last lifetime transfer promo, I dug up cords and USB NIC and got an old 40 gig series 2 connecting so that it'd be eligible; it wasn't connected to a video source for recording.

After I get the Bolt running, I'm going to upgrade the HD to 3TB. It will make a nice addition to the cord cut, OTA Roamio+minis setup we have in the 2nd house. We already have cable for internet and a 4K TV, so it's a logical upgrade.

The Filipina CSRs were understandable and competent, but I would have appreciated a confirmation email after my first call. Something like "Due to the overwhelming response to our 2nd Chance Transfer Sale, we'll be calling you back to finalize the order. The promotional transfer pricing will be honored, and the 6/30 activation requirement for the Summer Meltdown Sale will be waived." It would have saved them having to field a call back from me.


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## doopstr (Nov 13, 2004)

I got my Bolt and Mini setup. I have to say that I was extremely pleased with how easy it was to get the Cablecard moved to the Bolt via Fios. I called 1-888-897-7499, followed the prompts and about 15 minutes after I hung up I could get HBO on the Bolt. I remember when I tried setting up the Cablecard on my HD 9 years ago it was a complete mess. What a relief.

So far I'm really happy with the Bolt/Mini, returning a FIOS STB today.


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## lpwcomp (May 6, 2002)

Received confirmation that "returned device was received by TiVo on 07/07/2017'. It was actually delivered on 7/06 at 1203PM. And of course, I have to "allow approximately 7-10 business days" for the refund.


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## Ereth (Jun 16, 2000)

Gold51 said:


> My 500gb Bolt arrived this afternoon and it's running fine-and with a quiet cooling fan.
> It has a 3-17-17 mfg date and looks new to me. Perhaps it was a quickie RMA return. I felt a twinge of sadness, as I disconnected my old 2004 Series 2- she was as steady as my old 54 Chevy.


That's almost exactly the way mine arrived. Looks perfect, has that same manufacturing date. I have it up and running and it's terrific so far. (At the moment I don't have a cable to connect it to my antenna but that'll be fixed shortly). I have to say I'm rather pleased with it. The Netflix/Amazon/Vudu integration seems rather nice from the few minutes I spent playing with it. Alas, Vudu doesn't support UHD on the TiVo but both Netflix and Amazon appear to, so that was a pleasant surprise.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

Ereth said:


> That's almost exactly the way mine arrived. Looks perfect, has that same manufacturing date. I have it up and running and it's terrific so far. (At the moment I don't have a cable to connect it to my antenna but that'll be fixed shortly). I have to say I'm rather pleased with it. The Netflix/Amazon/Vudu integration seems rather nice from the few minutes I spent playing with it. Alas, Vudu doesn't support UHD on the TiVo but both Netflix and Amazon appear to, so that was a pleasant surprise.


When did the Bolt start supporting 4K Amazon? That has been something we've been waiting for since October 2015.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk


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## dmk1974 (Mar 7, 2002)

Well, just to follow up, I am pleased that my refurb Roamio Pro was delivered today and after transferring the shows, OnePass list via the online interface and a 10 min call to Comcast, I'm up and running!


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## Ereth (Jun 16, 2000)

aaronwt said:


> When did the Bolt start supporting 4K Amazon? That has been something we've been waiting for since October 2015.
> 
> Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk


Looks like you are right. I saw the UHD labels on the shows, which Amazon generally hides on non-UHD players, so assumed. Played one and it came down at 1080p instead, so I was mistaken. Sorry.


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## b_scott (Nov 27, 2006)

well looks like I missed this. oh well.


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## lpwcomp (May 6, 2002)

Amazingly, the credit actually showed up.


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## rbstuartjr (Nov 28, 2007)

Just to let you guys know, I ordered a new Bolt 1tb box and used my Tivo HD TSN as a promo code and it gave me the $99 all in price. I just did this 10 minutes so if anyone is interested, it still works. So my my total was $421 for Bolt 1tb box and All in Service.


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## DVR_Dave (Apr 19, 2017)

DVR_Dave said:


> It's interesting to note that they set a specific date (July 31, 2017) for deactivation of old boxes for this round.


Today's the day (July 31) ... did anyone's box get deactivated today?

FYI - I bought two Bolt 500GBs in April (shipped in May). All four of my S2 and S3 boxes are still active.


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## sfhub (Jan 6, 2007)

DVR_Dave said:


> Today's the day (July 31) ... did anyone's box get deactivated today?
> 
> FYI - I bought two Bolt 500GBs in April (shipped in May). All four of my S2 and S3 boxes are still active.


Nope, but out of the blue I got someone else's TiVo Bolt 1000GB added to my account


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## timckelley (Oct 15, 2002)

sfhub said:


> Nope, but out of the blue I got someone else's TiVo Bolt 1000GB added to my account


Does this mean you have the power to log on and delete everything from their "My Shows" if you wanted to?


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## sfhub (Jan 6, 2007)

timckelley said:


> Does this mean you have the power to log on and delete everything from their "My Shows" if you wanted to?


I can select the unit but there are no shows or one passes that currently show up.


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## Worf (Sep 15, 2000)

sfhub said:


> I can select the unit but there are no shows or one passes that currently show up.


Considering it was just added, I suspect it was a machine that was just shipped out. Give it a week and you can probably schedule and control their box...


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## Sparky1234 (May 8, 2006)

All old boxes are still active.


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## dwatt (Jan 11, 2007)

Received this today. Apparently they are running behind.


> Dear Customer ,
> Thank you for participating in our "Second Chance Lifetime" promotion to transfer a Product Lifetime service plan (now known as All-In service plan) to a recently purchased TiVo device!
> To qualify for this offer you selected the TSN promo code, which indicated, which current TiVo DVR you wanted to deactivate and use for the Product Lifetime service transfer to your new device. This older TiVo device was scheduled to be deactivated on July 31st. Unfortunately, we have encountered some delays, and so, your deactivation date has been rescheduled to *August 15, 2017*. We apologize for the inconvenience. You are welcome to take this additional time to transfer any shows that you love.
> If you have any questions, please let us know.
> ...


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## opus123 (Feb 14, 2005)

Appreciate the update. Will be very curious if only 2nd offer bolts deactivate on 8/15. My bolt is from the first offer and TiVo HD is still active (and no email).


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## DVR_Dave (Apr 19, 2017)

Has anyone had their TiVo deactivated today? If yes, from the original (march/april) offer or the 2nd chance offer?


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## 01jmac (Apr 7, 2009)

DVR_Dave said:


> Has anyone had their TiVo deactivated today? If yes, from the original (march/april) offer or the 2nd chance offer?


Mine is scheduled to be deactivated, but I have blocked it from getting internet access for now as there are a couple things I want to record for storage while I still can. I don't know when the service is terminated if I will lose recording ability immediately, or if it will allow recording until the guide runs out.

I am curious to hear from someone as to what actually happens.


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## shwru980r (Jun 22, 2008)

01jmac said:


> Mine is scheduled to be deactivated, but I have blocked it from getting internet access for now as there are a couple things I want to record for storage while I still can. I don't know when the service is terminated if I will lose recording ability immediately, or if it will allow recording until the guide runs out.
> 
> I am curious to hear from someone as to what actually happens.


I think if the Tivo doesn't connect for 30 consecutive days it will cease to function as a DVR irrespective of any deactivation initiated by Tivo. Once the Tivo is connected again it will resume DVR functionality, provided Tivo has not deactivated it.


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## dwatt (Jan 11, 2007)

DVR_Dave said:


> Has anyone had their TiVo deactivated today? If yes, from the original (march/april) offer or the 2nd chance offer?


I ordered 2 bolts on this deal to replace two original S3's with the second chance offer. I only entered one TSN when making the order. Not realizing that I was supposed to enter one for each. The S3 with the TSN I entered is now listed as inactive on tivo. com. The other is still listed as active. Any thoughts on what will happen to the second S3 and/or bolt? Cut off service to bolt? Back charge full price for lifetime? recognize the other S3 on the account and inactivate it?


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## amyf (Sep 24, 2014)

My TiVo HD deactivated today after I let it make a service connection. I used the second chance offer to transfer the lifetime to a Bolt+. I guess they actually started processing the de-activations.


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## shwru980r (Jun 22, 2008)

My S2 is still active. Bolt was activated on July 12.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

amyf said:


> My TiVo HD deactivated today after I let it make a service connection. I used the second chance offer to transfer the lifetime to a Bolt+. I guess they actually started processing the de-activations.


I guess I need to plug my S3 boxes back in and let them connect. I really want to get them off of my list of TiVos. I'll try plugging them in tonight.


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## dwatt (Jan 11, 2007)

Both of mine have been unplugged for quite awhile. The one listed for the transfer went to inactive all the same.


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## BHogden (Sep 29, 2017)

A friend of mine with an older TiVo received an e-mail message offering a lifetime service transfer today. He mentioned it because he knows I'd been wanting to go back to TiVo again, but the lifetime service was a sticking point for me.

I didn't receive the offers, tho I've verified that my e-mail address on record at TiVo is correct and works (they sent me test e-mail).

That led me to these forums, where I found that there have been several such offers. Bummer that I had to go looking in forums to find out about them, tho they are of course all expired at this point. Lifetime Service transfer is the only thing stopping me from buying two Bolt+ and a Mini. Maybe some day there will be another offer and e-mail will be sent? People should have to follow forums to find out.


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## amyf (Sep 24, 2014)

There's nothing that stops you from buying a lifetime Premier on eBay (or wherever) - first verify that it is eligible for the upgrade - and get it registered in your name before the offer is up. Then you can use the upgrade offer.


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## Diana Collins (Aug 21, 2002)

Keep in mind that these PLS transfer deals require that your old Tivo is online and has connected back to them for some period prior to the transfer. So, if they are not plugged in and updating, they won't register as eligible for any transfer deal.


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## gfweiss (Feb 28, 2005)

BHogden said:


> A friend of mine with an older TiVo received an e-mail message offering a lifetime service transfer today. He mentioned it because he knows I'd been wanting to go back to TiVo again, but the lifetime service was a sticking point for me.
> 
> I didn't receive the offers, tho I've verified that my e-mail address on record at TiVo is correct and works (they sent me test e-mail).


You would only get the email if your TiVo is connected for updates. If yours is not connected, you should connect it now and leave it connected. 
Does your friend have a series 2 or 3 box?


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## BHogden (Sep 29, 2017)

gfweiss said:


> You would only get the email if your TiVo is connected for updates. If yours is not connected, you should connect it now and leave it connected.
> Does your friend have a series 2 or 3 box?


He has several, unsure which it was for.

I have two Series2 and two Series3 -- but only the S3 have Lifetime. I've reconnected them after several years of sitting on a shelf, they booted, and are doing their connection/download/load thing. I guess I can leave them powered on in the basement in the hope that one day I can upgrade them. Until then I'll have to stick with DirecTV.

(I'd initially ditched the TiVo after many many years of love, because of the stupid Tuning Adapter and all of its issues. I sure do want my TiVo back...)


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## worachj (Oct 14, 2006)

BHogden said:


> He has several, unsure which it was for.
> 
> I have two Series2 and two Series3 -- but only the S3 have Lifetime. I've reconnected them after several years of sitting on a shelf, they booted, and are doing their connection/download/load thing. I guess I can leave them powered on in the basement in the hope that one day I can upgrade them. Until then I'll have to stick with DirecTV.
> 
> (I'd initially ditched the TiVo after many many years of love, because of the stupid Tuning Adapter and all of its issues. I sure do want my TiVo back...)


Have you tried using the TSN (No spaces or dashes) of a lifetime Premier as the promo code on checkout. Some people who didn't get the Email have gotten it to work for them
TiVo BOLT


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

BHogden said:


> I have two Series2 and two Series3 -- but only the S3 have Lifetime. I've reconnected them after several years of sitting on a shelf, they booted, and are doing their connection/download/load thing.


If the Series 2 units didn't have an active subscription, you'll likely find that you can't reactivate them. (link)



BHogden said:


> (I'd initially ditched the TiVo after many many years of love, because of the stupid Tuning Adapter and all of its issues. I sure do want my TiVo back...)


To be clear, unless you'd be looking to go OTA or you've moved, it's quite possible that your local cable provider still requires a Tuning Adapter paired with a CableCARD-enabled TiVo DVR.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

BHogden said:


> Maybe some day there will be another offer and e-mail will be sent? People should (sic) have to follow forums to find out.





BHogden said:


> I have two Series2 and two Series3 -- but only the S3 have Lifetime. *I've reconnected them after several years of sitting on a shelf*


I don't know the data triggers for a customer being added to TiVo's promo distribution lists, but I expect having an actively connecting device that is within the scope of the promo would be one. So, now that your Series 3 units are connecting, TiVo should be aware of them (rather than assuming they've been recycled), and you will hopefully be included in future mailings -- or at least the units will be eligible for a promo, regardless of whether you're directly notified or not.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

krkaufman said:


> I don't know the data triggers for a customer being added to TiVo's promo distribution lists, but I expect having an actively connecting device that is within the scope of the promo would be one. So, now that your Series 3 units are connecting, TiVo *should* be aware of them (rather than assuming they've been recycled), and you will *hopefully* be included in future mailings -- or at least the units will be eligible for a promo, regardless of whether you're directly notified or not.


And in the meanwhile, I'd keep checking here . . . .


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## Gold51 (Apr 20, 2017)

As of the end of Sept, my Series 2 hasn't been deactivated. I wonder, if in the rush to fix their $99 transfer snafu back in June, they stopped tracking the old box Lifetime transfers- on the assumption the owners would stop using them when they got their new Bolts? I put the old Tivo back in service, when I had to ship our Refurbished Roamio in for replacement repair under warranty. Pleasantly pleased, I was, to find out it was still working.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

Gold51 said:


> As of the end of Sept, my Series 2 hasn't been deactivated. I wonder, if in the rush to fix their $99 transfer snafu back in June, they stopped tracking the old box Lifetime transfers- on the assumption the owners would stop using them when they got their new Bolts? I put the old Tivo back in service, when I had to ship our Refurbished Roamio in for replacement repair under warranty. Pleasantly pleased, I was, to find out it was still working.


Great to know--thanks for the update! And, congrats! 

Am curious: does the S2 show as "active" on your TiVo account, at TiVo.com?


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## Gold51 (Apr 20, 2017)

Yes Mike, the S2 showed active on my Tivo account.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

Gold51 said:


> Yes Mike, the S2 showed active on my Tivo account.


Thanks--will need to check this out.


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## Worf (Sep 15, 2000)

Gold51 said:


> As of the end of Sept, my Series 2 hasn't been deactivated. I wonder, if in the rush to fix their $99 transfer snafu back in June, they stopped tracking the old box Lifetime transfers- on the assumption the owners would stop using them when they got their new Bolts? I put the old Tivo back in service, when I had to ship our Refurbished Roamio in for replacement repair under warranty. Pleasantly pleased, I was, to find out it was still working.


The first lifetime promo, they couldn't really track them. You could order a new Bolt over the phone without the promo code, or use a promo code in the email (one per qualifying TiVo, but they never said which was which). In the end, they would have had to manually go through every order and figure out which TiVos were ordered through the promos and look up the accounts by hand. I guess they figure it was too much work - they tried to offer a webpage to which you could choose which units to deactivate, but even those seemed to be bugged - tivos not showing, etc.

I'm guessing that's why it's still active - the later promos they used the TSN as the promo code which tells them which TiVos need deactivating. And likely the phone in orders are the same. So the people who jumped on the offer the first time around are lucky TiVo screwed up. And it's likely to not change given the recent layoffs and other things.


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## scandia101 (Oct 20, 2007)

Worf said:


> So the people who jumped on the offer the first time around are lucky TiVo screwed up.


*Some of* the people who jumped....
Not all S2 Tivos from the first promotion were that lucky, many were deactivated.


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## Gold51 (Apr 20, 2017)

My order was completed over the phone by the 3rd CSR I had talked to in 3 days, on the last day of the offer, as using the TSN for my box, didn't work for online ordering. I tend to agree, Worf, that unless Tivo spends the money to go through the orders by hand, my S2 will likely never get deactivated.


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