# Best Place to Purchase XL4 & Stream - Best Buy or Tivo??



## zubinh (Jun 7, 2004)

Gents, Need some advice on where would be the best place to upgrade from my Tivo HD to an XL4 and Tivo Stream. I live in NY so I'll pay sales tax either way. But it looks like Best Buy offers a 4 year Geek Squad extended warranty on the XL4 whereas Tivo only offers a 3 year extended warranty. Does anyone have any experience with these warranty providers? (I checked Squaretrade and they are not competitive)

If I get it from Best Buy I assume it's pretty easy to purchase lifetime service from Tivo? Does Tivo ever throw in any incentives or discounts when ordering over the phone?

THANKS!


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

TiVo has a 4 year warranty too, you just have to ask for it. I don't think they offer a warranty on the Stream though so if you were going to do that you'llrobably have to go with BB. As for incentives... yes. I think I read about another poster that got a free slide remote for ordering the combination you want.

Dan


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

Dan203 said:


> TiVo has a 4 year warranty too, you just have to ask for it. I don't think they offer a warranty on the Stream though so if you were going to do that you'llrobably have to go with BB. As for incentives... yes. I think I read about another poster that got a free slide remote for ordering the combination you want.
> 
> Dan


Really? TiVo has a four year warranty? I wish I would have known this when the Premiere was released. No one from TiVo ever mentioned it to me. Although I never asked either. I figured whatever warranties they had would have showed up online.

How much does the TiVo four year warranty cost for a Premiere?


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## celtic pride (Nov 8, 2005)

I wish i had known tha best buy had a 4 year warranty also!I bought both my tivos at best buy but bought the warranty from tivo,I would of prefered to of bought the tivo warranty from best buy that way if it went bad i could just return and exchange it the same day.


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

aaronwt said:


> Really? TiVo has a four year warranty? I wish I would have known this when the Premiere was released. No one from TiVo ever mentioned it to me. Although I never asked either. I figured whatever warranties they had would have showed up online.
> 
> How much does the TiVo four year warranty cost for a Premiere?


No I was wrong. It's only 3 years. I knew they offered two options, I thought they were 3 and 4, but apparently they were 2 and 3. Sorry.

Dan


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

If you get a BB credit card, you can get 4% back.. So that would be an argument for BB.


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## UCLABB (May 29, 2012)

Why not Amazon? Cheaper and no sales tax, at least for the next three days in California.



zubinh said:


> Gents, Need some advice on where would be the best place to upgrade from my Tivo HD to an XL4 and Tivo Stream. I live in NY so I'll pay sales tax either way. But it looks like Best Buy offers a 4 year Geek Squad extended warranty on the XL4 whereas Tivo only offers a 3 year extended warranty. Does anyone have any experience with these warranty providers? (I checked Squaretrade and they are not competitive)
> 
> If I get it from Best Buy I assume it's pretty easy to purchase lifetime service from Tivo? Does Tivo ever throw in any incentives or discounts when ordering over the phone?
> 
> THANKS!


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## sneagle (Jun 12, 2002)

To add to the question...are there still ways to get lifetime for less on a new Premiere if I have lifetime in my TiVo HD?


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## alyssa (Dec 7, 2003)

that would be an excellent question for the tivo folks before you buy. In other words, on occasion i have found tivo cs agents able to deal especially if I'm planing on buying big ticket items.


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## bmgoodman (Dec 20, 2000)

I went with purchasing from BB and their 4 year warranty. It was the same price as buying directly from Tivo with a 3 year warranty. Though I did have to pay sales tax. But because it was a gift, I wanted the recipient to be able to exchange it quickly if necessary, rather than shipping it off somewhere.


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## alyssa (Dec 7, 2003)

to my mind the warranty is not worth it. 90% of the time the problem is the HDD which is easier to fix yourself & save the pairing & show (if caught early)


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## chiguy50 (Nov 9, 2009)

zubinh said:


> Gents, Need some advice on where would be the best place to upgrade from my Tivo HD to an XL4 and Tivo Stream. I live in NY so I'll pay sales tax either way. But it looks like Best Buy offers a 4 year Geek Squad extended warranty on the XL4 whereas Tivo only offers a 3 year extended warranty. Does anyone have any experience with these warranty providers? (I checked Squaretrade and they are not competitive)
> 
> If I get it from Best Buy I assume it's pretty easy to purchase lifetime service from Tivo? Does Tivo ever throw in any incentives or discounts when ordering over the phone?
> 
> THANKS!


If you are looking for the best price on a new unit, any authorized retailer will do. I recommend that you check prices on-line and then call Electronics Expo (888-707-3976) and ask the CSR for their best price; they will often undercut the competition.

Warranties are usually not worth the price at which they are offered by retailers, although there is a case to be made if you are investing in a high-end unit such as the XL4 at around $800 including PLS. Bear in mind that the TiVo warranties are from a third-party (you will be dealing with Service Net Solutions of Florida, LLC. for warranty service, not TiVo) and are one-use only (in other words, the warranty expires after the first time you use it regardless of how much time may be left on the warranty period). I don't have any personal experience with Best Buy's Geek Squad but they don't have a good reputation for service and their warranties are known to be a big profit-maker for Best Buy.

You can get the PLS from TiVo on a Premiere regardless of where you buy the unit.

You can always try to negotiate and your success will vary depending on a number of factors. In the past, I've gotten free accessories and discounted DVR pricing (or a new unit at the price of a refurbished unit).



sneagle said:


> To add to the question...are there still ways to get lifetime for less on a new Premiere if I have lifetime in my TiVo HD?


If you are asking whether the Series3 PLS qualifies your account for multi-service discount on the Series4, the answer is yes.


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## zubinh (Jun 7, 2004)

Thanks so much! Had no idea the Tivo warranty can only be used once and is issued by a third party. Amazon charges NY residents sales tax so no advantage for me to go there. I think given the ease at which I can return the unit to Best Buy with their warranty gives them a step up. I know most issues are hard drive issues but $70 for 4 years worth of coverage where I can just drive 2 miles and get it replaced seems like a good deal. Now I just have to find a good BB coupon.....


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## sneagle (Jun 12, 2002)

chiguy50 said:


> If you are asking whether the Series3 PLS qualifies your account for multi-service discount on the Series4, the answer is yes.


Actually I am wondering if I can get lifetime in on a new Premiere for less than $399.


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## chiguy50 (Nov 9, 2009)

sneagle said:


> Actually I am wondering if I can get lifetime in on a new Premiere for less than $399.


Very unlikely, unless you have a coupon or TiVo accepts responsibility for some glitch in your previous service. The service fees are TiVo's main source of revenue (they reportedly make very little if any profit on the DVR's) and they are currently in need of growing those revenues. It is my understanding that not even employees can get PLS for less than $399 (although I wouldn't be surprised to learn that there are exceptions to the rule).

Regardless of the foregoing, I always ask for a discount. After all, the worst that can happen is that they say no.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

zubinh said:


> Thanks so much! Had no idea the Tivo warranty can only be used once and is issued by a third party. Amazon charges NY residents sales tax so no advantage for me to go there. I think given the ease at which I can return the unit to Best Buy with their warranty gives them a step up. I know most issues are hard drive issues but $70 for 4 years worth of coverage where I can just drive 2 miles and get it replaced seems like a good deal. Now I just have to find a good BB coupon.....


The Best Buy warranty will also only be used once if the unit is replaced. Although it stays in force if the unit is repaired. With the TiVo warranty the TiVo is always replaced which is why it can only be used once.


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## chiguy50 (Nov 9, 2009)

zubinh said:


> Thanks so much! Had no idea the Tivo warranty can only be used once and is issued by a third party. Amazon charges NY residents sales tax so no advantage for me to go there. I think given the ease at which I can return the unit to Best Buy with their warranty gives them a step up. I know most issues are hard drive issues but $70 for 4 years worth of coverage where I can just drive 2 miles and get it replaced seems like a good deal. Now I just have to find a good BB coupon.....


I would also point out that IMO if your unit is defective, it will likely be apparent within the initial 90-day TiVo replacement warranty period. The extended warranty is only worthwhile for peace of mind in case of a problem down the road, such as a power supply or HDD or other hardware failure (and even then, you can often swap out the defective part yourself). Also bear in mind that any extended warranty will overlap (i.e., duplicate) the TiVo "90 Days Free Labor/One Year Parts Exchange" warranty that comes with your DVR, so you're actually paying twice for the initial coverage. Also, if your DVR is replaced under the BB warranty, you will likely not be able to transfer the PLS to the new unit. Under that scenario, I would say that 3 years for $40 from TiVo is a far better deal than 4 years for $70 with no PLS coverage.

Now, I actually purchased the TiVo 3-year warranty myself on my Premiere Elite, only because of the enormous investment the Elite represents together with the PLS. But I almost never bite on extended warranties; as Consumer Reports confirms, you generally come out ahead by essentially self-insuring, as I have done for my three other TiVos and the rest of my audio-video equipment.


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## zubinh (Jun 7, 2004)

Thanks again Chiguy. I totally forgot about not being able to transfer PLS if I get a replacement. Now I'm back to buying from Tivo.

Aaronwt - If the unit is replaced by Tivo, do they offer you the option of buying the extended warranty on the replacement?

I never bite on Warranties either but spending $40 on an $800 device with a history of unreliability makes sense I think.


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## chiguy50 (Nov 9, 2009)

zubinh said:


> Thanks again Chiguy. I totally forgot about not being able to transfer PLS if I get a replacement. Now I'm back to buying from Tivo.
> 
> Aaronwt - If the unit is replaced by Tivo, do they offer you the option of buying the extended warranty on the replacement?
> 
> I never bite on Warranties either but spending $40 on an $800 device with a history of unreliability makes sense I think.


Yes


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## innocentfreak (Aug 25, 2001)

alyssa said:


> to my mind the warranty is not worth it. 90% of the time the problem is the HDD which is easier to fix yourself & save the pairing & show (if caught early)


I know several of us got it on the Elite at Best Buy. The big advantage is if the hard drive goes bad and it is no longer a stocked model they give you your money back or give you the current model. Sure you could replace the hard drive, but this way if a new model is out you have that as an option for replacement.

I also have it on my Premieres, but I bought those at launch when drive upgrades were unknown due to the new file structure.


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

I don't usually buy warranties, but with the lifetime service I paid almost $700 for the Elite so the $25 for the 3 year warranty seemed like a no brainer. If it doesn't ever break then great, the warranty only cost me $0.70/mo anyway. If it does then I'll save myself the cost of having it repaired or replaced.

Dan


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## mrsean (May 15, 2006)

zubinh said:


> I never bite on Warranties either but spending $40 on an $800 device with *a history of unreliability* makes sense I think.


I'm assuming that you're referring to the TiVo software because there is no history of unreliability with any TiVo hardware as far as I know.


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## alyssa (Dec 7, 2003)

I don't know how these stack up but it's another data point
http://www.weaknees.com/premiere4-debut.php?code=120178


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

alyssa said:


> I don't know how these stack up but it's another data point
> http://www.weaknees.com/premiere4-debut.php?code=120178


Weaknees pricing is off. They charge $449 for a Premiere 4 upgraded to 2TB. The XL4 also has a 2TB drive and is only $399. Why would you buy an upgraded 4, with lesser remote and no THX, for $50 more then an official product with the same drive space? Do they offer some sort of extended warranty built in?

Dan


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## poppagene (Dec 29, 2001)

Dan203 said:


> Weaknees pricing is off. They charge $449 for a Premiere 4 upgraded to 2TB. The XL4 also has a 2TB drive and is only $399. Why would you buy an upgraded 4, with lesser remote and no THX, for $50 more then an official product with the same drive space? Do they offer some sort of extended warranty built in?
> 
> Dan


OTA


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## compnurd (Oct 6, 2011)

poppagene said:


> OTA


Premiere 4 doesnt support OTA


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

poppagene said:


> OTA


The Premiere 4 is a lower version of an XL4. They use the same basic hardware (no OTA) but the Premiere 4 has only a 500GB hard drive, no THX certification and a cheaper remote. It looks like Weaknees is taking these cheaper units and upgrading them to 2TB themselves. However the real XL4 has the same hard drive space, is $50 cheaper, has THX cert and the nicer Glo remote. So I was simply wondering why would anyone buy the 2TB Premiere 4 from Weaknees? I thought maybe they included a better warranty or something to make up the difference.

Dan


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## tbielowicz (Apr 16, 2009)

Don't forget about a square trade warranty on the unit. I used a 30% coupon code for a 3 yr warranty. I have had great experiences with their warranties.


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## agredon (Jul 26, 2011)

I bought my Premiere at Best Buy. Their warranty was cheaper than TiVo's and I can take it into the store if anything ever happens. Plus, I got a free slide remote [though, only after a lot of hassle.]


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## zubinh (Jun 7, 2004)

agredon said:


> I bought my Premiere at Best Buy. Their warranty was cheaper than TiVo's and I can take it into the store if anything ever happens. Plus, I got a free slide remote [though, only after a lot of hassle.]


That might work well if you pay monthly for service but as another poster pointed out, the lifetime service can't be transferred to a new unit if BB has to replace it.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

zubinh said:


> That might work well if you pay monthly for service but as another poster pointed out, the lifetime service can't be transferred to a new unit if BB has to replace it.


but people in the past have had it transferred when BestBuy replaced it.


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## zubinh (Jun 7, 2004)

You're right. This is what the Tivo live chat rep said:

Zubinh: If the DVR breaks and needs replacement and best buy replaces the unit, Will I be able to transfer my lifetime service to the replacement unit?

Jacob: We would need you to simply fax us a copy of the exchange receipt and the new TiVo Service Number and that would be possible, yes.


Now all I need to do is find that policy on their website somewhere and I'll feel alot better about buying from Best Buy instead of Tivo


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

They've always allowed that.

Dan


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## chiguy50 (Nov 9, 2009)

Dan203 said:


> They've always allowed that.
> 
> Dan


Interesting. I did not know that.

But doesn't that sound counterintuitive? After all, the BB warranty certainly only covers the equipment purchase, and the TiVo PLS is limited to the life of the original DVR. How is TiVo obligated to extend the PLS to a replacement unit provided under BB's warranty? I would guess that they accede to customer requests on a case-by-case basis as opposed to the uniform policy for recognizing the replacement unit provided under the TiVo warranty.


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## atmuscarella (Oct 11, 2005)

chiguy50 said:


> ...But doesn't that sound counterintuitive?...


Not at all. 
Best Buy want to sells TiVos and extended warranties - 
TiVo wants Best Buy to sell TiVos.​ Allowing Lifetime service to be transferred when a TiVo is replaced by a Best Buy warranty helps to meet everyone's goals, Best Buy's, TiVo's, & the costumer.

It would be counter productive for TiVo to do anything that would discourage Best Buy from selling TiVos or that would discourage Best Buy's customers from wanting to buy a TiVo from Best Buy. While I don't think much of extended warranties some people do and they help with the sale of products and the over all profitability for the store selling them.


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## jrm01 (Oct 17, 2003)

Many years ago I bought the S3 ($800) from BB and a 4-year protection plan ($50). Three and a half years later the S3 died and I took it back to BB. They gave me the new HDXL ($400) in exchange (the S3 was no longer available) and a $300 gift card for the price difference.

I would have been happy with just the product exchange, but was even happier with the extra gift card. I couldn't get a new protection plan since they weren't offerring it then, but they do now.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

jrm01 said:


> Many years ago I bought the S3 ($800) from BB and a 4-year protection plan ($50). Three and a half years later the S3 died and I took it back to BB. They gave me the new HDXL ($400) in exchange (the S3 was no longer available) and a $300 gift card for the price difference.
> 
> I would have been happy with just the product exchange, but was even happier with the extra gift card. I couldn't get a new protection plan since they weren't offerring it then, but they do now.


the newer service plans won't do that anymore. They won't give you the price you paid for the original product. But you can still get a replacement if it can't be repaired.

Those old service plans were a sweet deal if you needed to use them.


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

The HDXL wasn't the same equipment as the S3, so it would be unfair to trade them straight across. The S3 was a much nicer box with an OLED screen, front panel controls and a nicer case. There is a reason it cost $800 new. Trading it for a HDXL without some additional restitution would be kind of a sh*t deal. Now I know the poster was talking about it happening 3.5 years into the 4 year warranty, so for him no big deal. But if this had happened to someone 91 days into the warranty then it wouldn't be quite as good of a deal.

Dan


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

At 91 days into the warranty they would most likely still have the same model box to replace it with. At 3.5 years, to get the full value back? its no wonder why BestBuy changed their policy. I've taken advantage of the extended warranty on a few items in the past.(not TiVo though). So I was sad to hear the policy changed, but not surprised. Of course this just applies to the newer warranties. Any existing warranty from before the new policy went in place that is still active can still get the generous deal.

Sent from my HTC ReZound using Forum Runner


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## swarto112 (Sep 10, 2012)

I compared BB and Tivo online deals, BB seemed the better deal. I called TiVo and asked for a deal. got one better than BB, pick up the phone and sometimes u can get a deal. they even threw in the stream during beta when i asked for it. Told them I wouldnt buy the premiere xl4 without a stream. SOLD, and saved cash


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