# Death of the Amazon $299 Roamio OTA Lifetime



## heifer624 (Jul 12, 2009)

I'm no longer seeing the Amazon $299 TiVo Roamio OTA HD DVR with Product Lifetime Service available as a Amazon pre-order option.


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## tjated (Dec 13, 2003)

Nooooo! I have one back ordered and I doubt it will ever be fulfilled. The next best deal I have been given from Tivo is $400.


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## Photo_guy (Mar 12, 2015)

tjated said:


> Nooooo! I have one back ordered and I doubt it will ever be fulfilled. The next best deal I have been given from Tivo is $400.


Don't panic yet. Your order may still go through.

The Amazon listing shows that the item is 'under review' which often means that someone had an issue, and complained, and they need to check it out. Sometimes these issues are quickly resolved and items do ship. Other times they find an issue and make corrections - i.e. the product description is not accurate.


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

Someone mentioned in another thread that they got one from Amazon and TiVo refused to activate it and told him/her to return it to Amazon. So it appears this deal is dead.


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## mickinct (Sep 14, 2015)

Dan203 said:


> Someone mentioned in another thread that they got one from Amazon and TiVo refused to activate it and told him/her to return it to Amazon. So it appears this deal is dead.


A friend of mine ordered one 3 weeks ago on there and it arrived not be a lifetime unit and paid 300 for it , amazon and tivo could not do anything. so he had to send it back and reorder it. I ordered one of mine there and had no problems.


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## danorum (Nov 25, 2015)

I hope that is not the case. The one I ordered a couple of weeks ago just got an expected arrival date of next Wednesday.

Dan


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## Photo_guy (Mar 12, 2015)

Well, it seems Amazon screwed up on this one. My OTA that was on backorder arrived a few days ago but I waited until today to go through the activation. Sure enough it is NOT a lifetime unit (Service status code 1). 
I called Tivo and was told that there is no way for them to change monthly boxes to lifetime and I need to return the unit to Amazon.
Of course, Amazon has removed the availability from their webpage so I can only return for a refund and can't get a replacement.

I'm typically a fan of Amazon but I am not happy when they waste my time due to their errors. They have not heard the last from me on this.


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## standupguy (Dec 2, 2015)

Photo_guy said:


> Well, it seems Amazon screwed up on this one. My OTA that was on backorder arrived a few days ago but I waited until today to go through the activation. Sure enough it is NOT a lifetime unit (Service status code 1).
> I called Tivo and was told that there is no way for them to change monthly boxes to lifetime and I need to return the unit to Amazon.
> Of course, Amazon has removed the availability from their webpage so I can only return for a refund and can't get a replacement.
> 
> I'm typically a fan of Amazon but I am not happy when they waste my time due to their errors. They have not heard the last from me on this.


Welcome to the club! Same thing happening right now with my replacement unit. Judging by the way some posts are disappearing on here and other sites, someone is trying to sweep this under the rug! Definitely not the last to be heard on this!


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

standupguy said:


> Judging by the way some posts are disappearing on here and other sites, someone is trying to sweep this under the rug!


This site is not owned or controlled by TiVo and I can assure you there are no posts that have been deleted here. (I can still see deleted posts even when you can't)

Edit: I do see a thread of yours that was deleted, but only because it was a duplicate of the thread you already posted.


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## robnalex (Sep 8, 2002)

Mine arrived from Amazon today, and I'm currently running setup. Fingers and toes crossed!


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## crxrocks (Mar 30, 2004)

Mine was supposed to be delivered today but doesn't appear that Amazon has shipped it. In chat w/ a rep now, but starting to doubt if I'll see it now.


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## HD_Dude (Sep 11, 2006)

They're not all bad.

I bought a Roamio OTA with lifetime from Amazon in late October, for $299. 

It's fine. Fully activated by TiVo, and full lifetime product service.

I don't doubt you have had problems, but those problems are not universal.


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## KSOC Kid (Nov 19, 2015)

I think it's just the last batch of OTA'a shipped out. I ordered mine 11/22 as soon as Amazon put them up with the PLS. All of us who got the latest shipment are having these issues as mine arrived yesterday. Amazon Rep told me to call back in a week and maybe they'll have an answer. I'm using mine now as a tuner only because it's better than the government subsidized Zenith I was using. In a week, if it's still only a tuner, I'll return or whatever Amazon figures out.


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## crxrocks (Mar 30, 2004)

Finished up chatting w/ the Amazon rep and he said that they don't have any additional OTAs to ship. But they'll leave my order open and if they get additional it should ship.

Now I just sit and wait to see if it ever ships. Figure worst case scenario I pickup the Bolt with an Amazon supplied discount if the OTA never ships. I really have until Jan-Feb before I want to cut Comcast so not in a huge hurry.

Chris


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## standupguy (Dec 2, 2015)

KSOC Kid said:


> I think it's just the last batch of OTA'a shipped out. I ordered mine 11/22 as soon as Amazon put them up with the PLS. All of us who got the latest shipment are having these issues as mine arrived yesterday. Amazon Rep told me to call back in a week and maybe they'll have an answer. I'm using mine now as a tuner only because it's better than the government subsidized Zenith I was using. In a week, if it's still only a tuner, I'll return or whatever Amazon figures out.


1st one ord 10/30 rec'd 11/3 no go. replacement rec'd 12/1, still no go.


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## Jrr6415sun (Mar 31, 2006)

is there a way to know if they are not lifetime without setting them up? I have one that I just purchase recently that I was going to wrap and give as a gift for my sister. Is there a way to check by just using the tivo service number?


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## standupguy (Dec 2, 2015)

Yes there is, just call Tivo 877-367-8486 7-7 PST with that # and ask them if it has a lifetime sub. or not.


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## floorabove (Oct 26, 2015)

I just sent mine back to amazon for a full refund. 

We had just cut the cord a few weeks ago, then i go and spend 350 for a tivo lifetime ota (300+25tax+25 3 year square trade warrranty).., the wife wasn't happy, and after i thought about it i should have asked her ...... But then after a few days with a good antenna onthe roof, i think she liked it, plus it integrated hulu netflix and prime.....

Then the problems started , a loud nosie form the box , so i call tivo customer service and speak to the worst customer service rep in the history of customer service reps( including india, the PI, wherever the hell elso in the world other companies hide their customer service ).... And i started thinking , if this is how Tivo treats me in the first ten days...wtf?

Then i orederd a woot roamio ota for ~$30......for parts just in case


Then i started thinking....what if i ever go back to cable or fios? How is this ota roamio going to help?

Finally i sent it back,


IMO Tivo should be selling these OTA roamios for about 50-100 but with a $8 monthly fee.

15 is good when you are cutting the cable company off from their monthly set top box rental fee, and dvr fee.....but 15 per month for ota recording?

I would easily pay 8 a month and never look back, 15 a psychological number when cutting the cord, it adds up

Also paying for sling tv, hulu, netfli, and prime( but that is for the shipping of diapers, wipes etc etc). 

I think at $8 a month And $50 a box Tivo would be selling these all day long.


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## Chris Gerhard (Apr 27, 2002)

floorabove said:


> I think at $8 a month And $50 a box Tivo would be selling these all day long.


Probably so but not at a profit, what would be the point?


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## Photo_guy (Mar 12, 2015)

floorabove said:


> I think at $8 a month And $50 a box Tivo would be selling these all day long.


I recently called to cancel my first OTA box that I purchased for $50 with a 1year commit for $15/month as my year was completing. They asked what I was going to do with the box and when I told them it would 'sit in the closet' they offered me $10/ month to keep it active. When I balked at that they offered to credit me 2 free months to see if I could find someone to take it at $10/mo.

So that would have been $50 purchase + $15*12 first year then $10/mo after. That's under $300 first year cost then $10/mo. Pretty close to what you are looking for.


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## liv4snow (Nov 18, 2015)

KSOC Kid said:


> I ordered mine 11/22 as soon as Amazon put them up with the PLS.


At least you got yours. Ordered mine on 11/19 and still haven't received. Last update it was suppose to ship yesterday but didn't. Let's hope it arrives here soon. I too jumped on the Woot deal a few weeks ago for minis. Also ordered a couple of moca 2.0s and a 1.1 so will really be hosed if the OTA deal falls through. Bolts okay but only for first yr of free service.


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## danorum (Nov 25, 2015)

robnalex said:


> Mine arrived from Amazon today, and I'm currently running setup. Fingers and toes crossed!


Did it have lifetime?


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## robnalex (Sep 8, 2002)

danorum said:


> Did it have lifetime?


Don't know yet- getting ready to call TiVo.


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## raqball (Feb 23, 2015)

I ordered mine in October and it activated and transferred the lifetime to my account just fine..

Amazon now says this on their site:



> Item Under Review
> 
> While this item is available from other marketplace sellers on this page, it is not currently offered by Amazon.com because customers have told us there may be something wrong with our inventory of the item, the way we are shipping it, or the way it's described here. (Thanks for the tip!)
> 
> We're working to fix the problem as quickly as possible.


Hope everyone who received the latest batch gets it's sorted..


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## robnalex (Sep 8, 2002)

Called TiVo today, and my box, ordered 11/19, shipped 11/30 and delivered yesterday DOES NOT have lifetime. The TiVo Rep agreed that this is a bad situation for the customer, and that TiVo and Amazon really need to get this sorted out, but there was nothing he could do.

Called Amazon and talked to some very nice folks who recommended waiting a week or so since the issue has just cropped up and they're still trying to sort it out. Hopefully and arrangement that would allow TiVo to activate the box with lifetime. Not holding my breath on this, but will wait and see....


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## elborak (Jul 15, 2014)

Thanks for the detailed update Rob.

I'm in the same boat, though I'd not yet gotten around to contacting Amazon. I'd already planned to give this some time to shake out behind the scenes before I took any further action, and it looks like that's indeed the preferred course at the moment.


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## robnalex (Sep 8, 2002)

Here's the transcript of my chat (in addition to the phone call) with TiVo:

Niles (December 3, 2015 at 11:48:35 AM EST): Thank you for waiting, my name is Niles and I am happy to assist you. I would like to confirm the information you have provided. 
Me (December 3, 2015 at 11:48:45 AM EST): OK 
Niles (December 3, 2015 at 11:49:29 AM EST): In order to verify your identity, can you please provide the following account information? 

*name on the account 
*address (including city/state/zip) 
*phone number 
Me (December 3, 2015 at 11:50:37 AM EST): I do not have an account. Name is #####, address is #####., Raleigh NC #####, phone is 919-XXX-XXXX. 
Niles (December 3, 2015 at 11:51:50 AM EST): Thank you for verifying your information Robert. We can definitely activate that with Product Lifetime service through 877-367-8486, but it would have a charge for it. Amazon would have to get you a device with Product Lifetime service if you ordered that through them. 
Me (December 3, 2015 at 11:53:20 AM EST): The insert under TiVo's letterhead states "Congratulations on your purchase of the TiVo Roamio OTA with service included. 
Me (December 3, 2015 at 11:54:36 AM EST): Amazon says this product has Lifetime service, TiVo says this product has lifetime service (letter included with product), and yet neither TiVo nor Amazon will take any responsibility! 
Niles (December 3, 2015 at 11:55:47 AM EST): We would take responsibility for something purchased from us directly, but as that wasn't, we wouldn't be responsible for the service sold to you. I show the TSN you had didn't have any service on it. 
Me (December 3, 2015 at 11:56:40 AM EST): Your letter, included with the product, states that the product has service included. 
Me (December 3, 2015 at 11:57:48 AM EST): Your unwillingness to step up and address this issue is appalling. 
Niles (December 3, 2015 at 11:59:22 AM EST): We are addressing this with you. As Amazon made the claim for Product Lifetime service, you would have to contact them to get a refund. We could sell you a Product Lifetime service device directly through 877-367-8486. Amazon is third party and we would not be responsible for their sales errors. 
Me (December 3, 2015 at 12:01:42 PM EST): Your letter, included with the product states that service is included, and Niles, your response is indefensible. At the very least, you should be willing to work with Amazon to resolve this issue. 
Niles (December 3, 2015 at 12:03:38 PM EST): We would not be responsible for any claim Amazon makes. Much in the same way we would not be responsible for a TiVo box purchased through eBay that was claimed to have Product Lifetime service. I would recommend requesting a refund from Amazon, then calling us to order a device directly. This problem doesn't occur when you purchase a TiVo box from us directly over a third party seller. 
Me (December 3, 2015 at 12:05:03 PM EST): What about the claim, on your letterhead, included with the product, that service is included? You're not responsible for that either? 
Niles (December 3, 2015 at 12:05:29 PM EST): If that letter was correct, the TiVo box would be activated. Someone could have purchased that and cancelled service or if the box was opened, then sealed again the letter would be in there. I can not be sure why the letter is in that. 
Niles (December 3, 2015 at 12:05:41 PM EST): At this time the fact remains that TiVo box has no service on it. 
Niles (December 3, 2015 at 12:05:55 PM EST): You can look at activating it through us or returning to Amazon. 
Me (December 3, 2015 at 12:07:25 PM EST): It's very convenient for you to conjure up ridiculous scenarios. Actually being helpful would require more effort.


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## floorabove (Oct 26, 2015)

Chris Gerhard said:


> Probably so but not at a profit, what would be the point?


how?

Tivo already has everything up and running, so more subscribers equals more profit, no?


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## floorabove (Oct 26, 2015)

robnalex said:


> Called TiVo today, and my box, ordered 11/19, shipped 11/30 and delivered yesterday DOES NOT have lifetime. The TiVo Rep agreed that this is a bad situation for the customer, and that TiVo and Amazon really need to get this sorted out, but there was nothing he could do.
> 
> Called Amazon and talked to some very nice folks who recommended waiting a week or so since the issue has just cropped up and they're still trying to sort it out. Hopefully and arrangement that would allow TiVo to activate the box with lifetime. Not holding my breath on this, but will wait and see....


back in october , when i was trying to make up my mind to buy or not , a similar thing occured....Amazon sorted it out and sold a few units since.


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## Cabinwood (Mar 11, 2000)

I ordered one on November 27 and got a notice from Amazon this morning that mine will be here Dec 8. Sure hope it does have Lifetime on it...


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## liv4snow (Nov 18, 2015)

I just received an order update from Amazon. My lifetime OTA roamio that I ordered back on 11/19 now has a new shipment date of 12/9, 20 days after I placed the initial order. Let's just hope they straighten out this problem before mine is to ship.


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## robnalex (Sep 8, 2002)

Cabinwood said:


> I ordered one on November 27 and got a notice from Amazon this morning that mine will be here Dec 8. Sure hope it does have Lifetime on it...


I hope so! Let us know. They're aware of the problem now, so hopefully they're not shipping non-lifetime boxes now, but still the Amazon deal is not currently available. It's interesting, because an Amazon Rep told me yesterday that they would not have more until January.


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## robnalex (Sep 8, 2002)

I was going to wait 'till next week, but since I'm doubtful that Amazon will work out a way to get TiVo to activate my box with lifetime, I'm returning it today. Also, considering that every month is costing me $85+ for satellite, I ordered one from another Amazon seller (S&Y Electronics) for $419 - $40 for signing up for Amazon Credit Card = $379. Yes, $60 more than the Amazon deal (with tax), but still worth it. (Had one from Go Tek in my cart for $409, but they sold out while I was fiddling around. We were planning to sign up for Prime anyway, so I did that too, and it should be here next Wednesday.

Go Tek currently has them at Amazon for $411.18, so if you don't mind signing up for an Amazon CC for $40 - 50 credit, that's still pretty decent when you consider that if you buy one for $60 and pay $15 a month for 3 years, that's $600 plus another $180 per year forever, compared to $371 just once.


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## Photo_guy (Mar 12, 2015)

robnalex said:


> I was going to wait 'till next week, but since I'm doubtful that Amazon will work out a way to get TiVo to activate my box with lifetime, I'm returning it today. Also, considering that every month is costing me $85+ for satellite, I ordered one from another Amazon seller (S&Y Electronics) for $419 - $40 for signing up for Amazon Credit Card = $379. Yes, $60 more than the Amazon deal (with tax), but still worth it. (Had one from Go Tek in my cart for $409, but they sold out while I was fiddling around. We were planning to sign up for Prime anyway, so I did that too, and it should be here next Wednesday.


That sounds like a decent plan that should work for you.

Another approach to consider: For someone in a similar situation that has a Citicard is to use their Price Rewind benefit. Purchase the item from Amazon at the current offered price ($419) and then wait and see if the $300 units come back during the 60 day price match period. Then apply for a credit from Citi to make it $300.

The Citi Price Rewind benefit actually works pretty well for me - especially during this time of year when sales come and go quickly but you need to buy on a set schedule to meet holiday plans.


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## officernogun (Dec 3, 2015)

Since reaching out to amazon and tivo phone support didn't result in much, I tried tweeting @tivo. @tivosupport tweeted back,

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/672866291997372417
So hopefully something comes of this that doesn't require a return/rebuy


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## officernogun (Dec 3, 2015)

officernogun said:


> Since reaching out to amazon and tivo phone support didn't result in much, I tried tweeting @tivo. @tivosupport tweeted back,
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/672866291997372417
> So hopefully something comes of this that doesn't require a return/rebuy


This was their reply

Thanks! I have associated this TSN with the others that have had similar issues. We have been getting many reports of these within the past few days. it appears that what happened is that Amazon sent out the wrong boxes for a number of orders. We are working with them to find a solution, however for the time being the best course of action would be to contact Amazon and arrange for an exchange. We certainly apologize for the inconvenience this has caused and will continue to seek a solution from our end in the meantime.


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## KSOC Kid (Nov 19, 2015)

Well, I guess that's best news I heard. Was gonna call tomorrow but now think I'll do it tonight.


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## robnalex (Sep 8, 2002)

officernogun said:


> for the time being the best course of action would be to contact Amazon and arrange for an exchange.


 Unfortunately, Amazon does not have any right now, which is why I sent mine back and ordered from another Amazon Vendor for $419 - $40 credit. It appears my timing was right, and that these boxes are scarce. The 3 Vendors on Amazon are now selling them for $499 and $686!


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## Jrr6415sun (Mar 31, 2006)

robnalex said:


> Here's the transcript of my chat (in addition to the phone call) with TiVo:
> 
> Niles (December 3, 2015 at 11:48:35 AM EST): Thank you for waiting, my name is Niles and I am happy to assist you. I would like to confirm the information you have provided.
> Me (December 3, 2015 at 11:48:45 AM EST): OK
> ...


why are you complaining to tivo when it's amazon's fault? Tivo did nothing wrong here. Your treatment of them is the only thing appalling here, complain to amazon not tivo.

Tivo has no control over what amazon sends you or amazon's mistakes and it's ridiculous to hold tivo responsible for that.


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## Jrr6415sun (Mar 31, 2006)

Photo_guy said:


> That sounds like a decent plan that should work for you.
> 
> Another approach to consider: For someone in a similar situation that has a Citicard is to use their Price Rewind benefit. Purchase the item from Amazon at the current offered price ($419) and then wait and see if the $300 units come back during the 60 day price match period. Then apply for a credit from Citi to make it $300.
> 
> The Citi Price Rewind benefit actually works pretty well for me - especially during this time of year when sales come and go quickly but you need to buy on a set schedule to meet holiday plans.


does price rewind work on amazon third party items?


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## robnalex (Sep 8, 2002)

robnalex said:


> Here's the transcript of my chat (in addition to the phone call) with TiVo:
> 
> Niles (December 3, 2015 at 11:48:35 AM EST): Thank you for waiting, my name is Niles and I am happy to assist you. I would like to confirm the information you have provided.
> Me (December 3, 2015 at 11:48:45 AM EST): OK
> ...





officernogun said:


> This was their reply
> 
> Thanks! I have associated this TSN with the others that have had similar issues. We have been getting many reports of these within the past few days. it appears that what happened is that Amazon sent out the wrong boxes for a number of orders. We are working with them to find a solution, however for the time being the best course of action would be to contact Amazon and arrange for an exchange. We certainly apologize for the inconvenience this has caused and will continue to seek a solution from our end in the meantime.





Jrr6415sun said:


> why are you complaining to tivo when it's amazon's fault? Tivo did nothing wrong here. Your treatment of them is the only thing appalling here, complain to amazon not tivo.


My complaint was with the condescending attitude of this CSR, who was trying to infer that I made a mistake by purchasing from anyone other than TiVo. if you saw the rest of the transcript you'd see that this guy was not even interested in passing this information up the chain in the interest of a solution. The response that officernogun got above, I think is much more appropriate. Oh, and let's not forget that these boxes contained a letter *from TiVo* saying "Congratulations on your purchase of a TiVo Roamio OTA *with service included*."


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## robnalex (Sep 8, 2002)

Jrr6415sun said:


> Tivo has no control over what amazon sends you or amazon's mistakes and it's ridiculous to hold tivo responsible for that.


These boxes contained a letter *from TiVo* saying "Congratulations on your purchase of a TiVo Roamio OTA *with service included*." with instructions on how to activate them. My box showed no indication of having been opened and resealed, and I think it's highly unlikely that Amazon would have any reason to open the wrong boxes and insert a letter from TiVo.


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## foghorn2 (May 4, 2004)

If the top of the box has 2 layers of box tape, it was opened and resealed.
Factory sealed boxes will only have one layer.


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## robnalex (Sep 8, 2002)

foghorn2 said:


> If the top of the box has 2 layers of box tape, it was opened and resealed.
> Factory sealed boxes will only have one layer.


Only one layer of tape on mine with the letter from TiVo inside in the plastic with the setup guide.


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## KSOC Kid (Nov 19, 2015)

My box was factory sealed, then inside an Amazon box.

Spurred on by Robnalex's post about the Tivo tweet, I decided to call Amazon to return my unit. The CSR suggested calling Tivo and I grudgingly agreed, as last Tuesday Tivo had no answers for my problem. This time however I got a "tech" by the name of Angelo and he got working on it and within 45 minutes he had the PLS in my name. Looks good so far. Unit has most of the dvr functions now working. I suppose it needs to update until I can get into the apps. So somebody knows what to do. Pretty damn happy right now.


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## robnalex (Sep 8, 2002)

KSOC Kid said:


> My box was factory sealed, then inside an Amazon box.
> 
> Spurred on by Robnalex's post about the Tivo tweet, I decided to call Amazon to return my unit. The CSR suggested calling Tivo and I grudgingly agreed, as last Tuesday Tivo had no answers for my problem. This time however I got a "tech" by the name of Angelo and he got working on it and within 45 minutes he had the PLS in my name. Looks good so far. Unit has most of the dvr functions now working. I suppose it needs to update until I can get into the apps. So somebody knows what to do. Pretty damn happy right now.


That's excellent! :up::up::up:Congrats!


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## HD_Dude (Sep 11, 2006)

KSOC Kid said:


> My box was factory sealed, then inside an Amazon box.
> 
> Spurred on by Robnalex's post about the Tivo tweet, I decided to call Amazon to return my unit. The CSR suggested calling Tivo and I grudgingly agreed, as last Tuesday Tivo had no answers for my problem. This time however I got a "tech" by the name of Angelo and he got working on it and within 45 minutes he had the PLS in my name. Looks good so far. Unit has most of the dvr functions now working. I suppose it needs to update until I can get into the apps. So somebody knows what to do. Pretty damn happy right now.


That is excellent news!

Great job, taking the situation into your own hands.

I hope this, and the encouraging tweet above, means everyone who ordered a lifetime service OTA gets one.

As I wrote before, something happened. I got a lifetime OTA from Amazon for $299. Works perfectly, and it is a lifetime unit. That was in late October.

Since then something happened. Wrong units shipped from TiVo to Amazon, wrong units shipped from Amazon to the consumers, wrong letter inserted by TiVo in the boxes, wrong serial numbers on the units, or, of course, the most likely scenario: either, or both companies were just trying to screw you over. OK, just kidding about that one.

But looks like it's all going to be fixed, I hope so.


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## robnalex (Sep 8, 2002)

KSOC Kid said:


> This time however I got a "tech" by the name of Angelo and he got working on it and within 45 minutes he had the PLS in my name.


If anyone else has success, let us know. It would be only natural for them to get this sorted out just after I sent mine back to Amazon and paid $60 more to another vendor. Hmmm, maybe if I ***** to Amazon they'll give me a credit?


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## robnalex (Sep 8, 2002)

Omg! Go Tek, which had it for $409 yesterday, is now selling for $779.98! I guess now that the Amazon deal is gone the sharks are really going for blood. I guess I don't feel so bad about paying $380.


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## mr.unnatural (Feb 2, 2006)

I ordered three of them last month and they arrived this past Monday. I finally got around to upgrading them today and only one of them had lifetime service. The other two said "Not activated" with a countdown timer for the number of days left of free service. Looks like I'll have to call Amazon and get it sorted out.


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## Photo_guy (Mar 12, 2015)

Jrr6415sun said:


> does price rewind work on amazon third party items?


Yes. Price Rewind is a benefit from Citibank not Amazon so they do not care if you buy it from Amazon directly or through Amazon. You just need to have a receipt for your purchase and documentation of the lower price found. They 'look' for lower prices as well but in many cases they don't find the best ones.
In this case you already know where to look.


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## jagrim (May 1, 2007)

Well, I've got 2 of them to be delivered on Sunday. I won't have time to fool with them until Monday night so hopefully Amazon and TiVo have it worked out.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## Photo_guy (Mar 12, 2015)

robnalex said:


> Omg! Go Tek, which had it for $409 yesterday, is now selling for $779.98! I guess now that the Amazon deal is gone the sharks are really going for blood. I guess I don't feel so bad about paying $380.


That is pretty common. Especially for items from 3rd party suppliers. The prices can vary wildly. If you check camelcamelcamel.com you can see a graph of price histories and the OTA with lifetime ranges from $350 to $750.

If you got it at $380 you did as well as you could given the $300 deal from Amazon is not currently available.


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## morte (Dec 5, 2015)

I did the $299 deal off Amazon. It was on back order. I got it today. The CSR at TIVO was rather rude, basically me my options were to return it to Amazon.com or pay the monthly service and that was the end of our discussion.

I called Amazon.com. They said it is on TIVO. TIVO was the seller and provider.

Neither company wants to do anything about it.

I'm frustrated and disappointed.:down:


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## morte (Dec 5, 2015)

morte said:


> I did the $299 deal off Amazon. It was on back order. I got it today. The CSR at TIVO was rather rude, basically me my options were to return it to Amazon.com or pay the monthly service and that was the end of our discussion.
> 
> I called Amazon.com. They said it is on TIVO. TIVO was the seller and provider.
> 
> ...


--------------------------------------------------------------------

UPDATE: My TIVO subscription suddenly switched on and went to LIFETIME!!!!!! I DID NOTHING!!!!! HOLY CRAP!! I take back my previous comments. The CSR was still not polite, but it looks like either Amazon or TIVO resolved it!

THANK YOU WHOEVER IT WAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## elborak (Jul 15, 2014)

Same here. The OTA I called TiVo about a couple of days ago, and that they couldn't activate Lifetime on, suddenly went lifetime after connecting tonight.

Sounds like Amazon & TiVo got the "glitch" worked out. The only question is whether they've done this for all of the Lifetime OTAs Amazon has sold/is selling, or only those for people who have previously called.

So don't be impatient and send your unit back yet; wait for the parties to work things out.


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## mr.unnatural (Feb 2, 2006)

I was just about to take two of the three OTAs Amazon sent me to the nearest UPS store to send them back because they didn't have lifetime. I didn't want to call Tivo to see about activating them because I wanted to upgrade them with larger drives and modify them with the cablecard bracket to sell on ebay. Now I'm wondering if I shouldn't reconnect them and see if they update to lifetime.

Has anyone had theirs upgraded to lifetime without calling Tivo?


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## robnalex (Sep 8, 2002)

Would love to hear if others are seeing their boxes switched to lifetime. I already sent mine back yesterday, but today sent an email to Amazon indicating that I may have sent it back prematurely since others are seeing their boxes assigned lifetime service.


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## Photo_guy (Mar 12, 2015)

I sent mine back to Amazon since neither Tivo not Amazon seemed to want to take ownership and fix the issue. If they fixed it that is great news.
In my case Tivo was lucky - I had planned to give mine to family out of state and set them up with their first Tivo. If I had sent them the box directly that was expected to have lifetime, and did not, they would have had a very bad first experience with the Tivo product. Fortunately, I decided to test the box out first and now I am glad I did. It was frustrating and wasted my time but it is nothing compared to what would have happened if my Mom or sister had to deal with it. Those of us with prior experience(and/or read this forum) with Tivo can work it out but a new user would be in big trouble.

I hope this all works out well for everyone who ordered these boxes!


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## elkyss (Mar 28, 2002)

robnalex said:


> Would love to hear if others are seeing their boxes switched to lifetime. I already sent mine back yesterday, but today sent an email to Amazon indicating that I may have sent it back prematurely since others are seeing their boxes assigned lifetime service.


Confirmed.

I went around and around for more than 2 hours with Amazon and TiVo yesterday, even had a 3-way with both on the line and the diagnosis was the Roamio OTA I had been shipped did not have lifetime, and the only way to get service was to buy a $15/month plan. After reading this morning about the sudden lifetime, I plugged in the box, let it do a guided setup and service update, the box now reports lifetime service.


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## NoNose (Nov 27, 2015)

I just got off the phone with Amazon CS. I called because my original order on November 9th, turned out to be restricted to monthly...ONLY! I was told by Amazon that I needed to return the unit I had, and a "Replacement Order" would be created. So, the first/bad order was created on the 9th of November, and the replacement order was created on December 2.

Low and behold, people that ordered the OTA Lifetime weeks after my original order, are getting their units now...and they can be registered for Lifetime service.

I called to request that my December 2nd replacement order be backdated to the beginning of their shipping queue, but the conversation immediately changed to "At this time, there are no Tivo Roamio OTA with Lifetime subscription available to ship, and we have no information when or if they ever will." At that point, I was stonewalled and the conversation went into a loop.

So, my replacement order is in limbo, and Amazon is totally clueless about the future. Note, when asked...they wouldn't even agree to look into refurbishing the returned units for redistribution. As far as I have been able to determine, this ship has sunk.


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## robnalex (Sep 8, 2002)

robnalex said:


> If anyone else has success, let us know. It would be only natural for them to get this sorted out just after I sent mine back to Amazon and paid $60 more to another vendor. Hmmm, maybe if I ***** to Amazon they'll give me a credit?


Well, sometimes things work out! I sent an email to Amazon this morning expressing my disappointment at having sent my unit back and paying $119 more to another Amazon Seller (actually $60 more after $40 credit and free shipping = $379) now that it appears they're getting it sorted out. Just got this email from Amazon:

_"I am very sorry about the issues with the original Tivo purchase and the service offered with it and the time it took to resolve the problem and get it fixed for our customers.

I understand you made the return thinking it was the wrong product received and opted to order from one of our sellers shortly afterwards and paid a much higher cost.

As a One Time Exception, I have issued a special case refund for you in the amount of $120 to your credit card for this price difference. The refund should complete in the next 2-3 business days and reflect on your next Discover statement."_

So here's my bottom line:

$419 from S&Y Electronics
($40 Credit for opening an Amazon CC)
($120 Refund)
*$259 Total Cost*

My feedback to the Amazon Email:

_"I understand that mistakes occur at the personal and business levels, but too often people and businesses make little or no effort to make things right. Your kind and considerate gesture further elevates our already high opinion of Amazon. Thank you very much!"_


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## mr.unnatural (Feb 2, 2006)

I had both of my non-lifetime OTAs packed up and ready to drop off at the nearest UPS store. I decided to try running guided setup again after reading some of the posts on this topic. I unpacked both units and ran guided setup again from scratch (I had previous done a C&DE to restore them to factory condition). When I checked the System Information screen, both units are now showing "5: Product Lifetime Service." I guess Amazon just needed to get the activation status transferred to Tivo or however they do it. In any case, I now have three lifetime OTAs with three upgraded 4TB drives and cablecard brackets.


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## robnalex (Sep 8, 2002)

mr.unnatural- Congratulations! :up::up::up: Makes me wish I'd waited a bit longer before sending mine back. Given the condescending attitude I was getting from some of the TiVo CSRs, I really wasn't optimistic that it would get resolved. But given that my total cost has now been reduced to $259, I really can't complain.


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## robnalex (Sep 8, 2002)

mr.unnatural said:


> I guess Amazon just needed to get the activation status transferred to Tivo or however they do it.


 My guess is that TiVo mistakenly sent units to Amazon that were not assigned lifetime status in their database, so they (TiVo) had to pull the serial numbers of all these units and change the assignation.


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## mr.unnatural (Feb 2, 2006)

I figured it was something of that nature. Congrats on getting some actual service from the Amazon CSR. They put the Tivo CSRs to shame. I've had Tivos off and on since they were first introduced and I did everything possible to avoid dealing with Tivo Customer Disservice. If it weren't for the fact that they're such a niche company they'd probably find themselves in the top 10 every year for worst companies to deal with along with the banks and cable companies.


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## foghorn2 (May 4, 2004)

Looks like Amazon did purchase and ship the right equipment but Tivo's servers and tech support was slow to see that.

Amazon support is top class, Tivo Support in Polygamy Land is troublesome from my experience.


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## elborak (Jul 15, 2014)

Just to add some additional data and try to close the loop on this...

I received two OTA w/ Lifetime units from Amazon. Unit one (received last week) experienced the previously documented problem where TiVo (on 12/3) said it wasn't a Lifetime unit, there was nothing they could do, and to contact Amazon. This unit then showed up as Lifetime without further action on my part on 12/5. Online status shows that it was activated on 12/4.

Second unit (received today) was Lifetime out of the box. Online status shows that it was activated on 11/24.

So this reinforces the theory that there was likely a single batch of units that were erroneously not registered as Lifetime (though whether this was a TiVo or Amazon mistake is unknown). The next batch had no such issue.

And Amazon is still OOS, so we may have seen the last of this deal.


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## robnalex (Sep 8, 2002)

elborak said:


> (though whether this was a TiVo or Amazon mistake is unknown).


 It's got to be TiVo that screwed up. Amazon has no ability to designate these boxes with lifetime service. And my box contained a letter from TiVo saying "Congratulations on your purchase.....*with service included*."


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## jagrim (May 1, 2007)

I received 2 OTA w/ Lifetime units from Amazon yesterday. The first unit cratered with a critical error during the update process- I figure it is a bad hard drive. The other one worked fine and has Lifetime on it. Had no issues transferring from Amazon to me.

Gonna swap the hard drive on the cratered unit and try and bring it back to Life.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## baijumehta (Oct 10, 2009)

I ordered the Roamio OTA on 11/29 and I just got an email stating a 12/15 delivery estimate.


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## elborak (Jul 15, 2014)

robnalex said:


> It's got to be TiVo that screwed up. Amazon has no ability to designate these boxes with lifetime service. And my box contained a letter from TiVo saying "Congratulations on your purchase.....*with service included*."


Not necessarily. For example, the boxes may not be activated until Amazon confirms receipt (to avoid theft in transit), so the failure could be on either end. But it's all speculation.


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## crxrocks (Mar 30, 2004)

Mine was supposed to have been delivered last Wednesday, but now is showing shipping today for delivery on Wednesday, Dec 7. Hopefully that's accurate.


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## erdavis (Apr 4, 2015)

We ordered the Roameo OTA w/lifetime on Nov 27 from Amazon. It was shipped on the 5th and delivered today. It is set up and running and shows as Product Liftime Service.


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## crxrocks (Mar 30, 2004)

erdavis said:


> We ordered the Roameo OTA w/lifetime on Nov 27 from Amazon. It was shipped on the 5th and delivered today. It is set up and running and shows as Product Liftime Service.


NO fair! I ordered mine on the 23rd.


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## robnalex (Sep 8, 2002)

elborak said:


> Not necessarily. For example, the boxes may not be activated until Amazon confirms receipt (to avoid theft in transit), so the failure could be on either end. But it's all speculation.


 That doesn't really make any sense, and that fact is that TiVo's CSRs initially treated customers who received these boxes like crap. At least Amazon responded by looking into it and suggesting that customers wait a bit while they worked on it. Initially, TiVo just said "Sorry, but your wrong and it's not our responsibility to even investigate." Amazon took the high road on this one, especially in my case.


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## elborak (Jul 15, 2014)

I'm not disagreeing that TiVo support was less than acceptable in this case, nor that Amazon did a better job in handling reported issues. I was merely disagreeing with the "It's got to be TiVo that screwed up" assertion. It's likely, but given how little we know I can't agree that it's a certitude.

In fact, if I had to lay money on the table, I'd bet that there was some culpability on both sides. But ultimately it was worked out and that's what matters.


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## robnalex (Sep 8, 2002)

elborak said:


> I'm not disagreeing that TiVo support was less than acceptable in this case, nor that Amazon did a better job in handling reported issues. I was merely disagreeing with the "It's got to be TiVo that screwed up" assertion. It's likely, but given how little we know I can't agree that it's a certitude.
> 
> In fact, if I had to lay money on the table, I'd bet that there was some culpability on both sides. But ultimately it was worked out and that's what matters.


:roll eyes: Actually, it was THE GRINCH! (But everyone knows that The Grinch works for TiVo!)


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## NoNose (Nov 27, 2015)

By Elborak:
"In fact, if I had to lay money on the table, I'd bet that there was some culpability on both sides. But ultimately it was worked out and that's what matters."

Those of us that were told by BOTH sides that the only recourse was to return the DVR, are screwed! Now, Amazon has nothing to ship to those customers that followed instructions with the anticipation that a replacement would eventually follow. According to Amazon, you can forget that.

I even tried asking about Amazon locating the returned equipment, in hopes that they could be quickly inspected and reshipped back to those customers that were waiting. Well, I was told by Amazon that I could take that up with Corporate, if I wanted to do that. I got a very definite sense that there is no relief coming from Amazon. PERIOD!


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## raqball (Feb 23, 2015)

Has it been delivered back to Amazon yet? There may be a way for the shipping company to reverse it and return back to you..


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## robnalex (Sep 8, 2002)

NoNose said:


> Those of us that were told by BOTH sides that the only recourse was to return the DVR, are screwed!


 True dat- it's a bummer. But in fairness, the Amazon Rep I spoke with last week suggested that since they had just become aware of the issue, and appeared to be working on it, that I wait a week to see if it was resolved. I chose not to take her advice, and returned mine and purchased from another seller for $419 - $40 gift credit. When I saw that the issue seemed to be getting resolved, I expressed my disappointment to Amazon, and they gave me an additional credit for the difference in price. However, I doubt they'd give you a credit for the difference between $300 and $599 (currently the lowest price on Amazon).


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## elborak (Jul 15, 2014)

I was in the same boat and chose (based on reports that a few folks had this same thing happen in prior months and it got worked out) to wait a few days to see how things shook out. But I do sympathize.


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## jagrim (May 1, 2007)

I ended up with a dead Roamio OTA with PLS from Amazon. Since I'm not sure if Amazon will get any more, it seems like my best option is to transfer to my account then call Tivo to replace while the warranty is in effect. Any thoughts?


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## NoNose (Nov 27, 2015)

jagrim said:


> I ended up with a dead Roamio OTA with PLS from Amazon. Since I'm not sure if Amazon will get any more, it seems like my best option is to transfer to my account then call Tivo to replace while the warranty is in effect. Any thoughts?


Not sure if Tivo keeps any replacement machines separate from their retail stock, but they have told me many times that they have no Roamio OTA units in inventory, and nothing being built any longer.


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## jagrim (May 1, 2007)

NoNose said:


> Not sure if Tivo keeps any replacement machines separate from their retail stock, but they have told me many times that they have no Roamio OTA units in inventory, and nothing being built any longer.


If it's under warranty, I expect that they will have to do something, either repair or provide another piece of equipment. That's probably the only way to keep the lifetime service. Since it's under warranty, I would expect to be provided a working model with the PLS transferred.


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## unitron (Apr 28, 2006)

This post

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=10719394#post10719394

explains what happened.


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## emjayoh (Dec 12, 2015)

crxrocks said:


> NO fair! I ordered mine on the 23rd.


I ordered mine on November 10. I've received 4 different updated ship dates and am holding my breath that the unit will be received on Monday, Dec. 14. I've emailed and phoned Amazon Customer Service and get very little straight information and they seem to have 'no knowledge' of this ongoing problem! I've let them know that others (on this site) ordered after me and have already received their units. Not a good way to treat their Prime customers methinks!
I'm keeping fingers crossed that the unit will show the Lifetime Service. If not, I may just have to let out a big ol' shreik!
Thanks to all who have provided info to date. I'm sure it will be helpful to me when I set up mine....if it comes!


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## crxrocks (Mar 30, 2004)

emjayoh said:


> I ordered mine on November 10. I've received 4 different updated ship dates and am holding my breath that the unit will be received on Monday, Dec. 14. I've emailed and phoned Amazon Customer Service and get very little straight information and they seem to have 'no knowledge' of this ongoing problem! I've let them know that others (on this site) ordered after me and have already received their units. Not a good way to treat their Prime customers methinks!
> I'm keeping fingers crossed that the unit will show the Lifetime Service. If not, I may just have to let out a big ol' shreik!
> Thanks to all who have provided info to date. I'm sure it will be helpful to me when I set up mine....if it comes!


Mine arrived today after being shipped unexpectedly to me, yesterday. They shipped it priority overnight. To that point it was displaying a delivery date of Dec 18 on the Amazon website.

So there is still hope. BTW they gave me a pretty good discount for having to wait.


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## Carlosdanger (Dec 13, 2015)

Ordered mine November 15 and received on December 10


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## crxrocks (Mar 30, 2004)

NoNose said:


> *Are you talking about a Roamio OTA with Lifetime Service?*
> 
> Was this purchase received from Amazon.com, or one of Amazon's 3rd party sellers? For weeks, there has been no way to actually place orders directly to Amazon for fulfillment, only through vendors. No surprise that you might get one shipped from one of the scalper vendors, but absolutely NOT directly from Amazon...at the $299 Lifetime price.


Yes, Roamio OTA w/ Lifetime directly from Amazon and not a 3rd party retailer.


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## NoNose (Nov 27, 2015)

crxrocks said:


> Yes, Roamio OTA w/ Lifetime directly from Amazon and not a 3rd party retailer.


So, I guess you are right! There may be hope, though I just can't help feeling that Amazon has no transparency when it comes to customer service and order processing.

Congrats on your success.


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## CopperAddict (Dec 14, 2015)

I ordered mine back at the beginning of November from Amazon, along with the long extended warranty that was offered for $25?

I received mine last week from Amazon.

I did have to call Tivo by phone to get the unit registered, but it was a simple 30 minute phone call.

Very happy so far, as I can watch CBS stuff again.

I cut the DirecTV noose 1.5 years ago, and until a month ago did not have an OTA antenna.


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## bergerl (Dec 11, 2015)

Ordered mine on 11/25, received it last Tuesday, installed it this weekend. When I tried to register it, it said it was already registered. Called Tivo and they sorted it out in about 10 minutes. Activated fine and works well, lifetime subscription in place.


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## emjayoh (Dec 12, 2015)

crxrocks said:


> Mine arrived today after being shipped unexpectedly to me, yesterday. They shipped it priority overnight. To that point it was displaying a delivery date of Dec 18 on the Amazon website.
> 
> So there is still hope. BTW they gave me a pretty good discount for having to wait.


Mine finally arrived first thing this morning. Setup was pretty straight forward on the unit itself. AND it showed up as Lifetime Product Service, as ordered. So I'm a happy camper. Tho I have not seen any sign that I'll get any credit back from Amazon for the month-long delay.


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## robnalex (Sep 8, 2002)

The prices from the other Amazon sellers have been slowly dropping- down to $450 today- hopefully Amazon will have the $299 deal back again soon, if the supply holds up.


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## Dulanic (Dec 15, 2015)

First time I saw this thread. I received mine last week. No issues they transferred it to me with the lifetime plan.


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## Dulanic (Dec 15, 2015)

CopperAddict said:


> I ordered mine back at the beginning of November from Amazon, along with the long extended warranty that was offered for $25?
> 
> I received mine last week from Amazon.
> 
> ...


I'd get the 40 warranty through tivo for 3 years. Amazon warranty will only cover hardware and the service is limited to original device. Return the amazon one.


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## 304573 (Dec 12, 2015)

Just to add another data point...

I ordered from Amazon on 11/23, and received today (12/15). I called TiVo and there was no issue transferring the PLS.

I noticed the manufacture date on the box was February 2015.

Thanks to everyone for providing valuable input.


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## NoNose (Nov 27, 2015)

A shipping notification just arrived from Amazon. My Roamio OTA, with Lifetime Service, is on it's way. This is a replacement order that was created when my Nov. 4th purchase was sent with monthly/yearly service...ONLY. At the time, Dec. 2nd, neither Tivo or Amazon had a way to switch the service characteristics, and both companies claimed that there was no longer any stock...and none was expected. I was instructed to send my Tivo back to Amazon for a refund.

It was no surprise that I was not encouraged by Amazon to have a replacement order created. However, I insisted that they do so. That was on Dec. 2nd.

No idea where they found some stock. Hopefully, the setup will go smoothly and the lifetime service will be confirmed.


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## Photo_guy (Mar 12, 2015)

NoNose said:


> No idea where they found some stock. Hopefully, the setup will go smoothly and the lifetime service will be confirmed.


Possibly the one I returned.


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## robnalex (Sep 8, 2002)

NoNose said:


> No idea where they found some stock.


 There are 6 merchants selling them on Amazon alone, so obviously there is stock available. The last Amazon Rep I spoke with said they would have them again in January.


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## robnalex (Sep 8, 2002)

$299 at Amazon today!


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## SumerNivek (Jan 10, 2016)

robnalex said:


> $299 at Amazon today!


Just ordered mine!!!


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## F18fxr (Oct 2, 2003)

Got mine. Glad I had the Traktor app that sent me an email a short time ago.


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## Scooter Scott (Jun 1, 2015)

I think I am going to order this as well. Is TiVo still going to support the OTA product even though they aren't selling it anymore?


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## NashGuy (May 2, 2015)

Scooter Scott said:


> I think I am going to order this as well. Is TiVo still going to support the OTA product even though they aren't selling it anymore?


Yes. They will honor the warranty that comes with the product. And they continue to provide guide data for old TiVo models that were discontinued years ago. You can likely expect additional software updates for at least another year too (probably longer if the previous model, the TiVo Premiere, is indicative.) Ongoing support from TiVo for the Roamio OTA should not be a concern at all for the next few years (unless the entire company goes out of business completely, but no one realistically expects that).


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## Scooter Scott (Jun 1, 2015)

NashGuy said:


> Yes. They will honor the warranty that comes with the product. And they continue to provide guide data for old TiVo models that were discontinued years ago. You can likely expect additional software updates for at least another year too (probably longer if the previous model, the TiVo Premiere, is indicative.) Ongoing support from TiVo for the Roamio OTA should not be a concern at all for the next few years (unless the entire company goes out of business completely, but no one realistically expects that).


I asked this question when I was on the phone with them the other day. She told me that I can expect software patches and full support for a long time yet on the Roamio...


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## foghorn2 (May 4, 2004)

Like Jesus will someday(  ), the Tivo OTA Lifetime for 299.99 has risen from the Dead.


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## rolfl (Dec 28, 2015)

Ordered one 
Was set on getting a Bolt but $299 for the OTA w/life made the decision easy.


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## Terrestrial (Jan 22, 2016)

rolfl said:


> Ordered one
> Was set on getting a Bolt but $299 for the OTA w/life made the decision easy.


Same for me, ordered mine two days ago, coming UPS today. Just in the nick of time, no longer available on Amazon as of this morning.


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## Lancep50 (Jan 20, 2016)

Got mine Tuesday; now $419 on Amazon.


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## mickinct (Sep 14, 2015)

Lancep50 said:


> Got mine Tuesday; now $419 on Amazon.


ANY ISSUES with the errors with transfer from amazon acct?


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## Scooter Scott (Jun 1, 2015)

mickinct said:


> ANY ISSUES with the errors with transfer from amazon acct?


No issues transferring mine at all. You just need to make sure to call CS and tell them you need to transfer an amazon box to your account.


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## BruceOrl (Jan 17, 2016)

mickinct said:


> ANY ISSUES with the errors with transfer from amazon acct?


Got mine on Wednesday, and did not have any issues with the Tivo customer service reps in getting it transferred under my account that afternoon. Rep was very helpful and nice.

I did have an issue with the streaming options and discovery bar going away yesterday morning, along with getting errors on viewing recommendations and what was currently on.

However, by yesterday evening (just when I was about to call them) everything was working. All screens and recommendations without errors and streaming channels back and a 100% functional.

I figured it was something transitory to do with switching the accounts from Amazon to me.


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## mickinct (Sep 14, 2015)

Scooter Scott said:


> No issues transferring mine at all. You just need to make sure to call CS and tell them you need to transfer an amazon box to your account.


I did that this is my 4th unit, it took 12hrs for it to verify.people have had problems verifying units taking long times to sync, talked to CS for more than a hour trying to get it to work, was told to send it back for replacement, just got replacement this morning, finally got the other unit to work but it was already issued a replacement, so it was sent back yesterday.will be adding a 4tb hdd to this one.Now they are out of stock.


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## Scooter Scott (Jun 1, 2015)

BruceOrl said:


> Got mine on Wednesday, and did not have any issues with the Tivo customer service reps in getting it transferred under my account that afternoon. Rep was very helpful and nice.
> 
> I did have an issue with the streaming options and discovery bar going away yesterday morning, along with getting errors on viewing recommendations and what was currently on.
> 
> ...


Mine had these errors too. It too started randomly working last night.


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## NashGuy (May 2, 2015)

Scooter Scott said:


> I asked this question when I was on the phone with them the other day. She told me that I can expect software patches and full support for a long time yet on the Roamio...


That's good to hear. When I said you can expect at last one year of software updates, I meant updates that bring new features, apps and UI changes, although such improvements could possibly continue for years. Hard to say. I would imagine TiVo will issue software patches to fix Roamio bugs as needed for many years.


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## johnner (May 7, 2012)

sigh its gone again? i missed it again!


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## mickinct (Sep 14, 2015)

johnner said:


> sigh its gone again? i missed it again!


1 in sealed box send me PM?


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## Lancep50 (Jan 20, 2016)

mickinct said:


> ANY ISSUES with the errors with transfer from amazon acct?


This response from another post sums it up well.

*From an IT standpoint I think the cause/effects of this situation are pretty simple. All of the TiVo's were activated on a single Amazon account as previously stated. When you call in and have it transferred most people are firing them up right away and setting them up but obviously their servers haven't had ample time to process the transfer fully. The unit works at first (using the old Amazon authentication information). A few hours later when that information leaves their system the errors start because that no longer is a valid association. Once the buyer's account association proliferates across their system (anywhere between 9-30 hours based on posts here) it seems to work fine again.

Why it hasn't happened before I don't know... but it makes sense. I transferred mine two days ago when it arrived, but left it in the box after transferring. Setup worked fine with no glitches or issues (so far).

So the best method seems to be call in for the transfer, allow the servers a day or two to catch up with the data, and then run Guided Setup/do drive upgrades, etc. I seem to remember years ago being told that activation wouldn't process fully for 24-48 hours. That doesn't seem to be on their site now, but I know I've heard/seen that before.*


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## johnner (May 7, 2012)

cant pm BC i only have 4 posts, can you pm me your email please?


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## SomeRandomIdiot (Jan 7, 2016)

johnner said:


> sigh its gone again? i missed it again!


They are available, but the price went up significantly.


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## herzzreh (Sep 11, 2008)

Not from Amazon but from a scalper.

Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk


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## mickinct (Sep 14, 2015)

herzzreh said:


> Not from Amazon but from a scalper.
> 
> Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk


1 avail send me a pm.


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## robnalex (Sep 8, 2002)

herzzreh said:


> Not from Amazon but from a scalper.


 As of today, seven sellers have them available on Amazon. I wouldn't call them scalpers, they're just asking what the market will bear. In fact the lowest price of $397 + $7.49 shipping and no tax is only $84.50 more than you'd pay from Amazon at $300 plus tax. Has anyone inquired of Amazon when/if they will have them again?


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## SomeRandomIdiot (Jan 7, 2016)

robnalex said:


> As of today, seven sellers have them available on Amazon. I wouldn't call them scalpers, they're just asking what the market will bear. In fact the lowest price of $397 + $7.49 shipping and no tax is only $84.50 more than you'd pay from Amazon at $300 plus tax. Has anyone inquired of Amazon when/if they will have them again?


Considering they are only making around $40 on these, they certainly are not walking off with huge profits.


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## purwater (Aug 25, 2005)

I got lucky and Amazon had them in stock last week for the $299. I ordered on Tuesday and it arrived on Friday. I hadn't used a Tivo in quite a while so I set up a new account, and the Tivo was easily transferred from Amazon's account over to my new account. I did all of this online following the instructions included with the unit. Several people on Amazon's reviews had listed instructions on how to get the service transferred, but the latest units had a paper with instructions. I'm guessing they figured it was better than all the CS calls and issues. Everything went smoothly, but I spent about an hour doing the setup and updates to the box.


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## tucsonbill (Aug 11, 2004)

purwater said:


> I got lucky and Amazon had them in stock last week for the $299. I ordered on Tuesday and it arrived on Friday. I hadn't used a Tivo in quite a while so I set up a new account, and the Tivo was easily transferred from Amazon's account over to my new account. I did all of this online following the instructions included with the unit. Several people on Amazon's reviews had listed instructions on how to get the service transferred, but the latest units had a paper with instructions. I'm guessing they figured it was better than all the CS calls and issues. Everything went smoothly, but I spent about an hour doing the setup and updates to the box.


Mine is arriving today. I plan to transfer to a new account online. I'm curious -- did you have to wait 2 days to set it up after the transfer -- seems to be the conventional wisdom from those who did it by calling CS?


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## Scooter Scott (Jun 1, 2015)

tucsonbill said:


> Mine is arriving today. I plan to transfer to a new account online. I'm curious -- did you have to wait 2 days to set it up after the transfer -- seems to be the conventional wisdom from those who did it by calling CS?


I did everything same day


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## purwater (Aug 25, 2005)

tucsonbill said:


> Mine is arriving today. I plan to transfer to a new account online. I'm curious -- did you have to wait 2 days to set it up after the transfer -- seems to be the conventional wisdom from those who did it by calling CS?


No I set everything up as soon as the Tivo finished it's initial boot up and download of whatever it wanted to update. After the complete update and installation of the files I set up the Tivo using the included instruction sheet. Then as soon as I finished that I used the sheet to register it to my account. Everything went smoothly.


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## tonyh619 (Jan 25, 2016)

I was able to score on the Amazon deal for the Roamio OTA with lifetime box. Over a decade ago I had two Series 2 boxes with lifetime service and have had a hiatus with TiVo service due to cable HD boxes. I proceeded to cut the cord and the HD antennae by itself just wasnt cutting it. I feel lucky to come across the Amazon deal and have TiVo service again! Now if we can get some HBO integration life would be grand! lol


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## lpax (Jan 21, 2016)

Amazon screwed up on the shipping, my package seems to be lost. After waiting for a week I might have to take the refund.  I was really looking forward to my first Tivo experience.


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## Scooter Scott (Jun 1, 2015)

lpax said:


> Amazon screwed up on the shipping, my package seems to be lost. After waiting for a week I might have to take the refund.  I was really looking forward to my first Tivo experience.


Screw the refund...make them make it right. This is a great deal that you shouldn't miss out on because they screwed up.


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## robnalex (Sep 8, 2002)

tonyh619 said:


> I was able to score on the Amazon deal for the Roamio OTA with lifetime box. Over a decade ago I had two Series 2 boxes with lifetime service and have had a hiatus with TiVo service due to cable HD boxes. I proceeded to cut the cord and the HD antennae by itself just wasnt cutting it. I feel lucky to come across the Amazon deal and have TiVo service again! Now if we can get some HBO integration life would be grand! lol


I, too had a bit of a hiatus from TiVo, as you'll notice from my TCF join date! My first was a SD Sony DirecTV TiVo, my second was the first DirecTV HD HR 10-250 (Remember how crazy hot that box was when it was first offered?). Well, years later, DirecTV is gone from our house, but TiVo is back!


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## Mikeyis4dcats (Oct 2, 2003)

the one I had in my cart (and stupidly didn't buy) now no longer says available 1/26, but "this item is no longer available from the seller you chose".

My guess is the last batch were returns from people who gave up trying to sort out the lifetime issue.


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## lpax (Jan 21, 2016)

I called them, they don't have any way to get another unit since this is a special deal involving Amazon and Tivo. I am not sure what else I can say.



Scooter Scott said:


> Screw the refund...make them make it right. This is a great deal that you shouldn't miss out on because they screwed up.


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## Scooter Scott (Jun 1, 2015)

lpax said:


> I called them, they don't have any way to get another unit since this is a special deal involving Amazon and Tivo. I am not sure what else I can say.


Who did you call?


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## mickinct (Sep 14, 2015)

Scooter Scott said:


> Who did you call?


1 extra send me a PM.....


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## lpax (Jan 21, 2016)

Scooter Scott said:


> Who did you call?


I called Amazon to inquire about the delay in shipment. They said package is not trackable(lost?) so they can give me a refund since they don't have any in stock and there are no other sellers selling that item.(it was a few days ago). I said I do not want refund and will wait for couple of more days.


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## lpax (Jan 21, 2016)

mickinct said:


> 1 extra send me a PM.....


Sorry I am not able to reply back to you since I can not sent PMs yet.
I will let you know in a day or so. Thanks.


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## robnalex (Sep 8, 2002)

lpax said:


> I called Amazon to inquire about the delay in shipment. They said package is not trackable(lost?) so they can give me a refund since they don't have any in stock and there are no other sellers selling that item.(it was a few days ago). I said I do not want refund and will wait for couple of more days.


There have always (since November) been a few other Amazon Sellers offering this same item. There are 5 right now. The one from S&Y Electronics is fulfilled my Amazon. Ask them if they'll credit you the difference in price if you buy one from one of these other vendors. They did something similar for me back in December when I returned my non-lifetime activated unit just before they (and TiVo) got it sorted out.


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## robnalex (Sep 8, 2002)

Mikeyis4dcats said:


> My guess is the last batch were returns from people who gave up trying to sort out the lifetime issue.


There may have been some of the returns included in their recent inventory, but the Amazon Rep I spoke with last month said that they would be getting more of them in January. They had them in stock for a good few days, so they must have had A LOT of them.


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## lpax (Jan 21, 2016)

robnalex said:


> There have always (since November) been a few other Amazon Sellers offering this same item. There are 5 right now. The one from S&Y Electronics is fulfilled my Amazon. Ask them if they'll credit you the difference in price if you buy one from one of these other vendors. They did something similar for me back in December when I returned my non-lifetime activated unit just before they (and TiVo) got it sorted out.


It seems the package has been found and will be delivered tomorrow! This is good!


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## Chris Gerhard (Apr 27, 2002)

I sure don't get all of the complaints about this, activation was painless, it showed on my account before I hung up from TiVo. If it takes a couple of days before it functions properly as a TiVo on my account, I can sure live with that.


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## heifer624 (Jul 12, 2009)

I'm not recommending this item but just passing the deal on to anyone interested. I received this email from them today:

_Dear Channel Master V.I.P's,

REMINDER: This promotion ends this upcoming *Monday, February 1st.*

A Black Friday price for a limited time! Your friends and family can purchase the 16GB DVR+ on our website and enter code CMVIP at checkout to get $50 off. 
That's a 16 GB DVR+ for $199!

Thank you for being a Channel Master customer!
_


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## jlac839 (Nov 7, 2004)

I purchased one of the Amazon OTA units and had the same experience as others. I had to call TiVo to switch it to my account but that took only a few minutes. However it took a couple of days after performing the initial setup for the TiVo to function fully. Fortunately the forum posts had warned me to expect the C501 errors so I just waited and about 48 hours after the switch it works fine.

I guess I need to update my sig again...


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## arewhy (Dec 29, 2015)

Apparently the deal is not completely dead. It was available @ 5:30 AM PST and I was able to order one. It was gone by 6:00 AM when I went to get the link to post on the forum


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## mickinct (Sep 14, 2015)

arewhy said:


> Apparently the deal is not completely dead. It was available @ 5:30 AM PST and I was able to order one. It was gone by 6:00 AM when I went to get the link to post on the forum


Maybe you got the one I sent back.......


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## arewhy (Dec 29, 2015)

Ha! Wouldn't that be something


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## mickinct (Sep 14, 2015)

arewhy said:


> Ha! Wouldn't that be something


I Sent it back with all the error problems not verifying, tivo people told to send it back, then got it working, but already had replacement being sent out.


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## johnner (May 7, 2012)

yea it was there on thursday morning at around 8AM EST as well, i added t my cart went to check out byt he time i finished, it was gone already!


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## johnner (May 7, 2012)

mickinct said:


> I Sent it back with all the error problems not verifying, tivo people told to send it back, then got it working, but already had replacement being sent out.


have you sold it yet?


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## mickinct (Sep 14, 2015)

johnner said:


> have you sold it yet?


no


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## eric102 (Oct 31, 2012)

Its back at Amazon! http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...rue&ref_=ox_sc_sfl_title_3&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER


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## johnner (May 7, 2012)

eric102 said:


> Its back at Amazon! http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...rue&ref_=ox_sc_sfl_title_3&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER


and gone again


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## eric102 (Oct 31, 2012)

johnner said:


> and gone again


Yeah, probably lots of folks had it in their cart waiting for it to return. Or it was an Amazon mistake.


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## rippolito (Feb 9, 2016)

Mickint,

I am not able to send private messages yet (too new a member).

Is your Roamio OTA with lifetime still for sale?

Thank you in advance...
Ron


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## mickinct (Sep 14, 2015)

rippolito said:


> Mickint,
> 
> I am not able to send private messages yet (too new a member).
> 
> ...


Hi sorry sold on e-bay $470.00. good luck.


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