# Free lifetime service on all Minis?



## Tmad80 (Nov 1, 2015)

Do all TiVo Minis now have free lifetime service? I'm looking at buying one used (the newest model) and wanted to make sure.


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## dlfl (Jul 6, 2006)

This thread contains the latest word:

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=530853

In particular read posts 15 - 20. Looks like the key thing is to make sure the seller calls in and discontinues the subscription on it -- as a condition of you buying it. Note that if it's on a monthly plan with a year-long commitment, this may involve an early cancellation fee, probably around $50. You may need to bargain with the seller about that.

Of course if it's already on a lifetime sub, the seller needs to call in and tell TiVo he's selling it and get a case # to give you so you can activate it on your account (for free).


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

dlfl said:


> This thread contains the latest word:
> 
> http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=530853
> 
> In particular read posts 15 - 20. Looks like the key thing is to make sure the seller calls in and discontinues the subscription on it -- as a condition of you buying it. Note that if it's on a monthly plan with a year-long commitment, this may involve an early cancellation fee, probably around $50. You may need to bargain with the seller about that.


I think the early termination fee on the Minis is $25.


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## jim1971 (Oct 11, 2015)

Tmad80 said:


> Do all TiVo Minis now have free lifetime service? I'm looking at buying one used (the newest model) and wanted to make sure.


If you buy new there is supposed to be lifetime on it.

If you buy used it's buyer beware. I bought two minis online, used. One had lifetime, The other did not. At the time of both purchases I thought ALL minis were lifetime. This was incorrect on my part.

After a lot of conversation with Tivo, I decided to return the 2nd. A brief negotiation with the seller, who did not want bad reviews on the sales site and otherwise unsalable merchandise returned, provided this solution ... the seller would refund enough to cover the lifetime mini activation of $50. There was no opportunity to try the deactivate then reactivate workaround as the seller was not the original owner. I was lucky.


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## dlfl (Jul 6, 2006)

Bottom line: any time a TiVo is going to change hands, the current owner needs to call TiVo and tell them that and get a case number to pass on to the buyer. (And pay any early termination fees that apply.)

If you are a buyer, don't commit to the purchase without verifying this has been done.


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

jim1971 said:


> If you buy used it's buyer beware. I bought two minis online, used. One had lifetime, The other did not. At the time of both purchases I thought ALL minis were lifetime.
> 
> This was incorrect on my part.
> 
> After a lot of conversation with Tivo, I decided to return the 2nd. A brief negotiation with the seller, who did not want bad reviews on the sales site and otherwise unsalable merchandise returned, provided this solution ... the seller would refund enough to cover the lifetime mini activation of $50. There was no opportunity to try the deactivate then reactivate workaround as the seller was not the original owner. I was lucky.


Actually, you just did it wrong. You should NEVER call TiVo about this, because they will tell you that you have to pay $50 to activate lifetime service. What they won't tell you is that you can just go on the website and get free lifetime on any Mini, even used ones. *All Minis can be activated on the TiVo website with lifetime service for free.*


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## jim1971 (Oct 11, 2015)

tarheelblue32 said:


> Actually, you just did it wrong. You should NEVER call TiVo about this, because they will tell you that you have to pay $50 to activate lifetime service. What they won't tell you is that you can just go on the website and get free lifetime on any Mini, even used ones. *All Minis can be activated on the TiVo website with lifetime service for free.*


No. You're wrong, unfortunately. It was already activated in someone else's name as a month to month mini on someone else's account. I had no access to them to deactivate it first. I first tried what you described and it didn't work. Advice such as yours is what got me into trouble in the first place. Minis were month to month or lifetime originally. Lifetime cost $50 originally. NOW they are all sold as lifetime if new and some of the early used ones are lifetime.


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

jim1971 said:


> No. You're wrong, unfortunately. It was already activated in someone else's name as a month to month mini on someone else's account. I had no access to them to deactivate it first. I first tried what you described and it didn't work. Advice such as yours is what got me into trouble in the first place. Minis were month to month or lifetime originally. Lifetime cost $50 originally. NOW they are all sold as lifetime if new and some of the early used ones are lifetime.


I'm not wrong. Being able to move the Mini to your account is a totally different issue. If you buy any used TiVo unit, you always need to make sure that the seller can transfer it to your account. If you had been able to get the Mini onto your account, then you would have been able to activate the free lifetime service on it.


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## jim1971 (Oct 11, 2015)

tarheelblue32 said:


> I'm not wrong. Being able to move the Mini to your account is a totally different issue. If you buy any used TiVo unit, you always need to make sure that the seller can transfer it to your account.


 You can't use a mini that's not on your account. Otherwise I'd be using this one now.

Agree about the last part. Know your seller and only buy lifetime guaranteed equipment. Tivo is too goofy about used non-lifetime equipment. This makes me sad for owners of non lifetime equipment. Terrible resale market.


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

jim1971 said:


> You can't use a mini that's not on your account. Otherwise I'd be using this one now.


Of course you can't. You also can't stream or transfer recordings from one TiVo DVR to another unless they are both on your account. So even if you are buying a used Roamio, you still want to make sure that the seller is able to transfer it to your account. This isn't just a Mini issue.


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

jim1971 said:


> As I said, if you buy used tivo equipment, buyer beware. if not lifetime, then the value of used tivo stuff is severely diminished unless Tivo figures out how not to be so hinky on non-lifetime transfers. I wasted several hours on several phone calls over 2 days and my resolution is barely satisfactory, assuming it is actually transferred in a couple of days. My 3 lifetime devices went over with ease. This one was like dental work with no Novocaine.


I think you're exaggerating a little bit about the dental work part, but as I point out in another thread, once you get that Mini transferred to your account by paying the $50 lifetime service fee, you can cancel the service on it within the first 30 days for a full refund and then just go online and activate lifetime service on it for free now that it has been transferred to your account.


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

jim1971 said:


> I'll think about it. Any possible downside to it? if it doesn't work will they get goofy again and stick me with a mini that can't be activated under any circumstances?
> 
> What really pokes at me is I'm doing everything right (by them) and they, in turn, have some of the worst customer service I've ever encountered. No exaggeration. I would never buy any used tivo equipment after this that is not certified as lifetime. I feel sorry for anyone who buys with the intention of selling later as non-lifetime equipment is toxic to me now.


I certainly understand your frustration. You can look through many threads and see instances where you have to jump through the right hoops with TiVo CSRs and say of do the right things to get the best deal, and even then you may have to play CSR roulette until you find the right CSR to give you the deal you want.

I see no possible downside with deactivating the service on the Mini and then reactivating it for free. Worst case scenario it doesn't work and you have to just pay the $50 you were refunded to activate it again. But I am pretty confident that this strategy will work to get the free lifetime. If you do it, just make sure you are activating it as if it were a new unit under the "activate a TiVo device" section on the TiVo website rather than trying to reactivate it from the device list.


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