# Lifetime for Loyal Customers



## socrplyr (Jul 19, 2006)

Here is what I posted to the suggestions on Tivo's Website.



> I wish my TiVo DVR could do this:
> Do away with subscriptions. You can do this now by purchasing a new unit with lifetime, but I suggest that after a unit has been paid on for 5 continuous years it automatically gets lifetime that cannot be transferred to another box (same as it is now). If the box is broken during this period and must be replaced, a credit can be given for the number of years minus one year to the new box. Example: Someone has paid on a Series2 box for 4 years and it breaks. He/she purchases a TivoHD and gets credit for 3 years of service paid, so he/she only needs 2 years to be paid to receive lifetime on that box.
> This whole idea does away with subscriptions by effectively loaning the money for the years when paying that would have been paid up front for the Lifetime.
> 
> ...


Just a suggestion. But maybe someone will listen and come up with something that works for both Tivo and the users.
Josh


----------



## techieunite (Oct 18, 2005)

I agree with this, but it doesn't make sense financially.

If you provided a service, and had paying customers, would you want them to just stop paying while you still provided them a service?

Each Tivo Box that has an active subscription(lifetime or monthly) has to have guide data.

Tivo has to pay for guide data for every single box. Crazy I know, but that's why they still are not profitable.

I got my first series 2 40 hour nightlight tivo back in 2004. I've been paying on it for 4 years. I purchased a RS-TX20 DVD-Recorder tivo a year later. Been paying on that for 3 years.

They gave me a promo rate of $6.95 for my boxes because I tried to cancel. But I've already paid "for lifetime". $6.95 times 48 months is $333.60. 

I've paid about $250 for the other one. If I was paying $12.95 a month, I would have paid the same in only two years.

But every time I call tivo and have an issue, they treat me like royality. Bending over backwards trying to help me and working with me to get any issues fixed.

Could this be that I've been a "paying" customer this whole time and that is why they treat me so well?

Who knows.
I


----------



## ZeoTiVo (Jan 2, 2004)

techieunite said:


> I agree with this, but it doesn't make sense financially.
> 
> If you provided a service, and had paying customers, would you want them to just stop paying while you still provided them a service?
> 
> ...


yah, I think Businesses define loyal *customers* as those willing to continue giving them money in exchange for goods and services.

TiVo could get extra sales from the OP's idea but they need a lot more volume (say 5 or more times what they have now) to generate significant money off of other revenue streams on the box. Right now they do not even bother to break that other revenue out onto its own line on the financial disclosures.


----------



## socrplyr (Jul 19, 2006)

I understand what you guys are saying about Tivo not making money when subscriptions go away. However, someone at Tivo thinks they can make money with Lifetimed customers. If they can't and Lifetime is going to go away again, then I think it was wrong of them to bring it back in the first place. Maybe the prices I suggested are not high enough, but it is the idea that I was after. The boxes do break eventually and that is why it is key that the Lifetime dies with the box. The other option that I would consider is significantly reducing the cost after the box has been out there for so long. I think the pricing is too high to pay indefinitely (not necessarily for the first few years, but after that I couldn't see anyone wanting to pay $13/$10 per month for a 5 year old Series2).


----------

