# adding used mini to account



## mikec49 (Nov 30, 2016)

I purchased a new (store shelf display) off fleabay. I didn't realize i would need to add it to my account to use it. I guess i should have done my homework. online chat says no problem but after calling in, tech won't add it to my account. These are sold in large numbers used. Is there a way to get it added or to use at all?


----------



## tazzmission (Oct 15, 2002)

I'm having the same issue. I bought two on eBay that were sold as brand new and they most certainly are not. The boxes were opened and the TSN on the device does not match the box. They "look" new. But TiVo won't add them to my account. I have a case open on eBay with the seller


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


----------



## hytekjosh (Dec 4, 2010)

What reason is Tivo giving that they cannot add?


----------



## mikec49 (Nov 30, 2016)

Chat tech told me they could if i called billing. Billing says it's still listed under another persons account and won't add it to my account.


----------



## tazzmission (Oct 15, 2002)

mikec49 said:


> Chat tech told me they could if i called billing. Billing says it's still listed under another persons account and won't add it to my account.


Same here

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


----------



## mikec49 (Nov 30, 2016)

Talked again to chat tech. He took my tsn and said he would try to get it added.


----------



## mikec49 (Nov 30, 2016)

I can't see why you can't factory reset and add to any account. If they had a monthly charge, you can bet people would remove them from their accounts before returning them.


----------



## hytekjosh (Dec 4, 2010)

What is the normal way to transfer tivo service? I thought if someone sell's there Tivo, the buyer simply calls in and registers it under their own account? Does the seller need to authorize or remove first?


----------



## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

hytekjosh said:


> What is the normal way to transfer tivo service? I thought if someone sell's there Tivo, the buyer simply calls in and registers it under their own account? Does the seller need to authorize or remove first?


For any TiVo device transfer, the original owner typically needs to call TiVo support to open a case and obtain a case # for the device transfer. This case # is then supplied to the buyer, who can then call TiVo support, communicating the case #, to have the device transferred into their account.

Without such an accounting mechanism, TiVo would effectively be promoting a black market in stolen TiVo gear.


----------



## mikec49 (Nov 30, 2016)

That's fine one on one. This dealer purchased a pallet from amazon, supposedly returns and shelf pulls.


----------



## mikec49 (Nov 30, 2016)

There's no reason tivo can't contact the owner listed on this tsn. They can report someone trying to register a device listed on their account. Then the listed owner can inform to it was returned to store or stolen. I would want to be notified if one of my devices was trying to be added to another account.


----------



## fcfc2 (Feb 19, 2015)

This appears to be a new policy, perhaps courtesy of ROVI. A couple of years ago I bought a used Premiere with lifetime from a guy who didn't notify Tivo of the transfer in advance. What I was told when added it to my account was that because the seller hadn't notified Tivo that it would take up to a week to be activated on my account, 3 days later it was working fine and had been added and activated on my account. I don't know what if anything was done by Tivo regarding contacting the original owner at that time, I suspect not. I had a similar experience with a used mini.
The written Tivo instructions regarding contacting them before transfering the device is characterized as a "recommendation" not a requirement. If Tivo's policy has infact changed, their written policy should be corrected to make their "recommendation" a "requirement" especially since resale is a substantial part of value of a Tivo in the first place.
The thing I don't like about this practice, besides the fact that it assumes theft, is that it is similar to the practice of some ISP's banning of previously activated cable modems sometimes with the directly stated implication that the device was stolen. This is nothing more than a sneaky method of discouraging the purchase and use of used cable modems.


----------



## mikec49 (Nov 30, 2016)

I've talked to 4 different people. Two said no problem but were in chat. The others on the phone said no can do. I would just like to know definitely so i can move on.


----------



## tazzmission (Oct 15, 2002)

mikec49 said:


> There's no reason tivo can't contact the owner listed on this tsn. They can report someone trying to register a device listed on their account. Then the listed owner can inform to it was returned to store or stolen. I would want to be notified if one of my devices was trying to be added to another account.


I asked TiVo to do exactly this and they said they are not permitted to.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


----------



## tazzmission (Oct 15, 2002)

I returned the minis I bought. I'll just wait till the mini replacement is released


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


----------



## mikec49 (Nov 30, 2016)

I finally got a tech that went to a supervisor and approved the move to my account. I was given steps to setup. I've tried many times still get v70. Ive read many threads on this forum and tried multiple ways, no go.


----------



## CableNeverTHISBad (Feb 15, 2018)

Did this ever get resolved?

I want to buy a used mini off Craigslist to replace the obviously not "factory refurbished" unit from TiVo/Amazon/Woot that has never worked out of the box due to ancient 2013 software and V70 connection errors.

So it is not safe to buy any used TiVo equipment? I don't trust TiVo's "new" customer service corps to accomplish anything other than reading me a script. So buying new "lifetime support" equipment is the only option? What a capital idea! I wonder what the TiVo customers in New Zealand think of that?


----------



## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

CableNeverTHISBad said:


> I want to buy a used mini off Craigslist to replace the obviously not "factory refurbished" unit from TiVo/Amazon/Woot that *has never worked* out of the box due to ancient 2013 software and V70 connection errors.


"_Has_ never worked"? Did you not return it to Woot/Amazon?


----------



## CableNeverTHISBad (Feb 15, 2018)

Can't. By the time I wired my 2 story house with Cat5 to support it my return time window was gone. I should have wired up a dummy system in the same room to test it beforehand, ...but I trusted that it was honestly factory refurbished.

I am not the only one who fell into this time trap. I am astonished at the non existent tech/customer support. I keep hearing that before Rovi, TiVo actually had functional support.


----------



## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

CableNeverTHISBad said:


> Did this ever get resolved?


You're asking a question to a poster who hasn't been here in over a year. I've bought used TiVo stuff on eBay and never had a problem. That was a while ago. But TiVo's support has gone downhill.


----------



## CableNeverTHISBad (Feb 15, 2018)

Thanks! I know this is an old thread, but it is as close to any form of customer support I can find! 

I really love the features of TiVo Roamio. That is why I am struggling to make it work throughout the house before ditching it for a buffering streaming Tablo.


----------



## mdavej (Aug 13, 2015)

I have never bought a new Mini, but I have bought several used. The last one I bought was early 2016 and had no problems updating the software several times. I have had to return a couple of Mins and Streams in the past that were "misrepresented" (i.e., stolen from cable companies) that Tivo refused to activate (rightfully so).

My gut feel on this thread is that the posters had issues because the ones they bought were stolen like my bad ones. Big lots of "new" units typically fall off the cable guy's truck rather than get shoplifted from Best Buy. I've follow this board for a long time and never gotten the impression that the v70 error is widespread. My own experience, albeit pre-2017, bears this out.

Bottom line, as long as you verify with Tivo ahead of time that the TSN is legit and transferrable and confirm that it matches the unit once it's in your hands, before any money exchange, I think your risk is low. But given that there is indeed some risk, that gives you room to negotiate a much lower price. If this level of risk is unacceptable, then you'll have to pay full price for a new model. I would personally take a gamble for $50, but not much more. However, it's your money, not mine.

Good luck


----------



## CableNeverTHISBad (Feb 15, 2018)

mdavej said:


> I have never bought a new Mini, but I have bought several used. The last one I bought was early 2016 and had no problems updating the software several times. I have had to return a couple of Mins and Streams in the past that were "misrepresented" (i.e., stolen from cable companies) that Tivo refused to activate (rightfully so).
> 
> My gut feel on this thread is that the posters had issues because the ones they bought were stolen like my bad ones. Big lots of "new" units typically fall off the cable guy's truck rather than get shoplifted from Best Buy. I've follow this board for a long time and never gotten the impression that the v70 error is widespread. My own experience, albeit pre-2017, bears this out.
> 
> ...


Great post, thank you! If I can scoop up the Craigslist minis 50mi away before someone else does, I will risk it.

I still plan to pester TiVo to make good on the non working equipment they sold me through Amazon however. My timing was bad, bought old gear Rovi was dumping as "refurbished", ...when refurbished should mean having adequately current software to work! DOA product not acceptable even if the company is struggling.


----------



## Pokemon_Dad (Jan 19, 2008)

Just to add to the general happiness here with another confirmation: I purchased a used '93000 Mini on eBay, and had no trouble activating it. 

The seller promised a TiVo case number in the eBay description, and provided that when I received the unit. I called TiVo customer service at 1-877-367-8486, selected Activation, and the rep had no problem transferring it to me. By the end of the call it was already listed on the TiVo website under my list of Active TiVo Devices.

The website still shows the original owner's activation date, but that has no effect on me and I was able to customize the name immediately. After setup it complained that my main TiVo was not yet upgraded to Hydra, but I want no part of that until they get the bugs out (same reason I avoided buying a Mini Vox), and elected to downgrade. Done.


----------



## leenga (Sep 21, 2007)

So I bought a used mini on Ebay. When I tried to activate they are telling me I need to pay $50 for all in service because the previous owner only had temporary service. Does this make sense to anyone??


----------



## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

leenga said:


> So I bought a used mini on Ebay. When I tried to activate they are telling me I need to pay $50 for all in service because the previous owner only had temporary service. Does this make sense to anyone??


I don't know if this is it but, Minis did not originally come with a Lifetime (or other) subscription; you had to buy that on the side, in addition to the Mini--pay a monthly subscription fee or buy Lifetime. When the move was made to the current model (TiVo raised the price of the Mini but the Mini now came with a Lifetime subscription), you could, IIRC, buy a Lifetime subscription for the originally-priced Mini for a minimal amount. Perhaps your Mini fell into this category? (But I'll leave it to others who will know more.) Some info. (and note the comments): https://zatznotfunny.com/2014-09/tivo-mini-drops-service-fee/.


----------



## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

leenga said:


> So I bought a used mini on Ebay. When I tried to activate they are telling me I need to pay $50 for all in service because the previous owner only had temporary service. Does this make sense to anyone??


Yeah some of the original 92000 Minis didn't come with lifetime service. I think there used to be a trick to getting free lifetime service on them. If you pay the $50 to get it onto your account, and then cancel service within the 30-day window to get a refund, the Mini should then be on your account as inactive. You can then go in and activate lifetime service on it for free. I'm pretty sure this trick used to work a long time ago, but I have no idea if it still will.


----------

