# According to DirecTV at Best Buy--No TiVo in 2010



## CabbageRose (Nov 28, 2009)

We were in Best Buy today thinking of buying a TiVo unit. The DirecTV salesperson said he was new and that he was instructed that if anyone asked about buying TiVo units for the impending re-activation with DirecTV contracts that the discussions had stopped and that there was no indication that they were to start again.

We had threatened to quit DirecTV and their "keep 'em or die" person had told us that TiVo was coming back just 2 weeks ago while she was piling on the incentives.

I told this guy I had been on the TiVo site this afternoon and they hadn't altered their position that they were to start up again in 2010 and he said he was aware of that but his trainer was adamant that even with the new president of DirecTV there were no plans to add TiVo again.

Anybody hear anything different lately?


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## SpiritualPoet (Jan 14, 2007)

Nope.


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## bkdtv (Jan 9, 2003)

You won't find any DirecTV employees with inside knowledge at Best Buy.

TiVo's CEO reiterated a few days ago that a new DirecTiVo is being readied for release in 2010. You can read the transcript here.



TiVo CEO on Nov. 24 said:


> For starters, the new much anticipated DIRECTV, TiVo HD DVR is on track for launch next year and we believe this will give DIRECTV's 18 million subscribers access to the very best way to experience television.


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## CabbageRose (Nov 28, 2009)

To reiterate, I said it was the DirecTV person stationed at Best Buy, not a Best Buy salesperson, but thanks for the link.


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## TonyTheTiger (Dec 22, 2006)

Another example of a drone being fed the wrong propaganda I'm afraid. This guy is being paid to promote sales TODAY not in 2010, when he's probably moved up in the world and is asking people if they "want fries with that".


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## Adam1115 (Dec 15, 2003)

If I were you I'd wait until they announce a date before you go shopping for one....


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## shwru980r (Jun 22, 2008)

CabbageRose said:


> he was instructed that if anyone asked about buying TiVo units for the impending re-activation with DirecTV contracts that the discussions had stopped and that there was no indication that they were to start again.
> 
> he said he was aware of that but his trainer was adamant that even with the new president of DirecTV there were no plans to add TiVo again.


I think the SEC would call this insider information and a salesperson wouldn't be announcing it to the public at your local best buy.


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## hughvh (Apr 4, 2002)

You spoke to a DirecTv rep. I used to rep for Intel. They don't work for Best Buy, but they don't work for DirecTv either. Most reps come from temp agencies. So they are at the bottom of the food chain when it comes to new product knowledge.

Tony is right, he's probably graded on, if not compensated for promoting sales for this holiday season. Even if he did have knowledge next year product line, he won't mention it. Its like a car sales man telling your to come back when the 2011 cars come out next July. 

If you it makes you feel any better, he will probably be rep'ing beer for the SuperBowl in January.


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## mr.unnatural (Feb 2, 2006)

I wouldn't believe a single word coming from anyone at Best Buy, regardless of who they claim to work for or represent. They're the most uninformed people on the planet when it comes to telling customers about the products in their store. I have spoken with "DirecTV" reps at BB and they are obviously temps hired to sell you a product but have little or no working knowledge about them and definitely can't tell you a thing about upcoming products unless they're sitting in front of them.

Back in the days before the S2 DTivos were released I made the mistake of asking a BB salesperson about the new DTivo that was coming out. He said yes, it was coming and it will be called UltimateTV. When I tried to educate him on the fact that UTV and Tivo were two different DVRs he insisted that I knew nothing and simply could not fathom that he was mistaken.


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## LoadStar (Jul 24, 2001)

hughvh said:


> You spoke to a DirecTv rep. I used to rep for Intel. They don't work for Best Buy, but they don't work for DirecTv either. Most reps come from temp agencies. So they are at the bottom of the food chain when it comes to new product knowledge.


Yup. When I was an "Apple Rep" working in Sears, I wasn't actually working for Apple, despite a nice polo shirt embroidered with the Apple logo and the words "Apple Representative." I was actually working for a company called MarketSource, who in turn was hired by Apple to sell their products.

As a company rep, you're given sufficient information to do your job, but not any additional information. For instance, you're told all about the products out now, maybe products that are due out shortly that they have announced publicly, but you are definitely not given any confidential information like release dates for unannounced products.

Want proof? Here's an example of just such a job:
https://marketsource.ats.hrsmart.com/cgi-bin/a/highlightjob.cgi?jobid=4074
I would suspect that job would either be representing DirecTV or Dish Network - probably DirecTV, actually.


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## magnus (Nov 12, 2004)

Yep, that rep should have just said that they don't know the answer.


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