Tivo personal video recorder widespread modem malfunctions with no company response
my tivo personal video recorder started to malfunction on 6/20.it was 15 months old at the time.the problem is in the modem section of the unit which renders the unit nearly unusable.i paid 400.00 for the unit ,plus 200.00 for a lifetime service fee for use of software which makes the unit functional.
the company has requested that i send it off to some place in texas (possibly the home of the hardware manufacturer, which is philips electronics) to have it repaired at a cost of 129.00 plus tax plus shipping both ways.
normally i would have to resort to this without question, but when i went online to see if there was another answer, i came across a consumer help forum (not operated by tivo or philips, but a tivo customer care rep answers questions and keeps an eye on postings)which is part of the avs science forum website. search thru "tivo community" keyword.what i saw there was a multitude of postings from people who were having the same problem as i.
many were already very unhappy with tivo's lack of response to the problem. alot of the people had their tivo units for alot less time than i. some as little as 3 weeks, and most of them had to pay for exchange of their unit also. usually as much as 100.00 or more.
there have been close to 400 postings since may . ( many have mentioned a coincidental software upgrade that tivo downloaded to their units around end of march). tivo seems to be doing little for us or to inform their new customers of this potential problem. you really need to visit this website and its forum to get the full effect of what i am saying. tivo is a digital video recorder for your tv programmming and when it works it is great. that is why many of us have boasted to everyone we know how graet it is (was ). we now all feel like we have been betryaed by this company we helped to promote and it is time for payback. thank you for listening to me. i hope i can prevent others from making the same mistake i did when i bought this piece of junk.
yours , andy s morgan hill,ca
3 Updates & Rebuttals
James
Milton,Florida,
U.S.A.
Avoid TiVo's "Warranty Exchange Fee"
#4Consumer Suggestion
Sat, July 22, 2006
Yes, TiVo modems are highly susceptible to failure, which is usually caused by near-by lightening strikes. (I live in Florida, I've had TiVo's for seven years, and I've had three of them incur modem failures through lightening.) You can repair it yourself with a modem repair kit from the internet for $25 plus shipping. Or,
If the TiVo unit is still under the one year warranty, TiVo will, under the warranty, only exchange it for a price, $49 or higher depending on model. Consumer pays shipping to TiVo. TiVo will not quote a price of the labor to repair the unit. The exchange is TiVo's only method to handle defective units under warranty. Replacement units carry the remaining warranty period (not a new one year warranty). Or,
If you have a damaged TiVo unit (not a Sony, Philips, etc. unit), the unit is still under the one year warranty, and you are paying the monthly service fee, contact TiVo to cancel the monthly service fee. TiVo will replace the unit free-of-charge with TiVo paying shipping both ways. The no-cost solution.
TiVo does not want to lose the monthly service fee, so to keep you paying, they offer the free exchange. TiVo will bend their published policies to keep you paying the monthly fee.
Jason
Carrollton,Texas,
U.S.A.
Some input
#4Consumer Suggestion
Sun, June 05, 2005
Sounds like your unit was out of warranty (isn't it a year)?
Your TiVo can still connect by LAN or PPP over serial. Do some google on that and be back in business.
It is wise to run a surge protector between the wall jack and any modem.
tivo personal video recorder widespread modem malfunction with little company response CEO michael ramsey
#40
Sun, July 15, 2001
the address for tivo is 2160 gold st. , alviso,calif 95002 ,phone # is 1-877-367-8486 (for philips electronics 1-800-260-7032) websites are www.tivo.com, www.philips.com, and www.philipsusa.com.