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I want to give you money TiVo

As much as I love TiVo, their website has been giving me fits. The first problem I encountered was ordering it. Despite entering in my contact information exactly like it was on my bank statements, the site refused to sell me one and kept giving me invalid home address errors. I spent an hour on the phone with their customer service, only to be told they got the same errors when they tried it. My bank meanwhile was giving approval codes and I got a call from them asking me if I really authorized the purchase of 10 TiVos. The problem was never resolved and I ended up ordering it after a recent move and update of my address with the bank.

Tonight I tried to activate the new series2 project TiVo, but I encountered error after error. I repeated my entries several times, attempting to figure it out. It appears at least for me, that I can't activate a TiVo and also order the Home Media Option or change the system name of my TiVo, even though those are options on the signup page. Worse yet, I get an unhelpful error (in red text, it says error, try back again later and then there is a long string of ascii that appears to be a hash of some sort). By skipping the Home Media $99 and keeping my cryptic name, I got through, though I guess I'll try to adding the Home Media option later.

TiVo, I want to give you my money, if you'd just let me do it.

by Matt Haughey July 16, 2003 in SuperTiVo Project, TiVo

Comments

If you want to know the worst as far as not wanting your money, it's got to be Dish Network. I tried to buy their DishPVR for over a month and they wouldn't ship it to me. Finally, I got pissed off and went to DirecTV and got the TiVomuch better option, by the way!

Posted by: Bill Brown at Jul 16, 2003 9:13:41 PM

You lucky Americans. I would love to give Tivo more of my money, but since Thompsons slipped out of the UK market last year, it is impossible to buy one.

Fortunately, I already have one, but would gladly pay for a newer model (we only ever got the series 1 over here).

If you live in the UK, and want to buy one, eBay is your only choice. But you're looking at GBP400 (USD600) for a second hand one.

Worth every penny, IMHO.

Posted by: Real Radix at Jul 17, 2003 1:55:59 AM

It's the same deal for Canada, no TiVo lovin' for us.

Posted by: tyler at Jul 17, 2003 2:20:04 PM

Sorry to hear about the hard time ordering the Home Media Option. Please drop me a line and I'll make sure whatever problem you're experiencing is fixed and we take your order properly.

Best regards,
Stephen Mack
Director, Service Operations
TiVo Inc.

Posted by: TiVoOpsMgr at Jul 17, 2003 11:48:28 PM

I love my Dish Network PVR. Works fantastic! No monthly fees either.

Posted by: David at Jul 20, 2003 12:28:24 AM

Am I missing something? The Dish Network PVR is much more convenient and cost-effective than TiVo.

You don't have pay a separate subscription fee for program listings.

You don't have to retrieve the program listings over the phone. They're downloaded via satellite. (You have to plug the Dish Network satellite unit into the phone if you want Pay-Per-View. I've never connected mine to the phone.)

There's only one box, which is both the satellite receiver and the PVR.

The DNPVR doesn't try to guess what you're interested in seeing. It has no opinion of who you are. I like my appliances smart, but I am not at all interested in what they think of my demographics.

And, best of all, your viewing habits are not tracked. There's no mechanism for uploading your usage data.

Posted by: Murph at Aug 24, 2003 10:55:28 AM

Since a Tivo person occasionally reads these messages..

Maybe you can give us an honest answer on why no TIVO in Canada.

The guide data is available from the same source that TIVO currently gets data (Tribune Inc.) and dial in numbers not only exist in Canada, but the TiVO can actually call home through them...

Are you guys brain dead or what?

J

Posted by: John Knox at Jan 3, 2004 8:55:21 PM

According to the CRTC DirecTV has been submitting applicatins for broadcasting and selling in the Canadain Market. CRTC said you have to carry Canadian channels so the denied it. Last year, 2003, they applied again with the agreement that they would carry CBC, CTV, City and Global on their Local stations package. CRTC said no.

Posted by: Penguin44 at Jan 31, 2004 12:00:02 PM

TiVoOpsMgr, you say you are not paying a monthly fee for DishPVR, guess you got the better plan because I pay about $5/month. And here's the best part, one of the reasons TiVo people pay a monthly fee is because they get 2 receivers so they can watch one thing and record another. We can't, so our monthly fee is for what exactly??

PVRCustomer

Posted by: pvrcustomer at Feb 19, 2004 1:30:11 PM

I've been following what little there is on the TiVo in Canada saga for a couple of years now. Still no Tivo, but Direct TV offers a PVR, and Rogers and/or Shaw Cable (depending on where you live) also offer pretty backwoods PVRs for ridiculous prices. Shaw, my cable provider, appears to have laid and extra f**cking on us by offering (advertising at least) an HDTV-only PVR. What I don't understand is this:

With Tivo becoming a pop-culture phenomenon in the USA over the last few years, why aren't more of my fellow Canadians not PO'd at being left out?

The final straw for me was went Tivo went to the UK (although it sounds like only briefly). Being from there originally, I know that the UK has a long history of being behind North America as far as the latest gadgets go. But apparently good old Canadian complacency has let that one slip by us too.

And something else, I find it suspicious that so fews Canadians could even tell you what a PVR is! We're talking a MAJOR development in consumer electronics, easily blowing away the good old VCR for good, and we're in the dark. I'm not sure where I'm going with this one, maybe a CRTC/Tivo conspiracy.

Finally, I have to question the market research done (presumably) by Tivo. Given that I don't believe anything is impossible if it is economically desireable in this day and age, I have to believe that Tivo doesn't really see the market potential on bringing Tivo to Canada, OR THEY WOULD HAVE TRIED HARDER AND SUCCEEDED.

Anyway, if anyone out there can shed some actual fact on my ramblings, I'd be minutely happier.

RPM, Canada (not Ontario)

Posted by: RPM at Feb 17, 2005 8:20:36 PM

IF you stop to think about it for just a minute, the marketplace in Canada for Tivo is infinitesimal considering the hassle one would need to undertake in a country dominated by arcane CRTC rules, over 5 million folks in Quebec who don't/won't speak English and a remaining population which is not growing and fragmented both linguistically and geographically and not likely more than 15 million in total, not known as early adopter-centric. A prudent strategy is likely to let the existing cable mafia and dish mavens work to enslave those that are technically precocious, then come in with their whelmingly superior offering and realize some cash flow to address heavy front end marketing costs in such a fractious melieu.. How do I know? I been there, and done that..

Posted by: Jay Willette at Mar 3, 2005 7:45:22 PM

---ok, at the very real risk of looking like an idiot---
--just what is almighty important that the tivo gets from dialing in periodically--- the common answer is programming listings to be able to provide us with more efficient recording options---
pshaw---
i have had mine unplugged for 30+ days and counting with no ill effects so far--- i still can record, set season pass, etc.. without any problems---the only thing i haven't seen in a while is tivo suggested recorded programs which may be because my hard drive is almost full-- and is also a blessing because it kept trying to record movies from stations i don't even have--
i think the tivo people might be downloading our viewing habits, working up demographics, and selling the information...

Posted by: j. ambrose at Mar 19, 2005 9:18:31 AM

A friend told me of your site. He said that I will find just the information here I was looking for. That was definitely right. Good work.

Posted by: Luis Percy at Mar 23, 2005 3:05:54 AM

"(snip) fragmented both linguistically and geographically and not likely more than 15 million in total, not known as early adopter-centric."

If you're going to throw around "facts" how about doing some research into them.

Canadians are actually becoming MORE clustered around large urban areas, rather than more spread out. The majority of Canadians live along the Canada/US border, and while we're a true melting pot, the majority of Canadians (of which there are more than 30 million, with only 7 million of them living in Quebec as of 2001, the last time a census was done in Canada) speak English as their primary language.

Canadians also have also traditionally adopted technologies much quicker than our American counterparts. 64% of Canadians have internet access, with 66% of those having broadband access. 41% of Canadians have digital cable, while cable penetration itself reaches over 90% in most urban areas.

Posted by: Brian G at Apr 7, 2005 2:00:00 PM

if i can get a sponor i will be blessed.

Posted by: krysta at Jun 25, 2005 5:58:43 AM

How is the sponsor search going, Krysta? Todd Lokken.

Posted by: Todd Lokken at Oct 11, 2005 9:06:22 AM

I've been interested in TiVo for some time now but I also reside in the great white north. After a couple years of seeing it all over american media and stratigically placed in american tv content (friends, sex and the city, king of queens, ect..) but never ever advertised or even mentioned in canadian media I concluded it just wasen't going to be offered in canada any time soon.

So i started looking at what was out there in the same realm and came across the rogers/shaw/cogeco dPVR. I have been using the Rogers PVR for about 6 months now (non-hd) and I've completely forgotten abot TiVo. It has all i need in the way of features and the pricing (i rent the box) is more than reasonable for me. By dragging their heels TiVo have screwed themselves out of my money for good. Oh well, that little "drop of pee hitting the water" sound it makes would have driven me insane anyways ;)

Posted by: e at Nov 30, 2005 4:27:18 PM

OK, so now TiVo has started "allowing" subscriptions for Canadians. They don't sell the box here yet. And they have a deal...$50 USD for box if you sign up for 1 year subscription at $13/month USD.
This would be about $65 Cdn for the box and $17/month Cdn for the subscription.

Does this seem like the "right" price for your market? What would be a comparable product in your market? Is it better, do you think, to rent than to buy? I live in Edmonton and I know Shaw wants about $750 for the box and then you have to take an upscale package of channels.

Guidance please!

Posted by: Chris Y at Jan 10, 2006 7:40:47 PM

Dear!
Please forgive me to disturb you.
What should I say? Let me introduce me first.
First,My english is poor,I discovered you in having no intention, I am a Chinese, my name is wu zhen qiang,I am born in a China's hamlet,My family has 4 people, the daddy, mother, I and my younger brother, I am in the village the proud university student, I work in the big city, I am in the family the only source of income, I The monthly salary is 2,000 about Chinese money, my parents all are the farmers, only then the very few income, the younger brother also in on high school, I must pay in my younger brother's school expense and family's living expenses.
However, my younger brother started in last year body not comfortably,finally by the diagnosis is the liver cancer, I did not know why God did need to treat him like this, his only then 16 years old, he seemed such lovable I rather use my life to receive in exchange for his life.
Each month treatment expense and is hospitalized the expense to take 25,000 Chinese money, this sum of money to me said likely is the astronomical number, in order to rescue me the younger brother, I wanted the means, I in China everywhere Invites the human to my younger brother donation, already had very many people of good intention to want each month all to donate for my younger brother, their let me feel to God's existence, they let me feel also have the compassion to the world, I For this excited bursting into tears.
But their donation also by far insufficient, I already want the means, now I only then to seek help me place in the network, I knew my procedure was extremely absurd, but this rescues my younger brother Only means.
I sincere requested you donate for my younger brother, your donation will change our destiny,if you do not have the ability, please tell these to be possible to help me the person.
If some people are willing for mine younger brother donation, please certainly to tell yours name I, you have not repaid, your only report is I forever is you prays in China(Even if is extremely few donations), original God forever
blesses you!
Wishes you and your family member forever is healthy!
This is my E-mail: jzwzq@tom.com
wu zhen qiang

Posted by: wu zhen qiang at Jan 13, 2006 8:58:55 AM

hi my name is sinnove a single mother with 1 child i am in a very difficult situation i have lost my job last year and i feel so desesperate. i am athe point to lolose my house . but i believe in my God that He gonna do a miracle for me if i dont payed my house this end of the month i lost it i dont want to be on street with my child. i know that nothing is impossible for God i read psalm 66,30 28 31 whole day and believe in His word i need $170.000 to have my house please can somebody help me with this money and know that God gona multiply for you 7 times

my email is godchild190@hotmail.com or phone 011-599-6942234

Posted by: sinnove at Jan 26, 2006 7:28:23 AM

Hi I really don't know what this web site is a bout but if your giving away free money my family and I could really desperatly need your help! I have a 23 year old husband and a 1 year old little girl and i myself am only 19. We live in a small apartment and are behind on our bills. I've been praying and hoping and nothing yet. If you can help me. Please let me know! I would be verry grateful for your help.

Posted by: Casey Brock at Mar 26, 2006 10:57:26 PM

Hello, I want to buy a TIVO 2 Series and wanted to know if you still have to have a phone line? If so whats a cheap phne line service? I havent had a home phone in over 12 years (cell only)
Thank you for any information ... Ingrid

Posted by: Ingrid at Aug 3, 2006 9:30:17 AM

i don't know what is this but if you give me money i'm very happy becose iwas losing my job an ihave 2 son.

Posted by: hendri krisna at Aug 18, 2006 2:26:44 PM