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Tivo Practices Unfair? (long) (1 Viewer)

Joined
Feb 24, 1999
Messages
16
When i first purchased my Tivo unit, I thought what would happen should I wish to not purchase the subsciption? I read up on the information available and spoke with the salesperson. I found that the unit would still record and operate properly but would not have the guide and season pass features available. Well, a few months ago my Tivo's modem broke and I've had to manually connect to the service ever since. Being that it is difficult to do, I often do not update until the program data is no longer available. I had not updated the unit for three weeks, when i noticed that the unit would no longer allow me to change the channels and other features that were once available before were now disabled. Guess what after I updated the unit, all features were working again. I had allowed the unit to go longer in the past without connecting without problems. I did notice that since then an update to the software had occurred. Did Tivo sneak in some code to discourage people from not subscribing? Why is this allowed to happen? I paid a lot of money for the unit and if i choose not purchase a subscription, Tivo can disable my unit from working properly? What do you think?
 

Dan Brodin

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Mar 28, 2000
Messages
142
Out of curiosity how did you manually connect to the Tivo service if your modem is broken? I am asking cause my modem doesn't dial anymore either... Just wondering if you found a workaround that could possibly make my unit function again.
-Dan
 
Joined
Feb 24, 1999
Messages
16
Let me clarify, by being broken i mean that the modem is damaged. It causes my phone line to "go offline or dead". The phone returns to normal as soon as the Tivo is disconnected from the line. The workaround I have been using is to manually make the Tivo dial up for an update. To do this requires that I stand near the phone jack with the phone line in hand and wait until the Tivo attempts to dial out before I connect the line to the jack. This way of updating is time consuming and aggravating.
 

MikeM

Screenwriter
Joined
Nov 23, 1999
Messages
1,203
Just to let you know, you can get a card for your tivo to connect it to the net if you have a cable/DSL connection to the internet.
As for the tivo service, I really don't see the point of even having a tivo if you don't get the service.
Your tivo's problem may be a simple bug as opposed to some grand conspiracy to get you to subscribe. The machine is supposed to make attempts to dial out and get program data to do its job. If it doesn't get this data, perhaps it causes a glitch in another part of the process.
Again, I don't see the point of getting a tvio without the service. It's like buying a new car and not wanting to pay for the gas. :)
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mike_sig.jpg
 

Michael Reuben

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Feb 12, 1998
Messages
21,763
Real Name
Michael Reuben
If you're connecting to the service, you must currently have a subscription. So why is any of this an issue?
M.
 
Joined
Feb 24, 1999
Messages
16
Its true I currently do have a subscription, but since I have been going through this type of update process I've wanted to cancel it. Now it seems as though Tivo has taken away that option. Tivo, I thought, would operate just like a vcr without a tape if I ever chose to not subscribe. Please dont get me wrong I love Tivo and recommend it to everyone but I just dont like the idea of buying something that works fine, until the maker decides it wants more money. Its like Chevy selling you a car and 9 months later engaging the brakes whenever you decide to use another dealer to get oil changes.
 

Keith Mickunas

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Dec 15, 1998
Messages
2,041
There's been a bit of a controversy surrounding this issue you're having which was caused by the 2.0 upgrade. However I believe it will be fixed soon. Tivo apparently reduced functionality for non-subscribers, and has publicly apologized and is fixing it in 2.5. Although I really didn't think the problems that were introduced were as drastic as yours. How old is your unit? Mine got hit by lightning and I got a similar modem failure. They replaced it free of charge, although it was less than ninety days old at the time. Regardless if its still under warranty they will fix your modem. Seems to me that going without the unit for 7 to 10 days is much better than what you are dealing with.
 

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