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my "Lifetime" service suddenly set to expire ...

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  • my "Lifetime" service suddenly set to expire ...

    Very surprised when I turned the TV on today and was greeted with a message from TiVO saying that they hoped I had enjoyed my "free" service, but that it was set to expire on 7/23/10. Say what? I purchased this Series 3 box not quite 2 years ago and it included a Lifetime service. Now granted, I got it on ebay, but there wasn't any trouble transferring the service at the time - and no indication that there would be any problems in the future. And yes, I paid a premium thinking that I would never have to pay for a subscription.

    Called TiVO, the support rep put me on hold a few times & finally said what I have is an "evaluation" box and sure enough, although it came with "Lifetime" service, that service actually does end. Ummmm ... I would think "Lifetime" would only have one meaning? Nothing they can do, he says, on the date in question I will have to start a new subscription.

    When I log on to my TiVO account, they still show that I have "Lifetime" service on this box (and it in fact says I *cannot* purchase a subscription as a consequence).

    Can anyone give me a little help understanding exactly what is going on here? Did I get taken on eBay, or is it possible (as TiVO claims) that the seller didn't in fact have this information either? It says the subscription was activated only 3 months before I bought the box, if that helps at all. Any suggestions for how to proceed? Thanks all -

  • #2
    Evaluation is not lifetime service, and I think you were taken by an eBay seller.

    I cannot tell you how many times we have received calls from customers who have been cheated buying used TiVos on eBay. I'm sorry this happened to you, but it is really pretty common.

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    • #3
      Originally posted by WK-Jeff View Post
      Evaluation is not lifetime service, and I think you were taken by an eBay seller.

      I cannot tell you how many times we have received calls from customers who have been cheated buying used TiVos on eBay. I'm sorry this happened to you, but it is really pretty common.
      Wouldn't TiVO themselves identify it as being different? On the My Account page, it simply says "This DVR has Product Lifetime Service" ... if it was an "Evaluation" account wouldn't it have said something to that effect (I found a few hits on a Google search that said people found they had "Evaluation" accounts,identified as such on their TiVO account page, when they thought they were lifetime). Exactly what is an "evaluation" account anyway?

      This eBay seller is still selling TiVOs - wish there were some way to stop her...

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      • #4
        Many eBay sellers with "lifetime" units get them at garage sales or at thrift stores; they have NO control over the accounts, and no way to know what the 'true' story is behind the lifetime service. Sometimes they just see "lifetime service" in the system information screen and don't realize that the unit has not dialed in to see the latest/current status.

        Caveat emptor.

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        • #5
          Originally posted by WK-Jeff View Post
          Many eBay sellers with "lifetime" units get them at garage sales or at thrift stores; they have NO control over the accounts, and no way to know what the 'true' story is behind the lifetime service. Sometimes they just see "lifetime service" in the system information screen and don't realize that the unit has not dialed in to see the latest/current status.

          Caveat emptor.
          Well,thanks. Actually my unit has broadband connectivity & dials in/updates daily ... and the "Lifetime Service" is something I was seeing online on TiVO's website, not on my unit (and the online account *still* says its Lifetime Service). I verified with TiVO that it was indeed Lifetime Service when I bought & connected the box (surely if it wasn't true L.S. they would have known at that point). So I'll try again to take it up with them I guess ...

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          • #6
            I think that in the System Information screen, it may actually say "evaluation" for the service type. Have you looked there? I recall seeing that on a TiVo years ago.
            Been here a long time . . .

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            • #7
              Would it always say evaluation on info screen when not true lifetime?

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              • #8
                I'm not sure it always will, but if it does, it certainly isn't true lifetime.
                Been here a long time . . .

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                • #9
                  Has anyone had one that said lifetime on info screen that later turned out to be evaluation? I noticed Kabooms never answered if his did say it on the actual tivo.

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