TiVo Solutions
Reviews and Complaints

I just tried to cancel my TiVO. For a long time now, I've noticed that the TV Guide info that opens when I press the Guide button, is wrong. And TiVO and Tribune Media Services do not feel like fixing it.

When I spoke to Justin at [protected], in their cancellation/stop the bleeding department, who was very nice, he rushed to try to keep my business. I said that during these tough times, I have to look at all luxury items and a convenience that isn't dependable has to be dropped.

He asked me to specify what exactly happens, if at all possible, and I said ok. Remember, these are just a few examples of what I've personally experienced.

If this has happened to you, and you want to keep TiVO, then call them up and give them all the details you can and don't be surprised if they make you an offer you can't refuse. It's worth a try.

Here's the specific example I gave: I saw that the BBC spy drama "MI-5" was airing at 2am. I watched the original series a few years ago and stopped only because it stopped airing in America. When I watched, it starred Matthew Macfadyen as the lead character, Tom. The last I saw it starred Rupert Penry-Jones as Adam (who hasn't been on the show for a few years now).

The info blurb says it is dated "2003" and stars "Rupert Penry-Jones." Great! I record it while I sleep.

Next day, I start playing it, and who do I see? Tom. Not Adam. Matthew is a very tall brunette and Rupert is a tall blonde.

Then, Fox News is very bad about doing this trick: they will "mark" a re-run as a "first-run", tricking my TiVO into recording every re-run, which pads their ratings. I've seen other broadcasters do something just as sneaky: they start a show later than advertised.

I'm sure Nielsen's is on to this nonsense, but who knows.

Well, Jennifer, who took the transfer to Tech Support by Justin who thought he was helping me, proceeded to try to tell me that there was nothing she could do about the first-run trick. I said yes there is, TiVO is effectively a lobbyist for its millions of customers and they most certainly can influence the show broadcasters.

Jennifer proceeded to suggest I file a complaint to TiVO using the online form. I asked what if someone doesn't have internet? She said they could go use the public library. What?! That's the second company who suggested this to me.

Wow. They really don't care about you if you don't have internet.

I told Jennifer I am making a complaint already, through her. She basically did her best to get me to stop talking to her and to go bother someone else.

She literally "paraphrased" my second concern as being "so you want me to talk to the broadcaster and make them stop mis-coding their transmissions?" She said that like it's a bad thing. I said, better TiVO than me, because no broadcaster, regardless if NBC or Fox or whatever, will listen to little me.

Jennifer proceeded to act like they wouldn't listen to "her" either. Which I found astounding. Is she really suggesting that I'm asking her to make a personal phone call?

I finally said look, just work on the first concern and let's leave it at that because I was silently picturing her arms spontaneously falling off and her tongue shrivelling to a dry stick because she stopped caring a long time ago.

I came *this* close to asking to be sent back to the Don't Let Them Leave Department and in fact call it quits after all. But I had already been on the phone way too long with them, so I'll try again later.

As I told Jennifer and Justin, I lived without TiVO before it came along, I can do it again. I still have a VCR and a lot of old tapes I can re-use. Since I have to basically go back to finding programs on my own and setting up a bunch of manual records, the only thing different is what I record on.

There is nothing on TV that I have to save, forever, in digital. Besides, I'd have to drop $600+ to buy a new TiVO in order to capture HD. I will not spend that kind of money on TV, not now. No one should. Because TiVO needs YOU a lot more than you need them.

Or we can just give up TV altogether and just take their advice: go to the public library.