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Funky TiVo pro-rate math
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Posted by: dsmdriver

I think TiVo must be running their financials on one of the TiVo PPC processors that can't do floating point math. Either that or they have hired Author Anderson....

I subscribed monthly on the 25th of January, 2002. Get my second bill on the 25th of Feb, 2002. Go to Lifetime on the 27th of Febuary, 2002.

That's 1-2 days on "monthly", depending on how the math is done, right?

Well, I get a credit for $8.41. How is $8.41 a pro-rate for two days out of $9.95? Even assuming wost case, 2 days out of 28, that's only 71 cents, or a credit of $9.24.

Yes, I realize this is only $.83. But I'm going to have to call anyway just because I am so intregued to find out how they calculated this.

I have visions of the time I got a Sprint PCS bill the month after I moved. My normal bill was about $40, and the bill I got was for $412. They spent an hour telling me that was because of "pro-rating." It took me another hour to convince them that they couldn't just credit charges to my account because that wouldn't credit the tax for the false charges, meaning my bill would still be $75 too high!

Posted by: colemanr

Dear God, man. Pick your battles, eh?

Posted by: Mike Lang

quote:
Originally posted by dsmdriver
I realize this is only $.83. But I'm going to have to call

:confused:

Posted by: pendragn

quote:
Originally posted by dsmdriver
I realize this is only $.83. But I'm going to have to call

Man do I wish I had that kind of time.

tk

Posted by: Dajad

I'm glad I don't have that kind of time ... think about it ... by the time he gets through to customer service, waits on hold, gets elevated etc. if he's outta there before an hour I'd be surprised ... my time is worth way more than 83cents an hour ... not to mention the fact that he'll probably end up more angry when its all over!!! :)

...Dale

Posted by: killzone

I think we just found a way for Tivo to recover financially. All they need to do is overcharge everyone .87 a month because it won't be worth their time to call up and get it corrected.

Posted by: dsmdriver

I realize my time is worth more than 83 cents! I just want to know how the hell they came up with that number. Inquiring minds want to know.

Posted by: Cole Parker

That's funny I had a similar experience.

I signed up for lifetime like half way through the month and the next month I looked at my bill and tivo gave a a credit for a portion of the unused month. I was psych'd.

I guess it is all a matter of prospective.

Posted by: dgh

I'm guessing they divide by a "standardized month" somewhere in the range of 30 to 31 days when making this calculation.

Posted by: shack072

I got lifetime after about 1 week of month to month, and they credited me back the whole amount! I was really supprised!

Posted by: dsmdriver

quote:
Originally posted by Cole Parker
That's funny I had a similar experience.

I signed up for lifetime like half way through the month and the next month I looked at my bill and tivo gave a a credit for a portion of the unused month. I was psych'd.

I guess it is all a matter of prospective.

I knew the credit was coming, which is why I expected more.

quote:
I'm guessing they divide by a "standardized month" somewhere in the range of 30 to 31 days when making this calculation.

Except that means I would get more back, not less. 2 days out of 30 is $.66 instead of $.71

quote:
I got lifetime after about 1 week of month to month, and they credited me back the whole amount! I was really supprised!

You are supposed to get the whole amount back if you go lifetime in the fist month. I went lifetime 2 days after my first month ended, so I only expected a pro-rate, not the full amount back.

Posted by: shack072

quote:
Originally posted by dsmdriver

You are supposed to get the whole amount back if you go lifetime in the fist month. I went lifetime 2 days after my first month ended, so I only expected a pro-rate, not the full amount back.

Oh.. didn't know that. Let me know what they say when you find out... sounds interesting! :)

Posted by: dsmdriver

quote:
Originally posted by FlashingTwelve

I'm having trouble questioning Tivo's math when yours is all wrong to begin with. You signed Monthly Jan 25, that ran out Feb 24. You used Feb 25, 26, and 27 on Monthly. 3 days.

Umm, no. I paid for Lifetime on the 27th, was billed on the 27th, so the 27th was covered by Lifetime. Only the 25th and 26th was under monthly.

Even if it was three days, that's no more than $1.06. Still not enough to cover the difference.

Posted by: flightrisk

Maybe you'd be happier if they itemized it like this?

Posted by: walters

quote:
Originally posted by flightrisk
Maybe you'd be happier if they itemized it like this?

LOL :D

Posted by: dsmdriver

Well, I finally called and found out two interesting things:

1) They don't have any idea how they came up with that number. I should have been charged 35 cents a day, or 70 cents for my two days of service. The $1.54 they charged me is wrong and they don't know why.

2) They won't refund my $.83. They say it's too small to justify. *******s!

I don't care about the 83 cents. I'd still like to know how their computer, person, or whatever came up with that number. I bet I'm the only person that ever paid $199.83 for Lifetime!

Posted by: smak

Did you see on top the name of the customer.

Crowe, Russell

-smak-

Posted by: c3

quote:
Originally posted by dsmdriver
2) They won't refund my $.83. They say it's too small to justify. *******s!

I probably wouldn't have called for 83 cents, but now that TiVo has admitted the mistake, a credit should be issued, no matter how small that is. I have received $0.01 checks when an online bank closed the operation.

Posted by: Smiles

quote:
Originally posted by dsmdriver
2) They won't refund my $.83. They say it's too small to justify. *******s!

I hope that you at least escalated your call to a manager. Their customer service left you dissatisfied by not applying a sub-dollar credit that they appear to have admitted you are due. That's terrible service, and not particularly productive - TiVo spent more than 83 cents handling your call in the first place, and the last thing they should want is to leave you justifiably perturbed. Or airing your grievances to other customers and potential customers.

Personally, I've called companies (particularly phone companies, which seem to often get things wrong) when finding discrepancies of even a penny. It usually doesn't take much of my time to clear up. If it's a systems-wide problem I'm often helping other folks who either haven't yet noticed, don't know enough to recognize the error, or simply don't have the time available. And I can't recall any of those companies giving me a difficult time with a credit. They usually offer it to me before I have to request it. That's good service.

Posted by: Gultig

Is there an echo in the room?