Registered: Sep 2002
Location:
Posts: 31

Thanks to whoever helped me identify the problem with my BRAND NEW Tivo2.

I was getting the Gray Screen of Death...

(Unit continuously recycles during boot and never gets to the Tivo screen, or if you leave it off for an hour and turn it on it boots, then immediately crashes.)

I noticed that the hard drive was spinning up and then spinning down, plus making the continuous clicking (seeking) noise.

Anyway, here is the story:

I called Tivo Direct and told the customer service guy (Mike) everything the unit was doing. I was then told that he has to hear the clicking noise the unit is making before he can RMA my Tivo2.

I responded with the fact that the unit never actually boots to the Tivo Control Screen... so what does it matter that the drive is clicking??

He then indicated that that was how they did things. (I'm getting over being perplexed by the idiocy and starting to become quite angry.)

I indicated that I've had the unit for less the 24 hours and I want a new one. Mike said to me that they'd repair my broken one, but a new one was not going to happen.

Huh?

I'm now 2 seconds away from returning the Tivo within the 30 day trial period, going to the local court and suing Tivo in the small claims court...

I tell Mike that I'm at work and there is no way I can set up calling with the Tivo2 near by while tech support is open.

He basically says "too bad" "sorry about that"... Crap. I say thank you, get a case number, and hang up.

After a few minutes I start thinking that I need to find a supervisor because my fleeting thoughts of driving out the CA with heavy armaments are not making me feel better.

I call customer service and tell the guy I speak with this time what happened.

He immediately tells me that the other guy was basically insane, and that any brand new Tivo2 that fails will be replaced with a new one if it's under 30 days (less than 24hours certainly qualifies).

He gives me all the information on how to return the unit, apologizes for his dumbass comrade on tech support and asks that I call back to verify that the drive is making the noise.

Ok, I can handle that, I don't feel so violated now.

I call back 20 minutes later to enable them to hear the drive problem, tell the woman on the other end the story and she says: If the thing will not boot, then the drive doesn't matter. Just send us the old one to this location... etc. etc. etc.

Moral of the story is:

Tivo is experiencing growth and many of the tech support people are new and don't actually know what they are doing.

If you have a problem with the first person you speak with, call back and get someone else.

Tivo managed to restore my faith...
-Gerhard

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