Registered: Mar 2002
Location: Jacksonville,Fl
Posts: 71

I just got a really nice flyer for Sound Advice, an up scale Florida electronics chain.The back cover was devoted to the 80 hr Tivo stand alone and the new Direct TV Series 2. A really nice ad.

The price of the Direct TV receiver was $399.00. I'm not sure if that's a mistake because I quess they can charge whatever they want. However they showed the price of the service to be $12.99 per month, which I know is wrong (for Direct TV).

Between Tech TV making their number 1 Christmas gift being an obsolete Direct TV receiver ( with incorrect pricing), all sorts of articles about Tivo thinking we are gay, incorrect information like the Sound Advice ad, and no Direct TV units in CC and BB for the Christmas buying sesion. etc, etc, I think Direct TV and Tivo not only blew a golden opportunity, but need to get their act together for the future.

Doesn't someone from Tivo educate retailers and the media?

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Registered: Apr 2002
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 66

Thats definately an incorrect price. Many people are still finding the HDVR2 for $199 which includes installation and a dish at most places. There are however many dealers who are getting a preium on these devices since supply is limited right now.

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Registered: Mar 2002
Location: Tucson, AZ
Posts: 1711

I agree this confusion is hurting TiVo, perhaps badly. Production of the sets ceased several months ago, and during the interim the projected availability of Series 2 DTiVos for $199 was widely publicized, by DTV, TiVo, and others. The units are priced at wholesale to yield a conventional profit margin at $199, and DTV offers a rebate to dealers of almost $200 if the customer activates a new DTV account.

However, as the release date approached, many greedy retailers saw the chance to royally gouge their customers, and priced the units well above the "suggested" price. The Sound Advice ad is the biggest rip-off I've seen, although online retailers such as OrbitSat, AmSat, and Value Electronics are adding an extra $100 or so.

TiVo and DTV probably cannot control what various retailers do, but they could sell the units on their own web sites for $199, which they have so far failed to do. It will be a shame if this promising new initiative by DTV and TiVo to expand their user base is crippled by the actions of a few greedy dealers who just can't resist the chance to scalp their customers for a few extra bucks when the opportunity presents itself.

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