And if you have points left and really don’t have anything you want to redeem them for, may I make a humble suggestion? Redeem them and send the items to me. No, not for me, I have plenty of TiVo swag, but I can put together kind of ‘TiVo Gift Packs’ to give away through the site. I already have a couple of the TiVo duffel bags and some random TiVo items, and I used the last dregs of my points for a few random items last night. I should have enough random TiVo stuff for one ‘gift bag’, but could always use more. I’ll use the items for giveaways through the site, maybe at local gatherings, etc. So if you’re just going to let your points expire, you might consider putting them toward the cause.

My shipping info is below if you’re interested.

Address:
Mr MegaZone (They require a first name, that’s how I handle it.)
54 Fairhaven Road
Worcester, MA 01606-3116

Shipping phone: 508-852-2171

And no, I’m not worried about posting this information since it is public anyway. My resume is posted in many locations with all of this info on it, anyone could find all this with two seconds in Google. Besides, I never answer that phone. That’s my land line, I have a machine for that line. But that still doesn’t mean you should call it just to see, thanks.

April 28, 2008 is the last day to donate TiVo Rewards points. That’s seven days, if we can average one donation a day that’d be another TiVo HD giveaway. Get out there and activate some TiVos people! And if we don’t make it, well, the points will still go to some giveaways. (Hmm, any other blogs want to join forces on gathering referrals? We can make it a joint giveaway. Just tossing it out there…)

I rather enjoy giving stuff away.

That’s two down, and just one more to trigger the open TiVo HD giveaway. But don’t let it stop there – every seven after that is another TiVo HD giveaway.

And now to pick the winner of the first TiVo HD giveaway.

One down, two to go to meet my challenge.

And don’t forget the TiVo HD giveaway entry deadline is less than five hours away!

Checking my remaining points, I think I’ll be doing one more TiVo HD giveaway with similar rules for the readers.

But here’s the deal – it looks like I’m three donations shy of having enough TiVo Rewards points for a third TiVo HD giveaway. If I have enough points donated by April 28th, the last day you can give someone a referral, then not only will I do the third giveaway – but it will be open to anyone. All it will take is a comment, no need to link to anything. (Yes, I realize I’m asking for comment hell on that post.) And I’ll take it further – if people manage to really funnel the points my way, an additional seven referrals, I’ll do another one just like it. (A TiVo HD is 35,000 points, and referrals are 5,000 points each.) So three more means one TiVo HD in a wide open giveaway, 10 more for two, 17 for three, etc… not that I think 17 will happen, but stranger things…

Remember folks, you have until April 28, 2008 to activate a new TiVo and donate the TiVo Rewards points. And the more points donated, the more giveaways like this one. And remember to comment to be eligible to win.

In other news, I apologize for not blogging since mid-Monday. Since I started my new job with Sling I’ve been working a lot trying to get up to speed as quickly as possible. I was going to try to blog some things last night, but I just didn’t have the energy. I’m going to blog some things next, and I’m hoping to also settle the logo contest if I have the energy – but I may not get to that until tomorrow. I’m very much enjoying the new job, and everyone at Sling has been wonderful at helping me get started.

In unrelated news, I got laid off today. *sigh*

Keep the points coming for more giveaways. I’ll do another one soon after the Logo Contest is wrapped up.

Keep the referrals coming folks – you can still do them through April 28th. I’ll be using the my remaining points for more giveaways, so the more referrals, the more loot.

If you’re activating a new TiVo, you still have until April 28th to donate the referral points. I’ll be using more for giveaways. In fact, I think I’ll do another one today.

While the TiVo Rewards program may be ending soon, continued donations in the meantime will help fuel more giveaways like this one. You still have another six hours to enter.

I will be starting some Rewards giveaways in the near future for those who’ve commented on blog posts, as TiVo is closing out the program and I need to use up the points. So keep donating the points until April 28th, when they stop allowing it. Thanks!

For the past year and a half I have received many referrals from readers, for which I am very grateful. I don’t recommend TiVo for the rewards, but I’d be lying to say it isn’t nice to get something by way of thanks. I’ve been recommending TiVo since early 2002, when I got my first box, long before there was a TiVo Rewards program. And the termination of the program won’t change that either. I recommend TiVo because I genuinely feel it is a good product and worthy of my recommendation. TiVo Rewards was nice while it lasted, but I always viewed it as a fringe benefit. I’ll miss it, but I’m grateful for the time it was available and there are no hard feelings on my part.

But, since the announcement, I’ve seen posts from upset people at TiVoCommunity, like this winner:

Is TiVo offering us anything in compensation for removing this program? I assume not and hope to find a lawyer who would like a class action suit. It is very disgusting how a place offers something, gets you hooked, and then says you’re loosing that feature with nothing in return.

Words fail me. Other than to say this kind of attitude exemplifies the things wrong with our society. I’d say it lowers my opinion of humanity, but I’ve been online since 1989, so that’s no longer so easy to do. I’d almost be disappointed if some dimwit didn’t whip out the ‘class action’ call over this. I’m waiting for someone to compare TiVo to the Nazis. Still, it gets a deep sigh and a shake of the head.

And there there are articles such as “TiVo shuttering Rewards program, screwing its best customers” at Engadget. It contains the following:

This won’t matter to the vast majority of TiVo customers, no no, this decision only screws the company’s staunchest word-of-mouth advocates. You know the kind, the alpha geeks obsessed enough with the company’s products to others spend their time zealously recommending it to friends and family in the hopes of spreading the premium DVR experience (and earning some points while they’re at it).

You know, I kind of vaguely resemble that remark. OK, not so vaguely, I pretty much define“alpha geeks obsessed enough with the company’s products to others spend their time zealously recommending it to friends and family in the hopes of spreading the premium DVR experience”. Yet I feel distinctly unscrewed. Why should I feel screwed? I got points for something I was doing anyway, recommending TiVo. And I should feel screwed because now I can’t earn points, just like it was before they introduced TiVo Rewards? Why? Oh noes, TiVo isn’t giving me free stuff anymore! Those bastards! I bet they killed Kenny too!

There is a word for someone who recommends products only for a reward – shill. And while I have been accused of being a shill, more than once, I kindly disagree. I’ve gotten TiVo a bit upset with me more than once due to things I’ve posted. If I think TiVo got something wrong, I say so. When I disagree with TiVo’s approach or implementation, I say so. TiVo is definitely not perfect, I just think they’re the best DVR on the market today. And I’d even qualify that to say TiVo is not the best choice for everyone, and for some users one of the alternatives will be the best choice. I speak my mind, whether or not what I say is what TiVo would like to hear. I think that’s important – no one ever improves if they’re only surrounded by yes-men.

Bluntly, I question the sincerity of anyone who would say they’d stop recommending TiVo because TiVo Rewards is terminating. That sounds like the only reason they were recommending TiVo was to earn rewards, and that’s the wrong reason to recommend anything. If it isn’t worth of your recommendation without compensation, then recommending it for compensation shows a lack of integrity. It also means you’ve recommended something to others that you don’t actually believe in, which is dishonest. You’ve lied to those you recommended the product to by making them believe you support the product when you were in it for the rewards. In short, you’re a shill. If you genuinely believed in the product you wouldn’t stop recommending it just because you stopped earning rewards.

The fact is, the termination of TiVo Rewards doesn’t change the product. If it was worth recommending before, then it is still worth recommending. And if it wasn’t, then it isn’t now. Whether or not you recommend something should depend on your opinion of the product, not on how many rewards you can earn by pitching it. (I treat affiliate programs for the site the same way. I get pitches for a number of programs, but I only use those for sites, software, etc, I personally use or would recommend. If I wouldn’t shop there I’m not going to send others there just because they give me a cut.)

This is all just business. I talked to TiVoPony by phone on Friday and confirmed that TiVo is developing a new loyalty program, which will launch later this year. As part of the switch they are terminating their relationship with their current rewards program administrator. That requires closing out the program, which is why everyone needs to redeem their points before the program officially closes out. There isn’t any malicious intent or conspiracy, just changes in the business. There has been some crazy speculation on why TiVo is doing this, a lot of it giving TiVo far too little credit for intelligence. TiVo certainly knows how the program has performed, and what their return has been. As they’re switching to a new loyalty program (and no, I still haven’t been able to pry details out of TiVo), they must feel the new program will provide them with better results. They’re not throwing out the entire concept of a loyalty program, they’re going to try something different.

Remember the point of the program is not really to reward loyal users, but to drive business growth by rewarding loyal users. Don’t confuse the ends and the means. Maybe they weren’t getting a good return on the current program. Or maybe they feel the new program will simply provide a better return. Either way it would make sense to terminate the current program. There is no reason to be angry, or feel ‘screwed’, unless you were using the program for the wrong reasons.

So I’m fine with it, and I’m hopeful that the new loyalty program will be interesting. I look forward to seeing what form the new program takes. I’m going to get my parents a TiVo, as I promised, only now I’ll get them one of the new lifetime TiVo HD bundles. instead of a Series3. I might pick up a TiVo HD for myself, I’m sure I’ll get an HDTV for the bedroom eventually. And I’ll be doing some giveaways on the site for those who leave real comments on the blog. (Hint.)

Now we have the TiVo Rewards Entertainment Package and the TiVo Rewards Ultimate Entertainment Package. The former goes for 120,000 points and gives you a TiVo HD, TiVo WiFi adapter, and Product Lifetime Service! The latter goes for 150,000 and adds a Western Digital My DVR Expander Hard Drive to the deal.

The TiVo HD alone goes for 35,000 points, and the Western Digital My DVR Expander Hard Drive goes for 28,500 points. I believe that’s a new addition along with the TiVo Duffle Bag and TiVo Backpack, each 5,000 points.

EDIT: Dave Zatz noticed something interesting during an email exchange. The Entertainment Package is 120,000 points and includes a TiVo HD, WiFi adapter, and lifetime service. The Ultimate Entertainment Package is 150,000 points and includes a TiVo HD, WiFi adapter, lifetime service, and a WD eSATA drive. So that means the drive adds 30,000 points to the ‘cost’ of the package. But you can get the drive by itself for 28.500 points – a savings of 1,500 points. Give the Entertainment Package plus a drive for 148.500 – instead of the Ultimate package for 150,000.

After careful review and evaluation TiVo Inc has decided to end the TiVo Rewards program on May 28th 2008. A recently conducted, detailed survey of our Rewards participants revealed subscribers would like to be more involved and connected with TiVo, other TiVo customers, and engaged with our brand, not necessarily with the goal of getting points for referrals. In fact, we discovered that 98% of customers surveyed would continue to refer TiVo to others regardless of a rewards program. Simply put, we continue to listen to customer feedback and are ending the current program to make room for a new loyalty program which will launch later this year.

When will the program end?
The official end date for the TiVo Rewards program is May 28th, 2008 at 11:59PM ET. It will be terminated at that point, no exceptions.

Can I still use my TiVo Points?
Yes. You can use your TiVo Points to redeem great rewards until May 28th, 2008 at 11:59PM ET. After that date, all unredeemed TiVo Points will be forfeited.

Can I still continue to earn more TiVo Points if I refer someone before the program ends?
Yes. Earning TiVo Points for qualifying referrals can take place up until April 28th, 2008 at 11:59PM ET.

What happens to my TiVo Points if I do not use them before May 28th, 2008?
All TiVo Points will expire after May 28th, 2008 at 11:59PM ET. This includes any referral credits, awarded points, or TiVo Points earned through the TiVo Platinum MasterCard credit card.

So the dates previously reported are correct. The last day to earn points is April 28, 2008, and the last day to redeem points is May 28, 2008.

It sounds like some other loyalty program will replace TiVo Rewards later this year, but TiVo hasn’t offered any details on what form that new program will take.

I guess I need to do something with the points many of you have donated in the past. If you have any points accumulated start thinking of what rewards to claim.

After I composed the above, the TiVo Rewards page was updated with this statement:

NOTICE DATE: FEBRUARY 28, 2008
THE TIVO® REWARDS PROGRAM WILL OFFICIALLY TERMINATE ON MAY 28, 2008 AT 11:59PM ET. NO NEW ENROLLMENTS IN THE TIVO REWARDS PROGRAM WILL BE PERMITTED AS OF FEBRUARY 28, 2008 AT 11:59PM ET. ALL CURRENT TIVO REWARDS PARTICIPANTS HAVE UNTIL APRIL 28, 2008 AT 11:59PM ET TO EARN AND ACCRUE TIVO POINTS. IF YOU ARE A TIVO REWARDS CREDIT CARD HOLDER, YOUR LAST DAY TO EARN TIVO POINTS THROUGH THE TIVO REWARDS CREDIT CARD WILL BE THE CLOSING DATE OF YOUR APRIL 2008 TIVO REWARDS CREDIT CARD BILLING STATEMENT. ALL TIVO REWARDS PARTICIPANTS WILL HAVE UNTIL MAY 28, 2008 TO REDEEM THEIR TIVO POINTS. THE TIVO REWARDS PROGRAM WILL TERMINATE AT 11:59PM ET ON MAY 28, 2008 AT WHICH TIME ALL UNUSED TIVO POINTS WILL EXPIRE AND THE TIVO REWARDS PROGRAM WILL TERMINATE. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, PLEASE SEE THE FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THESE PROGRAM CHANGES.

I also received the following email as a TiVo Rewards user:

		Redeem Your TiVo Points by May 28, 2008 Dear Mr MegaZone, We are writing to let you know the TiVo Rewards program is ending and you have until May 28, 2008 to redeem any unused TiVo Points. You may continue to earn TiVo Points for qualifying referrals through April 28, 2008. If you are a current TiVo credit card holder, your last day to earn TiVo Points through the TiVo credit card will be the closing date of your April 2008 credit card billing statement. The last day to sign in to http://www.tivo.com/rewards and redeem your TiVo Points for rewards will be May 28, 2008. Any points not redeemed by this date will expire and the TiVo Rewards program will terminate. If you would like to learn more about program changes, please see the Frequently Asked Questions. Thank you for participating in the TiVo Rewards program. The TiVo Team

NOTICE DATE: February 28, 2008 The TiVo® Rewards Program will officially terminate on May 28, 2008 11:59 PM ET. No new enrollments in the TiVo Rewards Program will be permitted as of February 28, 2008 11:59 PM ET. All current TiVo Rewards participants have until April 28, 2008 11:59 PM ET to earn and accrue TiVo Points. If you are a TiVo Rewards credit card holder, your last day to earn TiVo Points through the TiVo Rewards credit card will be the closing date of your April 2008 TiVo Rewards credit card billing statement. All TiVo Rewards participants will have until May 28, 2008 to redeem their TiVo Points. The TiVo Rewards program will terminate at 11:59 PM ET on May 28, 2008 at which time all unused TiVo Points will expire and the TiVo Rewards program will terminate. For additional information, please see the Frequently Asked Questions about these program changes. Review the most recent version of the TiVo Rewards Program’s Terms and Conditions. ©2008 TiVo Inc. The TiVo logo, TiVo, TiVo Rewards, and the TiVo Rewards logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of TiVo Inc. worldwide. TiVo Inc. 2160 Gold Street Alviso, CA 95002-2160. All rights reserved. Please feel free to review our Privacy Policy.

Thank you for your interest in a Juniper Bank account.
Unfortunately, this offer has expired.
We apologize for this inconvenience.

Dave called to clarify and was told that April 28th, 2008 will be the last day to earn TiVo Referral Points, and May 28th, 2008 will be the last day to redeem existing points for rewards. Dave pinged his PR contact, and I’ve pinged my contact at TiVo as well. I held off posting all afternoon, but I haven’t heard back from my email or been able to reach my contact via phone as of yet, so I decided to post what we know right now. When I hear back from TiVo, or when Dave posts what he hears, I’ll be sure to post the information. The rumor is that TiVo is killing the program due to ‘abuse’, but it could be as simple as they’re moving to a new program or a new service provider and they can’t, or won’t, ‘port’ the current points to the new system, etc. We’ll just have to wait and see what TiVo says.

EDIT: Confirmed – see my new post.