I guess my techno-hubris eventually had to get the better of me. After turning my Tivo into a wireless wonder, I thought I was set. Until I came home last week to find the screen frozen in a pixelated scream that would have done Edvard Munch proud. I couldn’t get it to respond. After rebooting, it became clear the worst had happened: a hard drive failure.
After spending an hour on the phone with Tivo support, I finally got the kid I was talking to to agree with me. It was the hard drive. But of course the warranty on labor is expired (though parts were still covered). It cost me $99 to get a new hard drive put in it. One cool thing they did: They sent me a replacement Tivo first, which I’ve already hooked up and configured. Now I just send the fried box back to them. They put a charge on your credit card until they get the deceased unit back. So in the end, it cost $99 and I was without Tivo for less than a week. Not sure I could have lasted much longer. Live TV sucks.
But my technology slump didn’t end there. I purchased an Onkyo CP-500 five-disc CD/DVD changer when I set up our surround sound system. It never worked quite right, and I finally take it to the authorized dealer for repair. After a few weeks, they report parts aren’t available for it. After a few more weeks and wrangling with Onkyo, I get a new one, which is even an upgrade. I’m pissed that it took almost two months, but happy to have a new CP-701 with a six-disc changer.
Until I get it home.
And it won’t work. No matter what I try, the tray won’t come out. I try resetting it. Even resort to reading the manual. Nothing.
So I take it back to the authorized service center. Fortunately, this one takes only a day to resolve. But it apparently is a design flaw. The guy who fixed it said they’d issued a bulletin on the problem, noting that it happens if the player gets jostled during transit.
Moral of the story: Be humble when facing the technology gods. Buy protection plans on Tivos. And never, ever buy an Onkyo DVD player.
3 replies on “The technology gods smite me …”
maybe you should just play your guitar, bob 🙂
“Bluegrass music, it don’t butt in. Don’t need an amp, and you don’t plug in.” –John Hartford
Now that I have a 19-month-old who can be occupied for the blessed 30-minute duration of an episode of “Jay-Jay the Jet Plane,” TiVo has moved to the top of my to-buy list. Mr. TiVo could record Jay-Jay episodes and give me 30 minutes to myself, whenever I need it. Yes, I want to make it easier for my kid to watch TV.
I never understood the kid-TV thing. Until I had a kid running around the house. Turn on the TV and, ah, instant traquilizer. And it’s legal, too.