Virgin Media TiVo box

[chrismox]

I've used Virgin as my internet supplier for about 10 years and at some point they tried to lure me into using their TV services by offering me a discount on my broadband for a year. I never wanted their TV offerings, so the box they sent me has been sat in the loft for years.

I believe it's this - https://www.t3.com/reviews/virgin-media-tivo-review

Are they of any use to anyone or are they tied to whoever they were sent to in the first place? It seems a waste to bin it. At the very least, it appears to have a 500GB hard drive inside.

 

[visibleman]

I've used Virgin as my internet supplier for about 10 years and at some point they tried to lure me into using their TV services by offering me a discount on my broadband for a year. I never wanted their TV offerings, so the box they sent me has been sat in the loft for years.

I believe it's this - https://www.t3.com/reviews/virgin-media-tivo-review

Are they of any use to anyone or are they tied to whoever they were sent to in the first place? It seems a waste to bin it. At the very least, it appears to have a 500GB hard drive inside.

I believe it's tied to your account, it's certainly tied their network and isn't of any use outside of it. And technically it's their property, so worth thinking about if you're trying to shift it on.

 

[chrismox]

Thanks. In the bin it goes then!

 

[Terminatort4]

Maybe send it back to Virgin. As if you ever cancel your virgin subscription they will more than likely ask for the equipment back. That's what sky tv do when you cancel your subscription . If you dont send it back they charge you for the equipment.

 

[chrismox]

I had thought of that, but according to this link, they don’t want it and suggest I recycle it: https://www.virginmedia.com/help/return-or-recycle-equipment

 

[tom_nieto]

Virgin have always insisted that I send back kit. They send a return box for the purpose. Might be different if it’s very old kit, but it doesn’t seem that long ago that I sent back my TiVo.

 

[chrismox]

I’ll leave it gathering further dust then.

 

[Avalon]

Why not just ask them? Non returned equipment usually got billed within a few months of the account closure, you’d get chaser emails, letters etc. then they would give up and just charge you. In this case it seems like they don’t want it back now, but the concern would be did they want it back when you closed the account?

 

[chrismox]

Thanks for the suggestion. If their own website suggests I recycle it, I can’t see how they could then justify asking for it back or charging for its non-return. Either way, I’ll just leave it in the loft. The OP was my wondering if the box was of use to someone else. As the answer appears to be ‘no’ then it’s no skin off my nose to let it gather dust. I go out of my way to have as little contact as possible with VM themselves as their call centres are close to my idea of hell.

 

[Avalon]

You’re missing the point, in simple terms, what the policy is now is irrelevant to your situation, you disconnected 10 years ago when that equipment was current, and whatever the policy was then would be followed. Obviously you do whatever you want, they can’t enforce the debt in the legal sense at this point as it’s been 7 years without acknowledgment, but if the sales process is followed in the future should you apply for service, then the historic write off would potentially be sufficient grounds to deny service or at least complicate things.

 

[Manbatius]

My old one, I asked if they wanted it back. They said no.
The hard drive is in my back up pc as extra storage and the box is at the tip.

I think it was pre tivo. We currently have a 360 box.

 

[chrismox]

You’re missing the point, in simple terms, what the policy is now is irrelevant to your situation, you disconnected 10 years ago when that equipment was current, and whatever the policy was then would be followed. Obviously you do whatever you want, they can’t enforce the debt in the legal sense at this point as it’s been 7 years without acknowledgment, but if the sales process is followed in the future should you apply for service, then the historic write off would potentially be sufficient grounds to deny service or at least complicate things.

I understand what you’re saying, but you seem to be missing the point of what I’ve said. I’ve stored the device in my loft, so it’s there if they ever want it.

 

[Avalon]

I understand what you’re saying, but you seem to be missing the point of what I’ve said. I’ve stored the device in my loft, so it’s there if they ever want it.

Perhaps if I explain that the policy in question came off the back of a report I wrote it would help? Up till that point it was almost unheard of for a non returned equipment charge to be applied to an account unless the customer needed it for an insurance claim or they chucked the equipment out of a window (happened more than you would think), by the time you disconnected it should have been automatic. Either way, you do you

 

[chrismox]

I’m grateful for the time you’re taking to try to explain to me this policy in which you’re somehow entangled, but I’m struggling to understand what “help” I’m supposed to take. I’ve said multiple times that I have generously reserved space in my loft to store Virgin’s box for them in case they ever ask for its return. I have, as you say, done me.