Rogers 8300 HD PVR Buy back option?

[shervie]

Hi,

I have been renting a rogers 8300HD pvr for about 4-5 years now. I was wondering if Rogers had an option to just pay the difference and just buy the pvr box from them ( as apposed to renting) ? or something along those lines.

I'm pretty sure I have paid more than it's worth, and it's my fault for bad planning. But I would still be happy if i could just purchase it from them now. It beats continually paying the rent for something I know I will keep for a long time. 

Also if anyone could clarify how this new "rent to own" option works that whould be great. Does it mean I have to sign a contract for 36 months?

I really would appreciate any help.

Thanks!

***Edited labels***

[Gdkitty]

I did not know they now had a rent to own, but I would bet that it's only on a new box, from this point out. 😞

If you have had your 8300 for more than 3 years already, I would not suggest buying out that one anyways. Any of these units, even a brand new one, only has a one year warranty, and if it goes after that time, your out $400+.

Everyone's experience is different and some have had them for a long time no problem. I went through 5 8300's in 4 years. For me, if I had not been renting I would be screwed.

Again, these are just my personal opinions on the topic :). If I can find out more about any rent to own I will come back and add.

[shervie]

Yeah I guess I was just really lucky with my 8300. 

I appreciate the help a lot!

Thanks 🙂

[Gdkitty · Accepted solution]

Ok, took a look at the rogers hardware section, and there is a rent to own link there.. and it takes it here.

http://www.orderrogers.ca/s/1164/r/order/box

Thats it not part directly of the rogers site.. im guessing its a 3rd party company, that they use for the 'rent to own' handling of it, etc.  Could be wrong on this, but why else wouldnt it be on their regular site 😛  Anyways.

So, it looks like there is a rent to own option.

Pricing is about 1/2 - 3/5 of the regular rental price.

You pay this for 36 months.  By the end of the 36 months, you pay $1 to buy out.

Now, this looks like its only for the SD box, and the two newer cisco HD boxes (hd and HD pvr), not the 8300.
And it appears it a start from today.  So you would have to get the new PVR box, and then pay it for 3 years, before owning.

Hope this helps.

[gifford]

The new Cisco HD PV's are a ***. I went through 3 that I picked up from the Rogers store (returning the previous one each time. of course) that didn't work at all, before finally getting a unit that worked only after I waited for a technician's appointment and he gave me a unit that worked (sort of ).

Unfortunately, it doesn't work all that well. If I haven't used the unit for 2 or 3 days, it regularly gives me only a black screen on the TV. The guide is there and the channel info can be called up, but there's no audio and no video. To get the unit to work, I have to unplug and plug-in (ie: re-boot) the unit, sometimes two or three times, before it starts working again. Each re-boot takes about 5 minutes.

Also, if I've been watching a show for a half an hour or so, when I use the 8-second-rewind button on the remote, instead of re-winding only 8 seconds, it will re-wind about 20 minutes!! The first couple of time it happened, it took me a few minutes for me to realize I was watching something I'd watched about 20 minutes before. Some programs, especially Discovery and HGTV repeat stuff that's happened before when it first comes back from commercials, so it's hard to know if this is what the program is doing or if I've been sent back 20 minutes.

So bottom line is, even though Rogers has a rent to own program for the new PVRs, if your old 8300 is working fine (which mine was, btw, even 3 or so years after getting it) I would suggest you KEEP the 8300 until you're FORCED to switch to the new unit. Hopefully by then Cisco will have fixed the bugs in it, though I wouldn't hold my breath. The Cisco boxes have been out in the States now for over a year and according to many forums, there are still tons of problems with it including format/zoom problems, noisy operation, slowness responding to unputs, etc, etc.

The Cisco HD PVR is called the "Netbox 2.0" on the Rogers system. It is a Cisco 8642 unit. Google any of these plus the word "problems" and you'll find lots of stuff about all the problems people are having.

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[Gdkitty]

I myself have never had that rewind issue you have..  Only thing similar i have seen from 1-2 users, was where it was getting button repeats, due to the location of the box behind glass, etc in a cabnet.. wouldnt let them stop rewinding/would put it on too many steps of the rewind (slow, 2x, 3x, etc).

I havent really heard, per say, of having the blackout issue that you are experiencing..first thought would be signal strength (though the tech out there SHOULD have checked that).  But often with that poor of a signal strength, you wouldnt get it to reboot properly, as it cant talk out..

[park]

There used to be lots of 8300s (and 8642s/netkrap) for sale on kijiji and craigslist etc.
Buy an 8300 if you can.
I have both machines.
Piity that Rogers(and/or Cisco) don't have any QA on so called constant software "updates" they do on the 8642.
The machine itself may be have some design flaw.
It is not that complex of a device and fawless PVRs have been around for many many years.
Frankly if I were at Rogers I'd have "legal" climbing all over the manufacturer !

[Gdkitty]

The updates, etc, is software, not hardware issue.

Really, it's a crap shoot either way. Some people have never had an issue with the 8300s. When I used to have one, had 5 in 4 years.
1.5 years on my 8642 with no issue.

[Vicars]

Hello

   I purchased a 8300 in May 05 with a 5 year extended warranty from Bestbuy for $741.16.  On the day my warranty expired I calculated that  if I had been renting, I would have not only paid for the original purchase plus warranty but  would have $438.00 saved for a new unit.

  Unforunately, one year later the 160G hard drive failed.(overwork). Off to Princess Auto to purchase a set of hex bits to remove security screws $12. You know the ones they use to install doors in public washrooms. Off to Tigerdirect to buy a replacment drive. 500G for $96.23. It slips right into the unit after R&R eight screws.

  Called up Rogers to boot the machine from their end and everything has worked since.

  As of January 2013 I have now saved total of over $1,200 for my next unit.

P.S. And please don't tell me you rent your water heater!

[jimboden]

I have a similar experience as Vicars. My 8300HD PVR is coming up on 9 years old. I bought it back then for $600 plus tax and it paid for itself in 2 years compared to renting. The only difference for me is I've never had a single problem with it. As others have said, it's really a crap shoot. If it comes to a point where Rogers tries to force the 8300 into oblivion and I have to "upgrade" to one of the Netboxes, I'll jump ship to someone else unless the thing actually works. I can't believe the horror stories on here about these devices. Surely someone knows how to design a decent cable box, especially the software.. It's not rocket science and they've been around for a long time. It seems this started after Cisco took over Scientific Atlanta. At the time that happened, I just scratched my head. Why would a networking company like Cisco want to get into the cable box business? It made no sense to me.

[Gdkitty]

Mind you they were rented, so refurb... but i had 5 8300's in 4  years 😛 like you said, a crap shoot.

Reall in the end, its all personal preference.  Some peole want to take the risk, some dont.

Same goes for the nextbox.  Its as much of a crap shoot.  There are alot of comlaints, on some MAJOR issues.  But not all users experience the MAJOR issues.   Much like your 8300, i have had my 8642 for almost 2 years (and thats on a rental), without a hitch.. with the old guide first, and have not had any of the MAJOR issues for the nextbox guide.

That is not to say that there are not bugs in it.  (slow response, etc).. maybe i am just not as easily frustrated.. most of the little things dont bother me that much anymore.

[Vicars]

Beware

   Buying Rogers PVRs online may not be a good idea

. If it happen to be registered with Rogers as a "misplaced" rental, you will be asked to return it to your closest Rogers outlet.  They will not boot up your machine unless you begin paying the rental fee or buy it from them. Oops.

[Gdkitty]

---

@Vicars wrote:

Beware

   Buying Rogers PVRs online may not be a good idea

. If it happen to be registered with Rogers as a "misplaced" rental, you will be asked to return it to your closest Rogers outlet.  They will not boot up your machine unless you begin paying the rental fee or buy it from them. Oops.

---

^^ This.

While buying USED offine, is not necessarily a BAD thing, you need to go through the RIGHT steps first when doing so.

You must check the validity of that box, before you actualy pay for it.
A) it could be a missplaced rental, that the prev person never returned, etc.  - results in the above scenario

B) even though not used, could still be registered to their account.  - can not register it, to your account while its on theirs.

Best bet is to make aragements, when getting from the seller, to give a call into rogers (with them even if you want, while you are picking it up if doing it that way), and inquire with the box number, if its registered or not to anyones account.  If its not, you should be free and clear to buy it, and then can add it.

[Sanderella65]

I contacted Rogers and advised them that I didn't want to pay for the unit anymore and they are not charing me for them now. 

[Gdkitty]

Be careful with that...

That you have said that, they may have set it up, that you are asking to 'return' them then by not paying for them anymore.

If you dont return them to a store in a period of time.. they may charge you for the price of the unit.

[OLDYELLR]

I see a thread here about Shopping Channel selling refurbished HD 8300's for $180. Would buying back a unit from Rogers be less than that?  I once rented a water softener. After a couple of years I could have bought it outright for $1000. I could buy anew one for less.

[Gdkitty]

On those old boxes you can't do any form or buy back.

But on the 8642, you can rent to own. 15/ month instead of 24. After 36 months you pay $1 to buy it.
You spend $40 more than outright buying, but on a bought you get a 2 year warranty, effectively you get 3 year this way while renting.

[Oldwat]

I have been renting for almost two years now... Can I buy out the balance owing now? (The remaining year of rental)

[Gdkitty]

I dont beleive the 8300 ever had an rent to own option... was always just rental.

The 4642, 8642 and 9865 all had rent to own options.. but you have to have started them on rent to own (not regular rental)..

Not sure you can buy out early or not.

[billmillen]

Actually I bought the 8300 about 8 years ago and it's just given up the ghost.  I guess I have to think about getting a new one.  I guess it's about 500.

[OLDYELLR]

If it's the hard drive that has failed on your 8300, it might be worth while to hunt down another IDE drive and replace it. There is a thread on this on Digital Home.

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/61-rogers-cable-tv-hd-pvr-discussion/15719-sa8000-8300hd-internal-ha...