Procedures for Buying and Selling of BTV Receivers - See Post 1

319463 Views 672 Replies 177 Participants Last post by bluedrongo, Jul 19, 2021

TYW

Discussion Starter · Feb 16, 2006 (Edited by Moderator)

I had a 3100, a 5800 and a 5900 in the house. Thinking of going HD. Question, if I get a HD receiver, am I allowed to sell the 3100 or the 5800. There are quite a few for sale (at decent prices) on certain famous auction sites. Not sure if Bev allows that anymore.

Edit by 57 - 2011.10.25. You should not sell or buy 9200 or 6100 receivers since they are being phased out and BTV will not activate them. See link below for more on the topic: (They can still be used for OTA so they may have some value to someone interested in that option)

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?p=1342097#post1342097

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441 - 460 of 673 Posts

Install_Guy

· #441 · Mar 17, 2011

I think you should also! It is a great deal, even with only 1 remote....easy to pick up a remote for cheap on Flea-Bay. Have a look on the aforementioned site to see how much 9200's are going for still.
That is, as long as the receiver checks out with Bell, and is clear to be activated on your account.
A couple of months ago I picked up a 9200 from a very disgruntled ex-Bell TV subscriber for $50!!! This was because the hard drive in it gave up, and Bell would do nothing for him to replace the receiver. He was a 9 year subscriber!

I replaced the defective hard drive for $35....so....very good for me, not so much for him.

spatzi

· #442 · Oct 25, 2011

I cancelled my bell account last month and I'm now trying to sell my 9200 receiver. I called Bell to tell them that I was selling it, and they told me that they will not reactivate it because it was a 'purchased' receiver and that they are phasing out the 9200 line.

Anyone else get this response? I've got a buyer interested and I gave him the smart card number and serial and told him he should call Bell and find out if it can be activated.

So I guess the receiver can be tossed in the garbage?? What a waste. They have a potential new customer here that they just said 'NO' to.

I could have stayed on this receiver for the next 3 years, it would have made no difference to Bell. I'm sure it has nothing to do with 'phasing out'.

57

· #443 · Oct 25, 2011

I'm sure it has nothing to do with 'phasing out'.

It sure does. Read the following thread and my comment in it:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?p=1341595&highlight=9200#post1341595

You (and your buyer's) timing for selling (and buying) your 9200 was just a little late. They are no longer a salable item for BTV subscribers. BTV will not activate them, because they are being phased out and they are letting existing subscribers keep them, while sending out replacements.

Same will hold for the 6100. I have added this caveat to post 1 of this thread.

PS, had you known (by following the linked thread), you could have sold the 9200 earlier, or kept your account active until this month and received a 9242 replacement. Sorry, sometimes timing is everything.

spatzi

· #444 · Oct 25, 2011 (Edited by Moderator)

Bell 9200 tuner now worthless! It cannot be reactivated!

I cancelled my bell account last month. Selling my 9200 tuner. I called Bell and they told me that this unit can not be reactivated as it is being phased out.

I said, "So, if I sell it and someone calls in to reactivate it, it won't work?"
"Yes."
"So I can throw my perfectly functioning 9200 tuner in the garbage?"
"Yes. Sorry. Anything else I can help you with?"

Seems I have an analogue unit and they are upgrading to mpeg4. Only two tuners were deemed obsolete and will not get software upgrades, and they are the 6100 and 9200.

As of Sept 2011, 9200's are paperweights in the resell market. I pity all those people on ebay and CL who recently paid upwards of $350 for used 9200 tuners. They are in for a big surprise when they call in to reactivate them.

Someone else who has the same 'selling their 9200' issues, suggested we push to get the upgraded unit, so we can at least sell the upgraded unit and get our money back. I doubt Bell is going to care about me (just quit service) even though I was with them for 7 years.

If I had cancelled and sold the 9200 in August, would have had no problem.
Also makes me angry that I had to pay an extra month of subscription fees because Bell needed a 30 day notice.

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Pinza

· #445 · Oct 25, 2011

I activated a couple of 9200's only last week, so I would try again.

Seems I have an analogue unit and they are upgrading to mpeg4

No, you have an MPEG2 unit, which is being replaced, free of charge with an MPEG4 unit. If it had still been on your account, they would have sent you a 9242 or 9241.

The 9200 although it will no longer get HD Channels from Bell, after they switch to MPEG4, which will be late next year, will still function as an OTA HD PVR.

The programming on the Internal Drive is apparently not encrypted, so it can be watched on a PC, etc.

The swap has been known about for a long time and is well documented on this forum.

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=146515

Pinza

· #446 · Oct 25, 2011

spatzi said:
I've got a buyer interested and I gave him the smart card number and serial

This is something you should NEVER do.

You can provide the buyer with the Receiver R00# but never give them the full Smart Card # as well, just the S06 is enough to know it is a Nagra 3 Card.

Why.?

Well, if you have already called Bell to advise them that you are selling the Receiver, anyone with that R00 & S06# can activate the Receiver, even if it is not in their hands. You are then left with a paperweight.

I know personally of someone who did just this about 3 months ago. They were moving out of Canada so offered on Kijiji, the 2 x 9242's. Potential buyer got both numbers, called Bell. The Receivers are with me, useless. Paperweights.

He even took them off his account within 2 days but until he calls to say he has sold them, they are worthless.

billpaidJr

· #447 · Oct 25, 2011

an OTA PVR might still have some value I think. Could probably sell it easily to someone looking just for that aspect of it.

Pinza

· #448 · Oct 25, 2011

I would think so, although it gets no psip, Guide Data.

spatzi

· #449 · Oct 25, 2011

No one can reactivate this unit. Doesn't matter that I gave him the numbers. Bell has confirmed that it is garbage and cannot be reactivated. Who would buy this now? Should I relist it for sale for $50 (originally asked $200) and say 'Obsolete 9200 bell tuner. Cannot be reactivated but still good as an external hard drive..." I don't understand what use this tuner could still have if it cannot receive a bell signal or be used to record shows.

what is OTA? over the air?

Pinza

· #450 · Oct 25, 2011

Try again. Just because one CSR says NO, it does not mean the next one will. There is a post in the MPEG4 receiver swap thread of someone just activating 2 x 9200's today I believe.

Find a neighbour with Bell, activate it on their account for now.

billpaidJr

· #451 · Oct 25, 2011

yep good idea...give it to a buddy with bell and then he can just activate it online and he can give you the new mpeg4 unit when bell swaps him out. Win win...

57

· #452 · Oct 25, 2011

Pinza said:
Try again.

If this is the post you're referring to, the post is a bit vague on what happened or is to happen...

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?p=1342184#post1342184

Also, it's not spatzi who needs to call, it's the person who is purchasing the unit. spatzi is no longer a BTV subscriber (Post 442)

spatzi: Yes, OTA is over the air and the 9200 has been discussed in the OTA forum here for use as an OTA receiver/PVR with limited functionality. I believe this is the appropriate thread:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=20730

billpaidJr said:
yep good idea...give it to a buddy with bell and then he can just activate it online and he can give you the new mpeg4 unit when bell swaps him out.

As I mentioned in the link in post 443 of this thread, I'm sure BTV are onto this and their computers will not allow a 9200 to be activated henceforth, otherwise everyone on BTV would be able to get free 9242/1 receivers by simply passing around 9200s.

Pinza

· #453 · Oct 25, 2011

spatzi says that as of Sept 11th the 9200's are no longer being activated by Bell TV. This is wrong, as I stated before, I activated 2 only last week.

Once a replacement Receiver is issued for a 9200, that 9200's R00# will not be activated again. The 9200 will be de-activated after the 9242 is activated by calling the special number provided by Bell for these MPEG4 receivers and going through the Bell IVR.

spatzi

· #454 · Oct 26, 2011

Seems like some get activated and some don't? I have talked to 2 people today, and I know someone else who talked to three. All of them said, "No reactivations on 9200." Do you think it makes a difference if I call and say, "I have just bought a used 9200. I would like to reactivate it."

Is Bell going to be more open to this when it's a potential new customer calling instead of someone who just quit? Maybe. They told me they stopped reactivating 9200 as of Sept. I can only go by what they tell me.

The only way I can think of selling this thing now is to say. "Used 9200. May or may not reactivate when you phone bell to sign up, depends on who you talk to. Take your chances. $50."

Even for $50, I would never risk this.

kwalsh24

· #455 · Nov 21, 2011

I just attempted to do an activation of a 9200 today, however the csr couldn't get the unit to activate. They didn't tell me they couldn't activate the unit. So not ssure if this iis due to the fact that they aren't allowing activations of the 9200 anynore or not. The csr said they will investigate the issue and contact me back. Yeahhhh right.

57

· #456 · Nov 21, 2011

They will not activate 9200s after the swap started, as per the recent posts in this thread (post 442 onwards) and the swap thread. If an occasional individual does manage to get one activated, it's probably a mistake.

Pinza

· #457 · Nov 21, 2011

Just another CSR who did not read the memo.

The system was allegedly updated to stop activations but if a CSR does not know that they will keep trying.

kwalsh24

· #458 · Nov 21, 2011

Ah lovely so this unit is a paperweight.

Pinza

· #459 · Nov 21, 2011

Yes it is. It can still be used for OTA reception though.

kwalsh24

· #460 · Nov 21, 2011

Hmm well that's no use to me really. Wanted it for a dual tuner unit. Guess I was taken by the seller.

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