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Roku TV bricked until agreeing to new terms of service (programming.dev)

submitted 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

301 comments fedilink hide all child comments

See title - very frustrating. There is no way to continue to use the TV without agreeing to the terms. I couldn't use different inputs, or even go to settings from the home screen and disconnect from the internet to disable their services. If I don't agree to their terms, then I don't get access to their new products. That sucks, but fine - I don't use their services except for the TV itself, and honestly, I'd rather by a dumb TV with a streaming box anyway, but I can't find those anymore.

Anyway, the new terms are about waiving your right to a class action lawsuit. It's weird to me because I'd never considered filing a class action lawsuit against Roku until this. They shouldn't be able to hold my physical device hostage until I agree to new terms that I didn't agree at the time of purchase or initial setup.

I wish Roku TVs weren't cheap walmart brand sh*t. Someone with some actual money might sue them and sort this out...

EDIT: Shout out to @[email protected] for recommending the brand "Sceptre" when buying my next (dumb) TV.

EDIT2: Shout out to @[email protected] for recommending LG smart TVs as a dumb-TV stand in. They apparently do require an agreement at startup, which is certainly NOT ideal, but the setup can be completed without an internet connection and it remembers input selection on powerup. So, once you have it setup, you're good to rock and roll.

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[–] [email protected] 0 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Imagine the paperwork though (processing, tracking, etc.) that they would have to go through if everyone did send in a letter, option out.

I mean, we can stay cynical, stay beaten down, or we can push back. If enough people push back, you'll definitely see change.

The problem is there's always someone convincing people not to push back online, for some strange reason.

[–] spaghettiwestern 0 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

Lol! So you're going to punish Roku about their consumer hostile stance with some extra paperwork? That's the ticket!

Very, very few people will even take 10 minutes to open an online AG complaint about a company that is directly harming them by openly breaking the law. You think a comment on Lemmy (or anywhere) is going to make a damn bit of difference to a legal corporate practice that started long before social media existed?

I know a guy who has deal on a really great bridge...

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

You think a comment on Lemmy (or anywhere) is going to make a damn bit of difference

Funny you should accuse me of that. You might want to take a look at this post I just made on the same day I replied to you...

https://lemmy.world/comment/8140817

The only point I'm trying to make is don't be cynical and just sit on your ass, and do nothing about it. Even if the only things you can do are small things, they're still things that you're doing.

At the very least you can look at yourself in the mirror, and if you're lucky, you may help affect real change.

[–] spaghettiwestern 0 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Sending opt-out letters to Roku, no matter how many the receive won't make the slightest bit of difference and you know it. The points I made in my post are perfectly valid, both in respect to Roku and corporations in general. Affecting real change has nothing to do with Roku or a thousand opt-out letters.

Real, lasting change at this point can only be accomplished politically. Corporations will only change because they're forced to and that doesn't have a damn thing to do with my comment, or with yours.

So get off your high-horse, quit with the straw-man arguments and look at your own fucking self in the mirror.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

So get off your high-horse, quit with the straw-man arguments and look at your own fucking self in the mirror.

NO U!

[–] spaghettiwestern 0 points 9 months ago (1 children)

LOL! Did you learn that in nursery school?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

You're a 'having the last word' type of person, aren't ya?