Features, settings & updates

[techfan]

FYI, I also looped in The Washington Post (business@washpost.com). Hopefully, they'll be interested in covering this story.

[Kfj]

Exactly! The are no other changes that after reading the entire document I noticed.  To make it worst it doesn't  even indicate that ex:  Section I originally stated this.... and now reads this....  

• You really have to compare the last agreement to this from what I see it's all about going through arbitration, no class actions suits etc.

[D_]

How did you report it? i accidentally clicked the middle button while clicking bak & home.

I do not consent

[ektoplasm]

I went to FTC.gov and filed a fraud report. I also went the FCC.gov and filed a consumer complaint for television services. My local ABC affiliate has an investigative division I contacted via a link on their website. 

This stuff is completely outrageous and I've absolutely had enough with software/service providers who think they own my devices. I've also absolutely had enough with software/service providers who think its acceptable to not provide any legitimate customer support.

Partner and I are looking to upgrade the main TV soon. I was already on the fence about getting another Roku device as it seems like every single software update is beta quality and has some sort of major functional issue. The only support you'll get from roku here is to post your device ID info at which point they go silent and never follow up or address the issue in a timely manner. MAYBE it will be fixed in the next update - MAYBE. 

With the last update, Roku locked out the ability to directly stream media to the TV from external sources. This means I can no longer use the TV to do things like see who is at the front doorbell cam. Another feature the TV had from day 1. Not to mention, the YouTube streaming issues I complained about YEARS ago have never been fixed despite moving across the country with a completely new provider - still has the exact same buffering issues on 4K it started having 3 years ago.

The newest set of issues have been all the apps, but in particular Cinemax but also Paramount+ and others constantly crash/lag/cause the TV to reboot, etc. There is no excuse for this and it is NOT an app vendor issue. No malfunctioning app should cause your TV to crash and reboot. Now forced legal agreements? This is the last straw. A replacement Roku device for the main TV is completely off the table. I will probably use the other 2 devices until they die as they are but rest-assured their replacements will definitely not be Roku based. 

[6166Rock]

You have to get the Roku remote app in your phone and use it to accept and then I deleted the app. 

[Steve32]

Reading the opt-out terms, it is especially disgruntling, because instead of just simply writing to them, they also want you to give them your model numbers, software versions, and receipts (if applicable?).  So, if you opt out and buy a new product later, your opt-out probably will not apply to the new product.  Likewise, if they update the firmware, your opt-out probably will not apply to the new firmware.  And let's face it, who still has receipts for products they purchased more than a few months ago?  What and who determines if a receipt is applicable?  It's like they're trying to come up with every excuse in the world to deny your opt-out.  And to think I thought pretty highly of Roku prior to today.

[Steve32]

@Acontreras45You can go ahead and click Agree, the way I read it.  If you read the terms, "you have the right to opt out ... within 30 days of you first being subject to these Dispute Resolution Terms."  So if you want to opt out, I would recommend sending a certified letter to them with the information they ask for.  What is unclear, though, is if your 30 days begins on the effective date of the terms (February 20, 2024), or the date you received the notification, or the date you clicked Agree.

[ektoplasm]

Its absurd. Nobody bought their Roku player directly from Roku, so there is no reason for them to request a receipt any time other than hardware replacement. As far as software version and hardware, etc - they already have this info for every single Roku user in the world. All they need is the account login. 

Proof of purchase matters not. Possession is 9/10ths of the law. Sound more like a ploy to avoid providing support by claiming devices are "out of warranty." 

Its so outrageous... its like Samsung pushing an update that disables your phone unless you agree to use their app store or Ford disabling your car because you don't agree to synchronize all of your contacts and messages and sharing them with both Ford and whoever they want to sell your data to. 

[Sissy67]

Roku

Roku's privacy policy states that the company will collect "your search history, search results, audio information when you use voice-enabled features, channels you access (including usage statistics such as what channels you access, the time you access them and how long you spend viewing them), interactions with content and advertisements, and settings and preferences."

Roku says that it shares data with advertisers "including ads that you view within Roku's Channels and Third-Party Channels, as well as ads included in content that you view through your Roku TV's antenna and connected devices." 

Here's what you need to do to limit or disable some of the tracking.

• From the main Roku menu, open Settings and head to Privacy.
• For Advertising, make sure that the box Limit ad tracking is checked. This stops Roku from personalizing ads and sharing viewing data from streaming channels for the purpose of measurement. Roku will let channel providers know that you prefer not to have personalized ads, but according to Roku, it is up to the providers if they honor your preference or not. Likewise, "Limit Ad Tracking" will not stop individual channels, like Hulu or Netflix, from collecting their own data on your usage or passing that info on to other parties.
• For those Roku devices that come with an embedded microphone in the remote, you can go to Microphoneand then Channel Microphone Access to choose how a channel gains access to the microphone. You can always allow them access, never allow them access or have a prompt pop up and ask for permission to access the microphone. With the Channel Permissions button, you can manage the permissions for each individual channel. 

[ektoplasm]

Retroactive contracts are illegal. As other users have stated, who on earth has a receipt readily available for a TV they bought YEARS ago?

As luck would have it, I digitized all my records years ago and anything with a warranty or large price tag gets scanned in and kept for at least 7 years, so I can probably find this, but it doesn't negate my point. What about people who received the TV as a gift? I guess they're SOL unless the person who gifted it to them kept it (doubtful). What if the TV was bought second hand? What if the TV is located in a large establishment or hotel? Gonna find that receipt out of the 3000 TVs you bought?

Roku's actions are completely unreasonable.