Amazon Video On Demand Blows

I recently updated the software on my TiVo HD so I could test out the Netflix integration. Which, is friggin awesome. I don’t actually have a Netflix account though, we used my roommates. So I figured I’d test out Amazon movie rentals too.

1. Go through process of connecting Tivo Box to Amazon. Not too awful, but a bit laborious.
2. Find movie to watch, select it, confirm that you want to buy it.
3. Uh oh! Problem with credit card. Of course it didn’t ask me which credit card I would like to use, it just picked an old expired one for me. Thanks.
4. Wait for email to arrive about the problem… Go to computer, log into Amazon there and correct the purchase.
5. Wait for movie to arrive on TiVo. Takes quite a while, since you can’t start watching it until it’s fully downloaded.
6. From that point you have (30 days?) to start watching it, and once you do, you only have 24 hours to complete it.
7. OK FINALLY. Ready to go, play movie. NO SOUND.
8. Try to figure out how to contact Amazon about the problem, but don’t see any clear method.
9. Write bitchy blog post about how the service sucks.