Anyone Got Sky?

Ian M · 03 January 2014, 20:49

I am on the point of cancelling my subscription. Before I do I would appreciate the comments of anyone else who has had to deal with this load of S______rs.
Problems started before Christmas when the picture on most of the channels started breaking up. Contacted the on line sky advisor (guess where they are based

) and was told that of two inputs both had to be working - there was nothing on input 2.
I have checked when there is no wind, and nothing is in the line of the signal, and the antenna does not appear to have moved. So my theory is that water has got into the LNB. The strange part is that now, over a week after the original fault diagnosis, input 2 now shows a locked signal, and input 1 shows no signal. Any ideas what is going on?
Anyway, I have taken out one of their 'service protect plans' and was given instructions to phone 'the team'. Well after several days of up to 40 minutes on hold on a premium number phone line I have lost patience. I have tried e-mailing them, I have complained on their chat line (the only place where I can get to contact someone) and been told "we cannot contact the service protect team" - well matey, neither can I

Been on a number of forum sites, and all seem to be complaining about their poor service.
Interested whether anyone else has had similar issues this holiday.

Boats&Outboards · 03 January 2014, 20:58

We had no sat signal for 10 days over the Xmas period. Our problem was with the receiver being broken off the dish, if I stood there for 30 mins trying to get a picture it worked. But then went when the wind came in.

Our equipment was just that, ours! Apparently after 12 mths its out of liability. Thing is we only had to pay a call out fee of £65 for the fix, inc parts and as long as it took. The guy also fixed a few other gremlins under the same charge so I'm not sure what service plan you need ? Why not just pay the call out and get them to fix it...

www.BoatsandOutboards4Sale.co.uk

Ian M · 03 January 2014, 21:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boats&Outboards

We had no sat signal for 10 days over the Xmas period. Our problem was with the receiver being broken off the dish, if I stood there for 30 mins trying to get a picture it worked. But then went when the wind came in.

Our equipment was just that, ours! Apparently after 12 mths its out of liability. Thing is we only had to pay a call out fee of £65 for the fix, inc parts and as long as it took. The guy also fixed a few other gremlins under the same charge so I'm not sure what service plan you need ? Why not just pay the call out and get them to fix it...

www.BoatsandOutboards4Sale.co.uk

Thanks for the reply. The service plan is potentially cheaper covering unlimited call outs over a 6 month period for the same £65. However it seems the crucial difference is that the chat line can arrange an engineer call (for the £65 you mention), whereas seemingly the service protect plan is run by a different organisation (Domestic and General). It seems they are impossible to contact, at least at the moment. Just now we have arranged an engineer call out by paying an additional £65. My interest was in whether problems with Sky are wide spread. My impression is that they are happy to take your money, but the promised services are ropey at best. And have you tried cancelling any part of your subscription?

CJL · 03 January 2014, 21:20

We have Sky running through a pretty new Sky + HD box and it's not been an issue.

However we inherited the dish from the previous home owner and when the installer came to fit the new system he gave me the new dish and just connected up to old dish as the 'signal strength is 96%' apparently.

It sounds like your dish is the week point in your system so it might be worth giving them another try. Failing that ditch em and get a dish installed by somebody local who knows his a@@e from his elbow!!

Chris

Ian Austin · 03 January 2014, 21:24

I recently got rid of Sky, paying over £50 a month to watch the same s**te over and over again.

Dropped the channels and kept the internet and then they sent me letters saying I had gone over the download limit and then they put me back onto my original tariff, phoned then up to complain and I was kept on the phone that long I then decided to cancel there service altogether.

Eventually someone came back on the phone (40mins) and I ask them to cancelled everything, after them offering me free unlimited internet for a year and another 25mins, I managed to get it all cancelled.

they couldn't understand why I didn't want to carry on with there service.

I don't know why they were so desperate to keep my business, but by the sounds of it a lot of people are fed up with there attitude.

Steve_B · 03 January 2014, 21:30

A showers of Shites!

Mum in law wanted Sky. Mrs B organised and they installed in 2 days! I went round the following day and found that they had installed the dish on the existing TV aerial mast, which was only just marginal in supporting the TV aerial.
Funny enough, with the added weight and wind resistance, the mast snapped and took a considerable amount of the UPVC facia with it. 23rd December!

Phoned them up and also got the customer service in I***a. Explained the situation and was told not to worry they would replace the faulty Sky box for free!!
When I tried to explain that the box was fine, it was the dish and who was going to replace the facia, the guy had no idea what either UPVC or facia was. We went through the "script" several times with no breakthrough in understanding.
Anyway not to worry, an engineer would be sent to investigate on January 8th!!!!!

matt h · 03 January 2014, 21:33

i did have sky but could not bear to see the wok on the side of the house and 20 squids a month for something i barely used plus when it did go wrong could never get through so used is for a barbe q!!

kerny · 03 January 2014, 21:40

Sky's attitude with existing customers is sh*te... ditch em

willk · 03 January 2014, 21:45

Food for Thought:

Living without TV is a liberating experience - Telegraph

9D280 · 03 January 2014, 23:50

FWIW I have strapped the LNB onto the dish with gaffer tape, and twice over the hols with he hoolie winds been up the ladder with the "satfinder" re- aligning the d@mn thing by about half a degree or so. (added new clamps so hopefully be an end of it) but yeah, these new boxes do seem to need a half decent signal on both channels to work.

Otherwise Mrs 9d wouldn't have got Strictly come Xfactor on Ice & I would have had reduced time in t' garage with me boat!

Hightower · 03 January 2014, 23:56

Used to have sky! Got rid of them Christmas 2012 after being with them for 15 years. The best way of dealing with them is to threaten to cancel your subscription with them. Worked every time I wanted something from them!

'Hello, there is something wrong with my picture'

'We'll send an engineer around, it'll cost you £70 call out!'

'What! Forget it mate! Cancel my subscription, I've payed you thousands over the years.'

'Oh don't be too hasty sir, my manager said we'll send an engineer right around foc'

Result!

I got two lots of brand new equipment over the years from them this way until I left them.

BTW my satellite packed up the weekend before christmas. I've got the dish plugged direct to my TV. I dug out my old sky box to diagnose the problem, would suggest my lnb is faulty. Possibly water ingress from that first storm that hit us. New one from eBay is about £7 delivered. Should receiveit any day.

paddlers · 04 January 2014, 09:44

Ditched sky about 18 months ago after the usual free everything for six months, I'd been with them about 6 years!
Living in a valley we can't get anything but satellite TV so I kept the sky+ box and just watch their freeview.

On the upside telling them there was nothing to watch with their " full package" must have really upset them as they've not contacted me since!!!

indaba1991 · 04 January 2014, 10:39

Terrible admission - we have had SKY recently put in, it works well and rather enjoy it. This may have something to do with living on a boat in banana states for many years with limited TV. So my only excuse is that when we came back to the UK we were deprived in certain areas, (including Tesco and cream cakes!) 10 years of Caribbean and S American TV should cure you of your problem.