Am I understanding this right Re: Sky TV?

dellas1979

So, we want to get Sky, we went to one of those Kiosk things to sign up. It then said on the leaflet "Free Sky" for a month. Presumed that I would get sky free for a month....

Anyways, we have no phone line, so we were told that the €45 installation charge would not apply to us. That we would have to pay €93.

So, we agreed to this. Im not even sure this is normal either. Anyways, she gets all our information (incl bank details) and then right at the end, after we filling in everything, proceeds to tell me that the first payment will be 10 days after installation (double installment) and to be paid every month after.

I was wondering what had happened the free month. I asked and she started ranting and raving "You dont understand"!!!!! "Why cant you understand" At that stage I told her to rip up the documentation and walked off.

Apparently it would take them 2 and a half weeks to install Sky, which, from yesterday onwards would have eaten into the "Free month" i.e the 2 and a half weeks would constitute as part of the free month even though we technically would have no Sky.

Is this normal? Do you know of anyother place that does sky in Limerick? We are living off bog 1 and bog 2 at the moment. Thanks!

Mr Velo

dellas1979 wrote:

So, we want to get Sky, we went to one of those Kiosk things to sign up. It then said on the leaflet "Free Sky" for a month. Presumed that I would get sky free for a month....

Anyways, we have no phone line, so we were told that the €45 installation charge would not apply to us. That we would have to pay €93.

So, we agreed to this. Im not even sure this is normal either. Anyways, she gets all our information (incl bank details) and then right at the end, after we filling in everything, proceeds to tell me that the first payment will be 10 days after installation (double installment) and to be paid every month after.

I was wondering what had happened the free month. I asked and she started ranting and raving "You dont understand"!!!!! "Why cant you understand" At that stage I told her to rip up the documentation and walked off.

Apparently it would take them 2 and a half weeks to install Sky, which, from yesterday onwards would have eaten into the "Free month" i.e the 2 and a half weeks would constitute as part of the free month even though we technically would have no Sky.

Is this normal? Do you know of anyother place that does sky in Limerick? We are living off bog 1 and bog 2 at the moment. Thanks!

That doesn't sound at all right. I ordered on the phone last week, and the lady informed me that you only HAVE Sky when the installer puts in your Sky Viewing Card and registers it..... that is when your free month should begin.

givecredit

Why don't you join here and also get a Eur10 credit.

http://www.sky.com/portal/site/ireland

btw the above poster is correct, you free month does not start until your sky card is activated in your installed sky box.

dellas1979

Hi.
Thanks for the replies.
That is what I would have thought.

Could I join this way if I dont have a phone line?

Mr Velo

I think you need to have a phoneline in your house to order directly from Sky.

givecredit

Quite right. You have to phone 0818 719 819(Sky) to order if you have no phoneline.

CptSternn

Sky is notorious for this sort of thing. I had Sky a year ago, and cancelled my account due to similar issues. After filling out all the forms at a local electronic shop, they rang to get bank details before they could 'send out my card'. A week later they rang again, this time to get my credit card information. I asked why exactly I needed a credit card when they had my bank details? They refused to continue the order unless I proved them with credit card information. So, after playing phone tag with them for yet another week and speaking with four more sky operators, I finally give them the details of one of my cards which was getting ready to expire. The reason: I already gave them my bank details and told them I don't want any charges on the card. Since this was a 'one off' charge and thats all they need the credit card for, I thought it would work out perfectly.

Installation was free, so I thought at that point we would be watching sky.

Wrong.

We get the card about a week after we gave them my credit card info, even though this was not in the form we filled out. It was on for about one week. Then they turned it off and claimed that they tried to put a charge through on the card, and it was declined. I explained to them the card was now maxed, something I told them when I gave them the number, and that they shouldn't charge anything to it, just bill me or use the direct debit to take my monthly charges. They then tell me this wasn't for monthly charges, this was for the installation. I then asked about the 'free' installation. That doesn't include hook up and a surcharge for not having a phone line. Neither of these things were on the forms, and no one ever said anything about 'connection' fees (whats the point of 'free' installation if they hit you with a 'connection' fee?).

Anyway, I used yet another card to 'pay' for these new fees that they decided to hit me with. The card I used had ample credit available, but also expired just a few days later (I don't like anyone having access to my valid credit card information).

So, now, another week passes and my sky service is cut off again. I call up again, they tell me they need yet another credit card and my services have been suspended until I give them a new, valid card. I ask why? They say they have to have one on file, else charge me another surcharge. So, begrudgingly, I give them the third credit card number.

Another week passes, and guess what? They cut my service off AGAIN. I once again find myself on the phone in a 45 minute queue waiting to talk to these people who have no shut my service off 3 times for things never listed in or on any applications or forms I filled out.

They tell me this time, they tried to bill my credit card for the month, but it wouldn't go through. I explained to them, I told my credit card company not to allow any charges from them. I did that because in my last discussion on the phone they claimed the credit card was just for emergencies and what not. They assured me last time no charges were pending and nothing would be sent through on the card without sending me a paper bill. Not so it seems - they tried to bill me a month in advance for my services, and sneak the charge through on my credit card instead of my bank account.

I was supposed to get one month free. They did not give me one month free, nor did they give me any free installation. Well, they claim it was free installation, but in reality it had so many surcharges it was almost 100 quid in the end, although the lady on the phone said her 'boss gave her permission to drop some other 40 quid charge' that I was supposed to be hit with. Oh wow, thanks.

In fact, they wanted to bill me for next month, BEFORE it had even gotten there - this was the 27th of the month, and they were trying to bill my CC for the end of next month, and not only did I not get a 'free' month, they turned off my service 4 times now, for a total of 5 days (it can take 8-12 hours for it to come back on when they turn it back on).

So now, I've paid for my free installation, they want me to pay for my free month - IN ADVANCE, on my credit card for some reason, and have again turned off the sky subscription because they now want me to authorise them to make more charges on my card to pay for a month in advance before they even have my subscription turned back on.

I asked them why they needed to bill me a month in advance? Thats the way its done they claim. I mean, I don't pay my ESB a month in advance? My boss doesn't give me wages a week in advance. Why does sky need my bill paid before they even give me any service? So far they have cut off my service weekly, forced me to spend hours in a phone queue, and hit me with multiple surcharges around every corner. Now they want me to pay them in advance? For what reason? Because I am so satisfied with their companies services to date? Yeah, right.

Doesn't paying one month in advance defeat the purpose of the 'free month' I was supposed to get anyhow? I never got ANY free time - not one week, not one day I got five days LESS than most viewers since they keep cutting me off - and if they now made me pay in advance, it would then cancel out any 'free month' they would have given me anyhow.

Their 'free month' means they bill you the day after you get sky turned on...for the 'month in advance'. Your not paying for 'this month', your paying for 'next month'. In the end your still sending them money the very first month, and with the service charges they tack on, your installation costs you a few bob as well, so in the end, you get nothing for free.

Since they had already hit my other cards with all these surcharges and to date had given me nothing for free, I canceled the lot and got chorus.

So when they tell you 'you don't understand', that means 'we are going to take advantage of you and hit you with so many hidden charges nothing is free, go wrap yer head around that'.

Thats what 'you don't understand'. They however try and put it more eloquently, by explaining all the stuff they 'give' you for 'free' that they 'could' charge you for, but 'dont'.

At the end of the day you end up paying for all that 'free' stuff and get sweet FA in return.

-Former sky customer and new anti-sky crusader

byte

Usually, the way it works is you get your Sky in, some weeks later, your account will be debited 2 months - the month past, and a month in advance. Unless you've a free month, in which case you just pay the month in advance.

Sky have always worked on the "pay before you play" scheme. And, although ESB don't make you pay in advance (though maybe you do for some service charge?), Eircom do, with their line rental.