NO television service!

Irlbo

I live in Ongar(I have grown to despise the place),I posted here previously about noise from neighbours above me,and other things,I was sold a dud,that I cant get out off until July,what really bugs me,is I cant get any television service,NTL never cabled the place,apparently builders and themselves had falling out,so I cannot even get basic cable,nevermind digital,cant get satellite becuase apparently Id be breaking planning permission regulation as a I cant have anything protruding out on to the street,so Im left with dog ears to watch fuzzy RTE2 all night,have I no rights in regards to this?

seamus

Not really. There's nothing which requires you to be able to get anything except the Irish terrestrial channels.

Have you bought or rented? If you've bought and the builder has pulled out, you can annoy the management company into allowing UPC (or someone else like magnet) access to cable up the place.

Your only other alternative is to get a phone line with DSL and watch TV online.

shoegirl

According to stats I saw recently, according to RTE, only 92% of the country are covered by their service. Put up an aerial on the roof or in the loft if you have one.

I knew this because I lived in a couple of places in rural Cork where there was zero coverage, even with an aerial. Some places are geographical disadvantaged, but also quite frankly RTE never bothered their backsides covering the country totally and a lot of these places have since been rezoned and built upon.

Of course they still expect you to pay a licence fee!

Irlbo

Cant get anything which requires a structure being put anywhere outside house,as only reting,cant get a phone line as area isnt pre-cabled,so no dsl through line,all I can get is a fuzzy RTE1,2,TV3

Victor

What if you put a satellite dish in your back garden?

mikemac

Victor wrote: »

What if you put a satellite dish in your back garden?

I doubt the OP owns a house, they said they have neighbours above them

You have no rights for this and remember there are areas in rural Ireland that struggle to get a signal at all.

mikemac

Irlbo wrote: »

I live in Ongar(I have grown to despise the place),I posted here previously about noise from neighbours above me,

Irlbo wrote: »

Cant get anything which requires a structure being put anywhere outside house,

What exactly are you renting OP?
A house doesn't have an apartment above it

seamus

micmclo wrote: »

You have no rights for this and remember there are areas in rural Ireland that struggle to get a signal at all.

Wasn't there a guy who successfully managed to avoid a conviction/fine for no licence by virtue of the fact that he couldn't get a useable signal where he lived? Or am I dreaming

Irlbo

One bedroom apartment,no balcony

astrofool

I'd reckon they'll have to relax the no outside structures rule until they get the place cabled.

mikemac

I've had a similar issue in a flat by Croke Park.
Landlord wouldn't allow us to install cable. We did put an aeriel on the roof but the stadium blocked the signal, we had the same issue for wireless broadband also. Hell, even the mobile phone signal was dodgy and this is 2km from Dublin city centre so you'd imagine it'd be perfect
Absolutly impossibe to get any TV signal

I don't have a solution
I just got a radio. Great shows like Matt Cooper on Today FM or Off the Ball or Talking History on Newstalk.
You can keep the TV for dvds or the xbox but you can manage without TV, give it a go
Listen to the radio, old-skool :cool:

Irlbo

seamus wrote: »

Wasn't there a guy who successfully managed to avoid a conviction/fine for no licence by virtue of the fact that he couldn't get a useable signal where he lived? Or am I dreaming

I wont be paying any license fee,let em do what they want

Irlbo

Ah yeah I have the Xbox and the DVDS,and I have altern 8 and shades of Rythem booming out the place,keeping them poshies well annoyed haha

Ste.phen

Don't sky have a thing where (with the consent of the management company) they'll install a single dish on the roof and multiple LNBs with cabling to individual apartments?

Carawaystick

There's an EU directive overruling contracts, local laws and maybe national laws entitling you to receive a TV service. If think its the Television sans frontiers directive.
basically, if the mgmt co. are preventing you installing a dish/antenna they must provide some alternative.
Likewise the co.co must if they try enforce Planning permission.

ongarite

Irlbo wrote: »

Cant get anything which requires a structure being put anywhere outside house,as only reting,cant get a phone line as area isnt pre-cabled,so no dsl through line,all I can get is a fuzzy RTE1,2,TV3

Irlbo wrote: »

I live in Ongar(I have grown to despise the place),I posted here previously about noise from neighbours above me,and other things,I was sold a dud,that I cant get out off until July,what really bugs me,is I cant get any television service,NTL never cabled the place,apparently builders and themselves had falling out,so I cannot even get basic cable,nevermind digital,cant get satellite becuase apparently Id be breaking planning permission regulation as a I cant have anything protruding out on to the street,so Im left with dog ears to watch fuzzy RTE2 all night,have I no rights in regards to this?

I live in Ongar too as you can guess. You obviously don't like the place, thats your opionion.

The builders Manor Park have an exclusive cable & TV agreement with Broadworks. If you want cable TV, this company is your only option.

I'm sure you have noticed the hundreds of Sky & FTA Lidl dishes around Ongar. You can install any satellite service you wish like I have and hundreds of others and nobody has ever been asked to remove from their wall, balcony.

Irlbo

I have good reason to dislike Ongar,the place is a diaster,no sense of character or community,boring,no pubs,poor traffic management,just blocks and blocks of ugly made by numbers houses and apartments,fortunately I will only be staying till June,thank god

Irlbo

Broadworks,I have been told to avoid this company like the plague,they provide a very poor service,basically providing terrestial and afew ported sky channels through the pipe,(dont know if thats even legal),I have heard nothing but bad things,the service is down alot,billing mistakes,channels changing without notice,an internet service slower then dial up,I tried get them out before and had a very shady chap in a van turn up who told me my apartment would have be wired probably,which would cost 150euro,then was told can only pay direct debit,Im with EBS which dont offer DD,and Im not changing due to loans and such,so I think Ill stick with the dog ears

seamus

So basically, there is a television service, but you just refuse to use it?

Insisting on direct debit is par for the course for new connections.

Irlbo

Theres a service there which I have to pay 150 euro for,just to put abit of coaxial cable into the back of the television,and the only way to pay is direct debit,my bank doesnt facilitate direct debit,and I cant change as I have loans and other commitments,therefore I cant get it,I'll just make do with my antenna

bobbysands81

Carawaystick wrote: »

There's an EU directive overruling contracts, local laws and maybe national laws entitling you to receive a TV service. If think its the Television sans frontiers directive.
basically, if the mgmt co. are preventing you installing a dish/antenna they must provide some alternative.
Likewise the co.co must if they try enforce Planning permission.

An EU Directive is not law.

EDIT: They're actually a bit stronger than I thought they were...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EU_Directive

Irlbo

Bobby my friend,the laws here apply at Irish level,and eu directive has to be followed but not enforced,if EU directive is breeched,a complaint has to be put in to the EU high court,as a fellow republican Im sure this angers you as you dont want any foreign influence interfering in this countries affairs,although it has it advantages when the authorities here wont enforce EU regulation

astrofool

EBS is not a bank, it's a building society, you should really have a bank account capable of DD. You don't need to transfer any money, and most current accounts these days are free.

Sky will also have an installation charge, although I'm sure that just sticking a random piece of coax in the back of the tv might work, I think its a bit more involved than that to get the signal through it as well.

Irlbo

No I got it out of them,they want to put abot of coax from an ntl box which doesnt have ntl,to a telly,a 150 quid,yeah right,and yes ebs is not a bank,but it does me,and a I dont see why I have to open a new account in a bank to get a telly service,with sky and ntl you can pay in the post office

astrofool

How can the NTL box not have NTL? Do they have to wire it in from the existing connection in the basement? Can you not run the coax yourself if it's that easy?

Sky and NTL support other payment options for legacy reasons, and both are trying to shift everyone to DD (having high deposit rates if you don't use DD for example). DD will become the only way to pay at some stage.

Anyway, you do have a television service, you just choose not to pay for it, thats your own choice.

ongarite

Irlbo wrote: »

No I got it out of them,they want to put abot of coax from an ntl box which doesnt have ntl,to a telly,a 150 quid,yeah right,and yes ebs is not a bank,but it does me,and a I dont see why I have to open a new account in a bank to get a telly service,with sky and ntl you can pay in the post office

There is no NTL box outside or in the apartment. Its a generic cable box, not branded in any way with all the wires there but not connected to any service.

Irlbo

The builders put in Ntl and Eircom boxes,but there are no connections there,so coaxial wont work,theres just a box there with Ntl written on it,I dont want Broadworks they are an amatuer company that Ive heard horror stories about,who offer very poor television service,dodgey payment methods(as in some guy turning up in a van with a very suspect looking dd slip and a power city coaxial cable,not a hope),Im not risking it,all I wanted was a basic telly service from a reputable company,obviously I cant and theres nothing I can do about it,Ill stick to the clothes hanger

Irlbo

ongarite wrote: »

There is no NTL box outside or in the apartment. Its a generic cable box, not branded in any way with all the wires there but not connected to any service.

The box says NTL,Im not blind,there is also an Eircom socket,these can be purchased in builders supply shops,and put in apartments and houses

Irlbo

Anyway its pathetic,that you can't avail of any television service when your renting an apartment for 1000 a month,just cant wait to get out of Ongar,horrible souless place,build by the code of the brown envelope,rows and rows of ugly houses and apartments,built inbetween roundabouts and national roads,with very basic ammenities,devoid of any character or sense of community,and riddled with problems left behind by unscruplous builders,give me Finglas,Cabra or Coolock anyday

gamer

if theres no building in the way,you,ll get sky tv signal, buy or borrow a sky box,and small sky dish.open the window ,point it toward sky satellite.google sky satellite position/installation.theres people getting sky tv,they put dish on a table,lnb facing towards window.EVEN an old sky box will get cnn,sky news ,kids,cartoon,music videos poptv ,bbc 1,2,3,,4, itv1,2,3,4 ie theres like 60free stations,you dont need a sky card.
the moral of this story is dont buy apartment without checking is there ntl/upc installed,its possible to install 1 dish on roof that,ll supply signal to many tvs,ask management company about it.ie a sky dish will work inside facing,close to a window.it just looks a bit strange.
OR get hi speed dsl,and watch tv thru the internet.if you pm me ,i think i have an old sky box ,not in use as i have ntl digital.