Hi all, just looking for opinions on this.

Degag

Hi all, just looking for opinions on this.

A few months back i got a letter from my satelite provider informing me that my phone lines were not connected to my boxes and if i did not connect them i would be liable for extra charges of €48.25 a month. My problem is that i can't connect the phone lines because it plays havoc with my broadband if i do.

I consulted a few friends and asked a) if their boxes were connected to the phone lines and b) did they receive the same letter i did. The vast majority did not have them connected and none of them had received these letters.

Being rather annoyed, (two months payment had been direct debited from my account at this stage) i rang the provider and explained my situation. They told me that the phone lines have to be connected at all times. I asked why other people i knew weren't incurring these charges, i was told that they couldn't comment on other peoples situations I said i wasn't asking about specific customers but in general, why were these people not being charged if i was. They said that they will eventually be found out.

Stupidly i left my direct debit run until last month when i cancelled it. I plan to ring their competitors tomorrow to change over.

I'm just wondering if anyone here has had similar experiences. Can they really charge me these charges when they don't other people in a similar situation?

Cheers

Ranicand

Degag wrote: »

Hi all, just looking for opinions on this.

A few months back i got a letter from my satelite provider informing me that my phone lines were not connected to my boxes and if i did not connect them i would be liable for extra charges of €48.25 a month. My problem is that i can't connect the phone lines because it plays havoc with my broadband if i do.

I consulted a few friends and asked a) if their boxes were connected to the phone lines and b) did they receive the same letter i did. The vast majority did not have them connected and none of them had received these letters.

Being rather annoyed, (two months payment had been direct debited from my account at this stage) i rang the provider and explained my situation. They told me that the phone lines have to be connected at all times. I asked why other people i knew weren't incurring these charges, i was told that they couldn't comment on other peoples situations I said i wasn't asking about specific customers but in general, why were these people not being charged if i was. They said that they will eventually be found out.

Stupidly i left my direct debit run until last month when i cancelled it. I plan to ring their competitors tomorrow to change over.

I'm just wondering if anyone here has had similar experiences. Can they really charge me these charges when they don't other people in a similar situation?

Cheers

It is in the contract you sign if you have multi room the boxes must be connected to the same phone line to make sure they are indeed at the same address.


There are two things you can do connect the boxes or pay for two individual subs.

Not the answer you wanted sorry but it is the correct answer.

Mr McBoatface

Do you have Multi-room Sky ? Multi room sky requires a phone line, it's part of the T&C you sign and agree on, non-multi room sky doesn't require a phone line which I suspect what your friends are referring to.

The phone line checks to see box boxes are in the same house otherwise you could have one box and for example you neighbour or friend could have the 2nd box without paying the full subscription cost.

If you have multi room you could keep one box on a subscription , cancel the multi room subscription and no longer require a phone line. You can use the 2nd box in without a subscription and you'll able to get all the Free to View sat channels.

EDIT- For a quick preview of the Free to view Sat channels you can get on a sky box without a sub just unplug your Sky box and remove your viewing card, restart the box and you'll see the EPG (program guide) will have changed. BBC, ITV and loads more are free and can be viewed, you'll get a pop up error on the likes of sky if you try to view them. No RTE or TV3

Degag

Ranicand wrote: »

It is in the contract you sign if you have multi room the boxes must be connected to the same phone line to make sure they are indeed at the same address.


There are two things you can do connect the boxes or pay for two individual subs.

Not the answer you wanted sorry but it is the correct answer.

I'm not disputing the fact that the boxes have to be connected, but why is this not happening to other people?

Ranicand

Degag wrote: »

I'm not disputing the fact that the boxes have to be connected, but why is this not happening to other people?

It happened to me when I was with Sky I was with one of those Eircom resellers and the person who installed my Sky did not enter the correct prefix into the phone settings.

Have all of the people you talked to got multi-room?

Degag

Ranicand wrote: »

It happened to me when I was with Sky I was with one of those Eircom resellers and the person who installed my Sky did not enter the correct prefix into the phone settings.

Have all of the people you talked to got multi-room?

At least one. Not sure about the others.

Ranicand

Degag wrote: »

At least one. Not sure about the others.

http://www.upc.ie/deals/new_customers/fibrewebsupersizehd/

http://www.upc.ie/deals/new_customers/fibrebargainsupersizehd/

This 3 in one thing is what made me switch.

Kristopherus

Degag wrote: »

At least one. Not sure about the others.

Well you can bet that him/her/them will get a love letter from Sky in the next few weeks. When problems such as yours a highlighted to Sky, all they have to do is send a simultaneaous signal to all multi room stbs and in literally 5 minutes later their computers fire out letters to the defaulters.

Degag

Kristopherus wrote: »

Well you can bet that hih/her/them will get a love letter from Sky in the next few weeks. When problems such as yours a highlighted to Sky, all they have to do is send a simultaneaous signal to all multi room stbs and in literally 5 minutes later their computers fire out letters to the defaulters.

I don't know. This has been going on about 5 months now.

I've performed a "callback" on a few occasions to prove to them that the box is where it's supposed to be. I would have thought this would satisfy them but obviously not.

Mr McBoatface

Degag wrote: »

Hi all, just looking for opinions on this.

A few months back i got a letter from my satelite provider informing me that my phone lines were not connected to my boxes and if i did not connect them i would be liable for extra charges of €48.25 a month. My problem is that i can't connect the phone lines because it plays havoc with my broadband if i do. Cheers

Have you approached your broadband provider to correct the issues your having with your phone, or if possible considered switching broadband provider ?. It seems to me that if there was no problems with your broadband/phone you'd have no problem with Sky.

Kristopherus

Well it usually does satisfy them. If they are playing hardball, tell them you are cancelling. That should gee them up. You can then re-apply in spouses/partner's/family member's name and avail of the free offers Sky are giving to new customers.

Degag

jobyrne30 wrote: »

Have you approached your broadband provider to correct the issues your having with your phone, or if possible considered switching broadband provider ?. It seems to me that if there was no problems with your broadband/phone you'd have no problem with Sky.

I don't think it's their problem. it's just that there is too many things connected to the phone line and it can't handle it.

Anyone know anything about DSL Filters and if they'd solve the problems?

Kristopherus

I have dsl filters and have no problem. The more, the better.

Degag

Kristopherus wrote: »

I have dsl filters and have no problem. The more, the better.

Must buy some. Are they available in electrical shops?

Ranicand

Degag wrote: »

Must buy some. Are they available in electrical shops?

I would guess you would get them is shops selling computer stuff.

Mr McBoatface

Degag wrote: »

I've performed a "callback" on a few occasions to prove to them that the box is where it's supposed to be. I would have thought this would satisfy them but obviously not.

Look at it from Sky's point of view, If you where sharing your multi-room boxes with person "A" you could be simply unplugging the box from person "A" home and bringing it to yours to make a call back. Regular callbacks are what SKY require and you have agreed to it under the Sky T&C, the broadband/phone issue has nothing to do with Sky.

Personally I dumped Sky mainly over the cost but the multi-room phone line requirement played it's part too. After looking at the other options in much the same way you are now I went with a Free to View Satellite and DTT system covering 3 rooms, no bills. Sky's loss, my gain.

slegs

You need a DSL filter at every point where a phone line is used and aspecial one that you probably already have at the broadband router.

If you dont have them at every point including the sky boxes you will have the issue you describe

Nuno

We had the same issue, our second box was up in the bedroom and we don't like leaving it plugged in when we're not in the room or at night time (the box is a bit too noisey)... so we missed a few call backs on the box. We received the standard letter that we would be charged if we didn't have the box turned on and connected all the time. I rang up Sky and told them the situation and they said that so long as their records showed a call-back from the box once every calendar month then no extra charge would be applied. Did this for a long while, then for a few months I totally forgot to do the manual call back and didn't think anything of it until I checked my bank statement and noticed for 4 months I'd been charged about 40quid extra. Rang up sky and told them the situation and complained about the extra charge. They said they would credit the account up to 3 months worth of charges if I did a call-back straight away. This I did and my account was credited for 3 months of extra charges.
So I'd recommend calling them up and asking for the credit once you can show you still have the box in your house.