Few questions about Sky Digital

leahyl

Hi all,

I hope someone here can answer my queries.

My family have been with Sky Digital for roughly the last 4/5 years. We were with Chorus (now UPC) before that and it was a disaster and once we got Sky didn't have an ounce of trouble - until recently. A number of channels aren't working - in other words there is just a blue screen for a few seconds and then it says 'no satellite signal is being received'.

So my brother rang up Sky and explained this and they said that they would send someone out to have a look at it at the cost of 100e!!!! We couldnt believe this since we have been customers of theirs for the last 5 years you'd think the least they could do is send out someone for free. So my brother naturally said no and that he would be cancelling his subscription. So he rings up the number for cancellations and the guy says 'oh we'll send someone out to you for free and throw in a free Sky+ box too'!! My brother refused this cos they didn't offer that in the first place so he wasn't going to give them the soot of it!

So my brother cancelled the subscription - we have it until the middle of next month so have to decide what to do. Now he and my dad were thinking of moving to UPC but I way prefer SKY and think if we had just got someone to come out they would have fixed it and it would be fine again.

So i was wondering if you cancel your subscription can you subscribe again as a new customer and get the free installation and SKY+ box offer that they have for new customers?

Also regarding the different packs they have - I notice they have a news and events package (I think thats what it's called) which includes sky news, fox etc - but i thought these channels were standard? Otherwise it costs an awful lot to be getting those packages!

Sorry if I'm rambling - the whole thing confuses me! The one thing I do know is that I must convince the family that SKY is better than UPC!!

Thanks

lawhec

leahyl wrote: »

So i was wondering if you cancel your subscription can you subscribe again as a new customer and get the free installation and SKY+ box offer that they have for new customers?

I don't think you'll be able to do this, Sky limit such offers to one per residence which only becomes available again if there is a new occupant.

leahyl

lawhec wrote: »

I don't think you'll be able to do this, Sky limit such offers to one per residence which only becomes available again if there is a new occupant.

Aw crap really? Like we never got that particular offer - we've only ever had the ordinary sky box, not sky +, that wouldnt make a difference no?

Cantona's Collars

leahyl wrote: »

Aw crap really? Like we never got that particular offer - we've only ever had the ordinary sky box, not sky +, that wouldnt make a difference no?

New name=new customer.;) Lots of talk in this forum on this already.

Stinicker

zerks wrote: »

New name=new customer.;) Lots of talk in this forum on this already.

Yeah and if you live in the country you can just sign up as

John Smith,
Ballygoforwards,
Cork

Wheras before it could have read

John Smith,
Ballygobackwards,
Cork.

A few years ago I had a dispute with Sky and and they refused to come out to fix the problem wanting €100 as a call out fee. Anyway I cancelled and took out a new subscription at my uncles address, it worked ideally for both of us as he needed a dish put up for his tenants and I needed a new box. About two weeks after cancelling some lemming in Sky rang me to find out why I had cancelled and I explained I would not pay for the repair after nearly 8 years of being a customer, they sent out a guy who replaced the blown LNB and a gave me a new box, I rang them back a few weeks later and cancelled again this time permanently; as I was tied into a 12 month contract with my sky at the uncles house!

Result - I got two new free boxes off a new dish up at my uncles and my own set up repaired for free, which really serves Sky right for dicking around with me.

Amazingly how the situation has now changed my Sky HD went faulty in February and when I rang to complain they had a guy out next day to replace it free of charge. I'd say their customer numbers are well down and with the growth of both Saorview and Freesat hopefully Sky will lose more and more customers, which is nothing less than they deserve ripping off the Irish consumer for to pay millions for stupid soccer rights in the UK to line the pockets of morons like Wayne Rooney and Ryan Giggs.

Sky charge the customer for the service and then also charge the channels for carriage eg. Discovery, History etc. all pay Sky for carriage. All these channels make their money from advertising and sponsorship, when if they had any sense they would all go either FTA or FTV and give themselves maximum exposure thereby increasing their advertising profits. Sky are a monopoly abusing their position who should be broken up and stop using TV customers like myself to subsidise the English Premier League.

Liameter

leahyl wrote: »

A number of channels aren't working - in other words there is just a blue screen for a few seconds and then it says 'no satellite signal is being received'.

What's the make and model number? It's probably cheaper to get it repaired or to buy a used replacement off eBay. This is assuming, of course, that the Digibox is faulty. From those symptoms it could equally be a faulty cable, LNB or misaligned dish. You need to check.

leahyl

Liameter wrote: »

What's the make and model number? It's probably cheaper to get it repaired or to buy a used replacement off eBay. This is assuming, of course, that the Digibox is faulty. From those symptoms it could equally be a faulty cable, LNB or misaligned dish. You need to check.

Yeah I'd say its definitely something to do with the dish cos the guy on the phone told my brother to do a number of things with the box (we have 2 boxes actually - multiroom and it's happening on both tv's) and nothing worked (at which point he said he'd send someone out for 100e!) so I'd say it's the dish that's the problem - we've been getting quite windy weather for the last month or so so maybe this has had an effect?

Anyway I think (I hope!) that my brother may ring them back and take them up on their original offer of a free Sky+ box and a call out to repair the current problem - I know it's sort of crawling back but sure.....I love SKY:)

To the other poster who said that SKY are losing customers - I'd say definitely to that one. People don't need to put up with that kinda crap, I mean it's not our fault the signal is faulty!!!

lawhec

There are of course workarounds to the free box & installation offer, one common trick was to have a new installation addressed to say "21a" instead of just "21" on your road for example.

On a legal note, after 12 months of ownership all the equipment is yours, not Sky's. That's why they have a normal call out charge unlike say UPC who loan you the equipment for the duration of your subscription with them. However many people have found out that the threat of cancellation will often (but not always) see them waive the call out charge. In any case, equipment problems or failure after four or five years isn't that unusual.

Bentley38

I have been with Sky for a year and have multiroom. Was wondering if I was to cancel multi room and get a non Sky HD box would it work in place of the 2nd Sky box I have or would I need to get another sat dish?

Cantona's Collars

Bentley38 wrote: »

I have been with Sky for a year and have multiroom. Was wondering if I was to cancel multi room and get a non Sky HD box would it work in place of the 2nd Sky box I have or would I need to get another sat dish?

Yes,just swap it for the box you have,simples.No need for another dish.