Cancelling Sky - what are my options then?

Jenmckm

Hi,

I am thinking of cancelling my Sky subscription, but unsure what my options would be for receiving channels once I do this. Currently, I have a Sky dish (no roof aerial), a standard Sky+ box and a Samsung HD-ready (I think!) TV (bought a few years ago).

I would like to still have the record/pause/rewind facilities that I have with my Sky+ box, but realise these facilities would cancel with the subscription. So, I was wondering:

- Would a Saorview combo box be my best bet? Do these boxes carry the ability to record/pause/rewind? Also, would I be able to record one channel and watch another at same time?

- When using a combo box, do the Saorview channels and the free satelite channels appear to the viewer as one seamless list of channels, or would I need to switch back & forth between the two services?

- Would it be difficult to extend the channels to another room in the house (how would this work in terms of cables)?

Thanks in advance

John mac

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056669895

has loads about combo boxes.

Jenmckm

Thanks John mac, will have a look at that thread

zg3409

The best multiroom setup, besides Sky, is to get a properly installed Saorview aerial. Then on the main TV have 2 boxes. 1 Saorview approved with a Hard drive connected and a second FreeSAT + HD system. This is the closest to Sky+HD available now.

For all the other TV's get a Saorview box (if they are not compatable and flat screen) and a FreeSAT HD (non +)

This will allow the main room to record all other other rooms to have every free channel possible.

Jenmckm

zg, just wondering what is the advantage of having a separate Saorview approved box with hard drive and a FreeSAT+ HD box, as opposed to using a single combo box. Is it that the former setup allows recording on both a saorview channel and a FreeSAT channel simultaneously?

Also, does recording to a hard drive on the saorview box allow all of the features that Sky+ currently does?

zg3409

Jenmckm wrote: »

zg, just wondering what is the advantage of having a separate Saorview approved box with hard drive and a FreeSAT+ HD box, as opposed to using a single combo box. Is it that the former setup allows recording on both a saorview channel and a FreeSAT channel simultaneously?

Also, does recording to a hard drive on the saorview box allow all of the features that Sky+ currently does?

Well yes and no. Currently there is no Sky equivalent. All Saorview boxes are single tuner meaning in the long term it is not possible to watch RTE 1 while recording RTE2. A true dual tuner PVR for Saorview will be launched within the next year.

A combo box has the following failures:

-Most are not Saorview compatable meaning all features are not guaranteed or present now

-All are not FreeSat approved meaning red channel features are a compromise

-All/most require retuning if sat channels move (about every 6 months)

-None off the shelf are dual sat and dual terrestial tuner meaning recording one channel while watching another channel is probably not possible realisticly

So for serious non monthly payments 2 seperate boxes are the best at the moment for recording needs. If your TV is Saorview compatable you can get close to Sky+ except for 3 remotes.

anfield liv

Rang up sky today and told them I was going to cancel as I was getting a better deal including phone and broadband with another company.The lad did not really try to convince me to stay and just said that the package they offered was as good as the other company (even though sky didn't offer phone and broadband!!)......so you have your mind made up then,he said,I said yes and he then put me on hold so that he could put my cancellation through,after 2 minutes he came back to me and said thats all done for you!!!!

zg3409

anfield liv wrote: »

Rang up sky today

You will have to practice your haggling skills. They will probably ring you back. They try to gauge if you are tied into a new contract with the new supplier. If you have already agreed to a 1 year contract and the waiting period (I think 7 days) is up they know you are very unlikely to switch back. Then they don't try hard.

You need to consider what packages you would like and if you seriously would move. I do it more like a chat to my options rather than "I'm off that's it".

OldRio

anfield liv wrote: »

Rang up sky today and told them I was going to cancel as I was getting a better deal including phone and broadband with another company.The lad did not really try to convince me to stay and just said that the package they offered was as good as the other company (even though sky didn't offer phone and broadband!!)......so you have your mind made up then,he said,I said yes and he then put me on hold so that he could put my cancellation through,after 2 minutes he came back to me and said thats all done for you!!!!

Did you ring the Irish Offices or Scotland ?
I have threatened to cancel all/some of my packages on a number of occasions.
The Irish Offices couldn't give a flying feck but I've always managed to get some type of deal from the Scottish Office.

anfield liv

rang the cork office.....mind you it took an eternity to ring through and the ring tone was more of an international dial tone...the assistant was Irish as far as I could make out.I had a chat with them last year re;phone,broadband and tv and the girl on that occasion was very understanding and gave me a multi room discount for the year and wondered herself if sky were going to come up with an alternative 'full package',the Irish market is probably too small for them to consider spending money on a phone licence.Perhaps they will ring back before the 31 days are up...but I wouldn't hold my breath!

OldRio

Wait a while and ring the Scottish Office.
Tell them you might change your mind, depending on offers.
Worth a try.

Good luck.

cullenswood

Is there a certain phone number or time of day to phone at to ensure you get the Scottish office?

Eden3

I rang to cancel my HD subscription today. Was onto Irish staff. She put me on hold, then came back to offer reduction of €15 per month - I still cancelled

Griffinx

I rang sky to cancel today as I had decided on UPC and had already got it installed. They guy offered me a reduction of €10/month on my SKY package straight up. I then said that I was giong with UPC for their broadband..he then transferred me to his supervisor. The supervisor told me that SKY were going to introduce a phone/broadband service at the end of October. He then told me that he would give me FREE sky until then and I could decide at that stage if I still wanted to go with UPC. As I had already gone with UPC I cancelled anyway.

Gx

revileandy

I rang to cancel on Monday because there was problems with the dish & cabling. figured I'd pay someone local to fix it and then get a humax freesat+ pvr.

Anyway, first of all they offered to send an engineer out for €100 to fix it.

I said no thanks, and they put me through to cancellations.

Then cancellations offered me the same engineer call out for €10!

I said thanks but no thanks again and then they offered to reduce my bill to €34 for 12 months ( I've got just the basic packages + HD). So I finally agreed to not cancel.

Had the engineer out today, new dish + cabling so everythings brand new, guess I'll stick with them for another few months.

Having said all of the above, I've rang them before when the sky box went belly up and they refused to give me a new box. I eventually haggled them down to give me a free box but they said an engineer had to install it for €60 - ie; plug the feckin thing in. I ended up getting a box off adverts.ie pretty cheap instead.

When you call sky it really depends who you get, what time of the day, what the targets are for the day etc.

zg3409

revileandy wrote: »

they offered to reduce my bill to €34 for 12 months .... guess I'll stick with them for another few months.

I assume you are now in a new 12 month contract?