I want my Sky box back

cabledude

Hi All.

I left Sky at the start of this year. They kept ringing me so long story short, I agreed to rejoin on a special offer basis on 3rd October. They offered me 6 months half price without having to sign a contract. I was happy to go with this option. They asked me if I still had my Sky+ box from my previous subscription and I replied that I had, but, it was slightly problematic - Sometimes took a couple hours to turn on but when on worked fine. They offered me a service call for €10 and told me that should the engineer not be able to remedy the problem, he would give me a box. This box would not be new, it would be a reconditioned box, fully QC checked and approved. I was happy out.

A few days later the engineer called. He asked me what was the issue with the box and I told him that sometimes it would not turn on. He said fair enough we can give you a new (reconditioned) box. I said fine. He then proceeded to his van and came back in with a new(reconditioned) box and began to installed it. He then picked up my own box, that he had just disconnected and proceeded to put it into the cardboard box that the new box had come in. I asked him what did he think he was doing, this was my box and not the property of Sky. He told me that it was company and Sky policy that if there was a new box put in the original box had to be taken away by the engineer. I reiterated that this box was not under guarantee or not the property of Sky. He said that it did not make a difference. If I wanted a new(reconditioned) box, I would have to allow him to take away the original problematic box.

In the event the box he brought me was faulty. Kept freezing and pausing. Called Sky a bunch of times. They told me that because it was within one month of the engineer being on site, I should call him directly to get him back. We did this. He came back and put in a different box. Which was worse.... This box will turn off as soon as we command it to change channel, pause, rewind or anything in fact. Not an issue with remote as the same thing happens when commanding the box using the buttons on top and on front of box. Box is a dud. Plain and simple. I phoned Sky again. They told me that I would have to have another service call and receive another reconditioned box. I told them that this was unacceptable so i told them I would sign a 12 month contract and get a brand new box never used. They said cool lets set it up.

Now we get to the point of the thread. Sky told me that they could not have an install date until Mid November. I told them to forget it that I was not going to accept having no Sky for 3 weeks considering they could have an engineer out to me in a matter of days to do a reinstatement. The Sky rep told me that that was the only date on his system and that I should use my old Sky+ box that I had when I was a customer previously. I asked the guy was he being smart. He said 'No I'm not being smart, I'm just trying to find a solution to your problem'. I replied that it would be hard for me to use a box that they had taken back........ After a 10 second pause, the guy said ' What do you mean that we took the box back?'.I told hims that the engineer told me that it was Sky and the contractors own company policy that any box being replaced/swapped out had to be taken back. He told me that under no circumstances should the engineer have removed the box from my home. He told me that the original box, which had been installed 4/5 years ago was my property and that the engineer had no authority or right or business to take away the box. He told me to call the engineer immediately and insist the box be returned without delay.

So I did. The engineer did not dispute the facts with me. He knew he was rumbled. He told me it will take weeks to get the box back if at all.

I want to phone his company HQ and lodge a complaint.

My wife wants to give him a chance to bring it back to us.

What would you do?

EDIT : PS - Apologies for the length of the post - Complicated affair.

Big Lar

Hang him out to dry he should have given back the box when you asked on the day of the install but no, he took advantage of you innocence and for that he must be punished.

ted1

Weeks to get it back?

Report him to the guards. And his.company by ways of a phone call and s written complaint.

muffler

cabledude wrote: »

so long story short

I'm glad you didnt tell us the full story

harry21

Thats some post! Holy God, so long, why did I read it?

Complain him. End of!

cabledude

muffler wrote: »

I'm glad you didnt tell us the full story

I know. But to give the context of the whole affair it had to be kinda long winded. I'd make a good politician.:eek:

muffler

cabledude wrote: »

I know. But to give the context of the whole affair it had to be kinda long winded. I'd make a good politician.:eek:

Apologies, I was just poking a bit fun.

Was the guy you were dealing with the owner of the business or a worker?

Oh, and as suggested by someone else, dont go near the guards as they will only laugh at you. Its a civil matter and nothing to do with them.

SC Kevin

upgraded to a Sky+ HD box a few moths ago, the engineer didnt take our old box, he didnt even look to take it!

Sounds like that fella had a feeling he could fix your old box and then pawn it off to someone else as a referb?

areyawell

Probably sold the box on I'd say and hoping you will forget about the situation. Ring him up again and say you are lodging an official complaint with Sky and will be contacting a solicitor if not returned in one weeks time. If he says it will take up to a month tell him he only has one week to get it back to you or else!

cabledude

muffler wrote: »

Apologies, I was just poking a bit fun.

Was the guy you were dealing with the owner of the business or a worker?

Oh, and as suggested by someone else, dont go near the guards as they will only laugh at you. Its a civil matter and nothing to do with them.

You're grand. It was a hell of a long post.

No he is an employee. They are a very well knows company. To be honest on the Guards situation, I was actually considering making a statement. At the end of the day someone came into my home and removed my goods under false pretences. That is obtaining goods by deception AFAIK. And that is a criminal offence.

muffler

cabledude wrote: »

You're grand. It was a hell of a long post.

No he is an employee. They are a very well knows company. To be honest on the Guards situation, I was actually considering making a statement. At the end of the day someone came into my home and removed my goods under false pretences. That is obtaining goods by deception AFAIK. And that is a criminal offence.

Well Im no expert on law but when you "allowed" the guy to take the old box and didnt contact the Gardai at the time but 3 weeks later (and after you have encountered other issues) you then assume that a crime has been committed I wouldn't hold out much hope of them doing anything about it.

Essentially you have a private matter to be dealt with and I would be fairly sure that Sky will do nothing about it but making an official complaint could get you a wee bit knocked off your account.

You should contact the manager/owner of the business concerned. I would try by ringing first and see how you get on but if that doesnt work get their fax number and/or email address and put it in writing that you want your old box returned together with a working Sky box and give them no more than 48 hours to sort it.

Obviously nothing is going to happen now until Monday at least so maybe you could borrow an old/spare box from family or friends to tide you over.

cabledude

muffler wrote: »

Well Im no expert on law but when you "allowed" the guy to take the old box and didnt contact the Gardai at the time but 3 weeks later (and after you have encountered other issues) you then assume that a crime has been committed I wouldn't hold out much hope of them doing anything about it.

Essentially you have a private matter to be dealt with and I would be fairly sure that Sky will do nothing about it but making an official complaint could get you a wee bit knocked off your account.

You should contact the manager/owner of the business concerned. I would try by ringing first and see how you get on but if that doesnt work get their fax number and/or email address and put it in writing that you want your old box returned together with a working Sky box and give them no more than 48 hours to sort it.

Obviously nothing is going to happen now until Monday at least so maybe you could borrow an old/spare box from family or friends to tide you over.

And there's the rub. I let the guy into my house to carry out his job. My contract is with Sky. Their agent came into my house and after misrepresenting the facts to me, removed property belonging to me with my permission, permission I gave based on a misrepresentation thereby voiding the permission. Just because he didn't bust in a window doesn't mean the goods were not obtained illegally. The goods were obtained by him as part of a deception which in Ireland is illegal (AFAIK) Criminal Justice Act 1951 Section 10 - Obtaining by deception

Any other issues around the other boxes being faulty are peripheral. I only found out last Thursday evening, after speaking to Sky, that he had no obligation or need to take my box. So I could not have gone to the Guards at the time the incident happened. I called the engineer as soon as I finished with Sky and told him that Sky had informed me that he should not have taken away my box and that it should be returned without delay. He stumbled and stuttered for a minute or two, then offered to try and get my box back, but warned it could take a few weeks with no guarantee that he could get it back.

muffler

cabledude wrote: »

(AFAIK)

Its all well and good to quote this that and the other but when you put the above into 2 separate posts then you know probably the same as I do about the law which is not a lot. Thats not me being critical or the likes but just commenting on what I see posted.

Anyhow I was only offering you advice and my opinion fwiw but if you feel that contacting the Gardai is your best option then by all means go for it.

STB

cabledude wrote: »

And there's the rub. I let the guy into my house to carry out his job. My contract is with Sky. Their agent came into my house and after misrepresenting the facts to me, removed property belonging to me with my permission, permission I gave based on a misrepresentation thereby voiding the permission. Just because he didn't bust in a window doesn't mean the goods were not obtained illegally. The goods were obtained by him as part of a deception which in Ireland is illegal (AFAIK) Criminal Justice Act 1951 Section 10 - Obtaining by deception

Any other issues around the other boxes being faulty are peripheral. I only found out last Thursday evening, after speaking to Sky, that he had no obligation or need to take my box. So I could not have gone to the Guards at the time the incident happened. I called the engineer as soon as I finished with Sky and told him that Sky had informed me that he should not have taken away my box and that it should be returned without delay. He stumbled and stuttered for a minute or two, then offered to try and get my box back, but warned it could take a few weeks with no guarantee that he could get it back.

You are absolutely right. The installer is in the wrong. Anyway you look at it, it is fraud. Defrauding Sky, his employer and you.

1. Contact his company directly and explain as you have coherently done already. Threaten them with the guards, if a brand new HD box (given your man has no doubt sold yours on/installed it elsewhere) is not dropped to your door, immediately.

2. Contact Sky cancellation and tell them why you are cancelling. Make no mistake these installers are "Sky approved". You need to remind them of this regardless of how often they hear about it. They are losing customers every day given the times and the costs vs FTA.

I guarantee you will have a brand new spanky HD box within a week and a relatively cheap Sky deal. Hard ball.

cabledude

STB wrote: »

You are absolutely right. The installer is in the wrong. Anyway you look at it, it is fraud. Defrauding Sky, his employer and you.

1. Contact his company directly and explain as you have coherently done already. Threaten them with the guards, if a brand new HD box (given your man has no doubt sold yours on/installed it elsewhere) is not dropped to your door, immediately.

2. Contact Sky cancellation and tell them why you are cancelling. Make no mistake these installers are "Sky approved". You need to remind them of this regardless of how often they hear about it. They are losing customers every day given the times and the costs vs FTA.

I guarantee you will have a brand new spanky HD box within a week and a relatively cheap Sky deal. Hard ball.[/QUOTE

Cheers STB

cabledude

To Update.


Got onto installers HQ. They told me that he was in fact obliged to take away my faulty box and replace it with a reconditioned box. Because I was getting a service call and not a new contract or upgrading from standard sky+ to Sky HD he had to take the box away. Had I been upgrading, he would have not had any interest in my own box.... Obviously the two employees of Sky I had spoken to had given me the wrong information.

They could not apologise enough for the fact that I had received 2 boxes from them that were not up to standard. The offered have the engineer back first thing next day with a box they assured me would work. Next morning the engineer did in fact come and install another box..... No problems since.