What are my rights?

mtjm

What can I do?

I live in an apartment and I've had issues a tv provider I have.

let me give you a back round to my issue, Gannon homes won contract to put Magnet Network into the apartment blocks,

While magnet have improved a bit over the years they are still the worse TV provider around, but good on Broadband. UPC and SKY are way up in the market, even in technology, I can't get sky or UPC
3 reasons

1. even if I broke the house rule by putting a dish on my block problem is where I'm located there isn't a signal

2. The management company haven't put any on my block, there are couple on other communal dishes on other parts of the block but not on mine due to lack of funds

3. (I've been told this by someone) Gannon homes knew someone in Magnet (think members of board) and automatically won contract for my block to only use Magnet Network as a TV provider

I've been onto Magnet to see do they plan to improve their system, so far they don't have any plans, they've only done minor things like upgrades but not as far as channels or putting pay per views/sky box office

I've even made a few complaints to lack of information on websites plus when I go to record something something different is on, ie whom ever is programming schedules is making mistakes and putting wrong stuff on channels (while it happens it doesn't happen that often but mistakes are noticeable)

I was onto nca they could only tell me that after 3 years the management company have a right to find a new provider, they don't seem to be able to do this as UPC aren't wired into our block and they can't afforded to put Sky Dish onto out block


is there anything that can be done? I feel my rights as a consumer has been violated

dudara

This might be better suited to the Accomodation & Property forum, where these topics are more frequently discussed.

dudara

djimi

Do you rent, or are you a leaseholder?

If you rent and this is a big issue for you then move out; trust me, you will get absolutely no joy whatsoever with management companies when it comes to TV services. Youll waste time trying to fight it and get nowhere.

If you are a leaseholder then you are a member of the management company, so attend the AGM and try and get things changed. Canvas your neighbours and see if they are as unhappy with Magnet as you are. If enough of you feel the same way then vote to have a different service installed.

As for the communal Sky dish; there should be no cost to the management company. Last time I spoke with Sky they said that if enough people in a complex want Sky then they will put the dish in for nothing.

mtjm

I am the lease holder, I was told by managment company that it cost to put a communal dish on top of my block, I did ask few of my neighbours not no reply, and those who are livng on the top have gotten dishes put up by sky (not communal ones) so they are breaking the rules

djimi wrote: »

As for the communal Sky dish; there should be no cost to the management company. Last time I spoke with Sky they said that if enough people in a complex want Sky then they will put the dish in for nothing.

Can this be confirmed that even if i'm the only one in my block get sky it won't cost? there are 8 apartments in my block

the groutch

same here, my block were tied down to some cowboy from Northern Ireland called Sky Conway, but got a communal Sky dish a few months before I moved in.
I think it's a minimum of 20 you need to sign up to Sky to get the dish free, but stand to be corrected.

the groutch

mtjm wrote: »

I am the lease holder, I was told by managment company that it cost to put a communal dish on top of my block, I did ask few of my neighbours not no reply, and those who are livng on the top have gotten dishes put up by sky (not communal ones) so they are breaking the rules

Can this be confirmed that even if i'm the only one in my block get sky it won't cost? there are 8 apartments in my block

if there's only 8 you won't be able to get a communal one.
you might have to "be the bad guy" and rat out the people on the top floor, use it as a bargaining tool to try get the no dish rule removed.

Eric Cartman

I have installed distributed satellite systems to office blocks and small apratment blocks before, and It does'nt cost that much once you get all the residents onboard.

You could approach other residents / landlords and see would they be interested in having satellite installed under the basis of them then having the option to plug whatever box they wanted into the wall (e.g. people can use freesat with no subscription or choose to pay for sky) youd soon find that the one off cost of installation among all the residents is low enough and would increase the desireability of the apartments. Management company approval would only be needed for 1 dish and the cabling.

djimi

the groutch wrote: »

I think it's a minimum of 20 you need to sign up to Sky to get the dish free, but stand to be corrected.

I think it depends on the complex. The impression that I got from Sky was that basically if it was worth their while putting in a dish (ie they would get enough subscriptions from it) then they would do so for nothing. I dont remember them giving me a number on how many that would need to be.

RATM

djimi wrote: »

I think it depends on the complex. The impression that I got from Sky was that basically if it was worth their while putting in a dish (ie they would get enough subscriptions from it) then they would do so for nothing. I dont remember them giving me a number on how many that would need to be.

Yeah I got the same impression from them too. I'm in a block of 8 and when I spoke to them it nearly sounded like they would get the communal dish in for myself and then attempt to sell Sky to the other 7 residents once it was installed. I know that they are trying to cut UPC's nose off so it would make sense to get these dishes installed and then convince people to sign up once the service is ready to go.

All that said while my actual block itself is 8 units it is not isolated, there is a row duplex houses over apartments next to it so for all I know the communal dish was intented to do all of us and not just the 8 of us.