Sky Ireland won't fix Sky HD error due to external insulation

Clauric

WE have had Sky for a number of years, and upgraded to Sky HD within the last year (so still in the warranty period). We asked for the engineer to realign the dish, as it hadn't been realigned since 1998. After checking the signal strengths, he said that everything was fine, and there was no need to do any realignment.

A few weeks ago, an error started happening with the box. We would change station, or start a recorded program, and the image and sound would appear for about 0.5 of a second. The screen would then go blank for about 3 seconds, and then appear again. The program we would switch to would have continued for the time that the screen was blank. The screen also jumps, or flicks to blue, then back to the image. Part of the image will freeze, while the rest continues. When this happens, the sound will also cut out. (This only occurs on "live" TV as opposed to recorded TV)

Rang Sky last Friday, and a Sky engineer came out to look at the problem. He diagnosed the issue as a misalignment of the dish, but has said that he couldn't fix it because of the newly installed external insulation (The insulation went in after the issue occurred, but before the Sky engineers came out). Apparently they need to drill bolts into the walls to the house to securely attach their ladders, but can't do this with external insulation.

Rang Sky again last night, and after much discussion, they said that there is nothing that they can do. They originally suggested that they had a specialist crew available to come out and fix the issue. However, after they rang back today, they don't have a solution to fixing the issue without having their engineers bolting their ladders to the wall, and if there is no wall, they can't do anything. Their only solution to fix the issue is for us to hire an independent Sky/satellite engineer to come out and do the work (assuming that they can do it without needing to bolt their ladders to the wall).

Has anybody had this type of problem before, and how did they deal with the issue?

njs030

It's not really a consumer issue, might be better in the satellite forum maybe pm a MOD to move it for you?

Gooser14

Cancel your contract I suggest.

Clauric

Gooser14 wrote: »

Cancel your contract I suggest.

Why cancel the contract? We like the Sky packages and costs, just need the service to be working.

Kristopherus

Clauric wrote: »

Why cancel the contract? We like the Sky packages and costs, just need the service to be working.

Because if you threaten to cancel and are firm about it, my guess is that Sky will do the work in double-quick time. There are plenty of posts in the Satellite Forum that will confirm this.

Clauric

Kristopherus wrote: »

Because if you threaten to cancel and are firm about it, my guess is that Sky will do the work in double-quick time. There are plenty of posts in the Satellite Forum that will confirm this.

Thanks, I understand

njs030

Kristopherus wrote: »

Because if you threaten to cancel and are firm about it, my guess is that Sky will do the work in double-quick time. There are plenty of posts in the Satellite Forum that will confirm this.

From my understanding of ops post they can't do the work because of health and safety reasons of some other factor, it's a little unclear.

Threatening to cancel is less intimidating then a breach of health and safety. Also if you're in contract you have to pay it either way.

Dravokivich

Would it not be easier just to have another dish setup? Sounds odd to me that they are getting too hung up on it's current location.

Cabaal

Honestly I've never heard of any crowd wanting to drill holes and bolt ladders to walls while work is carried out. It's only realigning a sat dish!

Del2005

Cabaal wrote: »

Honestly I've never heard of any crowd wanting to drill holes and bolt ladders to walls while work is carried out. It's only realigning a sat dish!

Depends how high the dish is. According to the HSA using a stepladder or a kick stool is considered working at heights.

OP you've updated the box not the dish so the dish is your issue. That's Sky's scam in that you own the dish and box so they don't have to deal with it.

joujoujou

Cherry picker?

Just do it right - better safe than sorry.

Fiskar

More likely they don't want to go on your roof for fear of braking roof tiles and then they would be liable.

Sleeper12

Get the independent company to put a new dish on the wall of the house. This will eliminate this problem in the future. Threaten to cancel & the retention department will offer to cover the cost

Whiplashy

Don't have a solution to your problem unfortunately, but I can confirm that them having to secure the ladder to the wall is correct. You got unlucky with the engineer they sent you. We've had a few engineers out over the years and a couple of them insisted on securing the ladder, but most of them laughed when I mentioned it to them.

whiterebel

Cabaal wrote: »

Honestly I've never heard of any crowd wanting to drill holes and bolt ladders to walls while work is carried out. It's only realigning a sat dish!

Since Dinny O'Brien's Actavo took over all Sky installations they have to drill to hold the ladder. Its been going on quite a while now.

pogcica

[QUOTESince Dinny O'Brien's Actavo took over all Sky installations they have to drill to hold the ladder. Its been going on quite a while now][/QUOTE]

Do they have to climb an unbolted ladder to bolt the ladder to the wall?

anewme

Cabaal wrote: »

Honestly I've never heard of any crowd wanting to drill holes and bolt ladders to walls while work is carried out. It's only realigning a sat dish!

I cancelled my sky because of the same reason. They were coming out to fit hd box and give me a new dish.

The guy wanted to drill holes in my outside walls at eye level. I said there would be big holes left, which he suggested he would fix with brown mastic? It would look terrible. I don't want anyone not qualified in building work drilling holes beside my double doors and filling it with brown mastic.

He said that was the only way so I said no, forget it, they've been ringing me every week since the to go back to them.

Samuel T. Cogley

Health and Safety will trump any threatened cancelation. Say what you like about Sky but they do things properly and have their policies in place. If you're still in warrnaty then you're likely still in contract, Sky will very likely let you out of the contract in this situation. They do what they do and are pretty fair about it.

The practical approach would be to get a local sparky/installer to do it, pay the €60 and ask nicely for a credit from Sky.

TheDoc

Cabaal wrote: »

Honestly I've never heard of any crowd wanting to drill holes and bolt ladders to walls while work is carried out. It's only realigning a sat dish!

Yeah I'd be on this line of thinking.

I had a Sky lad out on Tuesday put a dish on my new house. I must actually check my wall, because he didn't mention anything to me about putting bolts in the wall. I'd be livid if he did without asking me.

He was also cheeky in saying the best spot would be on the concrete arch over my front door : / Then over the garage, until eventually I was like "man that needs going on the chimney".

Left a ****load of rubbish, plastic and styrofoam out the front without telling me either, blew all over the place with the wind.

Have to say typically the Sky lads have all been fine and really helpful, just got a bad egg this time

Samuel T. Cogley

TheDoc wrote: »

Yeah I'd be on this line of thinking.

I had a Sky lad out on Tuesday put a dish on my new house. I must actually check my wall, because he didn't mention anything to me about putting bolts in the wall. I'd be livid if he did without asking me.

He was also cheeky in saying the best spot would be on the concrete arch over my front door : / Then over the garage, until eventually I was like "man that needs going on the chimney".

Left a ****load of rubbish, plastic and styrofoam out the front without telling me either, blew all over the place with the wind.

Have to say typically the Sky lads have all been fine and really helpful, just got a bad egg this time

They can't install on chimneys and if he did you'll have great fun trying to get them to service it, which it will eventually need as it's not got the protection of one installed with a wall behind it.

Gooser14

Since when can't they install on chimneys? The last two installs I've had are on chimneys.

L1011

It has always required planning permission. It can also structurally damage the chimney

Samuel T. Cogley

Gooser14 wrote: »

Since when can't they install on chimneys? The last two installs I've had are on chimneys.

Since at least since Sky opened a call centre in Ireland, the (Ballsbridge one). Clearly engineers are still doing them as Doc got one, however it causes problems down the road.

Sleeper12

Gooser14 wrote:

Since when can't they install on chimneys? The last two installs I've had are on chimneys.

They won't drill & bolt the chimney anymore for fear of damaging it. They put a strap around the chimney instead and this isn't as sturdy in high wind.

_Brian

Guy that installed ours drilled the wall for a bolt for the ladder, they fill the hole with a plastic plug afterwards

368100

I wouldn't be letting them drill holes in my wall just to secure a ladder....sky or no sky.

There's plenty of people in the country that are independent and have satellite meters.....anybody who installs tv aerials should do the trick and they won't be drilling holes in walls....never heard the like of it!

Sleeper12

368100 wrote:

I wouldn't be letting them drill holes in my wall just to secure a ladder....sky or no sky.

They'll be drilling into the wall to hang the dish. Four holes for the dish. What's the difference?

368100

Sleeper12 wrote: »

368100 wrote:

I wouldn't be letting them drill holes in my wall just to secure a ladder....sky or no sky.

They'll be drilling into the wall to hang the dish. Four holes for the dish. What's the difference?

The difference is the holes for the dish have a long term purpose.....i didn't spend money having a nice finish on my walls to have random holes drilled which won't serve any real purpose

anewme

368100 wrote: »

The difference is the holes for the dish have a long term purpose.....i didn't spend money having a nice finish on my walls to have random holes drilled which won't serve any real purpose

The guy wanted to drill holes on mine and suggested he would fill it with Brown mastic. I must have looked shocked and he said, white then. It was clear he did not give a crap how my house was going to be left looking like. So I declined.

Winterlong

I have had three different sets of holes drilled in my wall by various sky engineers. Dish on the chimney.
First set was covered in and painted over by me.
Second set plugged by the engineer and then the third set was by another engineer who did not spot the second set.
I am no longer with sky as the problem leading to all three visits never went away.

TheDoc

Samuel T. Cogley wrote: »

They can't install on chimneys and if he did you'll have great fun trying to get them to service it, which it will eventually need as it's not got the protection of one installed with a wall behind it.

What you mean they can't install on the chimney? Mine is definitely on the chimney, and I've had them on chimneys before, not to mention the hundreds you see on chimneys around the country.

Current chimney is an old style concrete block, old style terrace houses. Unless he was a numpty should be no issues with stability.

Although the lad clearly came across to me as either slack as **** looking to finish early, or actually just a numpty. Only looked last night and can see two bolt holes on the wall, and another further down the front with clear filler. So he obviously went down one end and changed his mind.

Gave them a bell this morning to ask what was he playing at. Also the rubbish he left behind really annoyed me as it blew all over the road. Wasn't looking to get any cheap credits or have someone come fill, will do that myself, but just wanted to convey that I wasn't happy how the install went.

Your man being cheeky before he left saying I'd get a survey and if I'd give him top marks : /

They were apologetic on the phone. Part of my complaint was how he initially was setting himself to place it over the front door, then wanted to go over the garage. Asked if he would put on the chimney please which he did. They mentioned nothing on the phone that he shouldn't have, or there was any issue.

They did outline that the health and safety regulations they operate under indicate the ladder should be bolted to the wall. Fair enough to an extent, but as the lady admitted holes should be filled as technicians have filler, and customers should be notified this is about to happen.

I've got an old style pebble dash wall, and not just two big holes beside my front door. He actually looks like he made a tit of even putting his bolts in.

The rubbish part she said that customers need to dispose of the rubbish to which I said I had no issue, but wasn't even told there was rubbish, and it was just stuffed in against the wall and with the wind the last week it flung all over the road.

Seems I just got a poor installer or someone having a mare.

TheDoc

368100 wrote: »

The difference is the holes for the dish have a long term purpose.....i didn't spend money having a nice finish on my walls to have random holes drilled which won't serve any real purpose

Personally it's no big deal. I'll just get filler over the weekend to plug the holes that were left and paint over it. There is clear filler down the other end so should be able to paint over that too.

Point being when I read this thread about the bolts, I got out of my car and could see them straight away. Not like I have to go up squinting. There is just noticable bolt holes beside my front door. That the wall is a light colour probably shows them more obvious. And it defo looks he made a meal of the holes.

And for me I just hate that slack, shoddy workmanship. I'm not a tradesman personally but most of my family are, and I'm a dab hand at some stuff. And there is nothing more slack and rubbish than someone cutting corners or just leaving a mess.

Also not doubting anyone here posting about the chimney stuff, personally my last two dishes were on side walls, one before on chimney and the current one on chimney. I've never had a problem with wind, this week has been pretty horrendous where I am wind wise and no issues. I might have a gawk over the weekend how he put in, but can't see any bands or it just being strapped on. It's an old style chimney that is quite wide so really can only imagine he would have bolted it or masonry screwed it.

Have found this informative and interesting that there are clearly "protocols" that can just differ from installer to installer.

Probably wouldn't get too upset over the bolting. Sure, it's weird. But they are an outsourcing company with god knows what qualification requirements. House I'm in has been getting work done with windows and gutters etc. and people I've had out just happy using ladders like they have for centuries I know when I do ladder work I have cinder blocks I chock into the ladder on windy days, or actually just anytime I'm up. Can appreciate though if they have had incidents that they bolt the ladders. Not like every home they go to will have someone to come out and hold it, or have the environment where a chock will be enough.

Samuel T. Cogley

TheDoc wrote: »

What you mean they can't install on the chimney? Mine is definitely on the chimney, and I've had them on chimneys before, not to mention the hundreds you see on chimneys around the country.

Current chimney is an old style concrete block, old style terrace houses. Unless he was a numpty should be no issues with stability.

I can assure you 100%, absolutely that they shouldn't be installing on a chimney. Not if it's on a flat roof it's merely implied they shouldn't be doing it, but if it's on a pitched roof they 100% can't do it. Now that's not to say they won't - but the problem with that is the next guy might clean up after himself grand - but might stick to the policies in place.

So look at it this way, the guy did you a huge favour, or he didn't you decide.