Why I cancelled Sky after an installer visit!

LegacyUser

The sky installer called to the house this morning, and I didn't want your man making a sh!t of the front of my house with cable, and drilling an external wall. I suggested he go through the eave into the attic, and he told me he wasn't insured for a roof or attic.

Then he looked at the cable box to the side of the house, tut-tutted and called it a 'cowboy job'. He then suggested that I get a diplexer for the side of the house to split the NTL analogue input with the Sky input to the front room, and a face plate in there where it would be split again.

He told me it'd cost E120 in total, and he eventually came down to E100, so I told him to order the part. Anyhoo, I checked the price of a diplexer on the Net, and with a face plate its stg£20. I rang the installation company and asked for their stock price (after explaining my plight), and she said she'd have to contact the installer.

The installer rang me then and told me that the parts only cost E35, but there's a E65 installation charge (despite me having paid for a 'standard' installation). This was despite him telling me this morning that the parts would cost him E80 if he ordered them himself, as opposed to through the company, and the rest would be the postage charge.

Anyway, after some deliberation and a reply to a question in another thread (thank you watty), I decided to cancel. I rang the installation company, they said they'd cancel the contract with Sky, and I rang the bank to ensure Sky don't take any cash from my account.

I'm very disappointed with what happened, I was really looking forward to Sky. All I can say now is that I hope NTL add UK Gold to the digital line-up, and if they do, I hope you can get it in Galway.

So, does anyone know what exactly is a 'standard' installation? Drilling a hole thrugh your front door and an inside wall.

Might just get NTL digital for the craic!

DMC

Sometimes you can get a dogsbody of an installer. But just because that installer wasnt to your satisfaction, should'nt put you off getting Sky.

There are other installers in the phone book, ring around and see if they will hook you up to Sky they way you want to, at a price that suits both of you.

LegacyUser

Since posting, I've rang three other installers, and none of them will go in through the attic. Each suggested the diplexer, or drilling through the front wall, which I don't want.

As watty has explained to me on another thread, a diplexer will give me a rubbish quality signal from the satellite.

I don't see why they can't drill through the eave, run the cable into the attic and down the wall cavity alongside the NTL cable.

ShaneOC

If you can get into the attic and run a new length of CT100 cable from near the eave to the tv point they might agree to do it.

All they will then have to do is drill through the eave. You can feed out the cable to them and they can connect up the cable by the TV. Sounds like you got a few poor installers.

watty

Tear a small hole in the attic roofing felt near eave.

Poke a wedge of wood to make a small gap at tile overlap (some may already have enough gap.

Feed out enough sat cable.

Most TV aerials on Chimneys have cable fed this way, except higher up!

Any installer is happy to connect to a cable already there!


I laid a whole bunch of cables in a burried waste pipe from kitchen to workshop/shed at back of garden when laying a "french" drain.

The installer was hapy to connect to one. Otherwise left to his own devises would have put dish on fron to house (the only other place apart form chimney (a stupid place) it can go.

Tony

Originally posted by Buckfast
Since posting, I've rang three other installers, and none of them will go in through the attic. Each suggested the diplexer, or drilling through the front wall, which I don't want.

As watty has explained to me on another thread, a diplexer will give me a rubbish quality signal from the satellite.

I don't see why they can't drill through the eave, run the cable into the attic and down the wall cavity alongside the NTL cable.

I'm sorry you had a bad experience. No one will go thorough an attic as the insurance company will not cover either the installer or any mishap that happens during the install. Putting a cable through a wall cavity can take a long time so unless you are prepared to pay a lot extra no one will do this for you.

I do not agree with Watty that diplexers give bad quality, if they are properly installed then you will not notice any difference from a standard install.

This guy though was grossly over charging for diplexer and wallplate, if you ordered directly from Sky then I would complain to them.

Dont let this put you off, order from an independent and ask the cost of the diplexer and wall plate in advance. Another tip, order the 1/2 price install at 37.50 and pay 60 for 1st month as opposed to 127 you would pay otherwise, you save 29.50 and get movies and sports for a month, then phone sky and downgrade your package.

Good luck

muffinhead

i've pm'd you!

LegacyUser

Watty - I had actually subscribed to sky, i received the card in the post last week. I got the half-price installation too (which i paid in advance by cheque on their advice). I wasn’t dealing directly with sky for the installation, it was with a (reputable?) Dublin-based company.

Muffinhead — I’ll give that a shot in the morning.

Anyway, I’ve cancelled now, so does that mean I wouldn’t be entitled to a deal on the installation if I decided in the future to get it.

I rang NTL earlier enquiring (again) about the digital package, and what channels were supposed to be added. The guy said he wasn’t too sure, and conceded it was ‘very likely’ that the new channels wouldn’t be available in Galway (where I am) or waterford, which is the situation with six music channels and Front Row.

Tony

Originally posted by Buckfast

Anyway, I’ve cancelled now, so does that mean I wouldn’t be entitled to a deal on the installation if I decided in the future to get it.

No it does not preclude you.

Tony

JohnDigital

I had a nightmare going directly with Sky last November. I ended up cancelling with them and going direct to Tony. After Sky and their installers shafting me for 3 weeks of missed installation dates, Tony had me up and running with a perfect instalation in 5 days from our first conversation. Just goes to show there are good ones and bad ones out there.

KdjaCL

I dont know of anyone who has Sky installed the way you want it tru the attic ,my dish is on the back of the house with the cable running down the front of the house, it works.

I think your being a bit unrealisitc in expecting them to lay cable in your house like that when its defintley not the normal install.

kdjac

DMC

Mine did, but then again, I knew him.

Tony

Originally posted by JohnDigital
I had a nightmare going directly with Sky last November. I ended up cancelling with them and going direct to Tony. After Sky and their installers shafting me for 3 weeks of missed installation dates, Tony had me up and running with a perfect instalation in 5 days from our first conversation. Just goes to show there are good ones and bad ones out there.

You just got me on a good day:D

ShaneOC

I put in CT100 cable from the attic to all of the rooms in the house and the installer had no problem going up to the attic to connect up the wires. Nice and neat now, with no wires running down the outside of the house.

LegacyUser

Muffinhead — he doesn't install in Galway.

Everyone else — I decided not to let one bad experience put me off getting sky. I rang customer services yesterday to tell them of my plight, and they couldn't have been more helpful — so much so that they're installing for free to the €27 entertainment package (I cover the cost of the diplexer and wall plate, which I've agreed with the installer will be €40) next week.

I made sure they don't use the installation company I originally went to, and the guy I spoke to at Sky passed me on to his supervisor who seemed quite interested to know which installation company I went to, after I told him which retailers they are contracted to.

Hopefully everything will go according to plan this time!

byte

Ooh, a free install! Well worth the phonecall then!

Hope you've better luck this time.

I would install cable via the attic if there are suitable cables to connect to. Usually, electricians when wiring new houses, install 3 cables down one conduit at the main TV point. Handy, unless after their effort they used rubbish tv cable with minimal screening which is no good for satellite installs.:rolleyes:

Tony

You must have got lucky wit electricians, any I've seeen run a single length of the cheapest coax they can find

Originally posted by irishbyte
Ooh, a free install! Well worth the phonecall then!

Hope you've better luck this time.

I would install cable via the attic if there are suitable cables to connect to. Usually, electricians when wiring new houses, install 3 cables down one conduit at the main TV point. Handy, unless after their effort they used rubbish tv cable with minimal screening which is no good for satellite installs.:rolleyes:

Tony

Fair play to you, i wish more people were like you in your ability to make a constructive complaint.

Tony

Originally posted by Buckfast
Muffinhead — he doesn't install in Galway.

Everyone else — I decided not to let one bad experience put me off getting sky. I rang customer services yesterday to tell them of my plight, and they couldn't have been more helpful — so much so that they're installing for free to the €27 entertainment package (I cover the cost of the diplexer and wall plate, which I've agreed with the installer will be €40) next week.

I made sure they don't use the installation company I originally went to, and the guy I spoke to at Sky passed me on to his supervisor who seemed quite interested to know which installation company I went to, after I told him which retailers they are contracted to.

Hopefully everything will go according to plan this time!

byte

Originally posted by Tony
You must have got lucky wit electricians, any I've seeen run a single length of the cheapest coax they can find

Oh indeed, not all sparkies do it! And as for that rubbish cable with a few strands of screen! It must cost next to nothing because it's good for nothing, not even for terrestrial tv! Too much loss! :rolleyes:

LegacyUser

The (new) installer called to the house today, and did an absolutely fantastic job, I must say. Used the diplexer, and I have a perfect quality signal (far better than my NTL analgoue). Only problem now is my sub card still hasn't arrived, and it was posted out on Friday (or so I'm told). Oh well...