Sky digibox broken - Sky can't come to fix it until 5th Jan... wtf!?

Hades

Hades

Hades

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It seems my digibox has decided to depart this world. I just phoned Sky to arrange for an engineer to come around and test it / replace it and they gave me their first free appointment... 5th Jan. Errr wtf????

I'm going to give the sales dept a ring tomorrow and just get them to send me a box. But would I be better off buying one from a specialist shop instead? Also would my sky card work in a new non-Sky supplied digibox? Do I need to get it transferred across and will Sky let me do this?

Also any recommended online Sky digibox retailers?

Thanks...
 
i was recently in a similar situation

bought a new box from a well known auction site, rung sky and sed could they update my box details please, 5 minutes later i was back online

just need the box number / serial number etc etc from the status age and your card number and thats it :)
 
the reason that they can't fix your machine is because they've promised the world and his wife installation for Christmas if they book by a certain time. As you're a regular paying customer already, you're not a priority - you won't make them any more money than you normally do and they'll waste their engineers time fixing your machine when he could be installing a new one for a new paying customer. try ringing them on the sales line rather than the customer service line and see the difference in answer time - it's around 2/3 mins compared to 45 and that pretty much reflects their whole philosophy - new customers make more money - existing customers can **** off..

That's why I left Sky - they suck - but tbh, most are the same. They don't realise it costs them 10x to get a new customer than it does to keep the old ones :rolleyes:

ps... if you want to give it a try - ring up and ask for cancellations - tell them you're going to cancel because they won't come and fix it and you're having telewest/cable fitted instead because they can do it before xmas - and they'll have someone out to you by the end of next week - only works if you're out of contract, but it never failed me while I was a sky customer ;)
 
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if youve got the time pop into your local orange shirt store and ask them if they have any clearance ones in the back from when they use to stock them.

£5 + and EPG update later = sorted lol
 
What are the symptoms?

Is it dead as in no power?
Check fuses.

Is the stand-by light on, but it wont switch on?
Force a software update, normally by unplugging it from the mains. Press and hold menu, plug back in, hold power switch untill it displays stuff on your screen. Remember to keep the menu button pressed while you plug it back into the mains.

It switches on, but you get "There is a technical fault" on all channels?
Main causes are bad weather. Other wise reboot the box by unplugging from the mains, then plug back in.
 
kitten_caboodle said:
ps... if you want to give it a try - ring up and ask for cancellations - tell them you're going to cancel because they won't come and fix it and you're having telewest/cable fitted instead because they can do it before xmas - and they'll have someone out to you by the end of next week - only works if you're out of contract, but it never failed me while I was a sky customer ;)
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Apparently, some random Sky engineer on Watchdog claimed he was replacing 6 boxes for every 1 new one. Seems a bit unlikely to me.

Anyway, I've recently had companies offering me free months because they thought I'd asked to cancel, when actually I hadn't. Works for me. :D
 
the main problems are that something in the make up of Sky+ boxes trashes the hard disk over time, in my experience 90+ of faults are disk related

the other issue is the quality of the exchange units which is dire, we had one brought out which was missing the rf2 connector :eek:

the quality is very variable, with sky+ the pace boxes are loads better than the amstrad ones
 
Berserker said:
Apparently, some random Sky engineer on Watchdog claimed he was replacing 6 boxes for every 1 new one. Seems a bit unlikely to me.

Anyway, I've recently had companies offering me free months because they thought I'd asked to cancel, when actually I hadn't. Works for me. :D
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oh well. Worth a try :D

Worked every time I tried it :) (two occasions got a new box/cables fitted within 48 hours). :)
 
personally, i would recommend you say to them on the telephone that you've had enough anyway and the fact they can't come out til January is the final straw and you want to leave unless they can come in the next 3 days.
 
kitten_caboodle said:
...
ps... if you want to give it a try - ring up and ask for cancellations - tell them you're going to cancel because they won't come and fix it and you're having telewest/cable fitted instead because they can do it before xmas - and they'll have someone out to you by the end of next week - only works if you're out of contract, but it never failed me while I was a sky customer ;)
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It doesn't only work if you're out of contract. If you're in a contract, then you have an obligation to pay what you contracted to pay, but the converse is that the company has the obligation to provide the service they contracted to provide. If they don't, they're in breach of contract. It's the effect of the Supply of Goods and Services Act, and also possibly the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regs.

That doesn't mean you can just stop paying or cancel the direct debit. But it DOES mean you have a stick to beat them with.

Point out that the January date is totally unreasonable, and insist on prompt but reasonable attendance to resolve the problem. If the operator refuses, ask to speak to a supervisor. If you still get nowhere, ask for their complaints department. At each stage, make notes of dates, times, names and what's been said.

If all that fails, give up on the telephone. Write a letter explaining what has been said, why it's unreasonable and list the dates, times, names, etc. Send the letter, recorded delivery, to the MD's office. Set a realistic deadline for response and resolution.

If all that fails, sue the beggars. :)
 
Geoff said:
It doesn't only work if you're out of contract. If you're in a contract, then you have an obligation to pay what you contracted to pay, but the converse is that the company has the obligation to provide the service they contracted to provide. If they don't, they're in breach of contract. It's the effect of the Supply of Goods and Services Act, and also possibly the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regs.

That doesn't mean you can just stop paying or cancel the direct debit. But it DOES mean you have a stick to beat them with.

Point out that the January date is totally unreasonable, and insist on prompt but reasonable attendance to resolve the problem. If the operator refuses, ask to speak to a supervisor. If you still get nowhere, ask for their complaints department. At each stage, make notes of dates, times, names and what's been said.

If all that fails, give up on the telephone. Write a letter explaining what has been said, why it's unreasonable and list the dates, times, names, etc. Send the letter, recorded delivery, to the MD's office. Set a realistic deadline for response and resolution.

If all that fails, sue the beggars. :)
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True, but they know full well that they have agreed to come out within a 'reasonable' time. Try defining reasonable. They know that if you are out of contract there is nothing to stop you leaving and they will lose your custom. If you are still in contract, you'll have a hard time pushing them if there is no defined time for resolution, rather than a definition such as 'reasonable'.

That's why it works better if you're out of contract.

Worth pointing out too that Sky don't even bother to respond to letters/faxes or anything - even solicitors letters go unanswered until right up until the moment you're due to go to court. They don't even have a dedicated customer service department/complaints department - at least one that they own up to. I asked for the complaints procedure and was told in writing that they didn't have one - which I then pointed out was illegal - and they still didn't respond until the solicitors got involved.
 
strange, we phoned sky on saturday about problems with our sky+. Booked an appointment for today and its fixed, new box and everything :)

We have the protection plan though so i'm not sure if it makes a difference.
 
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