NOW OPEN: the MSE Forum 'Ask An Expert' event. This time we'd like your questions on TRAVEL & HOLIDAY DEALS. Post by Wed and deals expert MSE Oli will answer as many as he can.

sky - a pleb's tale

in TV MoneySaving
2 replies 1.2K views
:mad: sky - a pleb's tale :mad:

account number ************

January 2010
Sky + fails amazingly the warranty runs out so we bite the bullet and rather than take out a £65 call(rip off) we agree to have sky hd
fact number one we didn't ask for hd it was the only thing sky could offer as sky's equipment which we had purchased was not working.
sky hd box installed 30.01.10
two installers visited premises approx 2pm, twenty minutes later they were chatting outside in the street. One hour later still in the street chatting - 2 hrs later they left our street.
They installed yes - but they also observed the hd box couldn't record 'no bother the main guy said it will correct itself tomorrow'.
Sunday 31st January 2010 and we still could not record or pause live tv also there was a visible picture problem with bbc itv1 and disney perhaps the three most important channels to us but never mind we are only plebs so it doesnt matter

fact 2
call to sky a chap very nicely explained that sky was aware of the picture problem and the blinds and it will be sorted soon

fact 3 it wasn't
soon I began to get a little peeved that I could not have fun and relax with my 7 yo daughter as i was again on the telephone to sky losing the will to live as I was passed from one department to another, with no-one really seeming concerned or genuinely actively wanting to help me

fact 4 I was only a mere plebian customer unhappy with my lot what did it matter


fact 5
after 8 calls and 3 emails and a complete loss of my patience i had no choice but to cancel the service as the customer service was no- existent

fact 6
sky duly cancelled the service did an 'de-install' on the sky hd box and refunded the money i had paid to my credit card(after 3 further calls)

fact 7
I have never had a problem with sky talk or indeed with sky broadband but I cannot have them with out the tv service from sky

fact 8
I do some research and discover that virgin media is ntl in disguise not a good service with a awful back office back up and poor customer service
bt broadband more expensive and sadly not as fast

fact 9
decide against my better judgement to bite the bullet again and kiss and make up with sky
I telephone Elliot a lovely chap on 08442 410 977 and he tells me that yes I can rejoin and he will sort it out for me

fact11
I duly receive a confirmation email to say that my direct debit has been restored and I can be a sky customer again
Elliot was ever so helpful and told me that all I have to do is ring back in 3 days and tell the tv dept that I want a sky hd
box as my request for a sky+is invalid as they are no longer made by sky.(fact 12) however due to the messing about he will override the £199 charge and any installation

fact 13
Saturday 20th February 2010
another weekend arrives still no sky tv. My team everton are playing really well and I have not seen a game,the merseyside derby(not an important match) they beat chelsea and manchester united but I'm only a pleb so what does it matter
my little girl cant watch disney but we are only plebs so what does it matter, I cant record channel four racing which I love to watch but I'm only a pleb so what does it matter
phone call to sky at 11 am spoke to a lady who put me on hold for 15 minutes while she read war and peace sorry my customer notes(which I have requested a copy of)
call back to sky now red face and angry as I am very busy it Saturday for goodness sake and on the telephone to inept customer services inc aka sky
Becky in sales answered very helpful and apologetic

fact 14
Becky could not find any record of the conversation with Elliot the previous Monday
she could not find anything we had discussed and what he had agreed to do for me, anger and resentment was welling inside but I am only a pleb so what does it matter

fact 15
Becky suggests that she will action what I have aksed for ie a hd box without the hd subscription and it will be sorted in 2/3 days

fact 16
called sky Tuesday 23rd Feb spoke to nia at 8.40 pm she told me that Becky was incorrect and in fact it could take up to 15 days for my problem to be sorted.
I could not accept this and I was determined to get this mess sorted once and for all - after all we can put men into space in the sixties surely some 40 years later we can give someone a piece of metal and plastic without any further aggravation????

fact 17
clear?? a lady told me that she would help and and duly put me through to technical support I explained to the man that no i didn't have a problem with my sky box as I didn't have one and that was the issue arggghhhhh blood boiling getting really relay angry

fact18
I phoned back and spoke to Matthew in customer services I said to him that he sounded like a bright chap and he agreed and began to listen as I talked him through the problem nice and politely while he read the ever expanding notes against my account
he then put my through to a lady who didn't have the first idea why I was ringing who I was or anything

fact 19
I told her that I wasn't going to go through the whole story again as I had been on this particular call for 15 minutes

fact 20
the lady couldn't help and somehow I was transfered to a wonderful lady called amber in the 'call centre' I supposed it where all the horrible 'arsy' people end up who have simply had enough of bad awful and ridiculous customer service and quite frankly blatant lies - end up

fact21
amber was very patient and listened as I slowly explained again the problem that I had/have sorry as I'm a pleb its hard for me to be grammatically correct.
fact22
amber told me that i had not being given any sort of good service by sky and I was to complain immediately by email to customer relations as it was not good enough.
fact23 Amber pointed out to me that the last few people I had spoken to had not listened to me or reported the error on my account which had disabled it and failed any operator from adding any new equipment ie a new box
as I sit and type this email to sky it is now 11.30pm on Wednesday 24th February
the weekend approaches and I will not be able to relax and enjoy the football as sky cant fix it, I will not be able to watch disney with my daughter as sky cant fix it
I will not be able to record channel four racing or indeed anything as sky cant fix it
fact 24
I am paying for a service(sic) that I cannot use just to rub a load of salt into the wound

supertelly - i don't think so

pure illusion - try pure fantasy that anyone employed by sky is actually paid enough to care.

fact 25 I hate sky

Abbeywell

Replies

  • mrtom21mrtom21 Forumite
    281 Posts
    My advice... Out of principle I would take my service to another provider. You are basically paying someone to !!!! you off on the phone. If Disney channel is something you require... I would consider Virgin Media. Yes they are NTL in disguise but I have never had issues with them. If they get it right first time you should never have to ring them and I do find their technical help teams quick to act in comparison to other companies.
  • mum26mum26 Forumite
    1.5K Posts
    We had a load of issues and muck ups too, so I googled for the chief executives email address and we had a phone call 2 hours later!
This discussion has been closed.
Latest MSE News and Guides

Energy Price Cap change

Martin Lewis on what it means for you

MSE News

Best £1 you've ever spent?

Share your most impressive bargains

MSE Forum