Sky TV call cost query - Can i claim back?

rkhughes

Hi all

This is my first post after eventually joining after a good year of viewing! I have had HUGE problems with my sky billing and after various phone calls and promises of phone calls i decided to sort it out today. i called them 5 different times today each amounting to 2 hour 35 mins :mad:. i then realised after the various calls it was an 0844 number! (0844 241 4141). the problem was sky's fault and sky admitted this and refunded my account, i am not furious at the thought of recieving my o2 bill with the call costs! many moons ago i worked at a call centre (HMRC's finest!:rotfl:) and remembered there was a call charge claim back form. i was wondering as the problem was sky's fault would i be able to claim back the cost of the call?

Many thanks in advanceB:beer:

vikramrkin

I am not sure if you can claim it back. From next time, you should search on tjhe forum for an alternate 0800 number which is free from landline.

jaspercabbage

I have had a problem with my sky broadband this week, and like you, I have spent a lot of time being shunted round from department to department. I told the most helpful guy last night that I was very unhappy at having to pay for calls on an issue that wasn't my fault. He mentioned calling customer services to claim, but after I said that that would probably mean spending another hour on the phone he said "I will put a £5 credit on your account and mark the reason as unhappy customer".
I can't promise that you will get someone as helpful, but it is worth asking the question.

manchester1959

I too am having problems with my sky billing and would appreciate some feed back. I, or so i thought, pay for the full package films, sports etc. (no internet or broadband though) at a cost of £48.50 plus 2 multi connections @£10.00 each. I have just found out that because my sky is not connected to a phone line that I have been charged extortionate sums over the last fifteen months or more. For example, in April Sky took £222.00 from my account for one month's viewing, (I don't watch any pay per view channels either) and the rest of the payments are not much less. I spent hours on the phone but to no avail. They don't ring back or answers e-mails. How do I get a refund? Anybody else had a problem with not having sky connected to a phone line.

davemurgatroyd

manchester1959 wrote: »

I too am having problems with my sky billing and would appreciate some feed back. I, or so i thought, pay for the full package films, sports etc. (no internet or broadband though) at a cost of £48.50 plus 2 multi connections @£10.00 each. I have just found out that because my sky is not connected to a phone line that I have been charged extortionate sums over the last fifteen months or more. For example, in April Sky took £222.00 from my account for one month's viewing, (I don't watch any pay per view channels either) and the rest of the payments are not much less. I spent hours on the phone but to no avail. They don't ring back or answers e-mails. How do I get a refund? Anybody else had a problem with not having sky connected to a phone line.

Frankly you stand very little chance - the terms and conditions of multiroom clearly state all boxes on a multiroom account must be connected to a working phone line. You have also ignored at least three letters from them informing you of this and giving information on how to check the connections out. The first two are warning letters that the boxes are not connected and the third is a final warning that if they are not connected within a certain period you will be charged full subscriptions on the non connected boxes.

Connection to a working phoneline is Sky's security check against fraudulent use of multiroom boxes at different addresses and is fairly strictly policed as you have found out.

Why were the boxes not connected and why did you ignore the letters or have you just binned them without opening them?

manchester1959

Thanks for your comments. I did receive one letter and only one letter. I then arranged for an Engineer to call to connect the multiroom boxes. The Engineer had trouble connecting my tv to sky because my internet kept going off and he recommeded that I had another phone socket fittted just for the internet and he would come back , which I did, but the Engineer never came back. My point is, if it's so important to have the multi room boxes connected to a phone line, why didn't the the engineer who installed them originally connect them to the phone line? Anyway, good news I hope, I've spoken to sky again today and they have told me that once the multiroom boxes are connected (this Sunday) to a phone line, they will get me to complete a sub form for a refund. We'll see what happens, I live in hope of ever seeing my money again.

purplepreparer

vikramrkin wrote: »

I am not sure if you can claim it back. From next time, you should search on tjhe forum for an alternate 0800 number which is free from landline.

I tried the 0800 numbers off the forum - one said it was internal only, others say 'access restricted' - so couldn't find working 0800 number that would let me speak to a human being at Sky

toffifee

Try looking on saynoto0870.com

purplepreparer

I did - same result!!!

davemurgatroyd

The problem with the 0800 numbers published on the internet is that these numbers are intended for direct access for installers to the required departments. Publishing these numbers on the web soon leads to the numbers being clogged with calls from private customers leaving installers unable to get through delaying installers at customers (making them late for their next appointment) and unable to activate cards etc and the numbers are then soon changed. It would be far more useful if the regional numbers were published which on most call packages carry a lower cost anyway and very rarely change.