Sky - Multiroom Connection problems

Smudge310

Hello.
I have been with Sky for over 10 years now, but I think you renew your contract everytime you move house, so it that case I have been with them since I moved 20 months ago. we moved as my current home has an annex form my elderly mother to live in. It shares the same address, bills etc.

I now have a problem with my telephone connections and was wondering if anyone else has experienced this and how they resolved it (apart from the obvious)

In my house I current have 4 boxes (1 HD and standard in my house & 1 Sky+ and standard in my mums annex). We originally connected all the boxes to the phone line when it was set up, 20 months ago, checked and then disconnected. Now we are getting letters from sky saying they are having problems performing a 'callback' on my boxes. this has only just started (why didnt they do this months ago?). Anyway I connected all my boxes to the phone line via and extension and performed a call back and I thought everything was fine. However I now find out that they do this every month. If they can't connect to your box they charge an extra £30 per box!

I do understand that they say all boxes are to be connected to the main phone line. what for? I dont order films, i can easily connect they phones once a month with an extension and perform a callback myself (a bit of hassle) but Sky doesn't understand the logistics of having all 4 boxes connected to the main phone-line 24/7. We have one box in our living room, my mums living room, our bedroom and my mums bedroom. The phone point is in our hall and to have all the 4 boxes connected to this, plus the wireless internet router and our phone is impossible, but Sky doesn't understand this.

Is there anything that can be done, or do I just have to have spaghetti junction in my house just for the sake of sky to check up on me!

Sorry for the essay, but I find sky really annoying sometimes, but there doesn't seem to be an alternative!

Cheers

Rich

davemurgatroyd

Permanent connection to the same phoneline is a condition of the discounted subscription you pay for multiroom It is a security check that the boxes are being used at the same address and not being used fraudulently at other addresses otherwise you could sell your discounted £10 (or whatever) a month multiroom sub to a friend and Sky would lose out on the difference between the multiroom and a full sub. The monthly forced callback is not a valid alternative as it could merely be the box being returned to its proper address, the callback made and then returned to its fraudulent use - besides which a forced callback and the phone-home the box makes in response to Sky's request are to different computers on different phone numbers. There is no way round this particularly as Sky have noticed your non-connection and will be more alert to checking your compliance with the terms and conditions of your contract. The only way around the spaghetti junction is possibly the use of wireless phone extension devices (NOT cordless phones) which many people have got to work although it can be dependant on the physical structure and construction of your home - foil lined plasterboard and thick stone walls will not allow them to work.

macman

Is your mother's annexe actually a separate dwelling in terms of council tax etc? It sounds like an independent living unit within your property.
If so you are in breach anyway as you're sharing a Multiroom contract across two dwellings.

Smudge310

Thanks for the replies, cheers Dave I will look for a wireless phone connection and try that.

Macman, when we moved into our house and took out (renewed our sky contract) it was only one council tax. However 6 months later we were informed that because our extension (annex) has its own cooker point it is classed as a different property, with its own council tax (even though the gas and elec is supplied form our part of the house!) long story and I got into a lot of arguments, but thats another story! We did originally contact sky about this, but as the annex shares the address, you can only have one account per house.