MAJOR problem with Sky...

bsg

Hi, i'm new here so please be gentle with lil 'ol me A couple of months ago I had a disagreement with Virgin Media over the 'supposed' amount I owed on a bill and in a rash judgement, told them to disconnect me (been with them for 12 years, previously in my old house and ever since I moved into the house I am now in) and gave Sly a ring... The package I signed up for was Sky+ HD (no sports, movies or childrens channels - little did I know that meant no ESPN and the Film 4 channels that are available on Freeview!!), Sky Talk evening and weekends and Broadband. I have not used Sky for 12 years as previously stated so didn't really know how it worked. I was initially told by the CS 'rep' who signed me up that my install date was booked for a certain date and that I was to 'phone up 3 days before to clarify the engineer was coming to fit everything and he assured me in no uncertain terms, that on the day he mentioned, I would have TV, telephone and Broadband up and running. Three days before, I 'phoned up as requested to do - only to be told that there was no work order for the engineer to come out yet and that the first guy had no right to give me a date, and _definately_ no right to assure me they would all be fitted together, as this is not the way they work. TV would be first and then the telephone and broadband a week later _both together_ Fast forward a couple of weeks and my TV was finally installed, and it was a botch job of the highest order - I never noticed until a day later that the engineer had cut the cable to downstairs and threw it over the roof - this was hanging down and hitting my next door neighbours window, which was how I found out. Fast forward 3 more weeks and a guy turns up to fit the phoneline. When I questioned him about the broadband, he said that he doesn't fit that, it comes a week or so later. By this time, I was getting vexed to say the least! Constant phonecalls over the past fortnight regarding the broadband have lead to 8 different stories, from 'the router has been sent out' to 'the router is in provisioning ready to be sent out' (after being told it had been sent. The reason I was so fixed on the BB is that I am virtually housebound due to disabilities and being truthful, the internet is the only source of social interaction that I get... Yesterday, being particularly unhappy about being with no internet for near 3 months, I phoned them again... only to be told by another CS rep that 'there is no space on the exchange for me' but they could provide Broadband Connect for £17.50! Needless to say, that made me _extremely_ unhappy and I asked to speak to a manager. I was told that one would phone me back within 3 days and this morning, I had a call from one. THIS time the excuse was 'the exchange doesn't support our service, but we can provide you with Broadband Connect for £17.50' - I told him I was unhappy with how this had all been dealt with and as Sky have broken their contract by not supplying me with the services I was told I would get when I first phoned up that I wanted the whole thing cancelling - the manager said he totally understands and put me through to the cancellation team. The guy I got through to was _extremely_ unhelpful and just kept repeating over and over that I was just over the 'cooling off' period, and therefore would not cancel it. In the meantime, I have spoken to Virgin again (a CS Manager this time) and she explained that the girl whom I spoke to when I queried the bill, was looking on teh wrong screen (the bill was 3 times the amount it should have been) and I have re-activated my Virgin service. How do I stand with the Sky situation? I am going to make an appointment with my local CAB but was given this forum address by a friend of mine who is registered on here... Any help gratefully appreciated (and apologies for the essay!!)

dollydiva

Hmm...I work for Sky and whilst I do not disbelieve your query, it is usual for a letter to be sent out when it is discovered that only the Connect package is available at the Exchange. I guess you didn't receive that one, tho it would show on the system as sent.

If you rang sky directly to place this order, ALL calls are recorded and the call could be pulled to be listened to and this would determine exactly what it is you've been told...I have to say though, in my experience, it's generally not the advisor so much to blame as the customer simply not listening.

This said, if you feel confident that you were missold, then go ahead and write to sky and they'll probably just drop you.

bsg

And I have exactly _what_ to gain by lying (despite your thinly veiled accusation, not once, but twice in your 6 line post)?? 10 or 11 weeks with no internet? 4 weeks with no TV?? 6 weeks with no phoneline (which is a MAJOR problem when it comes to my health condition!)??? As with _your_ words, in MY experience, I would have had no problem staying with them had they provided me with the services they were supposed to... they _didn't_ Oh, and as for the mention of a letter - why would they continually say different contradicting things on each phonecall if they knew back then about the exchange???

macman

You've clearly got little idea about how theses services are provisioned. The Sky installer installs your Sky box, dish, cabling and LNB. The broadband service is installed by BT Openreach, whom Sky have to arrange the install with-so you can't possibly expect the Sky installer to fit your broadband, or that it will be simultaneous. Sky invariably move faster than OR (not difficult).
What has happened here is that the Sky LLU service at your exchange, although it exists, has become physically full. That is an unusual but not unknown problem.
If you have agreed a single contract for all 3 services, then clearly Sky is in breach of contract if it cannot provide you with broadband at the original price, and should allow you to cancel without penalty.
If you have a separate contract for the TV side and the phone/broadband side, then your TV service is being supplied as contracted and cannot be cancelled without penalty.
I have no idea which applies in this case.
If you want the Film4 channels, why don't you just continue to watch them on your Freeview platform-presumably your Sky installer didn't remove the aerial?

dollydiva

Ditto macman - and it clearly says in Sky T&C that if no space is available the Connect package will be offered. Problem is, most people never read what exactly it is their signing up for and then get indignant when it's not what they think - but that's cos its what they THINK and not what was truly being offered.

keith1950

The OP gives the impression of being an impulsive and impatient person who doesn't read or listen to the terms and conditions and then gets angry and blames everyone else. When he doesn't get his own way then throws in the 'disability' card and expects everybody to jump then 'runs' off to the local CAB to waste someone elses time. He needs to take responsibility for the rash decisions he makes .
No wonder this country is in the state it is.

spike7451

macman wrote: »

You've clearly got little idea about how theses services are provisioned. The Sky installer installs your Sky box, dish, cabling and LNB. The broadband service is installed by BT Openreach, whom Sky have to arrange the install with-so you can't possibly expect the Sky installer to fit your broadband, or that it will be simultaneous. Sky invariably move faster than OR (not difficult).
What has happened here is that the Sky LLU service at your exchange, although it exists, has become physically full. That is an unusual but not unknown problem.
If you have agreed a single contract for all 3 services, then clearly Sky is in breach of contract if it cannot provide you with broadband at the original price, and should allow you to cancel without penalty.
If you have a separate contract for the TV side and the phone/broadband side, then your TV service is being supplied as contracted and cannot be cancelled without penalty.
I have no idea which applies in this case.
If you want the Film4 channels, why don't you just continue to watch them on your Freeview platform-presumably your Sky installer didn't remove the aerial?

dollydiva wrote: »

Ditto macman - and it clearly says in Sky T&C that if no space is available the Connect package will be offered. Problem is, most people never read what exactly it is their signing up for and then get indignant when it's not what they think - but that's cos its what they THINK and not what was truly being offered.

I've worked for Sky as an engineer after I was made redundent from VM & also in their bband tier 2 department.What Mac & Dolly said is correct.
The salespeople DO NOT have access to the exchange systems & so wouldn't know what the capacity status of the exchange was when you ordered.You will probable find that during the time between you ordering bband & getting it,other orders were in progress before yours.

Sky installers do not fit bband unless it is on the work order & then it is only running the cabling & initial set up,installation of the software is down to the customer.Sky installers are not trained for anything except basic installation.