Sky Installati​on problems

Ivrytwr3

Hey all,

I have never had Sky, but was recently tempted to join by one of the offers. A subcontracted installer turned up and fitted my new system. However, i have a few queries:

a. I asked for the cable that came through the wall to be neat and out of site and suggested a point. The engineer said that he had concerns that the chimney breast may be behind that part of the wall and if so, his drill will not reach. I suggested we measure to find out for certain. The engineer had a quick look outside, came back in and said it will be ok. Fast forward and yes, the breast was beihnd and his drill would not reach, so we went for a different entry point, but i now have a hole through my wall and recently decorated wallpaper (we only moved in last month!)

b. The cable was fed through and no caps put on outside wall or inside wall - just the cable fed through and hanging loose. I asked about the caps when he had finished and was told he didn't have any with him.

c. Installer said he cannot lift carpets or fit cable, so i now have a cable running round my living room i have to fit.

d. When the cable was pushed through (it was raining outside) the cable was wet and muddy and so as it was pushed through it dirtied the wall and living room curtain - when he fitted the cable to the box, he didn't even give it a wipe. I have wiped down the wall, wiped the cable and will give the curtains a wash (dry clean only!)

e. Installer left his card and then left.

The installer couldn't wait to get the job done and get out (i've been told they are on a tight schedule) So, a few minor problems, my main concern is no caps and a hole in my wall! Any advice or is this the standard Sky is happy with?

Thanks for looking!

spike7451

Ivrytwr3 wrote: »

Hey all,

I have never had Sky, but was recently tempted to join by one of the offers. A subcontracted installer turned up and fitted my new system. However, i have a few queries:


b. The cable was fed through and no caps put on outside wall or inside wall - just the cable fed through and hanging loose. I asked about the caps when he had finished and was told he didn't have any with him.

Sky do not provide grommet's,unlike VM who do.However a plastic cover should have been fitted over the extenal hole & the hole filled with silicone to stop water ingress,& a drip loop should've been left.

c. Installer said he cannot lift carpets or fit cable, so i now have a cable running round my living room i have to fit.

Correct,Sky installers are not allowed to do that due to they are not carpet fitters & therfore possible claims.

d. When the cable was pushed through (it was raining outside) the cable was wet and muddy and so as it was pushed through it dirtied the wall and living room curtain - when he fitted the cable to the box, he didn't even give it a wipe. I have wiped down the wall, wiped the cable and will give the curtains a wash (dry clean only!)

Up to the customer to move curtains & furniture & a dirty cable being pushed thru is unavoidable.

e. Installer left his card and then left.

The installer couldn't wait to get the job done and get out (i've been told they are on a tight schedule) So, a few minor problems, my main concern is no caps and a hole in my wall! Any advice or is this the standard Sky is happy with?

Correct.

Thanks for looking!

I'm afraid that you got a standard Sky install.

Kurtis_Blue

Yep, pretty standard install, quality of installations are only going to get worse when the days are short and cold.

Simply phone head office and get them to return and do it properly, well at least clean fix mess and seal the wall.

They wont be running under carpets, don't blame them either.

Ivrytwr3

what can they do to fill the hole and tidy it up? It's gone through my (very expensive!) wallpaper

spike7451

Ivrytwr3 wrote: »

what can they do to fill the hole? It's gone through my (very expensive!) wallpaper

Nothing..nada..zip apart from bunging some pollyfilla in the hole.
Sky do not provide, as I stated above,sealing grommet's & this is the case in 99.9% of every standard Sky installation in the UK.
A hole had to be drilled thru the wall in order to get the cable into the living room.It's up to the customer (you) to check the standard of the work before you sign the install sheet.(something I alway's do,show the customer the work after completion & also agree the cabling route before the install)

Ivrytwr3

i didn't sign anything. I also asked the guy to measure before he did the drill.

Ivrytwr3

Just thinking about what you just said Spike. So an installer can drill away and there is no comeback should he make a mistake? He's left a bloody great hole in my wall!

spike7451

Ivrytwr3 wrote: »

i didn't sign anything. I also asked the guy to measure before he did the drill.

You could try & complaining to Sky but I doubt you would get anywhere.Drilling thru a wall should be done from the inside out & it can be very tricky to guage where your drill will come out,or what is behind or between the exit point. (I know,Ive done it since 1997,both with NTL/VM & Sky)

In all honesty,when you asked him to measure & drill,you should have asked him to show you where he was drilling before he started.The ideal place to drill out is about 1 inch above the skirting & near the corner of the room in a downward angle.

Ivrytwr3

he initially wanted to drill in the middle of the wall about 1" above the skirting - when i saw where he was marking i quickly jumped in!

I suggested the second point (where i asked him to measure first).

When that was messed up, i asked for the corner of the room and i would then feed the cable around the room.

It was done from inside out, but not at an angle, but straight through and no cap on outside.

Bah!

Kurtis_Blue

Ivrytwr3 wrote: »

what can they do to fill the hole and tidy it up? It's gone through my (very expensive!) wallpaper

They need to do what ever needs to be done, simple.

They have insurance, so do you, talk to both you may have legal coverage or you may be able to claim on your insurance who will chase the installers, its not acceptable.

But first of all call and give them the opportunity to put things right.

When you run a business working on peoples homes its just part of the risk, it happens I'm afraid but a good firm will rectify.

spike7451

Ivrytwr3 wrote: »

he initially wanted to drill in the middle of the wall about 1" above the skirting - when i saw where he was marking i quickly jumped in!

I suggested the second point (where i asked him to measure first).

When that was messed up, i asked for the corner of the room and i would then feed the cable around the room.

It was done from inside out, but not at an angle, but straight through and no cap on outside.

Bah!

The reason you drill out at an angle is to prevent water from getting in which is another reason for sealing the external hole with silicone & fitting a blanking plate.
If he didn't fill the hole with silicon,then I'd say you can complain as water can now enter from the hole into the wall cavity & cause damp.
These are what Sky fit over the exit hole;
(also in red)
http://mediacables.co.uk/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=35&products_id=198

These are the cable grommets VM use but Sky don't.The is a double grommet for two cables.

http://mediacables.co.uk/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=35&products_id=312