Sky Phone/Broadband problem - sky charging £160

SarahSouthampton

I wonder if anyone can help. Mum took out a 1 package sky tv and low use broadband contract about 2 years ago and about 9 months ago added basic sky talk.

Yesterday she realised she couldn't get a dial tone and broadband had also stopped working. We've been on to sky tech support and they've gone through all the possible problems at her flat - we've checked sockets, unscrewed master sockets, checked splitters etc and the tech guy finally says that its a problem with the line somewhere between her socket and the exchange.

Only problem is, that although they've said they can send an engineer, if the problem is found to be in her flat, they will charge her £160. She's a widowed pensioner and can't afford that kind of payout. I would pay for her if I could but I'm also struggling. Of course we don't know if she would end up getting the charge but I'm assuming that they would find the fault at her flat whether or not it was anyway just so they could charge the fee.

She's quite upset now and is just telling me to cancel everything and she'll go back to a basic virgin package which is slightly more expensive every month.

Has anyone got any advice on how to deal with sky or get them to waive the fee. If not I believe the cancellation charges for the remaining 3 months of her sky talk contract have been lowered recently but can anyone confirm this so I go armed with the correct information when I call them later tonight?
Thanks

Mark_In_Hampshire

Based on the fault not being related to your equipment the information you have been given is incorrect.

Look at it this way: Sky have a contract to supply you with service. They are currently in breach of that contract. It is therefore up to them to resolve the problem.

If they get Openreach to come out and look at it, and it turns out that the reason there's no dial tone is because a cat clawed through the cable then they will be billed, and you, in turn, get billed. Same for if the reason the master socket doesn't work is that it had a cup of tea spilled into it.

The case for billing is not if the problem is "in your house" or not.

It is if the problem is with equipment belonging to you. Openreach are responsible for the connection to and including the master socket and there should be no billing in this respect. However you won't have to page down far in this forum to find plenty of instances where Openreach have fraudulently or mistakenly put in a claim for monies for repairs, which has then been passed on to the customer.

This genuinely does happen I'm afraid. But if you don't pay but direct debit, you can be billed, but that doesn't mean you have to pay up. At that point you could say goodbye and go back to a cable service and leave them whistling for the repair bill.

Assuming, of course, as all of the above does, that the problem was neither caused by you, nor with equipment which belongs to you.

SarahSouthampton

Thanks Mark
We've checked her equipment and changed the handset - still no dial tone and anyone that calls her just gets a constant ringing but it isn't ringing in her flat. We've changed the splitter and eventually had to unscrew the master socket which is when the tech guy said that there was a fault with the line.
Thank you for your helpful post, I must admit we were just shocked when they said they would possibly charge so didn't really get into anything over the phone but at least I have some information with me to give them a call back on this evening....if I can ever get through on their blasted '0844 sit on hold for 20 minutes' customer helpline again

macman

If you've tested the line from the BT test socket behind the master socket split faceplate using a corded handset then you can be confident that the repair is not chargeable. The provider will always repeat the mantra about it being potentially chargeable just to cover their own backs, as OR would charge them if it wewre a user fault.
The only circumstance in which a fault upstream of the NTE5 master socket would be chargeable is if it is user-inflicted, i.e if you cut through your own cable while decorating, or allow a tree to grow against a cable and damage it.

SarahSouthampton

Hi macman, yes we tested the master socket (initially unscrewed the main phone line socket and couldn't understand what the guy was talking about there being another socket inside but soon realised our mistake and unscrewed the right one )
We tested that with two handsets, mums cordless one and my corded one and there still was a problem.
That master socket is tucked behind a small table in her hallway and she's not decorated, or put any water or anything anywhere near it. To be honest, I didn't even know it was there as its just away in a corner that no-one ever really goes to. It is one of the old two storey over 55's Council blocks of flats though so I wonder if the wiring or something is just plain old.
Still, with all the info you've both really helpfully provided, hopefully I can get a resolution with them tonight and get someone out without her ending up being charged.
If we do run into problems down the line, no doubt I'll be back on here asking for yet more advice

McKneff

Im sure that there is a freephone number kicking about somewhere.

I['ll have a look tonight when I get home.

macman

SarahSouthampton wrote: »

Hi macman, yes we tested the master socket (initially unscrewed the main phone line socket and couldn't understand what the guy was talking about there being another socket inside but soon realised our mistake and unscrewed the right one )
We tested that with two handsets, mums cordless one and my corded one and there still was a problem.
That master socket is tucked behind a small table in her hallway and she's not decorated, or put any water or anything anywhere near it. To be honest, I didn't even know it was there as its just away in a corner that no-one ever really goes to. It is one of the old two storey over 55's Council blocks of flats though so I wonder if the wiring or something is just plain old.
Still, with all the info you've both really helpfully provided, hopefully I can get a resolution with them tonight and get someone out without her ending up being charged.
If we do run into problems down the line, no doubt I'll be back on here asking for yet more advice

The 'main' socket is the master-the one you want is the one with the horizontally split faceplate, known as an NTE5. Your tests show conclusively that the fault is either in the master or upstream-so Sky's responsibility, not yours.

SarahSouthampton

Just wanted to thank you all for replying. I called Sky again last night and explained what you had all said. At that point the tech guy admitted that in the recent tests they could tell that the fault was 'close to the house but not in the house' and that was why he had been asking if any BT Engineers had been in the area recently.

He didn't say anything about charges and agreed to raise a fault request with BT. He did it while I was on the phone and said that OpenReach usually clear faults down within 48 hours and to keep checking the line. He also said that we didn't need to make an appt or be in, as the fault was outside.

Very happy with the result except....I've just now had a call this morning on my mobile from BT OpenReach saying that they were here to fix the line. Only problem is mum is at the hospital and I'm at work. When I told him we were told the problem was external and not in the flat he wasn't very happy and said he would try and fix it from outside but was probably doutbful. :mad:
I'm now expecting another call shortly to say they need access, and then probably followed by a bill for charges!

macman

The fault can be inside the property but at or before the master socket, in which case they'd need access. It's still not chargeable.