Sky replaced new box with old

philc_2

Hi,

I have had an absolute nightmare over the last three months upgrading my Sky TV and moving phone and broadband to them. Over the last few weeks one of my new boxes started playing up and after going through the motions and wiping the disk (incidentally, if you've ever wondered how much Sky thinks potentially hundreds of hours of telly is worth it's apparently £10!), they came out to replace it.

However, I've just realised that the replacement box is an older model revision than the the first one, and on close examination you can see cosmetically that it isn't new. I presume it's a refurbished box (but who knows?).

Having paid good money for something brand new just over two months ago, my first thought is that replacing the faulty item with a refurb must be a bit 'naughty'. Does anyone have any views on this please?

Cheers,

Phil

miss_trust_2

philc wrote: »

Hi,

I have had an absolute nightmare over the last three months upgrading my Sky TV and moving phone and broadband to them. Over the last few weeks one of my new boxes started playing up and after going through the motions and wiping the disk (incidentally, if you've ever wondered how much Sky thinks potentially hundreds of hours of telly is worth it's apparently £10!), they came out to replace it.

However, I've just realised that the replacement box is an older model revision than the the first one, and on close examination you can see cosmetically that it isn't new. I presume it's a refurbished box (but who knows?).

Having paid good money for something brand new just over two months ago, my first thought is that replacing the faulty item with a refurb must be a bit 'naughty'. Does anyone have any views on this please?

Cheers,

Phil

naughty, naughty but not unheard of - the replacement policy is for like for like, if your box is only 3 months old, I would be getting the complaining hat on and making a huge deal of getting a refurbished box as a replacement instead of a new box, especially when they have re-contracted you for 12 months

philc_2

Thanks. I've just e-mailed them saying I don't think what they've done is acceptable. If the box had been discounted I would be a bit more forgiving I think, but it cost the full £249, so I'm not!

spike7451

Sky have always used reconditioned boxes on service calls.When I was working for them myself,on nearly every call,the replacement box was a reco one,quite often older that the one being replaced.It's standard practice by Sky & it's very rare for them to fit a new box on a service call.
These reconditioned boxes are ones that have been recovered from previous service calls & sent away to be fixed,quite often with the original fault still there.(we had to fill out the fault details on a sticky label,affixed to the box,so the fixing depot knew what was wrong)

When HD came out first & the box was something like £399,on one service call I had (his second service call actually) the previous engineer had replaced his 2 week old HD box with a refurb,turned out it was poor customer education (surround sound issue,he thought every channel was 5.1 on the HD) & a damaged cable,so naturally he hit the roof when he found out.

Moneymaker

This might help some people who are not familiar with the best way to get the desired result: http://sam-radford.me.uk/how_to_complain.htm

philc_2

Well I've had a response and they've said the following:

Thank you for contacting Sky Help Centre.
Having looked at your account, I can see that your equipment is still covered by the manufacturer’s warranty. This means that for the duration of the warranty you will not need to pay for any service calls or repairs that may be required.
Our engineer will try to repair the problem on site for you, but if that’s not possible, they will replace your existing box with refurbished equipment. This replacement box will then have a 90-day warranty or the manufacturer’s warranty will continue until the end of it’s term.
To view our Terms & Conditions, please click on the following link.
http://www.sky.com/shop/terms-conditions/new/

This hasn't specifically addressed most of the questions I've asked, and there is zero mention of what they've said in the T&Cs they've cited, so I've tried again.

Incidentally though, I do like conversing with them by e-mail because I have lost count of the number of different people I've spoken to on the phone who have entirely contradicted the last person I spoke to. At least e-mail offers a record for both parties.

Phil

miss_trust_2

philc wrote: »

Well I've had a response and they've said the following:



This hasn't specifically addressed most of the questions I've asked, and there is zero mention of what they've said in the T&Cs they've cited, so I've tried again.

Incidentally though, I do like conversing with them by e-mail because I have lost count of the number of different people I've spoken to on the phone who have entirely contradicted the last person I spoke to. At least e-mail offers a record for both parties.

Phil

would be worth checking sales of goods act and see what it says?? if my laptop stopped working properly after 3 months there is no way I would take a refurbished one as replacement!!!!!

philc_2

Hi all,

Basically, a result.

I spoke to Consumer Direct and they said that whilst you cannot expect betterment, i.e. something newer or better than the original, you can expect the same. Seeing as the refurbished unit is demonstrably an older model revision, and because cosmetically it was inferior, they thought I had a good case.

Shortly after this Sky replied to my second e-mail and said that 'in this instance' they would send an engineer out this Saturday with a brand new box. Withe all the problems I've had I'll reserve my celebrations until after this has actually happened!

Phil

miss_trust_2

philc wrote: »

Hi all,

Basically, a result.

I spoke to Consumer Direct and they said that whilst you cannot expect betterment, i.e. something newer or better than the original, you can expect the same. Seeing as the refurbished unit is demonstrably an older model revision, and because cosmetically it was inferior, they thought I had a good case.

Shortly after this Sky replied to my second e-mail and said that 'in this instance' they would send an engineer out this Saturday with a brand new box. Withe all the problems I've had I'll reserve my celebrations until after this has actually happened!

Phil

well done, it's what they should have done in the first place

spike7451

miss_trust wrote: »

well done, it's what they should have done in the first place

In most cases,the box is free so to replace something that is faulty with a reconditioned box for free within the initial contract makes sound business sense in Sky's eyes.On the majority of service calls,the box that is faulty is a few years old & therefore less monitary value than a newer box.
So to replace a box,for example, worth £30 with a new box worth £100 is madness,especially when they have stocks of refurbed boxes worth £30.
Now if the box is within the 12 month initial contract,it should be replaced on a like for like basis,after that it should be a reco.If you break your 3 year old laptop,you're insurance will only replace it with one at the current value.