sky broadband

intoxication1973

hi all

i have been emailing sky on a daily basis asking them if i could replace my existing router with a sky hub. my old router was on its last legs so i asked about the sky hub only to be told that as a 'special offer' for existing customers i could buy one for £39 plus £2 odd for delivery. this is the line they appear to be sticking to but can not answer me when i ask why neew customers can get one for free. they did however send me one of there wireless 'n' series routers as and i quote 'i am a valued customer'. when i opened the box all that was inside was a router and a power cable, no filters or other wires at all so once again i have emailed them saying that i have been let down by sky again. they have agreed to send me the missing items and when i checked order status on my sky they are sending them to my old address. can sky get nothing right.

i feel totally under valued and let down by sky and i want them to explain why they can not give me a hub for free when a new customer gets the best equipment. i have even accused them of using a standard scripted email in response to mine as to be honest they all read about the same

has anyone else managed to get a hub as a replacement for free and how did you manage it. i have told them i am happy to stay with sky broadband for a further 12 months or even 2 years but so far no luck:(

Hoario54

intoxication1973 wrote: »

...my old router was on its last legs so i asked about the sky hub only to be told that as a 'special offer' for existing customers i could buy one for £39 plus £2 odd for delivery...

This is correct, and the new Sky Hub is going up to £69 in January. As they won't let you use any other router on their network (even though you can if you really wanted to), they are obligated to give you another router, but nothing stipulates it has to be the new Hub.

intoxication1973 wrote: »

...they did however send me one of there wireless 'n' series routers as and i quote 'i am a valued customer'. when i opened the box all that was inside was a router and a power cable, no filters or other wires at all...

It would have been nice to have new ones but I assume you already have these items so you can still get online in the meantime?

intoxication1973 wrote: »

...i want them to explain why they can not give me a hub for free when a new customer gets the best equipment...

Because that's what every company does, gives you free stuff to entice you in, once hooked, their only real obligation is to keep delivering the service you are paying for.

If giving you one of the 2504n routers (silver & black), get's you online then they have fulfilled their end of the deal.

However, I am an existing Sky customer (Fibre Broadband) and have purchased the new Hub and I can tell you that in terms of wireless performance it really isn't that much of an improvement over the 2504n.

In fact the only benefit I have found so far is that throughput/traffic management is better, i.e. when you are downloading, surfing the net and streaming an HD movie round the house at the same time, which the 2504n used to struggle with.

Bottom line, for the vast majority the Hub is fine as a free router (as is the 2504n) and not worth £39 let alone £69.

Knowing now what I do, apart from looking nicer it really wasn't a necessary purchase!

McKneff

Im a sky customer and quite happy with the router I have, but I'm not a teckie, could someone tell me what the difference is between the two please

intoxication1973

thanks for the reply but i can assure you i have no intention of buying the hub. i just wish that as an existing customer sky would treat me with the same respect as they offer new customers. to be honest i am thinking of taking my custom elsewhere.

Hoario54

McKneff wrote: »

Im a sky customer and quite happy with the router I have, but I'm not a teckie, could someone tell me what the difference is between the two please

Not a great deal in all honesty. The new Hub looks nicer and includes an extra aerial to improve Wi-Fi coverage but that's it really.

There is a good thread debating the two over on Sky User.

2504n:



Sky Hub:

intoxication1973

perhaps i should threaten to leave them see where that gets me

Hoario54

intoxication1973 wrote: »

thanks for the reply but i can assure you i have no intention of buying the hub. i just wish that as an existing customer sky would treat me with the same respect as they offer new customers. to be honest i am thinking of taking my custom elsewhere.

As soon as you ask to be put through to disconnections you will find your chance of getting a Sky Hub for free increases dramatically, but again I reiterate, it really isn't worth it.

intoxication1973

i have just been talking with an online chat advisor lets just say they were about as much use as a handbrake in a canoe

penrhyn

I have the new hub, no difference in performance to my old 2405n silver and black one. It does seem to be slightly more stable than the old one but that may just be down to the weather.
In operation the front panel lamps don't flicker when data is flowing, the Sky+HD lamp does blink when its downloading a programme to the Sky box. Oh and they have done away with the mains brick.

FYI If you order on line P+P is free.

intoxication1973

while using the online chat i asked for them to get cancellations to ring me but surprise surprise they claimed because they were the chat team they could not do it

McKneff

Ive just got one of them old white routers with somick stuck up on the air, works fine for me.