Leasehold flat - TV aerial problem

AliceBanned

I've copied this over to here form 'Phones and TV' as this may be more appropriate.


I've lived in my flat in a block for nearly 5 years.The other day I noticed a loop of cabling left outside the front door and attached in the ground to a TV line of some kind. A few days later it had been attached to the walls of the block and presumably round to someone's flat. Since yesterday I've had no TV signal at all and I think some cable company must have come and !!!!!!ed it up.


I have no idea which flat did it or which cable company, or even for certain whether it is this but I've never had a problem before and I can't get any channel at the moment. I've also noticed that one of the boxes with the cabling in on the wall to the block has been smashed open.


It is quite infuriating as I'm paying service charge and a TV licence and can't get something as basic as TV (there are other things wrong like they never cut the grass and it is about 12" long and we pay for this in our service charge).


I have logged a complaint with the owner, Metropolitan but usually they aren't great at customer service - I've emailed and will call them tomorrow. Is it possible that a cable company can damage the main aerial? All Metropolitan's leasehold flats - the exterior is their responsibility, including TV aerial, I've checked my lease.


Thanks for any advice.

neilmcl

How do you normally receive your TV feed, aerial, cable etc?

Norman_Castle

If you've got a communal aerial which isn't working then report it as a repair. Mention the recent work as it may explain any damage.
Have you asked your neighbours if they have a signal? Communal aerials have power supplies which can be switched off or fuses that trip. A cable company may have simply forgotten to switch it back on. Have you looked inside the cupboard for a switch?

another_casualty

Watching this thread with interest . I'm waiting to see my neighbours as my signal dies at random intervals .sorry for slight hijack to this thread . Regarding the property mgt co; do you have a sinking fund?
The mgt co that manages our flats ( burns mgt) seem to be very good and even this morning they were vacuuming the communal hallway including stairs . Maybe as you say, one of the neighbours may have had sky or cable installed . Maybe they put a splitter socket in their part, putting your signal out altogether??
Hope it gets sorted

AliceBanned

neilmcl wrote: »

How do you normally receive your TV feed, aerial, cable etc?

Aerial - external on the block I live in.

AliceBanned

Norman_Castle wrote: »

If you've got a communal aerial which isn't working then report it as a repair. Mention the recent work as it may explain any damage.
Have you asked your neighbours if they have a signal? Communal aerials have power supplies which can be switched off or fuses that trip. A cable company may have simply forgotten to switch it back on. Have you looked inside the cupboard for a switch?

I've no idea where the cupboard is. It's a 3-storey block of flats andthere is an aerial socket in my living room wall.


As it happens I managed to get it back on by retuning but i was convinced something was wrong, to lose all the channels at once and get a 'no signal' message.


I've still put a complaint and repair request in to Metropolitan as the box that is open looks wrong and looks like someone has messed about and left it like this. I think they need to send someone out to check it.I'm not sure tenants or leaseholders should be inviting companies in to attach cables round th building.

AliceBanned

another_casualty wrote: »

Watching this thread with interest . I'm waiting to see my neighbours as my signal dies at random intervals .sorry for slight hijack to this thread . Regarding the property mgt co; do you have a sinking fund?
The mgt co that manages our flats ( burns mgt) seem to be very good and even this morning they were vacuuming the communal hallway including stairs . Maybe as you say, one of the neighbours may have had sky or cable installed . Maybe they put a splitter socket in their part, putting your signal out altogether??
Hope it gets sorted

Thanks I will wait to see whether they send someone out. I told them I had retuned and got the TV back on but it was strange as that has never happened, and it coincides with that new cable appearing by the front door to the block. I want them to check it out.


Also I'm annoyed about other things they don't manage properly andthey've logged it as a complaint. After 5 years of them not taking proper care of the block or car park or gardens and paying £90 per month service charge I'm going to get to the bottom of it and get them to improve. None of the other neighbours seem to care..most flats are tenanted and people move onfrequently. Yes there is a sinking fund.

[Deleted User]

AliceBanned wrote: »

I told them I had retuned and got the TV back on but it was strange as that has never happened, and it coincides with that new cable appearing by the front door to the block. I want them to check it out.

https://www.freeview.co.uk/tvchanges/upcoming-changes

Probably pure coincidence as Freeview are making big changes in the channels between now and September.

If you want to be a good neighbour ask any of your more elderly neighbours if they need help re-tuning. The call centres handling the re-tunes are absolutely swamped with frustrated customers.

Le_Kirk

Colin_Maybe wrote: »

https://www.freeview.co.uk/tvchanges/upcoming-changes

If you want to be a good neighbour ask any of your more elderly neighbours if they need help re-tuning. The call centres handling the re-tunes are absolutely swamped with frustrated customers.

Good advice. I regularly get asked by several elderly widows (we seem to have a lot where I live) to retune their Freeview for them. Also, there used to be a message appear when a retune was necessary, inviting you to "press the yellow button to retune now" and that hasn't been coming up recently.

macman

Possibly someone has spiced into your own feed and effectively appropriated your signal? Why don't you follow the feed along and see which property it runs to?

[Deleted User]

macman wrote: »

Possibly someone has spiced into your own feed and effectively appropriated your signal? Why don't you follow the feed along and see which property it runs to?

They've retuned the TV and now got Freeview back, that's all it was.