Sky mobile (!!!!)

Katykat

I’ve had unlimited texts & minutes for over a year and had poor reception in my living room but halfway decent in other rooms. So I thought it was just a blip. Hubby changed to Sky about 2 months ago and we are both having this problem. We are missing phone calls and today he missed a really important one. I couldn’t even get a connection to ring Sky ( varying between 0-1 bar). My only option was to contact them via Messenger. 5 hours later I’m no further on. I’ve turned both phones off & back on. Removed the cases, removed & cleaned the sims, changed the data to 2G. And still the same. They say it’s showing good reception in our area but that doesn’t help me. They are now sending 2 new sims and the option to cancel if still no better ( we both have iPhones btw). I’m in Cheshire, so not exactly back of beyond so I’m not sure why I’m having poor reception. Anyone any suggestions ( apart from ditching Sky) which I just might have to do.

[Deleted User]

Katykat wrote: »

Anyone any suggestions

Don't change to any carrier on the O2 network (which Sky are) as you'll have the same issues. No doubt you do have good coverage outside but inside is always going to be a lottery.

or over a year and had poor reception in my living room but halfway decent in other rooms. So I thought it was just a blip

A blip that lasts over a year???

ValiantSon

If Sky are letting you get out of your contracts without penalty then bite their hand off. Poor reception is not normally grounds for ending a contract.

Get a free SIM from each of the other networks and see if you have similar problems with them. If you find one that works then use one of the providers on those networks. You can find a list of all the MVNOs on particular networks here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_Kingdom_mobile_virtual_network_operators

Roland_Sausage

ValiantSon wrote: »

If Sky are letting you get out of your contracts without penalty then bite their hand off. Poor reception is not normally grounds for ending a contract.

Get a free SIM from each of the other networks and see if you have similar problems with them. If you find one that works then use one of the providers on those networks. You can find a list of all the MVNOs on particular networks here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_Kingdom_mobile_virtual_network_operators

Even better, go for one that supports Wi-fi calling.

Katykat

I don!!!8217;t think I fully understood how companies like Sky operate. Now I do. The network is O2 so that!!!8217;s where the problem of poor coverage lies. I will look into this in more detail if the new sims don!!!8217;t help.

[Deleted User]

Katykat wrote: »

I don't think I fully understood how companies like Sky operate. Now I do. The network is O2 so that's where the problem of poor coverage lies. I will look into this in more detail if the new sims don't help.

They won't, guaranteed. You might as well start looking for the free sims from the other carriers (Vodafone, EE & 3) now. It can be from either the carriers themselves or any of the MVNO's that operate on them.

There's a more usable list than the one listed earlier on MSE at:- https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/phones/piggybacking/#tablepiggyback

20aday

EE, Three, Vodafone, o2, BT and ID Mobile all offer WiFi Calling with EE and Three offering WiFi Calling for both phone calls and SMS.

EE and Three support the feature on iPhone 5S or later as do ID Mobile; with o2 you need iPhone 6 or later and for Vodafone it!!!8217;s iPhone 6S or newer.

giraffe69

We solved the problem of poor to non existent coverage indoors by getting a vodafone sure signal box which works fine all over the house. Once you have swallowed paying Vodafone £70 to deal with their poor coverage it is an ok solution. Wifi calling depends on your phone being ok for it as detailed above.

Katykat

Ok, I downloaded the Open signal app and it!!!8217;s confirmed that I have poor O2 reception. We were both previously with Virgin which uses EE so I think we might return to that. Is there any way I can check the strength of EE coverage in my area?

Frozen_up_north

Katykat wrote: »

Ok, I downloaded the Open signal app and it!!!8217;s confirmed that I have poor O2 reception. We were both previously with Virgin which uses EE so I think we might return to that. Is there any way I can check the strength of EE coverage in my area?

The only certain way is to use a PAYG SIM and check for yourself. Indoor coverage is very variable due to differing building materials from one building to another, for example foil backed insulation is a very effective screen to mobile phone signals.

Don't just check at home, also check anywhere you are likely to visit regularly.

Equally important is to check the terms and conditions of any network you might want to switch to. Many do not provide an "out of bundle" spending cap, ie what happens if you use all your data or accidentally call overseas when you thought it was going via Skype? Unfortunately it's often hard to check T & Cs on web pages.

[Deleted User]

Katykat wrote: »

Ok, I downloaded the Open signal app and it!!!8217;s confirmed that I have poor O2 reception. We were both previously with Virgin which uses EE so I think we might return to that. Is there any way I can check the strength of EE coverage in my area?

Get a free sim from anyone who uses EE (including of course EE),

Major players: ASDA Mobile, BT Mobile*, The Phone Coop, Virgin Mobile* Minnows: Axis Mobile, Delight Mobile, Natterbox, Plusnet Mobile*, Vectone Mobile

If you still have your Virgin sim you can check how many bars you're getting around the house but unless you've moved do you not remember what reception was like on Virgin?

Any of the above will receive the same signal (with the odd caveat with EE). If you can't wait then your local Asda will have sims that cost 50p that have a very small amount of minutes(10?), texts and data on them so you can try calling someone from your front room.