We're aware that some users are experiencing technical issues which the team are working to resolve. See the Community Noticeboard for more info. Thank you for your patience.
📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!

Aerial Force warning

Options
2»

Comments

  • tguk
    tguk Posts: 1 Newbie
    First Post
    Absolute scammers! Avoid like the plague!
    I was promised £59 + VAT the !!!!!! who came already late tried to sell me a new satellite dish worth  £180!
    As soon as he arrived he jumped on his ladder, disconnected part of the satellite and brought it down them told me I need a new dish!
    When I said I’m not prepared for that he started shouting and wouldn’t refit that part back and left, so technically vandalized my property!
    Be very aware of that bullying technique that they use to force you to spend a lot more!
    He said I have to pay him for his time despite their website saying no call out charge!
    Liars, losers and a bunch of cowboys!
  • Untrustworthy scammers, Do not put money in their pockets!

    Website says no call out charge, lie.
    Our TV aerial got knocked by a tree and so some channels have been lost. We were told if the technician can fix it without needing any additional products, it will be £49. No mention that this is a cost whether they fix it or not.
    Arrived and without even having an inspection of it, said the whole thing needs replacing as it was ruined, aerial, brackets etc for £300 + VAT. I turned it down and said we usually watch Netflix anyway. He then said 'Well the bracket doesn't actually need replacing, so I can do it for £199 and I'll knock off the VAT' 
    Straight away I thought not happening, you've lied about the bracket and who gets to decide about knocking off VAT.
    I then said no thanks, he said I've got to pay £58.80 for call out, this is the £49 + VAT. I was by myself and my partner was at work so didn't feel comfortable arguing this. 
    He then came back and said 'I'll do it for £99 + VAT'. At this point I just wanted him to leave as these prices were clearly being pulled out of thin air. I said I needed my partner to agree so rang him, luckily he didn't answer so I said I'll just pay the £58.80.
    He then asked me what I wanted to pay and what I could afford to pay, again I just told him I wanted to leave it for now.

    He then insisted on taking the aerial down, I said no as it still works for various other channels, but was persistent it needs to come down for 'safety'. I told him no and to just leave it and he laughed. 
    Felt very uncomfortable and pressured the whole time and would not recommend these to anyone. 
  • I used them without doing my due diligence or getting other quotes, very stupid I know. My aerial, amplifier and tv booster were all many years old and I had been getting no signal and pixelating screen. Call out fee was now £59. The guy who came checked the signal strength and recommended a new aerial, amp and booster at a total cost including call out fee of £400+vat. I now know that is double what I should have paid. No alternative but to chalk it down to experience, so please be aware, don't use this firm and get quotes for this type of work.
  • There website states all installers are employed which is untrue they are all self employed and work on 30% commission before VAT and any high end value stock is also not taken into account and deducted off the takings before the 30%. They also state on there website that all installers are DBS checked which again is a complete lie giving potential customers a false sense of security. I’m sure that can’t be legal! 

    They also tell their engineers that all calls are vetted and the customer will go ahead subject to costings 

    if you call up for a quote more times than not the installer who is attending will be under the impression they are wanting it doing their and then which can make the installer push the sale which some vulnerable people will accept even though they had no intention of doing so. 

    Definitely wouldn’t recommend these people go with a local installer and when searching on google scroll down as these companies pay to be at the top. 


  • hybernia
    hybernia Posts: 390 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 100 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Absolutely brilliant idea to have a photograph of yourself as a police officer, everyone should try it.
    I'll get OH kitted out as Chief Constable of our part of the world, then take his picture, frame it, and have it ready to display if ever we need to call out a tradesperson, or have a visiting double glazing salesman. I'll offer the visitor a cup of coffee and explain hubby's out at the moment, there's a big crackdown underway on scammers and thieves in the local area and he's leading the task force.
    I don't know whether to have him hold a dummy Mk47 in the picture but perhaps that'd be over-playing it.
  • I used these rip off merchants last week. They first of all phoned me back before 7AM the next morning. This should have been a red flag to steer clear of them. I was aware of the £59 + vat call out charge and they turned up as promised. I had just moved into this property and could not get a TV picture when plugged into aerial socket. The engineer tested the signal at the aerial socket and in loft where I had a 4 way aerial splitter amplifier fitted. Said it was old and weak signal although it was only fitted 7 yes ago when the house was built, and new amplifier would be £129. I foolishly agreed and he was only in my house for a maximum of 30 mins and I got charged £225.60. The penny dropped as soon as he left since I did not need a new amplifier but only needed the existing amplifier transformer that had been left by previous tenant to be connected up. I could have brought leads for £6 instead I got supplied with a part I did not need for £129 that you could buy on eBay for £30. I should have been charged the call out charge plus a tenner for cable if I had my fault diagnosed correctly instead of having my ignorance exploited by a CUNNING engineer. If you use this lot do your research on cost of parts and if you really need them.
  • coachman12
    coachman12 Posts: 1,069 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Just come to this and found it very interesting reading. Just one of the sorts of thing that MSE is all about. At the same time as bringing the public's attention to Aerial Force, it also highlights what I always say about TrustPilot which is one of the worst "services" that I know : I never believe anything they have to show.
    It's a pity, MSE is not linked to a newspaper consumer column so that people's real experiences about a bad company can be aired on a wider platform so that very many folk can know all about it and see that the company is ruined.
  • Catnaps said:
    Rang Aerial Force yesterday to book an engineer as tv signal very poor, lost channels etc. Booked us in next day, and then engineer appeared. £49 call out.

    Husband over saw what he was doing, he claimed no signal at the tv, went into the attic where the coax was joined to the aerial, said there was a poor signal there. We have a second tv and aerial which was fine so he decided to check the signal on that (never been a problem). Said it was very weak signal and it required either a new aerial at £300 or a high density amplifier for £240.

    Once he'd put the cables back together, without fitting anything, we noticed the signal much improved and then questioned him about it. He became very aggressive and offensive, saying are you telling me how to do my job, 25 years experience etc.

    Husband told him to remove everything he had fitted and leave. At this stage he demanded the call out charge aggressively, however my husband was at the time stood in front of a picture of him in uniform as a policeman, at which he returned to the attic on the pretext of collecting tools, he then cut the ends off the cables and promptly left without payment.

    My husband later found the cut cables, went to DIY store and bought new connectors for £5, fitted them himself and the tv now retuned has 100% signal!!

    This so called engineer found a loose connector and wanted to charge in excess of £200.

    Avoid at all costs, their website very misleading. Clearly looking for vulnerable customers. We shall report to trading standards also.
    Technically he fixed your problem so you were looking for a free fix didn't pay his call out charge??? Held hostage
  • Technically he fixed your problem so you were looking for a free fix didn't pay his call out charge??? Held hostage
    Yes he fixed the problem but it sounds as if he also attempted to defraud the OP to the tune of £240 or £300 for parts that were not required.
    If someone tried to con me out of that sort of money, I most certainly wouldn't be inclined to pay their call out charge either.
Meet your Ambassadors

🚀 Getting Started

Hi new member!

Our Getting Started Guide will help you get the most out of the Forum

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 350.8K Banking & Borrowing
  • 253K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 453.5K Spending & Discounts
  • 243.8K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 598.6K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 176.8K Life & Family
  • 257.1K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 16.1K Discuss & Feedback
  • 37.6K Read-Only Boards

Is this how you want to be seen?

We see you are using a default avatar. It takes only a few seconds to pick a picture.