Warning - SKY £75 Pay Once Watch Forever problems

The_One_2 · 14 November 2009 at 11:32PM

milliebear00001 wrote: »

I'm a bit concerned about this.

I have had this service from Sky for about three years and took it out on a twelve month agreement where I got two free packages. I then cancelled these and continued to watch the free channels via my box and dish. Am I suddenly going to find my channels disappear? I have no other signal coming into my home so will be very unhappy! I have had no screeen messages telling me I need to change my card, and nothing via email or in the post?

Yep, most likely

Try contacting people via - http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/site/site-contacts
http://about.five.tv/customer-services/contact-details
http://www.bbc.co.uk/watchdog/gotastory/

Im just hoping NonGeographicalMan comes along as they know how to do things properly and get responses off people

Maybe if we could all send out a template letter/email to the above places, if we get into big enough numbers we'll get heard and some publicity about this absurd situation !!!

NonGeographicalMan · 23 November 2009 at 6:54PM

The_One wrote: »

Im just hoping NonGeographicalMan comes along as they know how to do things properly and get responses off people !!!

As things now seem to be getting rather urgent (with the old viewing cards potentially about to be switched off at any moment) I have just sent off this email to Jeremy Darroch and other relevant people at Sky, Five, ITV and Digital UK:-

Original Message
Subject: Sky's Continued Contractual Failure To Replace Pay Once Watch Forever Viewing Cards
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:47:23 +0000
To: [EMAIL="jeremy.darroch@bskyb.comCC"][email protected][/EMAIL]
[EMAIL="jeremy.darroch@bskyb.comCC"]CC[/EMAIL]: [EMAIL="andrew.griffith@bskyb.com"]andre[email protected][/EMAIL], [EMAIL="robert.fraser@bskyb.com"][email protected][/EMAIL], [EMAIL="CRsupport@bskyb.com"][email protected][/EMAIL], [EMAIL="dawn.airey@five.tv"][email protected][/EMAIL], [EMAIL="mark.white@five.tv"][email protected][/EMAIL], [EMAIL="jeff.ford@five.tv"][email protected][/EMAIL], [EMAIL="richard.woolfe@five.tv"][email protected][/EMAIL], [EMAIL="sue.robertson@five.tv"][email protected][/EMAIL], [EMAIL="charles.constable@five.tv"][email protected][/EMAIL], [EMAIL="paul.chinnery@five.tv"][email protected][/EMAIL], [EMAIL="david.scott@digitaluk.co.uk"][email protected][/EMAIL], [EMAIL="barry.cox@digitaluk.co.uk"][email protected][/EMAIL], [EMAIL="michael.grade@itv.com"][email protected][/EMAIL], [EMAIL="mark.anderson@bskyb.com"][email protected][/EMAIL], [EMAIL="john.cresswell@itv.com"][email protected][/EMAIL], [EMAIL="rupert.howell@itv.com"][email protected][/EMAIL], [EMAIL="george.russell@itv.comRef"][email protected][/EMAIL]

Dear Mr Darroch,

Sky's Continued Contractual Failure To Replace Pay Once Watch Forever Viewing Cards

I write to express my concern at the fact that despite the assurances previously given by your Service Excellence Consultant, Karen Mackenzie, in her reply of 28th August 2009 to my email to you of 27th August 2009 that "all Pay Once watch Forever customers are automatically being mailed free replacement Sky viewing cards irrespective of when the pay Once watch Forever product was purchased. We plan to have completed all card mailings by early October" that this has not in fact taken place and that at the present time neither my mother or anyone else who has bought your Sky Pay Once Watch Forever product but who is not currently a paying Sky subscription television customer has been sent a replacement viewing card. This is widely documented on the discussion thread at http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?p=26888551

On your replacement Sky viewing card website at https://mysky.sky.com/replacecard/home you also continue to state that "Pay Once Watch Forever and Digital Switch Over (DSO) Help Scheme customers will also automatically be sent a replacement card. Find out more by visiting our FAQs.", but this promise is simply not being honoured. This is despite the clear contractual commitment given with the 6 month 2 Mixes and 4 month 2 Mixes Sky Pay Once Watch Forever products that Sky would replace the viewing card free of charge for the first five years after installation of the equipment.

In my personal opinion the reason why you are failing to manage to replace these viewing cards as promised is because Sky actually has no clue at all who its non subscription paying "Pay Once Watch Forever" customers actually are because any "Pay Once Watch Forever" customers who did not take up the offer to become paying Sky subscribers after the free trial Mix period were simply marked as being cancelled subscribers on your database and you now have no way at all to differentiate them from ordinary monthly subscription customers who have desubscribed.

As I understand it Sky is about to start switching off its old blue viewing cards at any moment and with that being so I cannot understand why Sky seems to appear to continue to bury its corporate head in the sand about this matter and continues to do nothing about it? It appears that despite the assurances given on your replacement viewing card website that these cards would be replaced automatically free of charge that you are quite content to be in breach of contract and to cut off the ability of these Pay Once Watch Forever customers to go on viewing ITV1, Five (depending on the region that the Pay Once Watch Forever customer lives in), Fiver, Five USA and Sky Three once their old blue (yellow house) viewing cards are deactivated by Sky.

Mr Darroch the current situation with your senior customer service staff not properly addressing this issue simply cannot be allowed to continue and Sky's behaviour on this matter is very disappointing indeed given that it has also been tasked by Digital UK with being its main provider of replacement satellite Free To Air viewing equipment, for any customers living in areas with inadequate Freeview/DTT reception, as part of the Digital Switchover project.

I look forward to hearing from you or one of your other senior executives on this matter personally. In particular I do not expect to be fobbed off with any more inaccurate platitudes from your so called Service Excellence Consultants who do not actually seem to understand the dictionary definition of the word Excellence.

Regards,
Original Message
Subject: Sky Reference 621007024873/KZM
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 2009 15:31:24 +0100
From: CR Support [EMAIL="CRsupport@bskyb.com"]<[email protected]>[/EMAIL]

I refer to your email addressed to Jeremy Darroch concerning the cost of replacement viewing cards. I've been asked to respond on Jeremy's behalf and will be personally assisting with your enquiry.

I'm sorry for any misunderstanding over the cost of replacing your Sky viewing card and hope I will be able to clarify matters for you.

I can confirm that all Pay Once watch Forever customers are automatically being mailed free replacement Sky viewing cards irrespective of when the pay Once watch Forever product was purchased. We plan to have completed all card mailings by early October and you should expect to receive a new card sometime before this date.On sky.com/replacecard we do direct visitors to read the FAQs where we do make it clear that Pay Once Watch Forever customers will automatically be sent a card however do concede that this could be made clearer on the homepage and we'll look to updating this accordingly.

We do aim to provide a high level of customer service and I'm sorry that you feel so let down in this instance.

I hope I've managed to address your concerns however should you require any further assistance please do not hesitate to contact me at the above email address.

Regards

Karen Mackenzie
Service Excellence Consultant
Customer Relations

The_One_2 · 24 November 2009 at 3:25PM

I urge everyone who has still not received their new Sky Viewing card to contact [EMAIL="jeremy.darroch@bskyb.com"][email protected][/EMAIL]

With CC:
[EMAIL="andrew.griffith@bskyb.com"][email protected][/EMAIL], [EMAIL="robert.fraser@bskyb.com"][email protected][/EMAIL], [EMAIL="CRsupport@bskyb.com"][email protected][/EMAIL], [EMAIL="dawn.airey@five.tv"][email protected][/EMAIL], [EMAIL="mark.white@five.tv"][email protected][/EMAIL], [EMAIL="jeff.ford@five.tv"][email protected][/EMAIL], [EMAIL="richard.woolfe@five.tv"][email protected][/EMAIL], [EMAIL="sue.robertson@five.tv"][email protected][/EMAIL], [EMAIL="charles.constable@five.tv"][email protected][/EMAIL], [EMAIL="paul.chinnery@five.tv"][email protected][/EMAIL], [EMAIL="david.scott@digitaluk.co.uk"][email protected][/EMAIL], [EMAIL="barry.cox@digitaluk.co.uk"][email protected][/EMAIL], [EMAIL="michael.grade@itv.com"][email protected][/EMAIL], [EMAIL="mark.anderson@bskyb.com"][email protected][/EMAIL], [EMAIL="john.cresswell@itv.com"][email protected][/EMAIL], [EMAIL="rupert.howell@itv.com"][email protected][/EMAIL], [EMAIL="george.russell@itv.comRef"][email protected][/EMAIL] [EMAIL="watchdog@bbc.co.uk"][email protected][/EMAIL]

Follow a similar format to what NonGeographicalMan has done above

The following link CLEARLY states that Pay Once Watch Forever customers will be sent new cards - https://mysky.sky.com/replacecard/faq#T5 (refer to this link in any email/letter you send)

Enough is enough now !!!!!

Crabman · 24 November 2009 at 5:34PM

Glad I found this thread - SKY have refused to issue a replacement card (same excuse - claiming that the account has been 'cancelled') so Mr Darroch will be receiving an email from me too.

The fact they issue premium rate numbers only is an indicator as to their level of customer service and the contempt they have for their customers.

hula_girl · 24 November 2009 at 9:35PM

Hi all

As a long time lurker on MSE forums I've decided to sign up so that I can join in on this one! I'm fed up of Sky and love getting my own back against stooopid big companies, so with a little help from NonGeographicalMan and The One, I too have sent an email to Jeremy Darroch et al about this. Fingers crossed!

I'm not even that bothered about Five or Sky 3 but that blue and yellow message is really getting on my wick now! Has anyone who bought 'POWF' got their card?

Also have to agree with Crabman about their phone numbers (mentioned that in my email). I'm sure they kept putting me on hold and transferring me round to make more money out of me. How rude!

Crabman · 25 November 2009 at 12:13PM

Many thanks to NGM, The One - received a call from Sky this morning and they are sending out a replacement viewing card.

I mentioned this thread and said I hoped they'd be sorting things out for everyone but it seems the "Data Protection Act" prevents them from commenting.

Anyway - thanks to those who took the time to post all the helpful information above.

To anyone who hasn't yet received their replacement viewing card - send an email to the email address in post #255 above :cool:

NonGeographicalMan · 26 November 2009 at 2:52AM

I have now received this quite useless reply from their inappropriately titled and so called Service Exellence Consultant, Karen Mackenzie

I'm just mustering up the strength to fire off another broadside to those on the mailing list at Sky, Five, ITV and Digital UK in response.:mad:

Original Message
Subject: TV Escalation (KMM3713979I15977L0KM)
Date: Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:42:11 +0000 (GMT)
From: Sky Help Centre <[email protected]>

Sky Reference 621007024873/KZM

Thanks for your further email addressed to Jeremy Darroch concerning your replacement P4 viewing card.

Although your email has been received by Jeremy's office, regrettably it is simply not possible for every communication to be responded to directly by the individuals concerned. In order to provide a prompt response it is necessary for incoming communications to be dealt with by Jeremy's Executive Support team here in Customer Relations, hence my further contact with you. Please be assured that this in no way demeans the contents of your communications, nor that your concerns are taken any less seriously.

Your comments concerning my last email to you have been noted. I must advise that the information contained therein was provided by our technical team and was correct at that time.

All Pay Once Watch Forever customers are indeed being issued with new viewing cards and I'm currently trying to establish why you've still not received your card. I can however understand your concerns especially as you have been receiving an on screen message advising that your card is due to be switched off.

I've arranged for the on screen message to be removed so you will be able to continue viewing with your current card until such times as your replacement card is received.

In the meantime if I can be of any further assistance with this issue please feel free to contact me at the above email address.

Regards

Karen Mackenzie
Service Excellence Consultant
Customer Relations

She says it is not possible for either Jeremy Darroch or alternatively that utterly useless self publicist Mark Anderson (who stick his name on the bottom of every letter to customers but never wants to ever dirty his hands with individual customer issues) to deal with letters to them individually but the reality is they never deal with any communications sent to them individually and this is why long term problems like this one are never ever resolved properly by Sky. Namely because Sky's directors drift around in an overpaid overbonused self congratulatory haze and never take any notice of major failures by the company in its operational activities.

She also refers to cancelling a message about the new card that supposedly keeps popping up on screen but my mother has not complained any such messages and nor have I complained to Sky about such an issue. So more clear cut evidence that Sky are still using stock letters on this issue and not taking any notice of what their customers tell them.

Inevitably there is still no sign of my mother being sent a replacement Pay Once Watch Forever viewing card by Sky.:mad::mad::mad:

BIGWHEELER · 26 November 2009 at 2:35PM

Hi

I too have been emailing mr darroch but was passed on again to sky help. Todays reply is:

Thank you for your further email addressed to Jeremy Darroch. This has been passed for my attention to investigate further as I previously dealt with your case.

I am sorry to hear you were not happy with my reply.

Unfortunately Sky are unable to issue you with a card directly, these cards are being dispatched from Freesat directly.

I did however gain new information from our viewing cards department who have advised there has been a delay in sending these cards to our customers however they should be issued and received within the next 4 weeks.

Should you require any further assistance please do not hesitate to contact me again.

Kind Regards

Lisa McIlwaine
Service Excellence Consultant
Customer Relations
:mad:

The_One_2 · 30 November 2009 at 10:07PM

Excuses excuses excuses, these cards are well overdue !!!

My neighbours who have a Sky sub got their new cards at the start of October, yet we get left to December(possibly into the New Year !!!) before we receive ours

BIGWHEELER · 6 December 2009 at 9:07AM

Hi

Just to let you know I recieved my new sky card on sat 6/12 after badgering them for 3 months:j Got my pay once watch forever in may 07

Steve

Warning - SKY £75 Pay Once Watch Forever problems - Page 26

MSE NEWSFLASH 25/1

Warning - SKY £75 Pay Once Watch Forever problems

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