AerialForce / TVAerialCompany - BEWARE

nbrice · 9 February 2011 at 1:04PM

I've just had a sky+ multiroom installation done by this company and they charged me twice what I expected! When I phoned for a quote they told me it would be £65+VAT per room. When the engineer came out later he also told me the cost would be £65+VAT. Once he'd done the work he said because 2 cables were required for it would be 2 x £65+VAT. Stupidly I paid him because I felt under pressure but having had time to reflect I phoned a local company for a quote and was told it would be £75+VAT in total for both cables so I've clearly been massively over charged. I've phoned the company back but they told be that there was nothing I could do and that the engineer had categorically told me it would be £156 total (which he hadn't).

At best, this company is deliberately over charging and at worst they are deliberately miss-selling their service. My advice would be to keep well away!!!

PZH · 9 February 2011 at 2:31PM

nbrice wrote: »

I've just had a sky+ multiroom installation done by this company and they charged me twice what I expected! When I phoned for a quote they told me it would be £65+VAT per room.

Think you would find that is an estimate unless you gave them the exact measurements and detailed layout

nbrice wrote: »

When the engineer came out later he also told me the cost would be £65+VAT.

This would be a quote.

nbrice wrote: »

Once he'd done the work he said because 2 cables were required for it would be 2 x £65+VAT. Stupidly I paid him because I felt under pressure...

I would have told him to remove the cables and repair the damage caused by the install because it was not as had been agreed and that he would receive nothing. (Not very helpful to you I agree.)

nbrice wrote: »

...but having had time to reflect I phoned a local company for a quote and was told it would be £75+VAT in total for both cables so I've clearly been massively over charged.

I've phoned the company back but they told be that there was nothing I could do and that the engineer had categorically told me it would be £156 total (which he hadn't).

At best, this company is deliberately over charging and at worst they are deliberately miss-selling their service. My advice would be to keep well away!!!

My advice would be to shop around - and then stand by the price given.

Jeff_Bridges_hair · 9 February 2011 at 3:23PM

nbrice wrote: »

I've just had a sky+ multiroom installation done by this company and they charged me twice what I expected! When I phoned for a quote they told me it would be £65+VAT per room. When the engineer came out later he also told me the cost would be £65+VAT. Once he'd done the work he said because 2 cables were required for it would be 2 x £65+VAT. Stupidly I paid him because I felt under pressure but having had time to reflect I phoned a local company for a quote and was told it would be £75+VAT in total for both cables so I've clearly been massively over charged. I've phoned the company back but they told be that there was nothing I could do and that the engineer had categorically told me it would be £156 total (which he hadn't).

At best, this company is deliberately over charging and at worst they are deliberately miss-selling their service. My advice would be to keep well away!!!

The company said for them to do the work it would be £65 PER ROOM...+ VAT

just because one company charges one price and another another does not mean you have been miss sold your service - they told you and you accepted.I would suggest before you get any other work in your house done you get a few quotes before getting the work donw

nbrice · 9 February 2011 at 4:59PM

Jeff,
They told me it would be £65+VAT per room. Then installed 2 feeds into 1 room and once it was done, told me it would be £65+VAT per feed.

See the difference?

If they'd told me it would be £130+VAT up front then obviously it hasn't been miss sold. But this is not what they did.

As phoodless suggests below what I *should* have done is to get them to remove the cables and make good the damage.

Purpose of the post here was simply to make other aware that this company is doing this and to try and help others falling into the same trap.

Jeff_Bridges_hair · 9 February 2011 at 5:43PM

your right my bad.. it was 2 feeds in one room.. did you want 1 feed into 2 rooms?

did you not watch him whilst he worked and give him instructions though before he started.

JasonLVC · 9 February 2011 at 5:50PM

If you had two feeds into one room, don't they have dual cabling now?

When I upgraded to Sky+HD from an ordinary Sky box, the guy ripped the old (single feed) cable off the wall and replaced it with a single cable that had two feeds inside it, took him about 5 minutes to install, job done.

If you've paid then it's going to be hard to argue for a refund, chalk it down to experience and never use them again and tell everyone you know not to either, like you're doing.

Azari · 9 February 2011 at 5:55PM

This is a little confusing because in your OP you talked about a Sky+ 'multiroom' installation.

I would take this to mean fitting a dish with a quad LNB and running two double 'shotgun' cables, one to each room for connection to a Sky+ box in each room. If this is what they have done the charge is correct.

If they have doubled the charge because they have run a single 'shotgun' cable to one room you have been cheated and should contact trading standards.

nbrice · 9 February 2011 at 7:05PM

Hi Azari,
Just to clarify... I already had a sky installation in my living room. I wanted to upgrade this system to 'multiroom' by adding a feed to a single bedroom.

It looks like 2 cables coming into the room rather than a dual cable but I might have a look outside tomorrow just to check. I did think about trying trading standards but I don't know if I have any real chance of getting the issue resolved.

I phoned the company up, got passed though to someone that I presume was a manager and I was told in very uncompromising terms that it was tough luck - he claimed the engineer had made it clear, it was my word against his and there was no way they were going to knock any money off. He made it very clear they didn't care I was unhappy - he claimed they told me up front it was going to be £130+VAT (which they hadn't) and that I'd agreed to pay. Wonderful customer service, huh?

As JasonLVC suggested below I'll probably just chalk it up to experience and ensure that in the future I insist on a written quote before allowing any work to proceed. Lesson learnt!!

Azari · 9 February 2011 at 7:20PM

nbrice wrote: »

Hi Azari,
Just to clarify... I already had a sky installation in my living room. I wanted to upgrade this system to 'multiroom' by adding a feed to a single bedroom.

It looks like 2 cables coming into the room rather than a dual cable but I might have a look outside tomorrow just to check. I did think about trying trading standards but I don't know if I have any real chance of getting the issue resolved.

I phoned the company up, got passed though to someone that I presume was a manager and I was told in very uncompromising terms that it was tough luck - he claimed the engineer had made it clear, it was my word against his and there was no way they were going to knock any money off. He made it very clear they didn't care I was unhappy - he claimed they told me up front it was going to be £130+VAT (which they hadn't) and that I'd agreed to pay. Wonderful customer service, huh?

As JasonLVC suggested below I'll probably just chalk it up to experience and ensure that in the future I insist on a written quote before allowing any work to proceed. Lesson learnt!!

Sorry, can we be completely clear about this.

You have a Sky+ system in your living room that was cabled and working.

You just wanted a cable run from the existing dish to a bedroom.

Was this bedroom system a normal Sky box or a Sky+?

Whichever, if they have doubled the price for running a cable from the dish to the Sky box they are defrauding you. I'm pretty sure that TS will be interested.

If I were in your position I would be writing them a formal letter explaining that if I did not get my £65 back I would be taking action in the small claims court.

Chalking up this kind of fraud to experience is what lets these scumbags believe that they can get away with this sort of practice.

nbrice · 9 February 2011 at 7:56PM

Azari wrote: »

Sorry, can we be completely clear about this.

You have a Sky+ system in your living room that was cabled and working.

Correct

Azari wrote: »

You just wanted a cable run from the existing dish to a bedroom.

Correct

Azari wrote: »

Was this bedroom system a normal Sky box or a Sky+?

A Sky+ box

Azari wrote: »

Whichever, if they have doubled the price for running a cable from the dish to the Sky box they are defrauding you. I'm pretty sure that TS will be interested.

If I were in your position I would be writing them a formal letter explaining that if I did not get my £65 back I would be taking action in the small claims court.

Chalking up this kind of fraud to experience is what lets these scumbags believe that they can get away with this sort of practice.

I'm certainly going to writing a formal letter of complaint to them. I guess it's worth a phone call to trading standards....

They DID NOT say it would be £156 total. I asked the engineer if the cost would be £65+VAT and I remember him saying yes. Now, the trouble I have is that I can't categorically remember exactly what he said. It's possible he might have say something along the lines of "Yes, that's correct. £65+VAT per feed" without making it clear that I would need 2 feeds. He certainly left me with the impression that the bill would only be £65+VAT.

Azari · 9 February 2011 at 8:17PM

nbrice wrote: »

They DID NOT say it would be £156 total. I asked the engineer if the cost would be £65+VAT and I remember him saying yes. Now, the trouble I have is that I can't categorically remember exactly what he said. It's possible he might have say something along the lines of "Yes, that's correct. £65+VAT per feed" without making it clear that I would need 2 feeds. He certainly left me with the impression that the bill would only be £65+VAT.

It would be absurd to charge per feed because the amount of work is almost the same.

I would suggest that you wait a week or so and then get a friend (or your solicitor) to phone and get a quote.

Then you will have evidence of what they are quoting.

AerialForce / TVAerialCompany - BEWARE

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