Sky + (or is it Sky -)?
Dear Sirs:
On Sunday 12th January 2003, I had a SKY + Digital recorder/receiver installed in my house by a Sky engineer and my existing Sky Digital receiver relocated to another room in the house. (this was part of a promotion by Sky for us to pay more services).
When the engineer installed the new receiver at first it wouldn't work, he blamed it on the cold weather (which I thought was weird) and said that it needed to warm up.
Just over a week later, I noticed that the satellite receiver stopped picking up the satellite channels but continued to play recorded programmes on its hard drive.
The next morning when I went to switch on the system I found the entire unit to be dead.
I phoned up Sky television to inform them that my brand new box was not working, hoping to be given an immediate date of when a engineer could come and either fix or replace it.
When calling Sky on Tuesday 28th January 2003, they announced that Sky's engineers do not deal with fixing or replacing SKY + boxes as PACE (the sole producer of SKY + boxes) insist that Sky uses a company called NESN who then distribute jobs to a local engineer repair company.
So they said that they will immediately e-mail this third party company with my details, and told me that they would call on Friday 31st January 2003 (my call being on Tuesday 28th January 2003) I presumed that they actually meant that they would physically call (as in call around) on Friday 31st January not the fact that they meant that they would call me (on the phone) to discuss the problem which I have already explained in detail already to Sky.
Friday 31st January came and nobody turned up, (I had taken time off work) so I called Sky back and asked them if the engineer was going to turn up, and Sky were not sure, they asked me whether NESN had phoned me regarding a visit and I said that they hadn't, they then explained that NESN should be contacting me on Friday 31st January.
I telephoned Sky once again on Friday 31st January (waiting on hold for ages) to inform them that this company didn't call me, the staff at Sky said that they would e-mail NESN about the lack of contact.
I called Sky again on numerous times in the next few days following the lack of the call from NESN.
I phoned Sky yet again, and a Sky Customer Service agent gave me the phone number of NESN, so I called them direct on Tuesday 4th February 2003, they took my details and said that an Engineer would call me, but no such call, so I phoned Sky again (everytime as per usual on hold for ages!) to tell them that they didn't return my call.
Thursday 6th February 2003, I called Sky again, to chase this up, they said that they will once again e-mail NESN with my details, still nothing! Monday 10th February, I called Sky again, informing them that I have still not heard anything from NESN, they said that they would e-mail NESN yet again.
I have telephoned Sky on numerous occasions regarding this problem, and everytime, I have to explain the whole story, then to be left on hold each time while the agent has to read all the notes, and each time they said that they would e-mail NESN, but still nothing!
I am at the end of my patience, NESN have never had the courtesy to call me and explain what the hold up is, some of Sky's customer service agents read out an internal e-mail from NESN stating they were having problems but still nothing to us fully paying subscribers!
On Saturday 22nd February when calling for the hundredth time (and 4th time that day alone) stating that I am going to contact Barclaycard (for whom I paid for the box with) to dispute the transaction as I have paid for something that clearly doesn't work, the Sky agent arranged for one of their engineers to come on Monday 24th February (yet another day off work!) to check my cables and LNB (which was obviously to try and sweeten me up) but said that the Sky engineer will not be able to look at the Sky + box.
Monday 24th February the Sky engineer came, did as was mentioned but still was unable to fix my main problem (a SKY + box that doesn't work).
My next step will be to stop subscribing my lbs68 per month subscription to Sky, after having Sky since 1989! When it was only a 4 channel service!
I feel that I have been treated appallingly, considering I subscribe to the top package, and have done for so many years!
I am sure that other people have also had similar problems.
Gary Davis.
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Dear Gary,
Cold/wet weather can indeed affect equipment. If the equipment has been sitting in a cold place (warehouse, van) for some hours and is then taken into a warm house, condensation immediately begins to form on the cold parts inside. A qualified engineer realises this and will leave the equipment standing in the room for three hours before taking it out of its polythene bag and connecting power to it. This action gives it time to warm up.
Such action is impossible for the unfortunate Sky man who has a fixed time to complete each job. The best he can do is put each box in the van foot well but most don't even know this is necessary.
I've contacted Pace to see if they can help.
Martin
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Martin:
Thank you so very much for your SPEEDY and extremely helpful reply!!
If my Sky + box was seen to as fast as you have had the courtesy to answer then I would have not had any problems!
Once again I do thank you so very much for your help and for passing on my complaint to Pace.
Regards
Gary Davis.
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Gary,
Frankly, I don't find Pace as helpful as they used to be when they were handling repairs themselves. I suspect the answer will be "complain to Sky". In this respect, you might like to start with the Chief Executive. :-)
<mailto: "Tony Ball" Tony.Ball(at)bskyb.com>
If/when your Digibox is replaced, you will have to call Sky to reauthorise your viewing card to work with the new box. You are probably entitled to a credit for the days you were without a working system.
Martin
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Martin:
Once again thank you for yet another speedy reply and for more helpful information!
Its hard to believe that there is still someone out there who is not only keen to help, but doesnt want you to hold for hours or give you so many button options that you cant remember why you are contacting them in the first place!
I have since sent a slightly different version of my original e-mail to Sky themselves but I will CC it to Tony Ball as well!
Of course I will inform you of the latest, Im sure that there are plenty of others in the same boat, and so if I find out anything else about NESN or Sky I will let u know!
Cheers
Gary.
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Martin:
As promised I will keep you up to date with anything!
Firstly Trading Standards have sent a generic e-mail to me stating that they are now looking into the situation.
Secondly, I had a reply from Pace this morning, I was going to forward their message to you, but there is a warning at the bottom saying that you must get their permission first!
So instead I will tell you basically what they say...
Like you said I didnt get much help from them! they said that I would need to complain to Sky, but they agree that the situation is out of order, and that they cannot do anything for me!
And somewhere along the line someone is shying away from the truth.... Sky told me that Pace insists that Sky use NESN for SKY + repairs, yet Pace told me that Sky chose NESN and not Pace!!
This sounds like a great war of words between them all, they all seem to have very little respect amongst themselves!
Once again I will keep u updated!
Cheers
Gary Davis.
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25/2/03
Martin:
After e-mailing you yesterday (Monday 24th February 2003), I was notified by AAV Electronics on 01992 466007 that they would be sending (finally) an engineer to sort out my Sky + receiver/recorder on Tuesday 25th February 2003.
After that NESN (the middleman between SKY TV and AAV Electronics) called me to arrange an engineer, I informed them that I had been informed that AAV were sending an engineer the next day.
This then caused me to once again check with AAV Electronics, when I called back at first they were not sure that I had an engineer coming, then they said that it was actually Wednesday 26th! I then stated that I was told by someone in their company that it was the next day, so the woman (named Nancy) said that she would update the information and confirmed to me that it WILL be Tuesday 25th February.
Tuesday 25th February (taking my 2nd day off work in a row for this situation), and I got up at 07.00 to be ready for the engineer for 08.00.
At 09.00 I decided to call AAV Electronics to ask if they could possibly tell me roughly when the engineer may come, they said that he would call me in the next 30 minutes ^ no call!
At 11.05 I decided to call AAV Electronics again, once again told that the engineer will call me ^ no call!
I waited in all day long, phoning Sky, AAV and NESN regarding the engineer call, Sky told me that engineers work until 18.00 so it could be up to then.
At 17.15 I was still waiting and now getting worried, thinking that I could have actually gone to work after all, and decided to phone AAV Electronics once again.
This was the 6th call to them, the first 5 calls I was promised that the engineer will be definitely coming! However on the 6th call, the assistant placed me on hold (yet again as always with all 3 companies) and then came back to me and said that she was sorry and hope that I will not get angry, but she should have called me to say that they have had to cancel the engineer's visit.
I was fuming and demanded to speak to the manager, I was extremely angry and she offered the chance for an engineer to come the next day (which would mean a third day off work in a row! ^ I cannot afford to take all this time off work!). or Saturday, so for now I said Saturday.
I then spent over an hour and 30 minutes calling Sky stating how disgusted I am about the way I am being treated, they kept me on hold for 30 minutes while trying to locate a manager to speak to me, I gave up and called back immediately and said that I don't want to stay on hold all night, I had to call repeatedly, as each time I was placed on hold for unreasonable lengths of time.
At 18.45 I decided to call Sky to terminate my subscription (obviously being a loyal Sky viewer since 1989 doesn't count), I was placed yet again on hold while the operator tried to get someone to talk to me, I was then informed that some department had added on their screen that they had tried to call me back but my phone was engaged, that's because I was on the phone to them!
So I gave the ultimatum, I stated that I would keep my phone line clear for 30 minutes for this department to call me, and if I don't hear anything by 19.15 I will terminate the subscription.
At 19.13!! Sky phoned me, I had to explain the whole story (for about the thousandth time) and was told by the manager there how he sympathised with me and stated that he would arrange for one of Sky's own engineers to simply come round and install a new box, something I had been asking Sky to do since 28th January!!!
He said that we would discuss compensation etc, but then found that he couldn't do something on his computer, so he said that he would have to call me back!
He said it may be around and hour, well I have waited 1 hr 30 mins and still no call!
I am really now at the end of my patience with this whole situation, I have taken days off work, called all 3 companies numerous times in peak hours being left on continuous hold, sent numerous e-mails everywhere and now feeling extremely stressed out!!
As of 20.45 on Tuesday 25th February 2003 I am still none the wiser on what is going on!
The companies are:
Sky Television 08702 40 40 40
NESN 01782 65 55 00
AAV Electronics 01992 46 60 07
Thanks
Gary Davis.
March 29, 2003 Sky+ (in warranty) service calls will now be handled by Sky in Home service rather than NESN.
Sky service personnel were informed of this change today.
