Hi there,
I just wanted to make fellow forum folk aware of a couple of issues I have had with the sub-contractors hired by Sky Television to complete installation and/or repair work on their systems.
The first issue I had was with my Sky Plus 250 box. My first box stopped working six months after I received it. This was replaced without any problem, by a contractor. Just a few months later, the second box proved faulty. I called Sky and once again they sent a sub-contractor around to fix it. The sub-contractor informed me that my box was broken and he'd fit a replacement, which he duly did and showed me it was working with the remote control. It was only a few days after he'd gone and we'd opened the video cabinet doors, we noted that he had installed a 80Gb Sky Plus box, instead of the 250Gb one. To be fair to Sky, when we notified them, they came out and replaced the box, but the installer who came that day said that less scrupulous people were routinely replacing the "broken" 250Gb with 80Gb boxes, and allegedly selling them on once working.
The second issue I had arose when we had multi-room fitted. We were told that the fitting, if standard, would be included in the cost. I explained how I wanted my multi-room subscription set up in my home and was told that I should not incur any additional costs. However when the contractor appeared he informed me that he'd have to use "extra cabling" to reach the room I wanted, which would be an additional £10. I was a little annoyed, but £10 seemed fair enough, however when he went to put the cable up, he informed me that "The old cable was looking a bit worse for wear so I replaced that too." and then informed me the total cost for cable would be £30!
After he'd completed the installation, he handed me the electronic gadget to sign to state he'd completed the work satisfactorily. As I read the screen it stated clearly "Additional Costs, cabling etc. £0" and the amount paid to the contractor had £0 showing. I queried this, asking why it wasn't shown and was told "Oh it doesn't matter, just sign it and I'll put it in, in the van later." I refused and said I'd only sign if it was on there. At which he humphed and complained about the extra time it would take to program the costs and could I not just sign it anyway to save time. Again I refused, at which point he said "Oh forget it, have the ****ing cable for free then. Just sign it" which I did, and he stormed off.
Is it just me or did he see his beer money for the evening disappearing?
I just wanted to give people a heads up on this as I know Sky is getting more and more popular, and as with all new technology, some people will pay first and then think later or not think to check the equipment they have is the one they ordered, and the less scrupulous contractors know this.
Ian
I just wanted to make fellow forum folk aware of a couple of issues I have had with the sub-contractors hired by Sky Television to complete installation and/or repair work on their systems.
The first issue I had was with my Sky Plus 250 box. My first box stopped working six months after I received it. This was replaced without any problem, by a contractor. Just a few months later, the second box proved faulty. I called Sky and once again they sent a sub-contractor around to fix it. The sub-contractor informed me that my box was broken and he'd fit a replacement, which he duly did and showed me it was working with the remote control. It was only a few days after he'd gone and we'd opened the video cabinet doors, we noted that he had installed a 80Gb Sky Plus box, instead of the 250Gb one. To be fair to Sky, when we notified them, they came out and replaced the box, but the installer who came that day said that less scrupulous people were routinely replacing the "broken" 250Gb with 80Gb boxes, and allegedly selling them on once working.
The second issue I had arose when we had multi-room fitted. We were told that the fitting, if standard, would be included in the cost. I explained how I wanted my multi-room subscription set up in my home and was told that I should not incur any additional costs. However when the contractor appeared he informed me that he'd have to use "extra cabling" to reach the room I wanted, which would be an additional £10. I was a little annoyed, but £10 seemed fair enough, however when he went to put the cable up, he informed me that "The old cable was looking a bit worse for wear so I replaced that too." and then informed me the total cost for cable would be £30!
After he'd completed the installation, he handed me the electronic gadget to sign to state he'd completed the work satisfactorily. As I read the screen it stated clearly "Additional Costs, cabling etc. £0" and the amount paid to the contractor had £0 showing. I queried this, asking why it wasn't shown and was told "Oh it doesn't matter, just sign it and I'll put it in, in the van later." I refused and said I'd only sign if it was on there. At which he humphed and complained about the extra time it would take to program the costs and could I not just sign it anyway to save time. Again I refused, at which point he said "Oh forget it, have the ****ing cable for free then. Just sign it" which I did, and he stormed off.
Is it just me or did he see his beer money for the evening disappearing?
I just wanted to give people a heads up on this as I know Sky is getting more and more popular, and as with all new technology, some people will pay first and then think later or not think to check the equipment they have is the one they ordered, and the less scrupulous contractors know this.
Ian
