SKY+ MULTIROOM...Removal of phone line URGENT HELP PLEASE, PANIC!

[interflora]

I got sky+ installed couple of weeks ago and removed cable to prevent games mad kid connecting and me having to pay 60p for each and every game!

As kids tend to hop from one game to another, I have to imagine how much our bill would be at the end of 3 months or so??

I have removed the cable that connects the sky+ box to the phoneline, but my friend dropped the bombshell earlier today.

My friend said that by removing the cable, I am breaching the terms and conditions of sky, as it states that the cable MUST be connected to phone line at all times for the first 12 months - and that I will be fined £25 for each month that cable is not connected?

I have had the 'ordinary' sky tv for many years, and also disconnected phone line off that due to same reason, apparently sky+ rules differ?

I am baffled as to why it needs to be connected for 12 months only, cos it works fine without the feckin' cable.

So worried - would be grateful for any help, thanks with fingres crossed.

[itwasntme30]

do you still use the phone line?

[K999]

I have sky+ and have never heard of this tbh! Give them a call in the morning and see what they say...

[stripeymama]

Look here

Blardy ridiculous if its true.

[knockedgymnast]

Are you sure she's not winding you up? It makes no odds whether the line is connected or not imo. I doubt whether they'll fine you £25 per month. How will they be able to prove that you've had it disconnected?

I wouldn't worry, honestly

[JulesJules]

I have sky+ and I have never heard of this either, does not seem likely that they could charge you for a phone line being unplugged -at least not without really spelling that out when you sign up. Agree, give them a ring. When you finally get through (!) they are usually helpful, I've found. Is there not some sort of parental lock you could put on the phoneline games? You could also ask them that when you ring. Good luck

[Libra1975]

I have Sky+ and it is true it's in the terms and conditions about being connected. HOWEVER for ours to be connected would mean trailing the phone cable thru the living room, not very practical, so the only time we connect is when we are ordering a film using the box office. Have not yet been fined £25 per month.

[SparklyGothKat]

i have sky+ and multiroom. A few months into my contract I recieved a letter saying my line wasn't connected and I faced an extra charge if I didn't connect it. I checked my lines and they were still plugged in. I asked for someone to come and check them, he came, checked them and then went. 2 months passed and suddenly I noticed that £90 was taken from my account. I phone up and they said that because the phone line wasn't connected they were charging me for breach of contract. My dad came and looked at my lines and the stupid bloke had put a staple through the wire so it wasn't working. I managed to get my money back but yes they do do that!

[pedilia]

when I asked the sky engineer about this a couple of months ago, he said sky only want your phonr line connected so they can ge more money out of you (games/movies etc)

I have had sky+ for a long time and have never had it plugged in for exactly the same reasons as you

[LazyLinePainterJane]

Ours is never connected unless a fix-itter comes out as there is no way to connect it logically in our room. When they come out they use one of their extension cables to connect and then unconnect it again and they have never mentioned anything about needing it connected at all times.

We also used to have multi-room and didn't have it connected then either.

You will need it for certain things, box updates and film orders, but you can do that as necessary. When our upstairs box gets turned on, we get that message that tells you about needing the phone line connected for full box options but that's it.

I wouldn't worry.

[stripeymama]

According to this its so they can check over the phone line at any time that the box is in your house (ie you haven't lent it to a neighbour)

[stoppinattwo]

ok so it fell out of the back or the box and you didnt notice

[cmotdibbler]

We can't plug ours in as there isn't a phone point in the sitting room and it would mean trailing a cable across the hall round the room etc. The fitter said it was up to us, and we just plug it in occasionally to let the software update.

Can't you just pin lock the games though ?

[Walkthedinosaur]

Tell them you have your phone line supplied by Virgin, they can't run the tests down that.

I have Sky Plus and I'm in France, the telephone plug doesn't even fit in the back of the box. However the people at Sky do think I live in Essex, and we do have cable in Essex so they can never check the box via the telephone line. We just paid an extra £25.00 to them so they could align the card with the box via the satellite dish. All the updates etc come down the satellite.

[snookie28]

we got sky+ and moved our old box upstairs as the sky+ installation was free with multiroom. We then turned the old box off as we didn't need it. Without warning sky started charging us £70 per month - double the monthly charge (so full charge per box) instead of one charge plus £10.

When i phoned they were v unsympathetic and said that we had signed up to the contract so tough. they said it was to stop people giving their old equipment to other people. We cancelled at the end of the first year. You may find that you got cheap or subsidised installation and as the sky+ contract is counted as a new contract then you will have to abide

I would def plug in the box if i was you.

[interflora]

hi all,

thanks so much for your helpful replies, I feel so much better as it seems nobody gets charged or fined or whatever its called without prior notice at least!

Any probs. will tell them kids are known to take cables out.........well all kids are known to be drawn to all cables aren't they...who's kids have never, ever got to the phone when they'd only turned their backs for split second??

thanks 4 all messages, greatly appreciated

[elesbells]

They do charge - as others have said.

Why don't you just set up/change your pin number?

[strawberrycornetto]

I got charged too, but they took quite a few letters before they did it. I ignored the letters

[interflora]

omg WHY do they insist on cable connection to phoneline though? there must be something in it for them........its crazy.

If they simply want to check that you've not lent or given away or sold the box etc. then they could just as easily insist that you must order something through sky interactive or sky box office, say once a month etc.

There must be much more to it than meets the eye.....I don't want to phone them cos i'd be putting words into their mouth really, wouldn't I?

Yikes!

Does anyone know how to set up the parental control thingy to prevent kids from accessing any pay to play games - must be 100% guaranteed though as can't take the risks...my phone bill is already around £300 a quarter.

Thanks for everyone for replying.

[Judy1234]

They want it connected so they can check up on you. It's the spy in your living room. We keep ours plugged in.

I have 3 boys who use Sky + HD and they just don't abuse it. Is it not more a question of just talking to your children and explaining what they can and cannot do rather than physically preventing them?

[blueskythinker]

£300 a quarter !!

Thud

Where are you ringing?

[Linnet]

Last month when we came home form holiday our sky wasn't working. I called the helpline to arrange for someone to come out but before they did that the lady on the phone did some tests. I told her before she did the tests that the phone line wasn't plugged into our box because when we plug it in it cuts off our landline. the lady said it didn't matter.

When the guy came to fix our sky, needed new box and bit on the dish I told him as well and he said it didn't matter you only need it to be connected if you are ordering movies.

So far there have been no fines or extra charges because the phone line has been disconnected.

As for them checking to see if you've given your box away I don't think that's true. Our first box died and I phoned up to see about getting sky+(but it turned out it was going to be too expensive), the guy on the phone ,yes an actual sky employee, told me to buy a new box from ebay as loads of people sell them on there after upgrading to sky+ and that it would be cheaper to do that than to buy a new sky box from them.

[interflora]

i'm on the phone all the time, and also the broadband swallows up over £90 of the bill doesn't it, then rental and calling features etc etc etc its never ending really, not complaining though, would be lost without it.

[elesbells]

Interflora - press the services button on your remote, then choose option 3 its the parental control feature where you can set up your pin

hth

[JulesJules]

£300 a quarter!!! I pay £5 per month for the phone, and £5 per month for mid-use broadband (low use would be free) from...SKY!!

[2beornot2be]

Cant you plug it in and parent lock Games and movies so your Kids can't use it?