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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Our scaffolding blocking neighbours sky dish

195 replies

WaxyBean · 29/03/2017 19:15

We had scaffolding put up in front of our house today ahead of building works starting Friday and likely lasting 6-8 weeks.

Unfortunately this has blocked the neighbours sky signal - not something we had anticipated happening. I became aware of this late this afternoon after the neighbour insisted that our nanny call me at work to sort this.

Since then I have have had the scaffolders back out to see if anything can be moved to improve the signal - it can't. And I have arranged for her dish to be moved onto our scaffolding for the duration of the works - this will be done late Friday/early Saturday as this is the earliest the recommended engineer can be available.

Neighbour says this is unacceptable and her sky needs to be back by tomorrow. Whilst I sympathise I feel have done everything I can to solve this. Her lack of sky is not my biggest priority and I have spent a considerable amount of time today trying to solve this.

So MNers - who is being unreasonable here?

OP posts:
SuperSheepdog · 29/03/2017 20:20

Yabu. However if you can't get the dish moved quicker then give her some wine/cash or something to compensate

chipsandpeas · 29/03/2017 20:22

buy her a Radio Times so she can see what's on the normal tv

maybe like me she only gets her tv thru sky

KathArtic · 29/03/2017 20:23

Alternatively, invite her around to yours and she can sit in your living room with you until bedtime Grin

sticklebrix · 29/03/2017 20:24

You should reimburse her for the days that she can't watch TV. But I don't understand why 2 days without TV is angering her so much if you are doing everything you can to get it restored. YANBU.

kali110 · 29/03/2017 20:25

Yes op i'd get someone else out asap and pay.
I would be livid.
We don't get out much either Grin

kali110 · 29/03/2017 20:26

sticklebrix it would anger me being without tv/possibly internet through no fault of my own.

scottishdiem · 29/03/2017 20:33

It is (inadvertently) your problem OP. Offer to pay for the missed TV and offer to pay if they want their own engineer to come out.

When I had Sky I needed the dish as there was no external aerial for Freeview so I have a high degree of sympathy for the neighbour. That said, if they have been very arsy about things then I can understand the reticence to bend over backwards to fix it.

doublesnap · 29/03/2017 20:33

YABU. As for others saying that two days without TV is not that bad, well you don't know her circumstances. If she's single and lonely then the TV may well be her company. My house is horribly quiet without it when I am at home alone.

MaisyPops · 29/03/2017 20:35

kali110
So a neighbour has work done and it turns out its affecting you. Your neighbour offers to sort it out and you think its fine to be angry because (having you turned down goodwill offers) the neighbour isnt making her entire building work revolve around you?

Or would you be reasonable and accept for 2 days its annoying but thankfully the neighbour has already offered to get the dish moved during the work for you?

remember the neighbour has already been an arse when the OP has been reasonable on other occasions.

MaisyPops · 29/03/2017 20:36

My house is horribly quiet without it when I am at home alone
Same. But when we had a sky problem I put music on/radio on and did something else for 3-4 days til the man came round.
Was it annoying? Yes. Was it worth gettinf angry about? No.

BaggyCheeks · 29/03/2017 20:47

YANBU, you've already arranged for her dish to be relocated at your own cost. You didn't anticipate inconveniencing her and you've taken steps to remedy that as fast as she can.

BaggyCheeks · 29/03/2017 20:48

There's no "Possibly internet" about it Kali. Internet comes through the phone line.

EweAreHere · 29/03/2017 20:49

Having read your update about her refusing to acknowledge/pay for damages her contractors caused to your home, leaving you out of pocket, as well as her difficulties in agreeing to the work on your home (the same work she's had everyone else endure to he home!), I wouldn't do anything else.

You've apologized. You've arranged for the dish to be moved by a reputable person at his earlier convenience, so too bad. The scaffolding is entirely on your property and you have permission to have it there and go ahead with your home alterations. Her own pissy behaviour in the past means I wouldn't go above and beyond this, and I would tell her so when she shows up to complain again.

ThursdayLastWeek · 29/03/2017 20:56

I think you've been as accommodating as you can OP. It's a pain for her, but you haven't shrugged your shoulders and told her to eff off have you?

I live in a village where tv (even freeview) has to come from a satellite so it would inconvenience me, but I think the offer of a Netflix month (you can get gift cards) would definitely be enough to soothe me.

firawla · 29/03/2017 20:56

Our scaffolding affected our neighbours sky too. Luckily our builders were able to move the dish as a priority, I think they did it same day as neighbour let us know early in the morning. Meanwhile, neighbour watched a DVD instead while he was waiting for the sky tv to come back he said! If yours has given you loads of hassle in the past then I'd say what goes around comes around and they'll have to just wait. I wouldn't want to get into paying for their lost days of sky or compensation - that's a bit much

IhatchedaSnorlax · 29/03/2017 21:02

I think you're being very unreasonable & sound inconsiderate in your attitude towards her.

SisterMoonshine · 29/03/2017 21:08

What if it's her equivalent of Walking Dead season finale though? She can't even record it in the planner with no reception.

oblada · 29/03/2017 21:24

You're not being unreasonable in the slightest, you are being very accommodating and doing the best you can to sort out the problem. Legally speaking I can't see how it would be your responsibility realistically, you are allowed to have those scaffolds up its just tough luck that it's affecting her signal... Can't understand the logic of people saying that you HAVE to sort it out..but maybe I'm missing something here. A couple of days without TV may be shit for some people but well things happen. Her sky dish could break and take a week to be sorted. Her TV could break. It's life isn't it.

HiDBandSIL · 29/03/2017 21:43

YANBU - you don't owe her anything. I think what you're doing is fine.

Pissedoffhousewife · 29/03/2017 22:46

My husband is in construction and he said that it is your builder's responsibility to get this sorted assuming that they have arranged the scaffolding as part of their price. He had this happen once and called a local aerial firm who came out that day and moved the aerial onto the scaffold. He said if the neighbour wants the aerial moved more quickly and can find someone then it should be your builder who reimburses your neighbour. I hope this helps.

nightswimming1 · 29/03/2017 22:52

Given her previous attitude to you OP, if someone is coming out monday, i'd say you've done all you reasonably can. Be polite and apologetic and if you really want to be nice, maybe get her a bottle of wine and a deck of cards Grin

Pissedoffhousewife · 29/03/2017 22:55

Meant to add that I agree with PP, YANBU especially given her previous behaviour towards you!

scaryteacher · 29/03/2017 22:56

hate £150 per month for Sky? Glad we have Freesat.

cookiefiend · 29/03/2017 22:58

YANBU how could you know it would affect the sky dish on the other side of her house? In the reverse situation it sounds like she would have done less to accommodate you. You are having it fixed asap and it's not like she can't survive without sky for two days.

To the people saying you would be livid- would you not cut your neighbour a little slack if they were fixing the matter. It's not like she has cut off the water or electricity.

In the interest of being neighbourly I would give her a DVD box set or Netflix gift card (depending on how good she is with technology). I wouldn't worry too much more about it.

Collaborate · 29/03/2017 23:59

In law you are causing nuisance to your neighbour

Utter bollocks. Fuckwittery of the highest order.

You have no responsibility for their TV reception. You are entitled to put up scaffolding or grow a tree in your garden. Just by pointing a poxy fucking dish over your garden does not give her the god given right to insist that you do not occupy that line of sight.