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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:
Wando1986 · 30/03/2017 00:02

Chasedbybees, you dont get the sky wifi signal down the satellite dish... you get it through the phone line. What a weird thing to say Hmm

Wando1986 · 30/03/2017 00:04

Tell her to get SkyGo up on her computer OP. Same channels and services apart from the BBC. She can watch anything she wants online through any terrestrial catch-up and live streams too. The moaning git.

Ellypoo · 30/03/2017 00:14

I can only get tv through sky so I'd be really annoyed if my tv was effectively turned off for 2 days waits no warning.

SheSaidHeSaid · 30/03/2017 00:23

I can also only get tv through sky so would be miffed, especially of it meant programs scheduled to record don't record.

I think you should be a bit more sympathetic and offer some form of compensation for the inconvenience.

ChristmasSeacow · 30/03/2017 00:29

I have been in exactly this situation (the neighbour with no Sky signal). We didn't realise it was because of the scaffolding because it went up while we were away on holiday so we didn't correlate our signal problem exactly with the appearance of the scaffolding iyswim.

We ended up paying sky to investigate. Took days to get to the bottom with no telly signal and I missed 2 episodes of Mad Men It then cost us £50 to get the dish moved. scaffold neighbour said he would pay us back but never did Hmm

They had also put scaffolding up on the flat roof of our garage without asking us. I made them remove it but I was not impressed. Roof started leaking shortly afterwards and we had to get the whole thing replaced. I still think their wandering around on my roof had something to do with that!

So anyway, I think they were rather unreasonable! But if you are moving their dish at your own cost that is as reasonable as you can be. Being without a signal for several days is annoying though so a gesture of a bottle of nice wine or whatever would probably be appreciated.

Justaboy · 30/03/2017 00:43

You wouldn't believe just how much the populace is addicted to their telly.

If it's that bad and she has a computer you can at least get the BBC programs online!

But something doesn't quite add up here it doesn't take that much to disrupt a satellite dish feed, and you say her dish is on the other side of the house?. To affect it it would have to be in line i.e. towards the front of the dish and a bit above it, sky signals come in not quite where the dish points they are coming from a slightly higher elevation.

Can you post a photo or two can soon clear this up?.

BillyButtfuck · 30/03/2017 00:46

Buy them a Netflix gift voucher and leave them to whinge

SuperBeagle · 30/03/2017 01:13

Well she's paying for something she can't use because of something you've done, so she's being reasonable in her pissed offness.

namechange20050 · 30/03/2017 01:20

Buy her a now tv box to tide her over. Its basically sky through a digi box. £20 in Asda, Tesco etc

KoalaDownUnder · 30/03/2017 01:20

You wouldn't believe just how much the populace is addicted to their telly.

No kidding. It's two flipping days!

I can't imagine what kind of person makes a fuss about this. At most, she could expect compensation for whatever she pays for 2 days of Sky.

Anything else is just petty.

llangennith · 30/03/2017 01:20

Why didn't she phone Sky and tell them the problem? Your scaffolding may be temporary but you may be building a permanent structure???
It's up to your ndn and Sky to sort it.

GreyStars · 30/03/2017 01:36

lots of people only get their TV through sky, we certainly do no TV aerial.

In addition to NowTv you could also offer to purchase her an aerial for about £20 from Maplin at least then she could get freeview, gathering around a laptop screen for four days is not quite the same.

So many judgy people on this thread, about TV watching who knows why it's important to her the OP, is causing an interruption to her entertainment so the OP should be more sympathetic, having to live next door to six weeks of building work is hardly fun, add in not being able to watch or record your favourite show, thinking it might not actually be moved (if you don't get on you might not quite believe it) and I think most people would be a bit miffed.

But I think you have been mostly reasonable :)

CouldntMakeThisShitUp · 30/03/2017 02:09

To be clear the scaffolding is not directly in front of her dish (her dish is the other side of her property to ours)

i think she's having you on!

i'd go round and check the signal for myself before going to the expense of moving stuff Grin

HappenedForAReisling · 30/03/2017 03:29

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

My MiL gets her internet through her satellite dish, not her phone line, so it's entirely possible.

LouisevilleLlama · 30/03/2017 03:43

Just an FYI some people watch television, some don't read books, reading books doesn't make you better, and some people have nothing else to do, both my parents are disabled can't get out the house without help, I suffer from anxiety and hardly manage to leave the house so yes TV is watched a lot if we didnt have TV for a 2-3 days I imagine my parents would be really bored and there's only a certain amount of times you would be able to play board games etc.

KoalaDownUnder · 30/03/2017 03:58

That's fine, Louise, but it doesn't make tv the equivalent of hot running water or sewerage. I don't think it's a human right to not be 'really bored' for a couple of days.

LouisevilleLlama · 30/03/2017 04:11

I didn't say it was a right?

And obviously I don't know her NDN but from my perspective I think it would be quite sad my parents just sitting there trapped in the house hardly even speaking( they'd get divorced if they could) with little to nothing to do for entertainment for 3 days. Essentially being trapped in little more than a small room or two with no entertainment watching the clock go round. I'm sure not many would find that environment very hospitable My point was just because some discount TV it is important to others lives and to discount that and judge people for it is unfair.

Original poster
WaxyBean · 30/03/2017 04:55

Thanks all for views - an interesting variety of opinions. I'm quite comfortable with what we have offered for now in light of previous relationship (to drip feed when her raw sewage flooded our garden there was no offer to clean it or compensate us for it being out of action for some days) and her rudeness today to both me and our nanny. If she wants compensation for the 2 days without tv then I will give her a cheque to cover 2 days of her monthly bill (and seriously £150 for a month of tv?!?!).

We are minded now to move out for the period of the works and leave further issues in the hands of the project manager - who will be on site 9-5, Mon to Fri. Given history we suspect that this will be the first of many demands.

OP posts:
AGirlCalledJohnny · 30/03/2017 05:33

Regardless of whether you leave or not, forward any issues to the project manager from now on and block her number from your phones. She sounds really tricky. Any reasonable person would've accepted you've done your best in this situation

MongerTruffle · 30/03/2017 05:56

ThursdayLastWeek
Freeview doesn't come through satellite, it's a terrestrial service. You probably mean Freesat.

Mummyoflittledragon · 30/03/2017 05:58

Ignore ignore ignore.

Her sewage and damage, which caused your leak, not her problem.

Her sky reception, not your problem.

She's jealous you're having the work done. My ndn was exactly the same. She had a large 2 storey extension years before we moved in, which looms close to our property. Our house is set back further than theirs and we then erected a one storey extension, which protruded less than a meter more than her 2 storey extension and she was vile. Legally we could had extended almost another meter. And I wish we had now but we didn't as we wanted good neighbourly relations. Poor woman died last year. She had mental health issues and blamed depression on us. Yes, it understand it is distressing living next to a building site and I would hate it. But if done professionally, it's only for a finite period.

Ifailed · 30/03/2017 06:05

My MiL gets her internet through her satellite dish, not her phone line, so it's entirely possible

True, it's an option for places with poor or non-existent broadband via the phone line. Usually a lot slower and can be affected by the weather.

MaisyPops · 30/03/2017 06:30

then I will give her a cheque to cover 2 days of her monthly bill (and seriously £150 for a month of tv?!?!).

That is an insane amount for TV. My sky costs less than £50 a month and that included phone and internet.

Personally, id go round when the sky man is there and hear from him its not working.
Theres every chance given her history of being unreasonable shes just going to keep looking for problema because she thinks she can bully some compensation out of you.

She sounds likr a nasty piece of work.

Itwillbefine · 30/03/2017 06:36

Sounds like you've done all you can to alleviate the situation OP, it's not like you've said she'll have to put up with it for the duration of your building work.

Fletchasaurus · 30/03/2017 06:55

Not offering to sort it out, you would have been unfair, 2 days without TV, she is being unreasonable! We had no sky for 2 weeks when we moved, including internet and we survived. You have been very pleasant and tried to help, you don't owe her anymore than that.