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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:
Lingotria · 30/03/2017 06:56

150/mth for tv suggests the family is paying for the top of the range Sky bundle for 4K UHD and so might have an extremely expensive TV they now can't use. The TV might be used by an elderly infirm relative or they might need to watch watch cultural/educational programme that you can't get anywhere else. YABU to judge them for watching TV when it's your scaffolding that's causing the problem.

Just to add my sick aunt is bedbound and TV is often her only link to what's going on in the outside world - that is priceless and if I were in your neighbours I would insist on you taking the scaffolding down in that situation. I would also become vindictive and make your daily life a bit more difficult in any annoying but non-threatening way I can think of but that's just me - I can be petty when annoyed

Original poster
WaxyBean · 30/03/2017 07:00

I don't know if her bill is £150pm, another poster quoted a cost of that much. And I don't think I have judged them for watching TV - I don't care what they do in their spare time and do sympathise with the annoyance of it not working - my frustration is more over the expectation that I can magic something up to solve this faster than I am doing.

OP posts:
ThoraGruntwhistle · 30/03/2017 07:03

If it's really only a couple of days she'd be without it until it's moved, she could watch on demand things, stuff off sky+ and dvds. It wouldn't bother me too much not to be able to watch actual TV for that long, it's not hugely inconvenient for a short time. If it's going to be more like weeks then she's right to complain because she's paying for a service she can't use and that's not acceptable.
However, she sounds more like someone who's going to be complain throughout the process just to be unpleasant.

MaisyPops · 30/03/2017 07:08

If I were in your neighbours I would insist on you taking the scaffolding down in that situation. I would also become vindictive and make your daily life a bit more difficult in any annoying but non-threatening way I can think of but that's just me
So thats how people end up on that C5 show.Hmm

You'd seriously demand that somebody didnt do work to their own house (which they are entitled to do! And that next door have already had done! Oh and the neighbour tried to block the qork being done!) because insisting on no scaffolding is basically saying "because i live next door you cant do x y z".
Then go out of your way to be awkward and make their life hell.
Youre right. That is totally vindictive.

Let's all allow nasty vindictive individuals to dictate what we can/cant do in life. Sadly people who continue to behave like thay only keep doing it hecause the rest of the world get fed up dealing with them. Sadly, thats exactly how said nasty vindictive people end up feeling bloody powerful.

SemiNormal · 30/03/2017 07:23

YANBU - Short of taking the scaffolding down and not having the work done there really isn't much you can do to rectify the situation that you've not already done. I agree with a PP about perhaps offering a Netflix subscription and a bottle of wine. It may be worth it in the long run, no one wants to fall out with neighbours if it can be helped.

If I were in your neighbours I would insist on you taking the scaffolding down in that situation. I would also become vindictive and make your daily life a bit more difficult in any annoying but non-threatening way I can think of but that's just me

What a vile person you are.

GlitterGlue · 30/03/2017 07:26

You didn't know it would happen, you have a plan in place to resolve it, and she can still use sky go so can watch tv. I think you've been reasonable.

Flowers and wine as well to apologise? Can't do much more. Taking the scaffolding down is a ridiculous suggestion and wouldn't be much quicker.

ActuallyThatsSUPREMECommander · 30/03/2017 07:40

If they're missing Sky then a Now TV one month gift card would be much more appropriate than NetFlix - only costs a tenner or so. Dependent on your area having adequate broadband of course. If I really wanted to be helpful then I'd lend them my Chromecast, drop round and sort it out for them. This lot - not so much.

When we were in this situation the neighbours rang Sky who moved it for them.

Oh, and to the PP who's paying 150 quid a month - you badly need to ring them and threaten to quit unless they're you a much better offer, because that is way over the odds.

oblada · 30/03/2017 07:50

Just to add my sick aunt is bedbound and TV is often her only link to what's going on in the outside world - that is priceless and if I were in your neighbours I would insist on you taking the scaffolding down in that situation. I would also become vindictive and make your daily life a bit more difficult in any annoying but non-threatening way I can think of but that's just me - I can be petty when annoyed

That is very very petty indeed and God I hope I never have a neighbour like you!!
We are talking about 2 days without TV and realistically I still can't see how the OP is actually legally responsible for the whole thing. So not the same as her going and smashing the dish (responsible) or her building work cutting off electricity/water for neighbour (responsible and essential). Let's keep some perspective on this!

5moreminutes · 30/03/2017 07:51

People saying she should watch less TV/ they once moved house and didn't have TV or internet for two weeks and survived (well obviously) are ignoring the fact it is far more annoying when your home comforts are removed so that somebody else who you don't even get on with, can make their own home nicer, rather than by a natural phenomenon like weather or something you yourself have actively chosen to do.

The fact the op says my preference is to use the engineer who can come in a few days rather than find someone who can come sooner suggests a distain for the inconvenience and annoyance caused to the neighbor which is unreasonable.

However the drip feed shows the neighbor is just as bad or worse, having make no attempt to deal with inconvenience caused to the op in the past. So both neighborly seem to deserve one another.

That must be some project if you are considering moving out for the duration and will have a project manager on site 9-5! That is going to cause your neighbor a whole lot of long term inconvenience by the sounds of it. Did they have the same work done while you lived in your house, or was it done by previous owner's/ before your time?

It's no wonder your neighbor is feeling irritable with that scale of disruption looming, even if it is unreasonable ...

contractor6 · 30/03/2017 07:56

After experiancing ndn issues when building, I would suspect she maybe doesn't have have a problm, especially as its on other side of house, satellite all face south, is your garden south of hers. Her problem as my ndn relative accidentally let slip was that she just didn't want it being built. She never spoke to us again...

Isitjustmeorisiteveryoneelse · 30/03/2017 07:57

So there's no guarantee that your scaffolding is causing the problem? What will you do if Sky engineer turns up and says it's nothing to do with the scaffolding?

Fluffyears · 30/03/2017 08:42

If I were in your neighbours I would insist on you taking the scaffolding down in that situation.

Insist all you like it's on OP's property and pain for by her. You can 'insist' till you are blue in the face but it would get you nowhere.

Andrewofgg · 30/03/2017 09:41

Lingotria Certain building works need scaffolding. Are you seriously seriously saying that sich work should not be allowed if it blocks someone's television for a couple of days? What colour is the sky in your world?

You might consider buying your aunt a radio as an alternative link to the outside.

WatchingFromTheWings · 30/03/2017 10:18

If I were in your neighbours I would insist on you taking the scaffolding down in that situation. I would also become vindictive and make your daily life a bit more difficult in any annoying but non-threatening way I can think of but that's just me

Says a lot about you. Hmm.

Given the history I'd just carry on. Business as usual. If she starts asking for money/compensation I'd remind her of all the damage she caused you plus the sewage and say you'll offset her compo against yours.

Dontactlikeyouknowme · 30/03/2017 10:22

I would be pretty pissed off if I was the neighbour.

Andrewofgg · 30/03/2017 10:44

Oh lord, of course it is off-pissing but for two days it is JTB!

GreyStars · 30/03/2017 12:04

It's two days now :) but from what the OP has said looks more like four days in total.

Might not be fixed until Saturday morning.

The NDN has to live next door to a building site, it is not pleasant the OP is not even going to stay whilst it goes on, so must be a pretty big build.

LagunaBubbles · 30/03/2017 12:05

Buy her a couple of books. She watches to much TV anyway

Says you - who it has absolutely nothing to do with how other grown adults spend their free time? So much anti-TV feeling that I only ever see on MN. Everyone enjoys different things in life.

Justaboy · 30/03/2017 13:03

I'm still curious re the dish relative to the scaffolding location in this, it doesn't quite add up! It would be good to have a picture of it OP, PM me one over if you like?.

To reiterate someone elses posting broadband CAN come in via satellite dish it looks a little different to the usual sky dish but its only used when all else fails, it does work but not quite in the way you'd expect ts very "laggy" you hit the send key an it takes a while for the info you requested to come back bit if there is no other option then it's the only option!

Strifae64 · 30/03/2017 13:42

Right, lets be clear about this - she has no legal right to Sky TV - none whatsoever. She has no legal right to a line of sight across your property.

You can rightly tell her to "jog the fuck on" and take no action to remedy her loss of Sky. She is then responsible for finding another place on her house to put the dish.

She sounds like a piece of work. I would cut all contact and block her, do not put her dish on your scaffold (if it gets damaged it will then be your fault/responsibility).

user1471545174 · 30/03/2017 13:51

YABU, as are those agreeing with you.

And oh, the snobbery on this thread.

Renaissance2017 · 30/03/2017 14:00

Ok, ok! It was me that made the Buy her a couple of books comment!

I wasn't being snobby or judgy.....it was merely light hearted. I shall put neon signs on my humour next time!

oblada · 30/03/2017 14:03

Seriously - to everyone saying the OP is BU - do you actually think you have a legal right to "unfettered" Sky signal?? If so on what basis?? The OP is doing something perfectly legal on her land, the fact that it is affecting someone Sky signal is frankly none of her business (of course being a good neighbour I would try to fix the problem but thats different and the OP has been very accommodating here).

ChardonnayKnickertonSmythe · 30/03/2017 14:05

If you have to put neon signs on a joke then maybe it was't funny to start with.

In the general tone of this thread your comment did fit in, I did think it was serious, sorry Renaissance.

honeyroar · 30/03/2017 14:09

I wouldn't imagine there's any legal right to an uninterrupted sky signal anyway! I think it's an unfortunate incident and you're doing what you can to move the box and getting it working again. We bought a brand new Now TV box that included 6 weeks free subscription for about £20 on eBay. You could offer that as a gesture, but other than that I wouldn't be pandering any further to someone who goes out of their way to be awkward.