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Original poster

Humour me - getting Sky next week, what do I need to know.

40 replies

MrsSpoon · 30/11/2006 23:08

Supposed to be getting Sky next week (we'll see, in our last house they said we couldn't have it because the place where the dish would need to go was far to dangerous for a Sky man to venture).

Is there anything I need to know? Do they make a mess, holes in the wall, what about a phone cable? We don't have one near the TV, do they need one?

Ordered on-line so not got a clue except they are coming next week.

OP posts:
VeniVidiVickiQV · 30/11/2006 23:12

Yes - get Telewest Digital instead - its miles better and cheaper too

Original poster
MrsSpoon · 30/11/2006 23:13

LOL, we can't get cable here.

OP posts:
JanH · 30/11/2006 23:53

The dish has to face south; the nearer your telly is to where the dish is the shorter the cable has to be. Our dish is at the back and main TV at the front, so cable has to run (loosely) over the roof, down the front and in through a hole in the wall) (They charge 50p per metre over 15 metres for the cable, ours was an extra £7.50)

Yes they do make a bit of a mess but should clean it up. Watch them if it's raining though, mine didn't wipe their feet!

Yes the box does have to be connected to a phone socket so again you will have yards of cable if there isn't one near, and they won't go through an internal wall with that, it has to trail round skirting boards and door frames.

They all seem to be sub-contractors so standards are variable - keep an eye on them when they're there. Our Sky was installed years ago by a couple of right cowboys; yesterday we had sky+ installed, these fitters were much better but still made a weird job of the telephone wire (if you have time, see if you can get a local ex-BT engineer or someone to put you in a phone socket near the TV before the sky blokes come, it'll be a much better job)

HTH

CantWaitForTheSnow · 30/11/2006 23:58

Supervise them whilst they trail the telephone wire around the room - they'll put it in the most ridiculous places just to make life easier for them.

Beware of faulty Sky packages. Ours only comes with sport, sport and more sport .... we pay for more channels, but I'm not sure why we bother as I've never seen any evidence of them !

Oh, and make sure they show you how it all works before they leave, and to tune in the remote control thing for you.

magicfarawaytree · 01/12/2006 00:18

check they fill the holes properly if not on cable.

handlemecarefully · 01/12/2006 00:26

Don't do half measures...get Sky Plus, it's the business!

Saturn74 · 01/12/2006 00:29

Make sure the engineer programs the remote so that you can use it to adjust the volume (ours didn't!).
Also think of a good hiding place for the remote, or the children will gain control of it, and you'll never see it again!

chocolatebirdy · 01/12/2006 00:52

dp has informed me that they are currently doing a free for everything to start deal, make sure you are getting that!

trixymalixy · 01/12/2006 12:19

Expect them to come out and refuse to put the dish higher than 1 storey without a heights team.

Then have a heights team a couple of weeks later, who refuse to put up the dish because the roof is slate rather than concretet tiles (FFS about 50% of houses must have slate tiles!!)

Then put it up after DH has offered them the use of his roof ladder or to get up there himself.

Than expect wires trailing throuhgout the house.

twelvedaysofchristmas · 01/12/2006 12:41

Agree with trixy. Was told the other week by the contractor that I would have to get a private firm to put my dish up. "Usually about £400" he said. "Not in house I'll only be living in for two months," said I.

Check where your neighbours' dishes are situated. If they're above a certain number of metres (I think 9 metres or 30 feet) then you'll need the "Heights" team as mentioned. Easier to check now than wait in for a whole day for them to find they won't install.

Otherwise, I do actually think it's better than cable. Particularly if you have Sky+. I'm really missing it at the moment.

PamiNativity · 01/12/2006 12:42

Our dish was fixed through an upstairs window, rather than from the outside on a ladder. Worth bearing in mind if they don't want to go up high.

twelvedaysofchristmas · 01/12/2006 12:45

Ah yes, of course. They did that in our last house actually.

seb1 · 01/12/2006 12:48

I got it recently don't watch it that much but everytime I do it is something I have seen before

yomellamoHelly · 01/12/2006 12:54

Have had sky installed twice now (and an upgrade to digital at our first places). Both times (and the upgrade time too) they did an ace job and made no mess at all.
First time we really stressed about the box having to be connected to a phone line. (It's so that you can do pay per view.) I'd say humour them and run the cable loosely over the carpet so that you can disconnect it once they've gone. We never use pay per view, but if we wanted to we would just get out an extension cable.
The only other thing you should note is that they send updates to the software (through the dish) overnight, so you need to leave the box on standby all the time otherwise you'll find it crashes on you.
Enjoy your sky - We REALLY missed it when we moved house and were without for 8 days (4 years later I still remember how long it took to get sorted!)

twelvedaysofchristmas · 01/12/2006 12:54

I have 3 to 5 tv shows a week that I like to watch. Without SKY+ I would never see any of them! I usually have to watch them all one after hte other, late on a Friday night after DD is in bed and before DH gets home.

twelvedaysofchristmas · 01/12/2006 12:56

They periodically test the box to see if its connectd to the phone line and send you stroppy letters about breach of contract if its not. If you get one, connect it with an extension cable, do a line test yourself (via the services menu), disconnect and wait for next stroppy letter some months later.

PamiNativity · 01/12/2006 13:28

That's interesting, as ours isn't connected to the phone at all, unless dh is ordering pay per view footie. We haven't had any letters about it ever.

twelvedaysofchristmas · 01/12/2006 13:32

They threatened us with legal action! Our Sky+ box was connected to phone, but the extra box wasn't and they put the price up from the £10 a month "special" for the second box to the full package cost (about £40) and threatened to take us to court.

I expect becuase your DH is ordering stuff on your SKY occasionally, they don't do line checks on it.

justaphase · 01/12/2006 13:37

Prepare to tackle the worst customer service in the history of universe.

Average waitng time on the sky helpline is 45mins.

Our system was struck by a lightening and we were told that we have to continue to pay because Sky is still sending a signal and the fact that we are not receiving it is not their fault.

When they eventually agreed not to charge us they continued to do so anyway and when we stopped the direct debit rthreatened to take us to court.

We sorted it out to our satisfaction eventually but it was a nasty expeience.

Original poster
MrsSpoon · 01/12/2006 13:48

Wow, loads of responses, glad I asked.

We've gone the whole hog and ordered Sky HD , I'm still reeling. Quite a good deal, half price Sky for three months and £10 credited to the account for ordering on-line, Sky + is free with HD, although the HD is £10 per month.

Yesterday I went for a walk along our street, I didn't think I had seen a Sky dish in the street but was surprised to count 22 on our side of the road, most seem to be only one storey up, DH wanted ours on the chimney but I have told him to brace himself for it being low down.

The phone thing is going to be the pest. I don't think we will use pay per view either. What do they do after the stroppy letter? Do they disconnect you?

OP posts:
Original poster
MrsSpoon · 01/12/2006 13:51

justaphase, LOL at the customer service, we have a Sky call centre locally and I know quite a number of people who either currently work for them or have worked for them. I believe it's a love it or loathe it job, although they get free Sky.

twelvedays at the Court action! Need to keep it plugged in then.

OP posts:
Saturn74 · 01/12/2006 13:54

Oh yes, I forgot about the dire customer services. Only marginally less appalling than British Gas, IME!

twelvedaysofchristmas · 01/12/2006 14:48

Someone phoned the other day to ask me if I'd like to upgrade my package to include movies over Christmas... Told him I'd be glad to have any package at all since I have no dish. Seems the installation guys didn't bother to tell them.

Not the caller's fault. Actually, he was very helpful and made a note and said we'd be refunded all the charges for the time we had no dish.

I find calling Sky in the evening is the best time. I don't usually have to wait very long at all.

twelvedaysofchristmas · 01/12/2006 14:50

Are you up near the borders then MrsSpoon? The people that answer always seem to have Newcastle or Scottish accents.

Original poster
MrsSpoon · 01/12/2006 15:07

twelvedays, we are right up past the borders in Scotland itself. There are two Sky call centres that I know of in Scotland, Dunfermline and Livingston.

OP posts:
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