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Nice timing Sky - Grrrrr
RazMan - 24/12/10 at 12:25 PM

Just when it is most needed and the mother-in-law has planted herself in front of the telly for the duration of the Xmas holiday, my Sky+HD box has gone FUBAR. So this morning I called Sky and after a couple of 'secret' button sequences (already tried them earlier ) they decided that the Sky box needs replacing. The trouble is that it is 3 weeks outside the guarantee and a new one is going to set me back £199 PLUS £60 'installation' (basically plugging it in!)

What a ripoff

Has anyone got a second hand box going spare? Beer tokens waiting

blakep82 - 24/12/10 at 12:33 PM

whats wrong with it?

basically whoever you spoke to is just trying to get a sale out of you. there's no need for an installation as you already have sky+hd, if you upgrading from standard sky, then yes you'd need and engineer, but not in this case. they should just send one out if you do need a new box.


[Edited on 24/12/10 by blakep82]

ChrisW - 24/12/10 at 12:36 PM

I've got several that could 'get you working'. Just regular Sky tho, no HD or +. You're welcome to one if it's any use.

I'm going up the M11 in a couple of hours so could meet you somewhere? Assuming mother-in-law is in Essex too?

Chris

RazMan - 24/12/10 at 12:47 PM

quote:
Originally posted by blakep82
whats wrong with it?


It keeps freezing and not allowing any menus to work (remote and box controls) I have done the usual reset and software reloads but it only works for a few minutes before freezing again. It often refuses to come out of standby too. I have heard that it is often the PSU that goes in these boxes. I'm wondering if its worth messing around with when I can get a refurbed one on eBay for about £50.

Chris - Thanks for the kind offer mate, but I think my sis in law has a spare standard box which I can pinch if necessary

phoenix70 - 24/12/10 at 12:51 PM

Can you not try the old "I'm cancelling my subscription unless you give me a new box" routine, normally works for me.

ChrisW - 24/12/10 at 12:52 PM

No problem. It'll be the capacitors in the PSU most likey. Repair kits are available from places like Satcure.

If you're not handy with a soldering iron I can do it for beer as long as you can get the box to me.

Chris

blakep82 - 24/12/10 at 12:56 PM

ah, yeah, theres no resets you can really do over the phone for that kind of thing. guess where i had the misfortune of working earlier this year...
they should have at least offered an engineer visit (i'd have put it as a free visit too) to look at it before trying to charge you £200 for a new one. tbh, think whover you spoke to just wanted a sale. and the comission that goes with it

theres always a full system reset, which deletes everything out the hard disc (did you do that one?) might help for a bit. and software download where you switch off at the wall, and switch on while holding the backup button on the top of the box for about 30secs. did they do that with you?

RazMan - 24/12/10 at 01:53 PM

quote:
Originally posted by blakep82
ah, yeah, theres no resets you can really do over the phone for that kind of thing. guess where i had the misfortune of working earlier this year...
they should have at least offered an engineer visit (i'd have put it as a free visit too) to look at it before trying to charge you £200 for a new one. tbh, think whover you spoke to just wanted a sale. and the comission that goes with it

theres always a full system reset, which deletes everything out the hard disc (did you do that one?) might help for a bit. and software download where you switch off at the wall, and switch on while holding the backup button on the top of the box for about 30secs. did they do that with you?


Yep, I did both of those - I found one of the repair manuals on Bittorrent. There are capacitor kits are about a tenner on eBay, but they are for the Thomson box and mine is a Samsung so I doubt they would be suitable

Chris - Thanks again

McLannahan - 24/12/10 at 01:58 PM

quote:
Originally posted by phoenix70
Can you not try the old "I'm cancelling my subscription unless you give me a new box" routine, normally works for me.


I tried that and got nowhere! In the end I left and rejoined under my name (not wife's) and got a new box. Result.

PSpirine - 24/12/10 at 02:22 PM

Remember, goods have to last a "reasonable amount of time". You're well within your rights to argue that 3 weeks out of warranty is premature failure for a sat box. Just mention the Sale of Goods Act, and say you can get industry data to back up the fact that a sat box should last on average longer than 55 weeks or however long you've had it, hence yours was of inadequate quality.

Ask to speak to their supervisor/manager directly about it if they have a problem with it - the manager is more than likely to subdue the situation by sending you out a new one!

AndyW - 24/12/10 at 03:17 PM

I got rid of sky after 7 years for that reason. In 7 years with them I had 4 new box's "installed". Turns out each "new" box was a refurb. Their customer service was so poor that I cancelled tv phone etc. Now with Virgin, tv phone and broadband. Cound not be better. Every thing works and has done so far all year without a glitch. Which is longer than any peice of sky equipment ever did. And I also get rid of that dam dish of the side of my house.......

RazMan - 24/12/10 at 04:18 PM

Ah the wonders of eBay - I just picked up a 6 month old identical unit for £60 and its just a few minutes drive away so I'm off to collect it. I can dismantle the old unit an pinch the hard drive for one of my computers too!

Crisis averted and I'll have a peaceful Xmas, especially when Come Dancing's on

JoelP - 24/12/10 at 04:21 PM

very poor show by sky there, virgin own their boxes and so replace them free normall. Sadly i left virgin because their staff were rude, but when the sky+ box goes i'll definately be back to virgin.

RazMan - 24/12/10 at 05:01 PM

Sadly, Virgin is not an option to me out in the sticks (well according to Virgin) Personally I would love to cancel Sky, but the Mum-in-Law would probably get a contract out .... on me!

daniel mason - 24/12/10 at 05:19 PM

sky will definately give you a box and pretty much evrything you ask for if you threaten to quit. i have had 2 new HD boxes free cos i complained that id lost all my programmes stored on the box.and threatened to quit. they will do anything not to lose customers! trust me. i regularly call them, complain about prices,ask for deals etc. and a couple of times when there is no deals available they have put £25 into my account for me! the only problem is that sometimes they do let you cancel,but always ring back a week or so later offering their 'latest' deals

Paul TigerB6 - 24/12/10 at 06:08 PM

quote:
Originally posted by JoelP
Sadly i left virgin because their staff were rude



Am i the only saddo that had the idea of a rude virgin running through my head?? Sounds quite appealing actually

Confused but excited. - 24/12/10 at 07:50 PM

quote:
Originally posted by PSpirine
Remember, goods have to last a "reasonable amount of time". You're well within your rights to argue that 3 weeks out of warranty is premature failure for a sat box. Just mention the Sale of Goods Act, and say you can get industry data to back up the fact that a sat box should last on average longer than 55 weeks or however long you've had it, hence yours was of inadequate quality.

Ask to speak to their supervisor/manager directly about it if they have a problem with it - the manager is more than likely to subdue the situation by sending you out a new one!


Glad you got sorted mate. For future reference, this is the main part of a letter that I sent to Argos after my sis-in-law's washing m/c packed up:

"The washing machine suddenly stopped working several days ago. The power indicator neon does not even light.
I have had the supply to the machine checked and that is OK. I have checked the fuse in the plug and that is OK. So the problem is within the machine.
As the machine is only a little over two years old, I feel that you should repair it. Under the Sale of Goods Act 1979 (Section 14.2), all goods should be of satisfactory quality. Plainly this one is not, as I and indeed anyone else would expect to get considerably more use from a washing machine than this.
I therefore expect the machine to be repaired at your expense, within the next ten working days of receipt of this letter. I feel that this is a reasonable time for you to be able to effect repairs on this equipment."

I was told to word the letter thus, by a Trading standards Officer.

It was nearer three years old and they replied to her within three days, telling her to pick a new washing m/c. It was delivered four days later.

By the way, a guarantee isn't worth the paper it is written on. You have statutory rights under the law. These rights trump any guarantee.
HTH.

[Edited on 24/12/10 by Confused but excited.]

PSpirine - 24/12/10 at 10:58 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Confused but excited.

By the way, a guarantee isn't worth the paper it is written on. You have statutory rights under the law. These rights trump any guarantee.
HTH.

[Edited on 24/12/10 by Confused but excited.]


True but don't dismiss it, particularly lifetime warranties etc. Also, a lot of items are fairly ambiguous in their life expectancy, so the written warranty will actually sometimes outlast that which you'd be entitled to under statutory rights. Halfords and other lifetime guarantee on tools is a prime example - make sure you keep your warranty/receipt/proof that it's their tool (branded) as they aren't legally bound by any requirement to replace it.

I'd also like to point out that before you start playing the Sale of Goods Act card, it's worth just asking - Homebase in particular have been very good and have replaced broken items no questions asked even when slightly out of warranty, and once even without a receipt. The rights letter/speech is there on standby for when they give you a hard time.

In this case though, I'd say it's a no brainer and Sky will cave in.