Sky - taking liberties or taking the piss?
Saturday, January 5, 2008 Just before Christmas I ordered a digital Sky+ box. (That's the thing that allows you to record hundreds of hours of television directly on to a hard disk.) I arranged for it to be installed on Monday December 31, between 9.00 and 1.00pm.
At 8.30 on Monday I got a phone call from the engineer to say he would arrive between 1.00 and 4.00pm. Having booked a morning appointment this was, frankly, a little inconvenient. OK, I said. See you later.
At 3.00pm (I was by now at work in Cambridge) my wife took a call from the engineer who told her he couldn't, in fact, come at all. When we sought an explanation from Sky "Customer Services", we were given two explanations: (a) the engineer's wife had been involved in a car accident, and (b) his daughter was seriously ill and had to go to hospital. Fair enough, if true. But when we asked how this explained his non-appearance in the morning, the Sky woman replied, sarcastically, "I will pass on your sympathies" - and put the phone down!
Eventually a new installation date was arranged: Friday January 4 between 8.00 and 5.00. For a second time, we arranged for someone to be in all day. On Thursday a letter arrived promising that an engineer would call before 9.00 to confirm the estimated time of arrival. (Sky, I should add, make great play of the fact that they know their customers have busy lives, hence the option of a morning or afternoon appointment.)
Needless to say, no such call was received. At 9.30 I rang "Customer Services" and was told that the engineer would come between 1.00 and 4.00pm. I then popped into Cambridge leaving the house empty. When I got back (at 12.30) there was a message on my answering machine. The engineer had come at 11.10, found no-one at home, and unilaterally cancelled the installation.
Several calls to "Customer Services" later I am no nearer getting a Sky+ box - or my money (including installation charge) back. I have been a Sky customer for ten years but I am tempted to tell them to go hang themselves (or worse). Would they care? Of course not. And I would be cutting my nose off to spite my face because they have a semi-monopoly on the one service I use regularly - live coverage of Premier League football matches.
Fortunately, there are alternatives to Sky+ including BT Vision. In the meantime, if only to get it off my chest, I'll say this. This is a company that - apparently - doesn't give a hoot about "Customer Services". Deliberately or otherwise, their employees and sub-contractors are taking the piss. The quicker we break their strangehold over our viewing habits the better. Personally, I can't wait.
Reader Comments (2)
I will not get Sky out of principle. If every body refused their services things may change. I prefer supporting my local team, who are non league.
I was forced to take Sky as it is the only way to get Channel 5 in my area and once we go digital the only way to get television as freeview does not work in my area either. What I would like to know is when Tony Blair unilaterally informed us that he wanted us to become digital whether he knew all the facts. Mind you would he have cared even if he did. For example every single time a drop of rain falls we lose the signal comepletely so no telly at all. I have been told that we need a booster (whatever that is when it's at home) but surely this is something Sky should have told us when they installed the system. Also I was on a package which cost £18.50 a month by direct debit and after a couple of years Sky increased it to £21.50.