Sky's customer support is NAFF

[bobsyouruncle 10]

Ok, it started about a week ago, we have a 2nd sky digi box, bought a splitter, connected both boxes up to a single lnb mini-dish.

With the main box hooked up to the living room tv, and the slave box hooked up to the portable in the bedroom so our lass can watch somet else, we can only get some of the free channels, without another viewing card, I decide to phone sky and ask them for another viewing card, was told there would be a one off fee of a tenner, ok, we discuss it, yeah go on then we'll have one. sorted. so you'd think.

Nope, after 10 minutes, the main sky goes off, "your viewing card is not authorised to view this channel, please contact your broadcaster", i give sky a ring, after nearly 15 minutes of being on hold in a queue, i finally get someone to talk to, it turns out that cos I've ordered another card, my existing one is no longer active, so I have to wait for my new card to come through, ring up sky again to activate it and they then they re-credit my account for lost viewing time.

I try to explain that I have a second box and wish to simply watch the channels that require a viewing card, Oh, its sky multi-room, then its another tenner a month. Oh no it isnt multi-room, i try to explain that with multi room, you CAN watch ALL existing channels on a second tv within the existing package, unfortunately this isnt the case, as my mini dish is NOT a twin lnb.(can only get some channels)

I try to explain it again, oh, you need so and so dept, after nearly an hour trying to explain that I just wanted a 2nd viewing card, I was told its not this side of Sky you need, I' ll give you the number for the correct business

part . :rant:

Fine, I give them a ring and what do they tell me? Oh, no problem, its £20 for a card, you need to pay with a debit/credit card over the phone, then we'll order one for you, takes about 10-14 days!!!!

Forget it, i tell them.

Now contemplating going to telewest, get mi broadband, phoneline, digital tv from them, worked it all out and I'm saving around £20 a month, but what i need to know is if I cancel my sky subscription so all we get is the free to air channels, will my existing viewing card still work or will they de-activate it so i need to buy another one?

I can cancel my sky cos we've had it over 3 years, same wi bt broadband.

Emailed them twice, still got no response, no way am i gonna ring them just to find out!

Sorry for dragging this thread on and ranting and raving, but Sky's customer service is nothing less than a pile o' crap and as existent as rockin' horse s***e.

What do you think, any suggestions, will my card still work????

 

PHEW.!!!

[wolfman 10]

Generally all customer services sucks.

You have minimum wage staff who are paid so little, why should they care ?

[willman 10]

technically you need two contracts, your subscription only provides one contract for viewing on one box.this is in the small print somewhere.

we tried similar with a second box but we had to register the box with them & pay a subscription to receive all the channels.

 

it was cheaper for sky+ and multiroom.

[Johnh 10]

Originally posted by wolfman

Generally all customer services sucks.

You have minimum wage staff who are paid so little, why should they care ?

I find that if you ring the customer helpline, you are put on hold and the estimated waiting time is around 20 minutes to speak to someone, but if you ring the subscriptions dept, they think you are going to spend something so its answered straight away. The will usually deal with your request anyway. Sky service is garbage unless they think you are upgrading to a more expensive package!

[Zenmaster 10]

and the biggest problem of all ? -they are given no authority to actually correct any of the problems people call them about

[willman 10]

they will deactiavte our card as i dont think you need it to get to free channels.

therefore u dont need a card.

[bobsyouruncle 10]

hmm. seems like I need a card to view some of the free channels like itv, c4 and c5!!

[Zenmaster 10]

When the BBC channels were free but encrypted they used to issue viewing cards - perhaps you could try contacting ITV for a free to air viewing card