Dodgy Sky HD Box
Discussion
Our Sky HD box is showing signs of PSU failure. This is the second box, the last one is rotting in the cupboard. This one is 14 months old so I expect Sky to try and wiggle out of it by saying it's out of warranty despite the fact it's a well known design flaw due to the use of el cheapo capacitors during manufacturing.
Anyone got any tips for making them replace it?
The last one only lasted around 18 months as well. It's not good enough really, you wouldn't expect this sort of failure rate from any other piece of electrical appliance so why Sky think it's acceptable for customers to accumulate dead boxes over the years I don't know.
ETA: I tell a lie, this is the third box after having the second replaced after just a week when it also started exhibiting PSU issues.
Anyone got any tips for making them replace it?
The last one only lasted around 18 months as well. It's not good enough really, you wouldn't expect this sort of failure rate from any other piece of electrical appliance so why Sky think it's acceptable for customers to accumulate dead boxes over the years I don't know.
ETA: I tell a lie, this is the third box after having the second replaced after just a week when it also started exhibiting PSU issues.
I've had Sky plus for 7 years and HD for 5.
I'm on my fourth Plus box and as of a couple of months also my fourth HD box.
Up until then, every one was replaced free and gratis. Tech department will say you need to pay £70. You politely decline and say you want to cancel. You go to a special retention department who are allowed to 'break the rules'. You tell them you want to cancel and take your money to Virgin. They ask you when you want your free box installed.
Last time was different, as although they can break the rules, the department is either limited or targeted on what they can give away.
That time they told me that they couldn't give me a new (recon) box for free this time. I tell them I want to leave, and he offered a deal: I pay £65 for a call out, and they give me 25% off my bill for a year.
This time the tech guy took one look at the old box, told me it was very old and took a brand new one from a box. So, they gave me a new box, and over the next year, even after paying the £65, I'm £120 up over the course of the year.
Hope this helps.
I'm on my fourth Plus box and as of a couple of months also my fourth HD box.
Up until then, every one was replaced free and gratis. Tech department will say you need to pay £70. You politely decline and say you want to cancel. You go to a special retention department who are allowed to 'break the rules'. You tell them you want to cancel and take your money to Virgin. They ask you when you want your free box installed.
Last time was different, as although they can break the rules, the department is either limited or targeted on what they can give away.
That time they told me that they couldn't give me a new (recon) box for free this time. I tell them I want to leave, and he offered a deal: I pay £65 for a call out, and they give me 25% off my bill for a year.
This time the tech guy took one look at the old box, told me it was very old and took a brand new one from a box. So, they gave me a new box, and over the next year, even after paying the £65, I'm £120 up over the course of the year.
Hope this helps.
It's in their interests to do something, at the end of the day if the box fails I can no longer receive the service therefore there is no reason for me to pay for it.
I just find it utterly ridiculous these things have such a high failure rate.
Question: If you pay them the £65 and they replace the box, I assume they don't take the old one as that is yours bought and paid for? Or is it some part exchange deal?
I just find it utterly ridiculous these things have such a high failure rate.
Question: If you pay them the £65 and they replace the box, I assume they don't take the old one as that is yours bought and paid for? Or is it some part exchange deal?
Oakey said:
It's in their interests to do something, at the end of the day if the box fails I can no longer receive the service therefore there is no reason for me to pay for it.
Seems bonkers, really. Why on earth don't they rent you the box as part of the subscription and they they take total responsibility for it?Deva Link said:
Oakey said:
It's in their interests to do something, at the end of the day if the box fails I can no longer receive the service therefore there is no reason for me to pay for it.
Seems bonkers, really. Why on earth don't they rent you the box as part of the subscription and they they take total responsibility for it?JustinP1 said:
Because then they couldn't charge you once every 18 months for a new/recon box!
I wonder how many people cancel? I suppose they must have done the sums and think they can get away it.Maybe customers could use the Sale of Goods Act, but perhaps that's complicated if the box is supplied at nominal price in the first place.
Deva Link said:
JustinP1 said:
Because then they couldn't charge you once every 18 months for a new/recon box!
I wonder how many people cancel? I suppose they must have done the sums and think they can get away it.Maybe customers could use the Sale of Goods Act, but perhaps that's complicated if the box is supplied at nominal price in the first place.
I reminded them of the SofGA and they told me that they didn't have to conform to them!
Astonished, I asked if I could get a pen so I could start writing this down, word for word... At which point the line went dead.
Every time I simply reminded them:
1) I give them £1000 a year combined for all services.
2) Virgin services are already connected to my house, and
3) It would be silly of them to lose my business over a comped callout.
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