But every time I end up talking to Sky they annoy the hell out of me.
So I went on their site, logged in, and looked at the new 2TB boxes - loads on how to "upgrade my sky package to HD" and all sorts. They even do free boxes if I was upgrading. Maybe I should have downgraded to not HD, and then upgraded to get a new free box. Anyway, the price was not really the issue, I just want a new box, simple. I could not see where to just order a Sky box though - it was all "upgrades".
I was just about gave up on that web page and the on-line chat box pops up - yay! Saves me trying to call them. They give me a link to my existing packages after I logged in, and that has an option to replace an existing box with a new one. It lists the boxes I have with no identification or which is which but the adviser says it does not matter which I ask to be upgraded.
The advisor gives one price and the order page does another, very confusing, and the order page insists on a £60 TV set up (engineer visit). The adviser says I can select "self install" and "skip the £60 charge" but the order form has no way to do that. In the end I just order with it, someone will be in when they come. Pain in the arse but I really cannot spend all day on this.
Then I get an email:-
We have successfully received your Sky order, reference 0802 SAIU 990 11676. We urgently need to confirm some details with you before we can proceed with your order. Please call us on 08442 411 423 as soon as possible so we can complete your order. Failure to contact us may result in your order being cancelled. We look forward to receiving your call. The Sky Online Team
Great! I try the on-line chat but they insist I have to call the expensive 0844 number. Clearly "The Sky Online Team" can't copy with doing things on-line.
I call and get told that I did not need to call, and there are no details they need to urgently confirm. Basically it appears that Sky LIED TO ME to make me call an expensive number.
I am really not impressed.
Call recording
Update: So I called to check what time the engineer was coming tomorrow, and it turns out they not processed the order. Now I have to go through hoops proving who I am, again, and they have not taken payment, not booked an engineer, and just messed up. I really wonder why I bother some times.
Try 020 7126 7020 as an alternative (thanks to http://www.saynoto0870.com/)
ReplyDeleteThat might be the case - I'd also consider the possibility of the email being accurate but the customer service rep being either uninformed or behind on her stats. Especially if you'd only placed your order 3 mins earlier, I could well see it not appearing in her CRM view by the time you called.
ReplyDeleteSo why the hell do they tell me to call, urgently! Still not on.
DeleteReally curious what box you will receive (if any)... this sounds to me like to first of a long series of posts :-(
ReplyDeleteTry 0800 0512592
ReplyDeleteOr 020 7126 7020
The first one worked for me the other day.
I have canceled sky now as we just netflix(US) or stream everything on xmbc (Mashup Addon)
ReplyDeleteBut when I canceled they tried that crap with me , I canceled by email but they tried to call a few days later (I answered but there was nobody the other end) so I get an email saying I have to call them, Which I did, On their 02071267020 number not the 0844.
2 months later after I have canceled the DD I get another email saying they had tried to take a payment but it had failed, Another 40 mins on the phone to their 0207 and they have agreed its their mistake but wont give me any compo for the call cost.
I emailed there support guys and they wanted an itemized bill of the call costs, Well it was inclusive minutes so no itemized bill with costs were available. I knocked up a quick invoice on Libreoffice nothing fancy and copied in the executive support team on estenquiries@bskyb.com
Next day.
"Thank you for providing evidence of the calls that you made whilst trying to sort matters out with Sky. I can confirm that in order to resolve matters with you, I have requested that a cheque for 23.75(GBP) is raised by our finance team and issued to you"
Fair enough, 2 weeks later cheque arrives.
I have been bothered by this also. Seems like £249 is the price, but you can get them for this or less new via eBay sellers. It is apparently easy to pair a new box ... but that probably still ends up with a phone call to Sky!
ReplyDeleteYeah I recently added a new box (I had one but could easily have ebayed one). No way to do it online or over email - had to call them, but to be fair to them it was pretty simple (me: 'send me a multiroom card' them:'ok').
DeleteOnce the card arrives there's an option in sky active to enable it, so shouldn't need to deal with the call centre for thatm.
You definately used to be able to order self installs online. My first sky install years ago was like that. They've removed it. But years ago you could also cancel packages online, and you can't do that without talking to call centres now either.
I would certainly seek to recover the cost of the call. If they refuse to pay, time for a small claim?
ReplyDeleteSky offered to upgrade one of my two boxes 'for new services' I complained that we had two boxes but they said the other had been replaced 18 months earlier. But, I said, after four hours on the phone we'd given up trying to get any new services (Sky Anytime+) to work because they insisted that it was an incompatible Thomson box - and in the next breath wouldn't replace it because the box they'd supplied was apparently compatible.
ReplyDeleteSo email to CEO (regulars here know me by now) and two days later a nice lady phones me to say that she's realised that they'd been trying to activate Anytime+ on the wrong card so she'll give me a free 2TB box for my trouble. Actually I'd like two - how about £50 for the second. Done!
Moral: Don't waste your time dealing with the monkeys, write to the organ-grinders.
This is ridiculous! I would definitely be challenging this - automatically lying, not acceptable.
ReplyDeleteIt is irritating; I'm disappointed by just how quickly companies jumped from 0845/0870 ripoffs onto 0844. Sky's actual service is fine, but the customer support/ordering side is a major weakness. Quite why the "chat agents" can't handle the same issues as their phone counterparts, I can't see.
ReplyDeleteInteresting, because when I called them a while back, wanting the 2TB box also, they were efficient and just "got it done" - cost me nothing.
ReplyDeleteA few months later I took Fibre Broadband and due to some issue with the credit card processing stuff not being able to charge me the £50 activation for unlimited pro, they placed a standard order and promised to call back the day after it went life to upgrade me free to pro. They did. It's excellent.
I've yet to have any issue with Sky.
Nice to hear they are Ok some of the time.
DeleteEven a stopped (analogue) clock is right twice a day! :-)
ReplyDeleteDid it make you feel better to lose the plot with a first line call handler?
ReplyDeleteI think you're absolutely right that Sky screwed up and you're dead right to pursue them, they probably even have a revenue share on that 0844 number, so made money off your call to them.
But, please think of the children. I mean, at least ask for a supervisor or manager, who might be more prepared to deal with complaints, and probably paid a bit extra for that.
At the end of the day, the poor woman you spoke to didn't create the email that caused the situation. She's just a small cog in the evil empire, and probably only on a starter job.
I really think that is no excuse - the front line people on the phone represent the company. If they want to transfer to a manager, then up to them, but they are there to cope with the customers, including the pissed off customers who's time the company has wasted.
DeleteOfcom need to officially classify 0845 and 0844 as premium rate because in my eyes thats what they are. They certianly not local or lo call rate as companies seem to like advertising them as.
ReplyDeleteI think they may be. The Comms Act is what defines if something is a premium rate or not, and not actually OFCOM. It is basically if it is paying for a service via the call. As many 0845 and 0844 have an out-payment to the recipient then they are premium rate. Premium rate, and expensive, are not the same thing! A £5/minute INMARSAT call is not premium rate, just very expensive :-)
DeleteBin them! I did ... & ever since I have had threats of court action & recently threats of 'someone coming to my home' to collect the 'debt' which I don't owe them!! Nice company!
ReplyDelete