Advice needed - Sky engineer no show.

[wet shoulder]

Hi, I've just wasted an entire day waiting for a Sky installation but the engineer has not come. I chased them twice and each time was told to sit tight he will definitely be coming today.

 

I've decided I want nothing to do with them now or ever in the future. I will not give my money to businesses that treat their customers this way.

 

My concern is that they will attempt to charge me some kind of admin or cancellation fee which, of course, I am not prepared to pay. Is there something I can threaten them with in this case? Eg, compensation for my phone calls, time wasted, the money I paid someone to move my furniture to enable the installation?

 

All advice appreciated.

 

Many thanks,

 

Wet shoulder.

[Conniff]

You won't be sorry. Most of their channels are just multi dvd machines with half a dozen programme dvd's in and run over and over again.

Noel Edmonds Christmas Presents is now on for at least the 20th time.

[buzby]

No - you cannot retrospectively demand compensation they have not agreed to - the time to establish this is when you call to confirm the guy is still coming, "so if he doesn't you'll recompense me with a month;s free viewing?"

 

In my experience, CS staff (Ida might confirm) will always aonfirm the installer will arrive as arranged for the DAY booked, but have no idea as to the jobs as they pan out through the day. Being realistic, it is an outside task, and slippy roads and freezing conditions are to be expected - less so in better weather.

[IdaInFife]

No - you cannot retrospectively demand compensation they have not agreed to - the time to establish this is when you call to confirm the guy is still coming, "so if he doesn't you'll recompense me with a month;s free viewing?"

 

In my experience, CS staff (Ida might confirm) will always aonfirm the installer will arrive as arranged for the DAY booked, but have no idea as to the jobs as they pan out through the day. Being realistic, it is an outside task, and slippy roads and freezing conditions are to be expected - less so in better weather.

 

 

I confirm

 

 

as Buzby says alot of companies have problems at the moment due to the weather conditions.

 

If you have been with sky for over 12 months then you can cancel without any 'fee'

 

if you do call to rebook it then certainly ask them for some recompense for the 'inconvience' that you were not informed at any point during the day that the engineer would not be able to make it

 

ida x

[wet shoulder]

Thanks for the advice. Having calmed down a little I've decided I will give them the opportunity to make amends. I am a new customer so from what I gathered elsewhere I am in the 'cooling off' period and can cancel without charge if they fail to do so.

 

I will quickly become enraged if, like you say, they attempt to blame the weather because:

 

a) It has been very icy since before I made the arrangement, so the weather was entirely predictable.

b) When I called in the afternoon they should have known if he would make it or not, but clearly couldn't be bothered to check.

c) There is no excuse whatsoever for them not to have contacted me to apologise at the end of the day.

 

Thanks again,

 

wet shoulder.

[buzby]

Not making excuses for them - but some observations;

 

1) Irrelevant. The engineers are expected to do X number of installs daily. and in the late mornings and early evenings all play their part in tightening the noose, and this is before weather issues come into play. There is no benefit to them in lying, if you're scheduled you ARE scheduled - but subject to anything going wrong with the list of installs your particular engineer has to undertake when he leaves is base for the day. If YOURS was the only install that day, I'd agree with you - but it will not have been.

 

2) You calls Sky CS. We've already established once the engineer departs for the day, they are unable to advise anything until the close of that days business and the engineer reports it.

 

3) There lies a tale. It is the engineer who has to do this, and faced with cracking on and completing the next install, or phoning a decreasing list of to-be-installs, as he gets paid only for the installs (not the phone calls), I know what he'll be doing first.

 

The dish installers are a hardy bunch. it isn't rocket science, but it is still a job that requires skill and competence. Sadly, Sky don't pay the rate for the job, (to independent installers at least), but the install is made at a price, and a pretty low one at that. If you want John Lewis levels of service, then get them to provide it, and you;ll be charged accordingly, THEN you have every right to complain.

 

We have to be realists, we get a cheap deal, and go with the flow when things don't quite match up!

[wet shoulder]

Some counter-observations:

 

1) The engineers are expected to do X number of installs daily.

 

If in some conditions that number is not possible, then whoever came up with that policy (Sky?) should get busy on the phone asap when said conditions occur before customers end up thoroughly p'd off.

 

2) You calls Sky CS. We've already established once the engineer departs for the day, they are unable to advise anything until the close of that days business and the engineer reports it.

 

I should have said - it was actually the installation contractors I contacted. Regardless, if they weren't sure they shouldn't have said 'he is definitely coming today'.

 

3) There lies a tale. It is the engineer who has to do this, and faced with cracking on and completing the next install, or phoning a decreasing list of to-be-installs, as he gets paid only for the installs (not the phone calls), I know what he'll be doing first.

 

First, maybe. But a quick call afterwards would make a big difference - a little good will goes a long way.

 

If you want John Lewis levels of service, then get them to provide it, and you;ll be charged accordingly, THEN you have every right to complain.

 

We have to be realists, we get a cheap deal, and go with the flow when things don't quite match up!

 

I expect at least basic level of customer service standards from whoever I give my money to. And I have every right to complain if I don't get it. It is attitudes like the above that has allowed so many companies in Britain to get away with things like 20 minute phone waiting times with someone who doesn't speak English reading from a card when it is eventually answered; pushing delivery notes through letter boxes without first attempting to deliver the parcel; leaving someone waiting in their house all day without so much as a 'sorry'; etc etc.

[buzby]

Feeling better?

 

I'm not saying your goal is unreasonable, but it isn't going to happen - and where does your complaining get you except wound up and a possible basket case? Relax, nobody benfited at your expense, as for 20 minute waiting times on the phone - ever thought about placing your business with firms that will appreciate it? Vote with your wallet, I always do.

[IdaInFife]

you state you contacted the installation contractors?

 

so it isn't actually sky then that's doing the install?

[wet shoulder]

Feeling better?

 

I am now - the smilie made all the difference.

 

where does your complaining get you

 

It's either going to get me some kind of compensation, or off the ship. Either way I will have made my point and will be happier for it. If more people did the same, even large companies would have to change their ways.

 

state you contacted the installation contractors?

 

so it isn't actually sky then that's doing the install?

 

Correct, subcontractors I believe.

[IdaInFife]

normally sky will not give details out like telephone numbers for sub contractors etc and they want you to contact sky direct, if you bypass sky then nothing can be logged.

 

can you confirm that it was sky you contacted for install direct and not a third party?

 

or did the installer leave you a number and asked you to contact them direct in the first 30 days and not to call sky?

[wet shoulder]

normally sky will not give details out like telephone numbers for sub contractors etc and they want you to contact sky direct, if you bypass sky then nothing can be logged.

 

can you confirm that it was sky you contacted for install direct and not a third party?

 

or did the installer leave you a number and asked you to contact them direct in the first 30 days and not to call sky?

 

I contacted Sky and they took a few details then fairly quickly put me through to their 'local installers' who arranged the installation date.

[IdaInFife]

ok then it's not sky that's doing your install, they have put you through to a local independant engineer

 

i take it you have a communial dish?

[wet shoulder]

ok then it's not sky that's doing your install, they have put you through to a local independant engineer

 

i take it you have a communial dish?

 

No, I need a dish. Why, do they usually only subcontract (right word?) when there is a communal one?

[IdaInFife]

no they only subcontract their own work

 

do you live in a flat above 1st floor level?

[wet shoulder]

no they only subcontract their own work

 

do you live in a flat above 1st floor level?

 

1st floor flat.

[IdaInFife]

it certainly sounds that your install is with a third party and not sky themselves.

 

any 'claim' you wish to make for the hassell you will need to direct to your installer as Sky themselves have no contract with you for install or equipment

 

ida x

[wet shoulder]

it certainly sounds that your install is with a third party and not sky themselves.

 

any 'claim' you wish to make for the hassell you will need to direct to your installer as Sky themselves have no contract with you for install or equipment

 

ida x

 

Ok, noted thanks. Before this advice I had actually assumed that Sky would be the people to contact as long term it is their money that is in jeopardy not the installers', and also they would be able to offer me something where as the installers would not. Was I mistaken?

[IdaInFife]

yes as sky do will not hold any record of any problems you have with your installer and therefore cannot recompense you for any problems that may occur

[Acropolis]

When it comes to installing things like Sky, they are never black and white.

 

The weather is a major factor when it comes to installs, and it is not really practically to say that all installs cant go ahead, unless there are extreme weather conditions. You can go to one property and the floor is covered in ice and therefore makes working off ladders very dangerous, and go the next property round the corner and the ice has been cleared away, so very difficuly to make a blanket decision.

 

Sky set very high standards and targets for their installers, both in house and contractors to meet, and they have penalised very heavily is these targets are not met. A lot of the targets are silly and the fines crazy, which is why sometimes if a contractor installs, they will leave you a number to contact in the first 30 days, so if anything goes wrong you contact them rather than going thorugh sky, the reason for this is, if there is a problem in the first 30 days then the contractor wont get paid. Now if this is beacuse of a poor install then fair enough, but if it is down to something like a faulty LNB or someone has knocked the dish, then there is nothing the contractor could have done about that but they wont get paid anyway.

 

Has the install been done now?