Faulty 18 month old Sky+HD box

[Argyll]

My Sky+HD box won't come out of standby.

 

 

I called Sky CS to be informed as my box was out of it's 12 month warranty

I would have to pay a charge of £60 which they quickly brought down to £30.

 

I'm not happy about an 18 month box being faulty and being forced to stump up £30.

 

 

I would have thought I would be covered by the SOGA as I wouldn't consider 18 months a reasonable length of time.

 

Opinions?

[BazzaS]

My Sky+HD box won't come out of standby. I called Sky CS to be informed as my box was out of it's 12 month warranty I would have to pay a charge of £60 which they quickly brought down to £30.

 

I'm not happy about an 18 month box being faulty and being forced to stump up £30. I would have thought I would be covered by the SOGA as I wouldn't consider 18 months a reasonable length of time.

 

Opinions?

 

Are you in the minimum term of your contract?

If not, tell them you want to cancel, as you have no use for a Sky service you can't watch .......

 

See how long it takes for them to back down, and what else they'll offer you to stay!

[Argyll]

Apologies I should have mentioned this in my OP. I re-contracted with them last October. My subscription does not end until October this year.

 

I have a mind to cancel my direct debit to see what they'll do but I also have broadband and phone with them and can't lose those.

[Bazooka Boo]

I have a mind to cancel my direct debit to see what they'll do

 

You'll be playing into their hands if you do this!

 

Escalate your complaint, and tell them that you won't be paying their fee, as any warranty they added is in addition to your statutory rights.

 

So you're very happy for them to refuse to repair the box as you'll report them to trading standards to investigate.

[BazzaS]

Apologies I should have mentioned this in my OP. I re-contracted with them last October. My subscription does not end until October this year.

 

I have a mind to cancel my direct debit to see what they'll do but I also have broadband and phone with them and can't lose those.

 

 

A point to consider when renewing a contract : insist on a new box (for the new warranty, or extension of current box guarantee) when signing up to a new minimum term.

[Argyll]

A point to consider when renewing a contract : insist on a new box (for the new warranty, or extension of current box guarantee) when signing up to a new minimum term.

 

Hindsight is a great thing

[Loadedok]

Hi

Have a look at this link.

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/gds/Easy-Fix-Sky-HD-problems-Sky-HD-what-sky-dont-tell-you-/10000000177502659/g.html

[Argyll]

Thanks but I've already tried that.

[dx100uk]

you are covered by soga.

matters not if its out of warranty.

[dx100uk]

as a side issue

most of these problems are due to bad sectors on the hard drive.

 

 

you can fix these by using copy+ software and your PC

but you have to take the drive out the sky box

[Argyll]

I emailed the CEO Jeremy Darroch with my complaint and received the following reply from his assistant:

 

 

Dear ****** Customer Account Number - *********

 

 

Thank you for your e-mail addressed to Mr Darroch regarding your Sky+HD box.

My name is Erica, I work within the Executive Support Team and I will be investigating your enquiry on Mr Darroch's behalf.

 

 

I am very sorry to hear of the difficulties you are experiencing with your Sky+HD box,

I tried to contact you on the mobile and landline number we have saved on your account to discuss this over the telephone with you.

 

 

What are the issues that you are experiencing with your box as we can certainly go through some troubleshooting to try and resolve this without sending an engineer.

If we are not able to resolve this, then we would need to send an engineer,

 

 

we cover the equipment for the first 12 months and it advises this in your terms and conditions as well.

Once the warranty runs out, customers can then take out insurance to cover their equipment,

get an independent engineer, purchase a new box from a third party or Sky can send an engineer out for 65.00GBP

which covers all parts and labour with a 90 days warranty.

 

 

If the box needs replacing, the cost will cover a replacement box,

it would be a reconditioned box and again this comes with a 90 days warranty.

 

 

I hope this information helps,

please let me know by return if there is anything further you require.

Kind Regards Erica Montgomery Executive Support Team

 

 

I responded to Erica with this:

 

 

Dear Miss Montgomery,

The box won't come out of standby mode which I've tried to rectify via your helpline.

I was offered a refurbished box from your helpline for a fee.

It is not right that I should be made to pay any fee for a box that is only 19 months old.

I understand you supply a one year warranty with the box but this is in addition to my statutory rights.

The 'Sale of Goods Act' covers my statutory right.

 

 

As I explained in my original email to Mr Darroch my understanding is under the 'Sale of Goods Act' goods should be of satisfactory quality

and should last a reasonable length of time.

 

 

I would not consider a sky box which failed at 19 months old to have lasted a reasonable length of time.

I have been a member of Sky since 2009.

 

 

My previous Sky+ plus box is 6 years old and still going strong at my parents house.

 

 

As I understand it a judge recently declared a television should last a minimum of 6 years from the date of purchase.

I would expect a sky box to last the same length of time.

I would like my sky box to be either repaired or replaced at no cost to me.

I wish to resolve this matter without the need to take my complaint to the small claims court.

 

 

I sincerely hope you respect my statutory rights as a consumer.

 

 

Opinions what I should do next if they will to honour my rights?

[Argyll]

Sorry I'm going to have to re-write this. It seems to lose the paragraphs when I cut and paste from word.

[renegadeimp]

Never threaten SCC this early. Youll get their backs up.

[Argyll]

Never threaten SCC this early. Youll get their backs up.

 

Ok thanks but I've sent it now lol. I just get fed up fannying about with them when they really should be playing fair.

[Argyll]

They've just replied with this:

 

 

 

 

Dear Mr ****** Thank you for your reply to my e-mail.

 

 

As stated in the terms of conditions of your Sky contract, we only cover the first 12 months,

any service calls out with the 12 months are chargeable.

 

 

If you would like Sky to resolve this for you, it will be chargeable for the engineer to come out.

 

 

Kind Regards Erica Montgomery Executive Support Team

 

 

So should I just plough ahead and take out a small claims

[dx100uk]

ask them the simple straight forward question.

 

 

where do you stand with your required compliance with the sale of goods act.?

your item has failed with a 'reasonable time'

under the act, you are responsible for its on going quality.

 

 

 

 

 

 

dx

[Bazooka Boo]

This is the trouble with uneducated huge corporations, especially Murdoch & his crew!

 

They think they can get away with ignoring consumer rights, and expect customers to be happy

with their scripted responses.

 

Do as DX says, see what they say, and then you will know where you can go from there.

 

Personally, and purely IMO, I would be kicking them into touch and voting with my feet, no ifs buts maybes,

''Thank you for your reply, I have now terminated the contract, and will return the faulty box, card, and handset to yourselves,

this concludes the matter.

[Argyll]

I challenged them them on their interpretation of the SOGA this was their reply:

 

Dear Mr ******

Thank you for your reply to my e-mail.

At the point of sale and under the Sale of Goods Act, we make it clear to our customers that it is a 12 month warranty, after the warranty it is then our customers decision if they wish to take out any extended warranty from any other company or pay for any engineers.

If customer's believe that there has been a fault on the equipment from when it was purchased, they would need to provide evidence under the Sale of Goods Act, and Sky would replace the equipment free of charge if this is proven.

Kind Regards

Erica Montgomery

Executive Support Team

I sought advice from my Trading Standards Officer who advised me they were in breach so I sent this:

 

 

Dear Miss Montgomery,

 

I have tried to rectify the fault through your help desk, performing a soft and hard reset and a software upgrade. Neither of these methods worked. Clearly there is a fault with the box itself. A member of your staff even offered me the option of exchanging the box at my doorstep for a fee. So even your own staff accept the box is faulty.

 

I have taken all reasonable steps to rectify the problem and I have given you the opportunity to either repair or replace my Sky box. None of these options you accept without being forced to pay a fee.

 

As I have already explained to you regardless of whether my Sky box is out with its warranty period it should still last a ‘reasonable length of time’. You do not make up your own rules to suit your self. This is why the Sale of Goods Act was introduced to stop company’s such as yours making up your own rules and deceiving the public.

 

I have sought advice from my local Council Trading Standards who agree with me that you are in breach of the sale of goods act and it would be reasonable to assume the box should last longer than 19/20 months.

 

I wish to resolve this matter amicably and without the need for court intervention but you really are pushing me into a corner here. Kindly repair or replace the box please or I shall have no option but to instigate proceedings in Falkirk’s small claims court without any further notice to you.

 

 

Kindly govern yourself accordingly.

[2ltr16valve]

I would cancel my subscription. If your in contract still then demand they stop charging for a service they know you can not receive.... As without their equipment you can not use the service.

 

I had the same issue so said I would buy a third party receiver which is both cheaper and more functional, they said I couldn't and it has too be a sky box, they then gave me a free box replacement.

They usually do back down.

[dx100uk]

great letters

 

 

dx

[Bazooka Boo]

See what I mean, re-writing the rules!!

 

Specious company, makes my teeth itch...

[IdaInFife]

any update Argyll?

[Realist]

People do push their luck and try and get blood out of a stone and sorry I'm with Sky on this one, you signed a contract, agreed to it and now your trying to change the terms by extending your side of said contract.

 

 

By signing Sky's contract and receiving a subscription you agreed to a 12 months warranty and that's the end of the matter sorry.

 

 

You cocked up by extending the subscription and keeping the old STB you should of started a new contract with a new STB and a fresh warranty.

 

 

Tip: Spend £20 quid, buy one off EBay and use that and save yourself a lot of letter writing and headaches or pay the fee, get a reconned box and start again.

 

 

If you ran a shop, sold electrical goods and a customer returned 18 months later saying the very same thing sorry theirs the door bye.

[Realist]

Sky have nothing to do with Murdoch and his crew he has shares in the company and that's it but people still tar people and companies with the same brush.

 

 

This is the trouble with uneducated huge corporations, especially Murdoch & his crew!

[dx100uk]

sorry that's wrong

any warranty is in addition to your statutory rights under SOGA and alike

it does not negate or replace them.

 

 

time you read the sale of goods act

 

 

dx