update from Mr Brown on 9 April 2003
"I have received a reply from Sky as a result of my complaint being forwarded to Sky. Thank you.

However, their reply did not answer complaint. If Sky had told me at installation in Dec 2001 that my new tv was not compatible I would not have subscribed.

Their Installing Engineer told me it was all set up but I did not check the remote control as he had been used it for the set up. Only much later did I discovered it was not fully compatible. On contacting Sky they kept advising it was and if I could give them the manufacturers code they could then programme it to work fully. They kept giving me various codes to try even though I do not have the technical knowledge of a television engineer.
Why did they keep giving me codes when from installation by Skyr engineer (my televison has not changed)?

Further, Sky knowing that my tv was not compatible why did they ask me to obtain from the manufacturer the code? Why six months later did they still have their engineer give me codes to try if they knew my set was not compatible?

As a last resoprt prior to contacting Consumer help. I obtained a certificate and posting and posted to Sky my final written request for my complaint to be resolved, they did not have the courtsey to acknowledge same? Does paying Sky £436 per annum not intitle some positive response from Sky Customer Relations Department?

If Sky can advise me in writing that they did not receive that letter sent via Royal Mail (RM) I will submit a complaint to RM regarding non delivery of my letter." RG Brown

SKY CUSTOMER SERVICE EMPLOYEE HERE. The vast majority of TVs CAN be programmed for TV functions; if not, your TV remote control is perfectly adequate. Any complaints should be explained in detail over the phone - remember we ARE here to help you - but try and advise of any problem constructively, rather than say you'd rather forget it and cancel the whole contract. Sometimes things go wrong; if you do get somebody who cant/refuses to help, call back - there's hundreds of operators available.

My advice is to pursue any complaint passively. Tell us the situation and we'll try our best to resolve it - however, some "complaint" calls turn out to be no fault of Sky and waste valuable operator time. Examples include: 'I wrote to cancel and you've not cancelled it' - either send it registered post or cancel over the telephone. Any call is logged on the account so there is no need to remember individual calls or names - they can be traced - but if you are satisfied with an adviser either try for somebody else or their supervisor.

Most of my calls stem from abuse about suspending viewing because bills are "only 3 weeks late". This is ridiculous - as in the contract, any late payment means no viewing. This is no fault of Sky, yet it generates a mass volume of calls - even though the customer is at fault for breaking the terms of the contract.

I guess if you are definitely not at fault and Sky are 100% to blame, then pursue it persuasively. Otherwise, look for negotiation.
Anon... 21 January 2004
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I also have the same problem with my SKY remote! But I haven't contacted sky yet. I wonder how many others out there with the same problem. JT...8 April 2003
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I appreciate JT submitting his Consumer Comments. Same problem. better success if he contacts Sky. I would advise any person considering installing Sky, be sure to check all sytems: your TV, Video,DVD etc are compatible with the Sky box and supplied Sky remote control.
R G Brown, ...9 April 2003
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The way to get results is to ring and if you do not get a satisfactory answer ask to speak to their supervisor. Escalate the call until you get an agreement to sort out the problem.If they refuse say you will write in pointing out they refused to put you on to their supervisor. Always get the persons name and follow up if they fail to satisfy. Don't give in, that is what they want you to do. They are in my opinion not interested in their customers - just their money. Jim... 9 April 2003
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Hello, This morning I got a letter in the post that says someone who used to live here owes Sky Tv £35.86 the deters name is Ms Harwood. The Ref number is:104XXXXX. I have lived in this house for five years, Ms P Harwood has not lived here since I have lived here and anyway I haven't even got a tv. Why this letter has come here I'm not sure but I will leave it up to yourselves to sort out. Thanks, David Hodgson...23 May 2003
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Hi. Although I haven't had problems we my remote I've had problems with Sky not responding to complaints! One of Sky's engineers installed Sky in my home. Upon doing so he drilled through my orginal/normal aerial cable! So now I have no option but to watch everything through Sky! My aerial outside is useless! Several letters to Ian Shepherd - no response! I complained to their MD and got a letter from a superviser saying that it was not possible for directors to respond to customers! Great customer service! Anyway I still go on waiting for my aerial cable to be replaced/repaired at Sky's expense!
Andy Williams... 2 August 2003
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I have had sky installed for about a year now and all was fine until about eight weeks ago when suddenly i could not watch any of the premium channells that i pay for because these channells have a 'technical fault'. I have telephoned the customer services only to be told time and time again to just switch my sky box off at the socket and leave it for fifteen minutes, this never works, and then i have to get back on the phone for another half an hour waiting for someone to fob me off again! i am seriously thinking of cancelling my contract with sky as i am paying £38 per month for nothing, and i do not see why i should have had to pay for the last two months. I thought ITV Digital were bad but you take the biscuit! Mrs Lucie Parkinson ..13 August 2003
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As a ex manager for sky and 8 years as a installation engineer these problems are very common the remotes work on a code supplied by the manufacturer of the television which is programmed into the handset the most common complaints handsets etc are usually tried to be resolved by operator on phone billing enquirys are more front line staff as for the complaints procedure try to be persistant eventually it does pay off i have had simillar damage complaints as the above mentioned and have resolved it within 24 hrs if you do not get anywhere dont phone send letter to sky corrospondence or complain in writing to directers threating to contact watchdog this always gets a response Anon ... 24 August 2003
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I would like to complain about the schedule change of CNX from lastnight I have been watching this channel for about 2 weeks and have got in to the story lines of the shows I watch from 01:50 untill 03:30 most night so please change it back today 2/9/03
Joe Black...2 September 2003
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I am totaly disgusted at sky opperatives customer relations procedure I had a problem with the service and billing when I rang I was given wrong information, which in turn lead me to loose 1 weeks viewing through disconection that I still have to pay for
Dawn Benton...6 September 2003
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This is going to sound stupid but i was watching WWE Smacksown last night and i realised that it had finished 15 minutes early and replaced it with Football classics so i went on the net to see if i missed anything and i had they had cut it short for football. This is unfair as i pay for sky to watch the whole thing not bits they want to show us.

Also i am fed up with the fact they say that the WWE will be on say 10p.m and it doesn't start till 11p.m that really annoys me.
Emma Goodman.....7 September 2003
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You sad bunch! Sky for what it is delivers without doubt, the best possible product with regard to the digital platform! Are you that lazy, that having to use two remote contols....1 for sky 1 for tv. What do you do with your vcr remote? Complain to the manufacturer? Think of it as bonus if it works, if not...whatd he big deal? Get a life
Bob Stevens ....14 September 2003
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I called to complain about freezing pictures - after months of phoning, an engineer eventually called around and swapped my brand new box for a reconditioned one - which turns out is over 5 years old! My picture was worse, and my TV link stopped working. We have arranged for a new engineer to come out. When I called to complain, I was put through to a 'Team Leader' who was rude and threatened to cut me off, and put a stop to the engineer from coming out to me. He was extremely aggresive, and even counted to ten while I was looking for a cable which came out of the back of the box. He said that he was giving me one more chance to tell me what cables were coming out the box - hell, I'm no expert, and do you know what each cable does?

He said that I was being stupid, and that if I tried to cancel my subscription, I would be taken to court. Not once was there an apology for the ongoing problems since September - when I asked about the complaints procedure, he became even more aggresive, and thenn put me on hold indefinately. This is not the sort of service we expect from so called Team Leaders - he says his name was Gordon Miller, but I think he may have made that up. He was so rude that I'm almost scared of reporting him, as he has all of my personal details. What happened to apologising for wrong doings?
Ranjan Chopra...5 November 2003
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Hi, I agree with Bob Stevens. I have never heard so much rubbish!All these faults are almost always down to the end user. I have always found sky technical very helpful and informative. They wipe the floor with the rest of tv on programmes and sky news is second to none!
Gerry Harkness@hotmail.com...7 November 2003
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I run a small aerial & satelite business, and am bewilldered by the petiness of some of the issues I have read on this site.SKY are not the greatest company in the world to deal with i agree, but if your volume buttons don't work your tv then pick up your original handset and operate the volume from that.The sky handsets do not do all televisions and if you have an obscure make then it just won't work your volume !!! WHATS THE BIG DEAL ?? Neil Crockett...9 November 2003
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I had sky installed last march. However, the box did not work from the start and the engineer fudged it so I did not realise immediately. Another engineer called (another day off work), and put in another box. He left and i discovered severe interference on my telephone line. I unplugged the box and wrote to sky. They ignored my letter and phone calls... Until now when they want to bill me over 200 for the faulty box AND threaten to discredit my reputation.
Why is it that these big companies have all the power?
Gill Leigh...10 October 2003
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Today was the fourth appointment i have been given for an engineer to turn up and install sky television.Yet again, the engineer did not turn up, he did not answer any calls nor contact anyone to say that he would not make it (again). All they would do is offer me a fifth appointment. This is rediculous, especially as we have children. No amount of asking the engineer each appointment if he would definately turn up, helped. infact he was extremely rude, and at one point hung up on me. As i said he then did not contact anyone to say he would not make it, he just did not turn up. What are we supposed to do? We are trying to remain patient, but this is proving difficult. Can anyone advise? Mr.Andrew McWilliams ... 14 November 2003
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Why is it that i bought a sky digy box and dish paid for instalation and have been watching all free channels bbc itv sky news etc. but now i get a blue box on my screen telling me viewing will soon cease.the equipment belongs to me sky sold it to me but now they wont let me view my channels. is this legal or if they wont let me view can i get a refund for the equipment they sold me.ty john massie ... 14 November 2003
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Regarding the remote control problems, I suffered similar problems with my remote and was unable to get the volume to change. But after deciding that it would not work I get by without it. All I can say is, if your problems consist of not being able to adjust the volume of your TV with the Sky remote, use the TV remote or GET OVER IT. This is not a serious problem, maybe you should look at what happens every day in this world and your problem WILL disappear into insignificance! S Odams .. 19 November 2003
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I would like to know why up until 17th january 2004 west ham united would have been shown live 6 times but they would have all been away games,is there any reason why no live games are not being shown from upton park?.
Mr Steven Tiley ... 21 November 2003
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Same problem with the remote control not changing the volume. It's obvious that the technical design is flawed: since I have the sound routed out to an ordinary amplifier, why can the controller not change the output volume directly? Martin Bucknall...4 December 2003
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I booked sky+ to be installed today December 6th, i got a call from the installer at 9 am to say he would be with me between 11am and 2pm. I was working and my wife went to the local shop for approx 10 minutes, returning at 1040am to find a note saying that the installer had called and we were out.

I rang sky and they assured me that they would contact the installer and he or she would return. After many calls to sky they finally admitted that the installer was never going to return and it was my fault as i was not home when he called. My point being they said 11 am and they came before that, its not very fair. I wasted a whole day waiting in the hope that it could installed as they led me to believe. The final call all sky said was its not our fault, do you want to book another date. why should i sit in my home all day on a Saturday when they are not bothered. They took my money quick enough when i rang to book the installation but they havent supplied the service.
Mr J Barry ... 6 December 2003
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I have been watching most haunted live and living in Enfield went to the Rose and Crown to see the presenters. My wife telephoned me and said that they arrived there from Epping Forest even before I got there even though I only live 5 minutes drive away. Seeing as I am and many others paying 25p a text message thinking it is live I feel we are being conned out of our money as it cannot possibly be live. I even phoned the programme last night. While I was out my wife phoned the programme and spoke to a woman who laughed when my wife said it cannot be live.

I think that the programnme is taking peoples money under false pretences.
Christopher Dean .... 30 December 2003
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