WHY WONT SKY REPAIR MY PHONE LINE

FrankieD · ‎11-10-2011

What does a customer have to do before Sky will actually get a faulty land-line repaired? Before you read my little story please bare in mind that I am severely disabled and virtually housebound and a telephone is absolutely essential to me for both social and medical care and emergencies and Sky are aware of this fact. I have (and have not hand for some time) no dial tone when I try to use my telephone and cannot make or receive calls. When I first reported the fault Sky told me they had tested the line and there was no fault on it, they then had me crawling round on my hands and knees to dismantle my telephone socket to access what they said was a test socket; I did this and as instructed tried plugging my telephone into the "test socket" but I still had no dial tone. I was then asked to try a second telephone in this "test socket" and still no dial tone, and still cannot make or receive calls. Sky keep saying the same thing; "we have tested the line from our end and there is no fault", yet I still have no dial tone and still cannot make or receive calls. I have taken my telephone next door, to my neighbour, and plugged it into their socket and it works fine, yet when I then plug it back in to my socket I again have no dial tone and cannot make or receive calls. I have tried my neighbour's perfectly good and fault free phone in my socket and still no dial tone. There has been lots of communication between me and Sky, all by email of course because my telephone does not work. Sky know that I have tried my neighbours telephone and telephone socket, they also know that I have done the same with my Mother's phone and phone socket yet still refused to do anything. Sky keep saying that they are only responsible for the line as far as the "test socket" and anything after that is the customer's responsibilty, so if the phone works in the "test socket" it is not their responsibility; but my phone doesn't even work in the test socket! After more emails and complaints from me Sky have now said that they will send an engineer out but only if I am prepared to accept responsibility for a call out fee of £99 and an hourly rate of £66! As I said at the start of my little tale I am severely disabled and because of that am not able/allowed to work so even if I wanted to I could not accept responsibility for such expensive fees. What are customers paying line rental for? I only rent the line, I do not own it, so why am I being asked to foot such an enormous bill for a fault that is clearly not my fault or responsibility. I am now stuck in a position where I am paying for a land-line that does not work and I have no way of ever getting it repaired! It is thoroughly shameful that a company like Sky would treat customers like this, maybe it is time to switch to Virgin? Has anybody else suffered this same ridiculous scenario?

Malcolm-M · ‎21-10-2010

Hi FrankieD, I'm sorry that this has not been explained very effectively resulting in more stress resolving what is obviously an issue of concern already. The cost of the work is only charged to you if it turns out to be something we are not responsible for. You can find a more details explanation of what is and isn't our responsibility at http://www.sky.com/shop/terms-conditions/talk/ under part B section 3.

Our accessible customer service team may be able to help with the issues you have contacting us.

Malcolm-M
Community Coordinator
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Skytime · ‎10-03-2011

As stated above if your sure that its nothing on your side of thigns they get the engineer to come out as you'd only pay if it was an error on your side of things and since your sure its the line then you'll be ok !!! at least htis way they can get some one out to srt uit out and you'll be ableto make calls again !

FrankieD · ‎11-10-2011

Unfortunately Sky are giving me conflicting information.
How can the fault on my line be deemed to be my responsibility?

Sky have told me that they have tested the line and there is no fault, but have also said that they are responsible for up to the test socket and there is no dial tone at the test socket.
Sky gave me instruction on how to test the "test socket" and there was still no dial tone and I was still not able to make or receive calls using the "test socket". Surely this must mean that the responsibility lies with Sky, and having read the terms to which you directed me if there is no dial tone at the "test socket" and we have exhausted all of the trouble shooting then the responsibility lies quite clearly with Sky, so the ridiculously high call out and hourly rates being mentioned could never be my responsibility, so why would I have to accept that responsibility?
I can see no reason why Sky should not now get on with repairing the fault on the line and I also see no reason why I should have to pay for Sky Talk for the period in which it did not work.
I hope you will be able to suitably motivate somebody within Sky and get my telephone line repaired, and if not then I will simply cancel my Sky subscription and contact Virgin!
I now look forward to a proper reaction and am incredibly disappointed with Sky and how difficult it has proven to get this sorted out.

Malcolm-M · ‎21-10-2010

Hi, the terms and conditions I linked to cover it in more detail however the mandatory statement has to be agreed to as we cannot rule out some things we are not responsible for such as accidental damage, on your property, to the wiring leading to the master socket.

We cannot raise a ticket via the forums. If you get in touch via the link supplied above we can arrange to have the issue taken further if you agree to the mandatory statement.

Malcolm-M
Community Coordinator
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Skytime · ‎10-03-2011

You have to understand the issue from their point of view too! sure your did like go and try the socket but sky need to be sure your not just fobbing them off and tryign to get some one out there, if the engineer cameo ut and just plugged it into the test socket and it started working then becuase this was advsied ot you over the phone to do then you'd be charged sicne wasted engineers visit, however if he came out and tried that and still didnt work ( since you tried it and it doesnt ) then he would go back and find the fault and if somehwere elseo n the line then they would be able to sort it without you being charged... its just to cover that if you didnt follow the troubleshooting over the phone that you'd pay for servcie call ! since yoru sure its not your fautlt then you'ven othing ot worry abotu since you know its on the sky side of things ! call up and get engineer out after you agree to that mandatory statement

all sorted then for ya !

FrankieD · ‎11-10-2011

Skytime you seem to be missing the point here. I do not need to "see it from their point" as I am a paying customer and am being charged for a service that does not work. As for "I might be fibbing over the test socket" well that doesn't really deserve a response does it? Why on earth would I, or anybody, not test the "test socket" and then say that they had? It is a simple enough thing to do and if it is the difference between having to pay a huge repair bill and not then obviously any customer would carry out the test. I have a supplier who keeps saying that there is no fault as they have tested the line, but who then say that if there is no dial tone at the "test socket" it is their responsibility; there is no dial tone at the test socket, this has been checked with 2 phones that I know work as I have tried them in my neighbours house so the fault cannot under any circumstance be my responsibility. It would be wholly irresponsible and borderline illegal for me to say I will accept responsibility for a fee that I could simply never afford to pay. Sky simply need to meet with their obligations and repair the fault, it really is that simple.

Skytime · ‎10-03-2011

hey ! i'm not missing your point but you just see it as * i pay for ksy they have to fix it * but thats not the case.. sky provide a service and they are responsibile for everything up until your text socket.. any error up unti lthen they will take responsibility for and fix it free of charge however if it is an error in your set up or your socket after the text socket then it would be your fault as property owner! - and as far as the *fobbing off thing* it happens all the time, i worked for sky for a long while and it happens all the times that people jsut wnat engineers out to save them the hassel, im not saying you are in this case but it does happen so sky have standard operating proceudes liek going through the troubleshooting to ensure its not an issue on your side of things before getting engineero ut and to be sure you followed all the instructions over the phone they get you to agree to that statement so you are aware that if you messed up etf its your fault or you can go through the troubleshooting again a few times and then if still same not wotrking then get engineer out there ! - in short if you dont agreed to the statement sky wont send an engineer ! if in contract then your stuck.. if not then you can move to another provider and see if they'll fix the line for free without you havting to agree to a similar statement! choice is yours !!

FrankieD · ‎11-10-2011

Well thankfully I am out of the contract period, and can move to another supplier. Virgin for example offer fast repairs without any of this nonsense and wont be using the BT socket anyway. I have to say though that having gone through the troubleshooting several times now and there being no dial tone at the test socket then the responsibility has to lie with Sky; but this is where it gets conflicting. Sky say that if there is no dial tone at the test socket it is their responsibility (and there is no dial tone) but then say they have tested the line and there is no fault; yet when my phone is plugged in to the test socket they cannot call me on it because it does not work. So who is going to take responsibility? If Sky keep saying they have tested the line and there is no fault how are they going to be able to send an engineer out to fix it without then handing me the bill? There is no dial tone at the test socket - that is the key point so the fault HAS to be outside of my control. I cannot agree to take responsibility for the monies mentioned because I simply do not have that kind of money and I do not think Sky can be trusted to accept their responsibilities.
Seems I am not the only one to encounter this ridiculous situation and I am now in communication with the BBC TV programme "WATCHDOG" and am hopeful that the shame of this may make Sky face up to the responsibility they have to their customers; they cannot just take the money and run and regardless of what "terms and conditions" are in place if those terms and conditions are unreasonable they are not worth the paper they are written on. It seems this is also an area that OFCOM are looking into as well due to the large number of complaints they have received.

SHAME ON SKY - A MULTI-MILLION POUND COMPANY TAKING MONEY FROM A DISABLED PERSON FOR A LANDLINE THAT DOES NOT WORK AND THAT THEY REFUSE TO FIX; A LANDLINE THAT IS ALSO AN EMERGENCY LIFELINE AND THE NEXT TIME I CANNOT DIAL 999 FOR EMERGENCY MEDICAL HELP THIS WILL MAKE FRONT PAGE NEWS.

SHAME ON SKY - WHAT A DISGRACE!

kirkie50 · ‎18-03-2011

Hi FrankieD

I am sorry that you consider that we are not attempting to rectify the issue with your phone service. Just to clarify once you have been through the trouble shooting and its found, as in your case that the fault cannot be resolved an engineer visit is required.

We need to arrange an appointment with Openreach as they maintain the line. The mandatory statement has to be agreed to before this can be done. The statement clearly outlines that only if the fault is the customers responsibility would there be a charge, the reason we do the trouble shooting is to eliminate equipment faults etc which would be chargeable, we will not arrange an appointment unless both the statement and the troubleshooting have been accepted . If the fault is outside the property or with the wiring coming in to the main socket there would be no charges.

Hopefully this clears up why the statement has to be read and that we can fix this if given the opportunity.

Thanks

kirkie50
Community Coordinator
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FrankieD · ‎11-10-2011

Kirkie 50

Firstly Sky have been given every opportunity to fis this fault but have made no effort to do so, the nearest they have got is to ask me to call an 0844 number but as we already know I do not have a phone right now.

It seems the trouble with Sky is that everybody who works there just reads from a rule book that makes no sense and nobody is able to apply a little common sense.
I cannot agree to the "mandatory statement" as you call it because that is Sky asking me to agree to accept responsibility for a bill of an unknown amount that has no limit and all I am told about this bill is it will be £99 call out fee and £63 per hour for as many hours as it takes and is probably extra for any parts; and this is for the repair of a line that I only rent. Now I know I am only liable for this bill if it is deemed that the repair is my responsibility but having gone through the troubleshooting and established that there is no dial tone at the test socket and this meaning that the repair is the responsibility of Sky why are Sky insisting that they have tested the line and there is no fault? As Sky say that there is no fault up to the test socket then I will be held responsible and have to pay the bill; but that is contradicting the fact that there is no dial tone at the test socket and I am therefore not responsible for the repair! I am sure you can see why I am so concerned.
Having done the troubleshooting we have established that there is no fault with the internal wiring or my equipment so there should be no problem with getting this repair done; otherwise what is the point of the trouble shooting?

As I have already said I cannot agree to accept responsibility for this ridiculous amount as I do not have that kind of money, I could just be irresponsible and agree to the ridiculous demands but I wont because I would not be able to pay the ridiculous bill, and in any event we have already worked out through the trouble shooting that the fault is not my responsibility.

I am quite sure that I am not the only one that sees this as wrong having discussed it on other forums and having contacted the Watchdog television programme - and I am very much looking forward to repeating this on National TV via the Watchdog programme; Sky will not repair a fault on the service they rent to you unless you are willing to agree to accept responsibility for a bill of an undisclosed amount.

So very disappointed with Sky and I'm afraid I will be cancelling my subscription and going to Virgin.
.

LauraMac · ‎20-12-2010

Hi FrankieD,

As you mentioned in your original post you have tried all possible troubleshooting which means it is highly unlikely that you would be charged for the engineer visit.

If you agree to the mandatory statement a BT Openreach engineer would investigate everything from the exchange to your test socket, if the fault was found anywhere between these two points then it's Sky's responsibility to have this repaired and no charges would be incurred by yourself.

Charges are only applicable if the fault is found to be with your own internal equipment and if this was the case would indicate the troubleshooting was not completed fully.

Due to the reasons above an engineer will only be authorised on agreement on the statement, if this is not accepted I'm afraid we are unable to assist you further.

LauraMac
Community Coordinator
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dithompson2 · ‎30-09-2011

That is if they ever turn up!

FrankieD · ‎11-10-2011

WELL I RECEIVED A CALL FROM SKY LAST SATURDAY - SOMEBODY FINALLY MADE THE CONNECTION THAT IF MY BROADBAND IS WORKING FINE THEN THE FAULT CAN'T EVEN BE AT MY HOUSE SO THERE IS NO NEED TO SEND AN ENGINEER, THEY WILL FIND THE FAULT AND REPAIR IT.

I WAS HOPEFUL.

TODAY I GOT ANOTHER CALL FROM SKY ON MY MOBILE WHILE I WAS OUT, TELLING ME THAT MY FAULT HAS BEEN FIXED. I WAS OVERJOYED, RIGHT UP UNTIL I GOT HOME AND TRIED MY PHONE.

IT STILL DOES NOT WORK!!

WILL IT EVER WORK AGAIN? HOW USELESS ARE SKY?? IT IS NEVER ENDING!

tentimes · ‎18-07-2011

Join the club Frankie. I am disabled too and reely on my phone, which is regularly not working. When I ring india they put me on hold then cut me off (several times now).

How come I had 20 years with BT and the phone never went down, now it's 17 (SEVENTEEN!) times in 2 months, including a major outtage every Friday & saturday now in Northern Ireland.

The CS reps that deal with this are either clueless (one even tried to get me to start pulling my master socket when there was a declared incident) or powerless.

The latest incident for me was today. I could only phone to report the fault after the phone started working again (briefly) for an hour (i.e. my phone worked for one hour today I had a dial tone). After being on hold for 5 minutes the indian guy tells me (sounding embarrassed) that they cannot transfer to second line as it's not an active fault, I have to phone them when my phone is actually not working. Maybe I can jump in my wheelchair and go the 2km to a call box to do so?

This service is disgraceful, and Sky are totally incompetent, with impotent and powerless customoer service agents probably working for a dollar and hour. I am cancelling 12th November when my contract is up.

My advice Frankiie is cancel it, get a line that works (BT) and get your stress levels down. I don't know if you suffer pain, but I certainly do, and the stress this whole thing (no phone) has put me under has made my pain much worse and is affecting my health.

Sky's response to this is as bad as I believe it is possible to get.

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