topic Re: Excessive wait time for an engineer booking in Sky Q

Excessive wait time for an engineer booking

JifJaf — Sun, 07 Jul 2024 13:18:48 GMT

What is the current standard wait to get an engineer (Satellite TV service) callout? I have suddenly been getting 'no satellite signal' errors and channels cutting out completely. It has to be a dish/LNB/Q box issue as I am getting low signal (50 strength, 30 quality). Went online as it's the weekend and there's no actual support available, the very earliest appointment to get a technician out is 30th of July, so 23 days from now!

I have no TV channels, and I am expected to wait over 3 weeks just to get someone to look at it? That's unacceptable, if anyone else has had to wait so long did you get a rebate on your subscrition for the loss of service? No way I am paying a full month's cost if I can't receive the service for over 3 weeks!

Re: Excessive wait time for an engineer booking

PandJ2020 — Sun, 07 Jul 2024 13:50:53 GMT

3 weeks is not unusual nowadays.

Once it's fixed you can ask Sky for a credit to cover the period from reporting to fixing.

Re: Excessive wait time for an engineer booking

Daniel0210 — Sun, 07 Jul 2024 13:54:13 GMT

@JifJaf

Billing will continue as normal but once the problem is fixed contact Sky to ask for a credit on your account for the time you were without service.

You will have been offered the earliest available engineer visit in your area. Be aware there is (or is going to be) a reduction in Sky engineers countrywide.

Re: Excessive wait time for an engineer booking

JifJaf — Sun, 07 Jul 2024 13:59:43 GMT

Thanks, but you say they are going to reduce their available engineers? When wait times are already unacceptable? Where did you get that info from?

That is just pure greed, no wonder more folks are just switching to streaming services instead. Charging a premium price for a terrible service is no way to retain customers.

Re: Excessive wait time for an engineer booking

Daniel0210 — Sun, 07 Jul 2024 14:05:09 GMT

@JifJaf

Its been in the media. Sky not longer supporting Sky+ / Sky+HD issues will be one reason

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/jan/30/sky-cut-1000-jobs-customers-move-pay-tv-internet

Re: Excessive wait time for an engineer booking

TimmyBGood — Sun, 07 Jul 2024 14:15:42 GMT

@JifJaf wrote:

Where did you get that info from?

https://news.sky.com/story/sky-to-cut-1-000-roles-this-year-amid-shift-from-satellite-services

I'd observe that summer holiday time is a potential issue for installer availability too.

Re: Excessive wait time for an engineer booking

TimmyBGood — Sun, 07 Jul 2024 14:47:14 GMT

@JifJaf wrote:

no wonder more folks are just switching to streaming services instead.

" A spokesperson for Sky said: "The launch of Sky Glass and Sky Stream represents a shift in our business to deliver TV over IP (an internet connection) rather than satellite.

Increasingly, customers are choosing Sky Glass and Sky Stream which don't require specialist installation, and that has led us to change the number of roles we need to deliver our services. "

Re: Excessive wait time for an engineer booking

PandJ2020 — Sun, 07 Jul 2024 14:19:43 GMT

@JifJaf wrote:
no wonder more folks are just switching to streaming services instead

Sky have just such services... however, being an existing customer switching from Q doesn't seem to attract generous offers...

Re: Excessive wait time for an engineer booking

JifJaf — Mon, 08 Jul 2024 10:56:33 GMT

I agree (removed). They have certainly not reduced the subscription cost for a service they are degrading and no longer seem to care about. What about the people who cannot receive a good enough internet connection to support an IP-only service? It's bad enough when the internet connection goes down too, it would be so much worse now that it will mean losing internet, TV and phone service all at once.

A company is only ever as good as its customer service for me, and as soon as that becomes an issue I am out.

Moderator note: Removed inappropriate language

Re: Excessive wait time for an engineer booking

JifJaf — Sun, 07 Jul 2024 20:48:00 GMT

Not sure how they can justify reducing engineers for a service though with already unacceptably long wait times, maybe trying to force people into taking on the streaming service instead? If so there's a lot more competition than in the satellite broadcast market.

I wonder if someone was to become a 'new customer' how long you would have to wait to get an install visit? 3 weeks+ ? I would walk away.

Re: Excessive wait time for an engineer booking

TimmyBGood — Mon, 08 Jul 2024 07:19:23 GMT

@JifJaf wrote:

If so there's a lot more competition than in the satellite broadcast market.

Sky has no choice but to switch to streaming provision because the trio of satellites they currently use (but do not own) are unlikely to be replaced when they reach the end of their operational life in a few years time. Satellite television broadcasting is a 1990s technology, long before high speed internet was a thing.

Re: Excessive wait time for an engineer booking

Bridgewood — Tue, 20 May 2025 14:34:57 GMT

The SKyQBox satallite signal was down last Thursday 15/5/25 and it was Sky's problem. I followed the online instuctions to restore the signal but it still said no signal on the screen. I rang Sky and spoke to a very unhelpful advisor who said the ealiest I could have an engineer's visit was 28/5/25. I said this was unacceptable and his response was you will get a refund for the days lost. Dana Strong is the chief executive of Sky and it is her aim to phase out the satallite and I think this lack of service is a ploy to get people to change over to Sky Glass or Sky Stream. Curry's are in partnership with Sky to persuade customers to change to Sky Glass or Stream which can be done by Curry's. I was also told by the salesman that if we did it in my wife's name Sky are giving a huge discount to new customers.

Re: Excessive wait time for an engineer booking

PandJ2020 — Tue, 20 May 2025 15:27:32 GMT

@Bridgewood wrote:
... the ealiest I could have an engineer's visit was 28/5/25. I said this was unacceptable

Anecdotally, that isn't bad.

Re: Excessive wait time for an engineer booking

John+Scott+Latty — Tue, 20 May 2025 23:13:59 GMT

I have one on 26th May - I will spend the entire week fiddling - it is in my nature and if I break something on our shared aeriel 🙂

I found change from SCR to Wideband and all my recordings and catchup and apps start working YEH thats something they don't tell you

unscrewed everything and out it back together but no difference

unpatched my coaxial in the shared cab and repatched - powered off/on some stuff

Re: Excessive wait time for an engineer booking

Chodley — Wed, 21 May 2025 04:49:44 GMT

Well it definitely won't work if you're on wideband and a communal dish / single cable.

No idea why that affected the apps. Unrelated. Probably the reboot involved had an effect.

Re: Excessive wait time for an engineer booking

Godfrey — Wed, 21 May 2025 09:32:57 GMT

@John+Scott+Latty wrote: unpatched my coaxial in the shared cab and repatched

As you are fed from a communal Integrated Reception System installation, and your Sky Q receiver is therefore correctly reporting that it has no satellite signal when configured to be in Wideband LNB mode, you will now need to configure your Sky Q receiver back to Single Cable Router (SCR) LNB mode, instead of the default WideBand LNB mode.

Thus, to configure a Sky Q receiver to use SCR LNB mode;

Press Home
Scroll to Settings - but do not press enter/select at this point
Press 0 0 1 in sequence followed by the Enter/ select button
you should now get the engineer's menu

Select the LNB Type & set to SCR

After changing the LNB type, switch to standby, and finally remove mains power from your SKY Q box, then restart it for the change to come into effect

Godfrey.