Payment before installation

[Elsiemary1302]

We expressed interest in February to install Sky with no installation fee.  Received 2 sky boxes & placed them to one side signed up' for Sky until engineer visits 22 March to install.  After 2 weeks Sky took £42 payment.  Phoned Sky & was told we should have connected the boxes ourselves & was told the engineer will not connect the boxes, he will only install the hub. Told Sky we have not received any hub.  Following day received text to say hub is on its way - which was received 2 days later. According to Google - sky box will not operate with hub - yet we have been pre-charged for the boxes!. Sky said it was normal for charge to be taken after 14 days - but we are not even connected!! We are still with Virgin. Queried whether we even have a BT line for Sky to connect to - (we currently have Virgin cable). After several contacts - messages with Openreach, finally received text to say Openreach engineer will attend same day as Sky engineer.  Surely Sky should have checked whether there was a BT feed to our property before drawing up contract? 

[caesarome]

What TV package have you signed up to, Sky Q, Sky Stream or Sky Glass ?

You first is due to be paid two weeks after the actiation which seems to be what the issue is here.

[Mark39]

@Elsiemary1302 the only boxes that won't work without a broadband connection are Sky Stream Pucks, so I assume those are what you've ordered. You can connect them to your existing Virgin broadband service, pending a Sky Broadband installation.

Sky do check for a BT phone line to your property but are reliant on the information contained in the Openreach database. If there was previously a BT phone line to your property which was disconnected when Virgin cable was installed, Openreach would likely not have known.

The Sky Broadband Hub is usually despatched to arrive a few days before your activation date.

[TimmyBGood]

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@Elsiemary1302 wrote:

Received 2 sky boxes & placed them to one side signed up' for Sky until engineer visits 22 March to install.  

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If those are Stream pucks then there's no installation by Sky and Sky personnel will not attend to do so.  Customers are expected to do that themselves, by plugging into the television and connecting to WiFi: an installer visiting to get broadband in place will not get involved in television issues.

[Elsiemary1302]

Yes they are 2 x Puck boxes. 

[Mark39]

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@Elsiemary1302 wrote:

Yes they are 2 x Puck boxes. 

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They're designed to be connected and set up by customers. An engineer won't set them up for you.

[Elsiemary1302]

Yes - they are Sky Puck boxes.  Engineer installing BT line to our property - but can't get a hoist!  So limited however, preparing for next engineer to continue.  Annoying to have paid £42 up front weeks ago & I am still using Virgin Media TV/Broadband/Phone. One would have thought Sky would have investigated what was in place first and whether ok to have Sky installed on date engineer arrived. I had already advised the sales person I didn't think we had BT line connected. 

[Mark39]

Already addressed, I think. You can still use your Virgin broadband to set up the Pucks.

[TimmyBGood]

@Elsiemary1302 

As @Mark39 indicates, Sky Stream pucks will just connect to your existing Virgin WiFi through you following their on-screen setup procedure.  They do not require Sky Broadband (or a Sky Hub) and Sky will not 'install' them even once your address is receiving such a connection.

https://www.sky.com/help/articles/setting-up-sky-stream 

[Elsiemary1302]

Sky Stream Puck.   What happens to the Virgin Media equipment after Sky is fully installed?

[Mark39]

Nothing as a result of your Sky installation.

If you've cancelled Virgin, their equipment will become redundant when their service ends. It's up to Virgin whether or not they want their equipment returned to them.

[Elsiemary1302]

Thank you. The Sky Salesperson told us not to do anything, as they will contact Virgin and advise them we would retain our telephone number and email addresses.  We have not contacted Virgin ourselves - but few weeks ago my husband had a missed telephone call from Virgin and an email the following day saying 'thank you for advising us of change to your contract' . 

[Mark39]

@Elsiemary1302 I would strongly recommend, contacting Virgin yourself if you wish to cancel their service. They can't act on Sky's instructions in that respect.

[SKY1992bf]

@Elsiemary1302  I concur with @Mark39  regarding contacting virgin yourself to cancel their services as sky are unable to do this on your behalf for tv or broadband services