Sky Service going downhill

[ike2112C]

Has anyone noticed that it's become almost impossible to speak to a real person at Sky?

I've had a recurring problem with our box. Followed help, and it just said they'd send a new box.

Which isn't what I wanted - don't feel they really tried troubleshooting the issue.

The problem seems related to box going into standby mode and not coming out of it correctly - not every night, but commonly the blue Q light is flashing and the box won't turn on. Nothing suggested changing standby settings or any other diagnostic checks. 

Tried calling after eventually finding customer services number. 

Went through their options. Despite saying I wanted to speak to an agent, and raise a complaint, still tried to fob me off with online help - and hung the call up. 

Courier turns up today with a box. 2 days quicker than they said. Nobody was home, not expecting the parcel. But speaking to the courier through Ring doorbell, he can't leave the package as he's expecting something to collect. 

Not sure what? I presume the old box - but nothing was mentioned through the online process about handing that back, and we've got heaps of recordings on there which I don't want to lose. 

So courier left without leaving me the new box. 

So I'm trying to call Sky again, and nowhere in the My Sky app can I find my way to speak to a human. 

I know there's still a heap of people working at the office in Livingston, round the corner from where I live. 

I know there's loads of others work fully remotely around the country. 

Why can't I speak to them?

Why have Sky changed their processes so that it's so damn difficult to actually get help? 

Why won't they troubleshoot my problem? 

Why am I having to search lots of non-Sky help pages for insight from 3rd party tech people for ideas to try? 

One of the few reasons I kept Sky despite shenanigans every contract renewal was that the support was at least decent when needed. 

Now it's non-existent? 

[Daniel0210]

@ike2112C 
These are the current methods for contacting Sky. Some contact methods will be more appropriate than others depending on the issue you have.

🟡 📞 Call Customer Services by dialling 150 (free) from either a Sky mobile or your Sky Talk landline if you have Sky Broadband. The forum doesn’t allow the display of other numbers but official numbers to Sky from the UK are 03 numbers which are usually inclusive from non Sky phones.

All calls will start automated (aka ‘the bot’) which may offer you the online help route or try to send you here to the forum. Stay on the line as long as possible and sometimes saying nothing when asked the reason for the call helps being put in the queue for an agent.

🟡online help via this link
https://www.sky.com/help
If necessary a number may be visible at the end of the correct help flow.

🟡Sky Assistant 💬 should also be available via
https://www.sky.com/help
for most service issues and gives you 24/7 help and a quick response. It should provide you with multiple choice options based on your problem and will provide troubleshooting steps to fix any service issues.

🟡Social Media You can also get in touch via the messaging services on Facebook or Instagram, (links at the bottom of the forum page).

⚪️Note ~ ROI customers If you’re in the ROI make sure the flag in the bottom right of any link is showing the correct flag and change if required. The Sky Ireland phone lines have different operating hours to the UK and are closed over a weekend.

[TimmyBGood]

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@ike2112C wrote:

 But speaking to the courier through Ring doorbell, he can't leave the package as he's expecting something to collect. 

Not sure what? I presume the old box - but nothing was mentioned through the online process about handing that back, and we've got heaps of recordings on there which I don't want to lose. 

So courier left without leaving me the new box. 

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The courier acted correctly according to their own instructions. Q boxes are swapped on the doorstep: there's no mechanism to receive a replacement while retaining the previous unit to watch recordings.

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@ike2112C wrote:

One of the few reasons I kept Sky despite shenanigans every contract renewal was that the support was at least decent when needed. 

Now it's non-existent? 

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Business processes do tend to be reassessed following an acquisition: since late 2018 Sky Group has been an overseas division of the Comcast Corporation.

[Daniel0210]

@ike2112C 

When you get around to arranging another doorstep box swap the courier company (usually DPD in the UK) deliver a new box and take your pre-disconnected faulty box away so remember to remove the viewing card from the old box before it disappears into the van. Also accept the power cable the courier brings in case it's a different fitting to the one you have.

[PandJ2020]

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@ike2112C wrote:

...and we've got heaps of recordings on there which I don't want to lose. 

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Worth noting that the hard drive is primarily for time shifting and not long-term storage.  There's a limited licence in regards to the material and it's not yours to 'keep'.

For Q there's no legal way to retain the recordings and if you cancel your subscription then the box is returned to Sky.  Given the expected life left in Q (3-4 years) you will eventually lose them anyway.

[DaveDrizen]

You say. No body suggested any diagnosis. However have you tried going  in to the setting menu and seeing  if the standby mode setting is set to"eco" as in this mode it send the box in to deep sleep every night .the little light the box is red instead  of amber in standby. It suppose to come out of this mode about 6 in the  morning, but by look of it your box is not coming out it properly hence the problem you are getting and a replacement box is required if you want  to keep it that mode. However as a temporary fix at least If it  is  set to  eco mode adjust it  to "none" as that leave you box in the normal standby mode all the time. Try it and see if cure your problem at least until you are ready to swop boxes.

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[ike2112C]

I'm sure that was the couriers instructions. 

It's not what the Sky online help service said was happening though - no mention of handing the box back. 

I spoke with Sky last night, finally, and it was not any better than the AI. 

She cancelled the new box. 

However, today a new courier arrived with a box and wanting one from me... Said he's had it a few times where people weren't expecting this.

Know what he did? Opened the new box, put it in the return box, took a photo and left...

I doubt thats what they're meant to do...

I got nowhere with the human BTW - still waiting to hear whether an engineer is coming or not. 

[ike2112C]

Indeed I've found similar advice - on Reddit.

My mini boxes had different settings to the main.

The main wasn't on Eco but it wasn't on None either - so I've changed it to that and will monitor. The problem wasn't every night, it's intermittent (maybe twice a week) so must be another factor, maybe linked to when it checks for updates but is in stand by, or if there's recordings set overnight.

I was previously told by Sky that it was because we were using too much of the box memory, by having the audacity to use 81% of it...

They told me that this isn't how memory storage works, that we had to keep below 50%... Now aside from the fact I used to literally test memory and backups for a living and know that this is patent nonsense... If you've got a product that is meant to be a 2TB storage and they're saying you can only use less than 1TB of it... That's being missold isn't it?

We deleted things down to 40% and unsurprisingly, made zero difference...