SkySham

[Darryll]

What on EARTH are Sky playing at?

I posted on here about a black blob that appeared on my screen a few weeks ago.  Since then, it has gradually become worse, and in the community it was suggested to contact Sky.

I did so, three calls down the line, over an hour, and they are suggesting there is nothing they can do?  It is literally one day over a year old, and wasn't activated until the end of April due to delay in Sky installing broadband.  This has a two year guarantee.  Their resolution was 'claim from your home insurance'.  

Could someone advise please who to contact regarding escalating this.  Also, where to raise a formal complaint?

[GD1]

@Darryll  To raise a complaint there is a link at the bottom of every community page called Complaints  https://www.sky.com/help/articles/how-to-make-a-complaint

[TimmyBGood]

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@Darryll wrote:

I did so, three calls down the line, over an hour, and they are suggesting there is nothing they can do?  It is literally one day over a year old, and wasn't activated until the end of April due to delay in Sky installing broadband.  This has a two year guarantee.  Their resolution was 'claim from your home insurance'.  

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I think they were just plain wrong.

I'd suggest calling again, emphasising this is a warranty claim against an inherent defect, not a report of accidental damage (which I suspect is what their script will be telling them)

[Darryll]

Seriously, this just gets more bizarre! They called back to say they now need 3 days to clarify???? What an utter shambles. Clearly states comes with a 2 year guarantee. 

[TimmyBGood]

@Darryll 

As I said, I suspect their scripts tell them that screen damage should be treated as a self-inflicted until proven otherwise.

[Darryll]

I started the thread to see if this was a common problem and if there were any tips. Given that they don't send repair men out, how the hell are you supposed to 'prove' anything?!

Seriously the worst company I ever joined. 

[TimmyBGood]

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@Darryll wrote:

I started the thread to see if this was a common problem and if there were any tips.

I don't recall this being posted before: typically people report damage from impact or fall which they hope Sky will cover*

Given that they don't send repair men out, how the hell are you supposed to 'prove' anything?!

Unfortunately, with difficulty.  Glass has no 'engineer' support and field repair is essentially impossible (which isn't exactly unusual for modern televisions)

*they don't.

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I think you'll have to be persistent and insist on a warranty return: the set will then be assessed back at base.

[Angel_Aka]

My advice? A TV is often one of the most expensive and most used items in every household. 
When you're spending hundreds of pounds (often £1K+) on a TV, buy it from a retailer or manufacturer which offers a free 5 or 6 year warranty. If you have a busy household then also make sure you have accidental damage cover on your contents insurance. 
You can add a Stream puck to any smart TV purchased from any retailer to get the same SkyOS experience if that is important to you. 

[Darryll]

Already do that Angel.

Not claiming on any personal insurance, however, with a set that hasn't been used for a year.

It will be back to Virgin after the next 12 months.  Never had such a shoddy experience of customer service.

I'll wait for their 'three day' as noted above, then escalate to complaint.

Thanks all.

[Darryll]

To update...

Seven calls later, still NOTHING!

Each time they say take a photo.  I submit it, they then say oh yes, dead pixels, we'll escalate to Cardiff and they will call you back.  Then, NOTHING!

Utter shambles.  I have escalated to a complaint but at this rate don't see that achieving anything.

Are there any independent ombudsmen style companies that oversee these services?

[TimmyBGood]

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@Darryll wrote:

Are there any independent ombudsmen style companies that oversee these services?

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Complaints about Sky escalate as described here:

https://www.sky.com/help/articles/sky-customer-complaints-code-of-practice/ 

to either the Communications and Internet Services Adjudication Scheme (CISAS) or the Financial Ombudsman Service.

The regulator  is Ofcom, but they rarely get involved with individual customer issues.

However with a dispute over the quality of a product as well as the subsequent customer support issues it might also be a Trading Standards issue.