Why is there no system for replacing faulty Sky mobiles?

[knleg]

I have just spent a total of six hours over three days "chatting" to attempt to resolve an issue with my mobile phone.  Without going in to great detail, some of the apps which I use on a daily basis will not connect to the Internet - my Internet and wifi are running fine as proved with other devices.  After fighting my way through various bots and human agents it appears that the recommended, and only, solution is to "swap" my phone for a new one using the Swap/Upgrade system.  This would involve a new credit agreement and my paying the balance of my existing agreement c. £256. Great money spinner for Sky then.  I have checked and found that a similar device can be obtained for £3 pm cheaper via Vodafone but I would still be in hock if I teminated my Sky contract.

I don't want a fancy new phone or a new contract and I don't think it should cost me anything extra  to have Sky providing the service for which they have contracted.  I don't want to leave Sky because the service has usually been good up to now but if my only option is to pay them even more money just to leave them I may bite the bullet and say "B**ger it". They supplied the phone, it has stopped working properly but they have washed their hands of it.

[caesarome]

Do these issues with the apps happen when your device is connected to the mobile data network or Wi-Fi or both ?

[knleg]

At any time, even when I am sitting within a couple of feet of the internet hub.  I have noticed that the "Sky" logo only appears intermittently on the top left of my home screen and that the usual wifi "umbrella" logo on top right is replaced by "4G".  I have tried resetting network settings, changing wifi network in Settings, all to no avail.  Apps will open fine but usually fask a message "You are not connected to the Internet" before connecting via what I assume is the 4G network.  Other apps give me just a message telloing me that I am not connected and go no further.

[PandJ2020]

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@knleg wrote:

I don't think it should cost me anything extra  to have Sky providing the service for which they have contracted. 

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From what you've described thus far the issue appears to be more software (or configuration) related, especially if it's just some applications and moreso if doing the same on WiFi and cellular.  A hardware fault would likely affect all applications.  Sky do not provide said software so it may not be the case that aren't providing the service.

If you mention what sort of phone you have then there may be suggestions to try.

[PandJ2020]

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@knleg wrote:

 I have noticed that the "Sky" logo only appears intermittently on the top left of my home screen and that the usual wifi "umbrella" logo on top right is replaced by "4G". 

Generally, if connected to WiFi then this will take priority over cellular.  If 4G is appearing then that's a loss of connection to WiFi (reverting to cellular).

Has the router been rebooted?

[knleg]

It's an iPhone 14 and I agree that it is likely to be a software issue.  However the platform that the apps are residing on is provided by Sky, including I assume the operating system, so the equipment provided, which worked fine for a year is now not fit for purpose.

My other consideration is that if I want to upgrade or swap the phone then the trade-in price is likely to be affected because it is not "functioning normally" and I could not certify that in my swap request

[knleg]

More times than I can shake a stick at!

[PandJ2020]

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@knleg wrote:

It's an iPhone 14 and I agree that it is likely to be a software issue.  However the platform that the apps are residing on is provided by Sky, including I assume the operating system, so the equipment provided, which worked fine for a year is now not fit for purpose.

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The OS is provided by Apple.

It could be faulty hardware which is having a knock-on effect or a corrupt installation/config.

I would take it to an Apple store first to see if they can validate any obvious issue.  If no other phones are having the issue then a factory reset and restore may resolve the issue (but not a small step).

[PandJ2020]

Alternatively, you can use Sky's process but will require return the device to them: https://www.sky.com/help/articles/sky-mobile-phone-or-tablet-repairs

(I presume it's out of warranty)

[TimmyBGood]

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@knleg wrote:

It's an iPhone 14 and I agree that it is likely to be a software issue. However the platform that the apps are residing on is provided by Sky, including I assume the operating system

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That would come as a considerable surprise to Apple Inc. who are famously keen on maintaining control over their own rather valuable brand identity.

In this context Sky is a hardware vendor and Virtual Mobile Network Operator: they have no involvement in the iOS operating system or the apps resident on it (and any related server-side services) unless that's specifically a Sky-branded app such as Sky Go.

[TimmyBGood]

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@knleg wrote:

I have noticed that the "Sky" logo only appears intermittently on the top left of my home screen and that the usual wifi "umbrella" logo on top right is replaced by "4G".  

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If the phone is frequently switching between WiFi and cellular data during normal use within the property, that could certainly generate app issues.

One possibility would be to disable one of those services and then see if the issue persists.

[knleg]

Thanks to everybody for their advice.  I took the phone to the Apple store in Penzance and they discovered that the McAfee software on the phone was creating a VPN that I didn't know about.  That was obviously capturing the phone's internet requests.  

So for the cost of a tenner and a car park fee my phone is sorted.  Better than the couple of hundred it would have cost me to returne the phone to Sky! 😀

[PandJ2020]

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@knleg wrote:

Thanks to everybody for their advice.  I took the phone to the Apple store in Penzance and they discovered that the McAfee software on the phone was creating a VPN that I didn't know about.  That was obviously capturing the phone's internet requests.  

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Good news!  VPN's can be a good thing but do sometimes cause issues.