Sky Q - HDR Upgrade

[MattH60]

A year or so ago we ordered our Sky Q 2TB box when HDR capable models ( 32B1xx etc ) were already available, but were sent a non HDR model ( 32B0xx, from the back of the van presumably, fobbing me off with old/obsolete stock )
Now that I have just upgraded to a UHD TV, Sky want me to pay £99 to allow me to self-install a new HDR ( hopefully 32B2XX )
Given the many £1000's we’ve spent with Sky over the last 19+ years I think it’s shocking to charge that much for a feature I already pay for.
I took out a subscription for the SkyQ box in good faith, expecting to get the SkyQ box 'as advertised' ( i.e. 2TB, UHD & HDR capable )

Given that not too long ago, the self install option has ranged from £50, £25 and even free, where the hell do they get £99 from?

[nigea99]

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@MattH60 wrote:

A year or so ago we ordered our Sky Q 2TB box when HDR capable models ( 32B1xx etc ) were already available, but were sent a non HDR model ( 32B0xx, from the back of the van presumably, fobbing me off with old/obsolete stock )
Now that I have just upgraded to a UHD TV, Sky want me to pay £99 to allow me to self-install a new HDR ( hopefully 32B2XX )
Given the many £1000's we’ve spent with Sky over the last 19+ years I think it’s shocking to charge that much for a feature I already pay for.
I took out a subscription for the SkyQ box in good faith, expecting to get the SkyQ box 'as advertised' ( i.e. 2TB, UHD & HDR capable )

Given that not too long ago, the self install option has ranged from £50, £25 and even free, where the hell do they get £99 from?

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Just out of interest did you have a UHD subscription / do you now have one ?

I believe there was a quirk in the SKY systems a hile ago that would not let them quote the cheaper self install iotions until the account had the UHD add on already added - this may still be the case soif you think this may be the reason then it may  possibly worth getting them to try options after you have the UHD add on

P.S. I don;t suppose you have any correspondence from when you got your 2TB box regarding HDR worth checking any finr print - to see if you can refer them back to it.     

[MattH60]

We've had the UHD addon for months, received as part if a larger upgrade ( full fibre, sports etc )

[nigea99]

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@MattH60 wrote:

We've had the UHD addon for months, received as part if a larger upgrade ( full fibre, sports etc )

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Oh well that blows that theory - Sorry it wasn't this

Sometimes their pricing really does amaze us. - although, I think,  sometimes it can be down to the individual adviser you are talking to.

The £99 was (/is) the usual price for an engineer install

.

[MattH60]

Offered and accepted 'self install'

£99 to do it myself

Ridiculous....

[nigea99]

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@MattH60 wrote:

Offered and accepted 'self install'

£99 to do it myself

Ridiculous....

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I think many here will feel that SKY should have treated you more fairly.

[oj01]

@MattH60 Assuming this will be a DPD doorstep box swap, don't forget to take the viewing card out of the old box. 

[MattH60]

Just found the original correspondence

( to me,  the pertinent bit being "To watch in Ultra HD or HDR, you need aSky HD and Sky UHD subscription, a Sky Q UHD compatible box and a compatible UHD-ready and HDR TV" )

"Ultra HD, High Dynamic Range, On Demand and the Sky Go App

•
To watch in Ultra HD or HDR, you need a Sky HD and Sky UHD subscription, a Sky Q UHD compatible box and a compatible UHD-ready and HDR TV (as applicable). To watch in HDR, your UHD set-top box will also need to be HDR compatible. You cannot view content in Ultra HD or HDR via a Sky Q Mini box or the Sky Go App.
•
You need an Ultra HD TV that supports 2160p at 50 frames per second (fps) and HDCP 2.2 on at least one of the HDMI inputs. All Ultra HD content available through Sky is protected by HDCP 2.2. For HDR, your TV needs to support Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG) HDR.
•
If you remove your Sky HD subscription, your Sky UHD subscription and access to HDR content will automatically end.
•
To watch Netflix in Ultra HD through your Sky Q box you need Sky Ultimate TV, the Ultra HD pack, a Sky Q UHD compatible box and a compatible UHD-ready TV.
•
To watch Disney+ in Ultra HD through your Sky Q box you need a Disney+ subscription, a Sky Q UHD compatible box and a compatible UHD-ready TV.
•
Further compatibility requirements apply to view High Dynamic Range (HDR) content, to review these additional requirements please visit here
•
How long it takes to start viewing On Demand content depends on your broadband download speed. For speedy viewing of On Demand content, other than Netflix, you'll need:
o
3Mbps for standard definition
o
8Mbps for HD
o
24Mbps for Ultra HD or HDR
•
On Demand downloads and streaming count towards any broadband monthly usage cap (including for Sky Broadband).
•
The Sky Go App only works on compatible devices. Please visit here for information on setting up the Sky Go App and the supported devices.

Using Sky Go Extra

[doninwales]

I am in a very similar position, been with Sky for AGES (15+ years), much of it paying for Ultra HD.  Yet I have an older, non-HRD box.

I am in the process of getting it replaced, for the THIRD time!   I don't know if this is 'general', or I am just unlucky, but they appear to only last (for me) about 6 or 7 months, before things start going wrong (freezing, not starting up, hard disk making noises etc. etc..)
I am currently in the process of arranging a replacement (taken me a week already, but that's another story....).

The point to note (and may not be known by other Sky users).
If you have a non-HDR box, it requires an Engineer visit to sqp out the boxes!
In comparison, the HDR boxes can be self-installed, so they can just send you the box.

I know.  Is VERY surprising.   But they INSIST that you need an engineer visit to swap out a non-HDR box.   I haven;t managed to get any sort of sensible reason for this.  After all, when the engineer DOES attend (remember, it's already been done several times for me), all HE does is remove the cables from the old box, plug them into the new box, and leaves!
My son could do that!  It doesn't need any special technical experience or anything.  Pretty much what I assume you would do yourself with a HDR box.
The engineer's even agree with me on the phone.  But their systems/processes INSIST that an engineer swaps out a non-HDR box.

And this CAN cause issues.....Even though I've been with a non-working box, for a week, they were quoting me another 2 weeks as the earliest date for an engineer visit!  They're 'trying' to get it sorted earlier......

I asked if I could instead have a HDR box, but they wanted to charge me £99 for it!
(Despite me being a long-standing customer paying over £100per month and having no Sky for a week there appeared to be no leeway other than pay £99 to upgrade. 
 SURELY it costs them more than £99 to send an engineer to me, than just sending a new HDR box through the post.....?)

[TimmyBGood]

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@doninwales wrote:

I am in the process of getting it replaced, for the THIRD time!   I don't know if this is 'general', or I am just unlucky, but they appear to only last (for me) about 6 or 7 months, before things start going wrong (freezing, not starting up, hard disk making noises etc. etc..)

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All non-HDR 2TB UHD boxes were manufactured in 2015 (and released as the 'Q Silver' in early 2016) so they are rather elderly now.

[doninwales]

Yes.

Am assuming that 'new' customers automatically get the HDR version of the box.
Yet long-standing customers like myself are stuck with the old non-HDR version... 😞

Feels very unfair.....

[TimmyBGood]

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@doninwales wrote:

Am assuming that 'new' customers automatically get the HDR version of the box.

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A 1TB UHD/HDR main Q box became the default in November 2019.

There was a v2 release of the 2TB UHD in 2017 which was HDR-capable (and had an external PSU because the v1 sometimes has an overheating issue).

Worth remembering that with 2015 manufacturing the Q Silver actually pre-dates ratification of the first HDR standard (HDR10) and a UHD chipset with HDR capability probably wouldn't have been available at the time.

[Laing1]

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@doninwales wrote:

I am in a very similar position, been with Sky for AGES (15+ years), much of it paying for Ultra HD.  Yet I have an older, non-HRD box.

I am in the process of getting it replaced, for the THIRD time!   I don't know if this is 'general', or I am just unlucky, but they appear to only last (for me) about 6 or 7 months, before things start going wrong (freezing, not starting up, hard disk making noises etc. etc..)
I am currently in the process of arranging a replacement (taken me a week already, but that's another story....).

The point to note (and may not be known by other Sky users).
If you have a non-HDR box, it requires an Engineer visit to sqp out the boxes!
In comparison, the HDR boxes can be self-installed, so they can just send you the box.

I know.  Is VERY surprising.   But they INSIST that you need an engineer visit to swap out a non-HDR box.   I haven;t managed to get any sort of sensible reason for this.  After all, when the engineer DOES attend (remember, it's already been done several times for me), all HE does is remove the cables from the old box, plug them into the new box, and leaves!
My son could do that!  It doesn't need any special technical experience or anything.  Pretty much what I assume you would do yourself with a HDR box.
The engineer's even agree with me on the phone.  But their systems/processes INSIST that an engineer swaps out a non-HDR box.

And this CAN cause issues.....Even though I've been with a non-working box, for a week, they were quoting me another 2 weeks as the earliest date for an engineer visit!  They're 'trying' to get it sorted earlier......

I asked if I could instead have a HDR box, but they wanted to charge me £99 for it!
(Despite me being a long-standing customer paying over £100per month and having no Sky for a week there appeared to be no leeway other than pay £99 to upgrade. 
 SURELY it costs them more than £99 to send an engineer to me, than just sending a new HDR box through the post.....?)

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@doninwales in addition to @TimmyBGood comments Sky have always charged an administration fee to upgrade to a HDR box and their policy is to swap out boxes on a like for like basis so as you have a non HDR box they will swap it it for another non HDR box which may be why they insist on an engineers visit 

[doninwales]

I understand the logic behind swapping like-for-like.  Since I had a non-HDR box, they are swapping for another non-HDR box.

But....

It does NOT explain why an engineer visit is required to swap a non-HDR box, but no engineer is needed to swap a HDR box.

and....

Why does a NEW customer get the latest HDR box, whereas I am stuck with the old non-HDR box?

As I say, I have been a long-term loyal customer paying over £100 per month, messed around MASSIVELY in the past week (they have agreed to refund a month's worth of TV costs) yet they demand £99 for me to receive the HDR box... 😞

My road has just been dug up 3 or 4 times in the past few months.  By a third-part broadband supplier, BT and Virgin.
Have already agreed to move my current 74Mbps Sky broadband (the current max they can provide) with 300 MBps FTTP with the third-party supplier.
I am also going to consider moving to Virgin when it becomes available in the near future.

[Laing1]

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@doninwales wrote:

I understand the logic behind swapping like-for-like.  Since I had a non-HDR box, they are swapping for another non-HDR box.

But....

It does NOT explain why an engineer visit is required to swap a non-HDR box, but no engineer is needed to swap a HDR box.
 by sending an engineer they can be sure that they replace like for like when send out a box by courier they cannot be sure that they are sending a non HDR box
and....

Why does a NEW customer get the latest HDR box, whereas I am stuck with the old non-HDR box?

When HDR boxes became available they were given to all new customers as these were the newest boxes unfortunately Sky decided to charge for anyone who wished to upgrade to the HDR boxes only Sky can tell you why this decision was made but it seems they are still sticking to this decision

As I say, I have been a long-term loyal customer paying over £100 per month, messed around MASSIVELY in the past week (they have agreed to refund a month's worth of TV costs) yet they demand £99 for me to receive the HDR box... 😞

My road has just been dug up 3 or 4 times in the past few months.  By a third-part broadband supplier, BT and Virgin.
Have already agreed to move my current 74Mbps Sky broadband (the current max they can provide) with 300 MBps FTTP with the third-party supplier.
I am also going to consider moving to Virgin when it becomes available in the near future.

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