Problems pairing Sky card with TNT Sport only to new Sky box

[drykid]

So, up till recently I've been watching TNT Sports via Sky using an old Sky Viewing Card from years ago (I don't have a Sky account.)  All was working well until I found myself unable to view TNT Sports as the box says "no signal" on all four channels.  Now there is a possibility that that is connected to a problem other people are having (from looking at various things I've read online), but to cut a long story short I called out a satellite engineer and he said he thought the box itself was at fault.  So I went out and picked up a cheap used Sky+ HD box as a replacement.  This seems to have fixed the "no signal" issue as now when I go to TNT Sports I get the error about needing to pair the viewing card instead (which I was expecting since the card hasn't been used in this box before.)

I called BT up about it as their website implies that pairing card to the box is something they can do.  However I ended up getting put through to someone who said that only Sky can do this.  So I tried Sky and - after explaining that I couldn't give them my account details because I don't have a Sky account - they tried looking up my card on their system.  They claim they can't find it.  I insisted I was giving them the right viewing card number but they just said I needed to discuss it with BT instead.

So, I went back to BT, trying their online chat thing this time.  A bit more helpful, but still they insist that only Sky can sort this out.  But what can I do if Sky claim the card number isn't on their system?  I should point out here that this isn't the first time this card has caused me issues; in the past they've tried to look it up on their system but after ages trying have then responded to the effect "oh, I've found it now, it's on the old database.  We don't normally look on there."  So maybe that's still the problem.  But there's not much I can do if Sky don't even know where to look on their own system for things.

So I've no idea how to proceed at this point.  I did get BT to send me a text confirming the viewing card number and stating that it's currently active, but I can hardly show that to someone on the phone at Sky.  And since Sky don't use email I can't get it to them that way either.

Not sure how to proceed at this point!  Maybe cancelling TNT Sports is the only option left to me.

[Mark39]

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@drykid wrote:

So I tried Sky and - after explaining that I couldn't give them my account details because I don't have a Sky account - they tried looking up my card on their system.  They claim they can't find it.  I insisted I was giving them the right viewing card number but they just said I needed to discuss it with BT instead.

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How were Sky able to verify your identity when you called? Do you still have a telephone password?

[drykid]

They weren't as such.  I just blagged through the automated id part somehow or other and when I got through to an actual person I explained that I didn't have a Sky Account, but I did have a Sky viewing card with TNT Sports on it and that BT had advised I needed to speak to Sky to have it paired to a new box.  And they were happy to proceed on that basis, except that they then couldn't find the card itself.  (They did also try finding it via home address instead but the problem is that this card was issued by Sky years ago, and since my sub with them was cancelled years too, I've no idea what address it would be associated with on their system.  Other than it certainly won't be the one I'm at now.  I've moved maybe five times since then.)

[Mark39]

We've seen the problem reported before where Sky can't help because you no longer have an active account with them.

If you wish we can ask the Messaging team to contact you here via a private online chat to see if there's anything they can do, but I'm doubtful for reason above. 

[drykid]

If you could then that would be great, thanks 🙂  Even if they can't help, if they could at least give me something official in writing as to why there's nothing they can do about it then at least I'll have something I can go back to BT (who are the ones who take my money each month) with and ask them what exactly they propose to do to resolve matters.

[Mark39]

OK, I've alerted Sky and a Community adviser may be able to help you via private, online messaging later today. Look out for a blue/red chat 'bubble' towards the bottom of the page. Replies from Sky may not be instant, so check back from time to time for updates. Once the chat is activated it remains open for 48 hours, after which it will automatically close..

For the detail of how it works see this guide: https://helpforum.sky.com/t5/Did-you-know/Escalating-a-post-to-a-Sky-expert/ba-p/3711147

[drykid]

Great thanks, will do.

One of the more frustrating parts of this is that according to BT's own page:

https://www.bt.com/help/tnt-sports/fix-problem/sky/problems-with-your-sky-card-or-box-watching-tnt-s...

"To watch TNT Sports on a Sky box, the card has to be paired to the right box. For an explanation of viewing cards and boxes, see Sky help here. Normally pairing is performed during initial set up.

If you're getting a message such as “This is the wrong card for the box ”, then you need to re-pair your viewing card to your box.

The preferred way to do this is to have your box connected either via telephone or broadband. A description on how to do this is on Sky’s website - Set up your Sky box >

Alternatively, you can contact BT or Sky. If you're a Sky subscriber, you can do this by following the instructions on Sky's website >

To pair your card via BT, please click on Contact Us at the bottom of the page. You'll need the Sky viewing card number and version number, and the serial number of your box. These can all be found through the Services menu option on the box using the Sky remote control."

I read that as saying that *if* you're a Sky subscriber then you can get Sky to pair the card to the new box.  But if you're not then BT can do it for you instead.  Except that either no-one there seems to know how or they're too lazy and would rather try and get Sky to sort it instead.

[Mark39]

I read it the same way, and suspect you're right. Simpler for BT to put it in the 'too difficult' pile, and pass you off to Sky.

[Addie15]

Hi there! Thank you for escalating this. However, as there is no active subscription or account this is not something we can help with. Thanks.

[drykid]

OK thanks for confirming 🙂  I'll have another go at BT about it and update this thread either way just in case I can prevent someone else wasting a whole day going around in circles.

[bmitie]

Hi, am I dreaming but BUT did BT sell out to TNT and its TNT customer service you should be ringing!! I'm here as I have a PACE HD box thats acting up and want to change it out for a Sky DRX890 and need to pair the card. Like yourself I dont want to ring sky etc.

Its  bit silly trying to follow the online instructions but one that I found goes like this,

SERVICES, then 001 select,  then across to install and then select twice.

NB have all the box details, so if you put card in box and go to services, settings system details and make sure card is being read, it will show viewing card number, take a pic etc

[drykid]

I don't feel qualified to say what the relationship is between BT and TNT Sports anymore but all I can say is that if you look at this page:

https://www.bt.com/help/tnt-sports/fix-problem/sky/problems-with-your-sky-card-or-box-watching-tnt-s...

It clearly seems to suggest to contact BT to sort any issues related to TNT Sports on Sky cards.  But that may just be the customer-facing aspect of it, who knows who reports to who behind the scenes.

I haven't even tried the online route because I have zero faith that it can achieve what a day of talking to BT and Sky directly have failed to achieve.  Am back to discussing it on BT Chat right now but if that fails then I may give it a go.

[bmitie]

I know what you mean, I tried it with a FTA card and it went through a procsess and then said complete.  I have fast BB as well.

To make you feel a bit better I have spent the last hour and a half faffing about logging on, clicking on link seeing it roll over, signed on to sky app and cant see bit where it says manage account.

My reckoning is when you do it with online ie BB it transmits new details etc.

Just to add, saying you want to cancel might get a result.

By the way I am ex BT and it would not surprise me if all the BT sports cs  lot moved to TNT and existing CS dont have a clue or dont want to help TNT.

[drykid]

I tried the Sky App earlier, but that didn't get me much further.  I have a Sky ID, but until you link your Sky ID to a Sky account (which is something else altogether, and which I don't have) within the app then the Manage Accounts thing won't work.  So that was a waste of time on my part.

I actually think the card that my TNT Sports is on might be an FTA one too.  It's a bit complicated because I originally had an FTA card, and then later on I subscribed to Sky and they sent me a new card to use for that instead.  But then a few years after I cancelled Sky I went to BT Sports, and  I think it might have got added to the FTA card rather than the ex-Sky one (possibly for no other reason then it was the only one of the two I could actually find in the house at the time when BT wanted a card number to put it on.)  But I didn't mention this earlier so as not to make a long story even longer.   But I do wonder if the fact that it's an FTA card might explain the "old database" responses I've had from Sky about it in the past.

Anyway the problem is solved now but will make another post about that 🙂

[drykid · Accepted solution]

OK success, I got back to BT and they finally fixed it.  In the end they had to speak to "level 2" support, as they apparently are the ones who know what they're doing.  The problem is getting through to them when level 1 are being told to send everyone to Sky whenever a customer mentions viewing cards.

So to sum up what I've discovered today:

1) BT *can* pair viewing cards to Sky boxes without involving Sky

2) If you don't have an active Sky account, BT are the only people who will be able to do this for you

3) It's quite likely the person you speak to at BT will not know anything about this, so good luck convincing them of points 1 and 2!

But anyway thanks for the assistance everyone 🙂