Tree blocking satellite signal

[Prince1953]

For the first time this year we can't get any television service because our satellite isn't working because of trees at the back of our garden.  This has never happened before in the 19 years we have lived here.  The sky engineer said we need to buy a new box  and there would be a further charge on our bill every month which could be as much as 25.00. Can I cancel my contract with Sky without penalties as I'm no longer able to get any television coverage from sky.

[RobertS83]

Phone sky and ask to get out through to the value team. 

The sky engineer is suggesting sky stream where all channels are delivered through the internet, but is shouldn't cost more as you will be swapping your existing device.

Please note that not all channels that are on satellite are available yet on stream and there is a minimum broadband speed required of at least 25mb per second. 

The latest channel list for sky glass/stream is below:

https://www.sky.com/help/articles/tv-channel-list-sky-glass

[MarkGoldsmith]

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@RobertS83 wrote:

is shouldn't cost more as you will be swapping your existing device.

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Not necessarily true, as the packages on offer are different between Q and Stream/Glass, and if you delve into the detail the non-discounted list prices of the packages are different between the 2 platforms.

Also if a customer is in contract and has decent discounts ofntheir satellite based contract, those discounts may not be available at the same level on the streaming packages so it could well cost more for an "in-contract" customer to make the switch and it may only be cheaper once the minimum term has ended.

[MarkGoldsmith]

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@Prince1953 wrote:

Can I cancel my contract with Sky without penalties as I'm no longer able to get any television coverage from sky.

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Doubtful, as the satellite dish becomes your property once its initially been installed. If there is an environmental factor that is now causing an issue with the signal that legally speaking isn't Sky's problem.

The options you have would likely be to switch to Sky's streaming platform ( but research should be done before you do this and the platform is completely different). The other option you have is to get an engineer to try relocate the satellite dish to another location that perhaps will have a better signal

[RobertS83]

Surely if they want the same package e.g. sky ultimate it would just be a case of a hardware change and a possible admin fee

[MarkGoldsmith]

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@RobertS83 wrote:

Surely if they want the same package e.g. sky ultimate it would just be a case of a hardware change and a possible admin fee

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The Sky Ultimate TV package is only for the streaming platform. Whilst the equivalent package for satellite has a slightly different name and different list prices.

That ways when customers choose to move over to the streaming platform, Sky attempt to match the packages, in terms of roughly what you have on the satellite platform, but prices/discounts will almost certainly be different ( and as previously mentioned may not be cheaper if you have decent discounts and are in contract).

[mr.tickle]

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@MarkGoldsmith wrote:

The options you have would likely be to switch to Sky's streaming platform ( but research should be done before you do this and the platform is completely different). The other option you have is to get an engineer to try relocate the satellite dish to another location that perhaps will have a better signal

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Related to that, another option, which I would choose, is to get a tree surgeon to trim back the trees in question - since they are yours on your own property. You'd be amazed at some of the gadgets they have these days, can often be done from a long pole on the ground.

[TimmyBGood]

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@Prince1953 wrote:

The sky engineer said we need to buy a new box  and there would be a further charge on our bill every month which could be as much as 25.00. 

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A £25 subscription to Sky Stream would take the place of the current satellite television subscription: it's not an additional charge.

[Prince1953 · Accepted solution]

Thank you all  for your input which has been very useful. 
After having the streaming box connected I checked my future billing. The bills went up to more than £40.00 because they changed my contract. 
I phoned Sky and the person I spoke to said it was because having streaming put in the system automatically changed the contract and it wouldn't allow for any changes. When I threatened to leave as  a new contract gives you a cooling off period she changed my sky package cost to a similar price to what I paid before but couldn't do anything about the updated contract. I am still thinking of leaving Sky but don't know  who to transfer to.

[Angel_Aka]

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@Prince1953 wrote:

Thank you all  for your input which has been very useful. 
After having the streaming box connected I checked my future billing. The bills went up to more than £40.00 because they changed my contract. 
I phoned Sky and the person I spoke to said it was because having streaming put in the system automatically changed the contract and it wouldn't allow for any changes. When I threatened to leave as  a new contract gives you a cooling off period she changed my sky package cost to a similar price to what I paid before but couldn't do anything about the updated contract. I am still thinking of leaving Sky but don't know  who to transfer to.

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If you want to stick with streaming then there are many options available but it really depends on what you like to watch and how you like to watch it. 

The USP of Sky Stream is that it has live channel streams that you can channel hop around to find something to watch. It also has bundle deals with several streaming services so the Ultimate TV subscriptions comes with Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, Discovery+ and Hayu. If you don't watch anything on these services then you don't really need Ultimate TV. 

If you mostly watch free-to-air TV (BBC, ITV, Channel 4, etc) then you could purchase a Freely streaming device which is a little box, like a Stream puck, which connects to your broadband and your TV and gives you live channel streams, watch from the start, watchlists and the same kind of thing Sky Stream offers, but without the monthly fee. Some TVs actually have Freely built in to them already so you don't actually need the box.

If you want Sky programmes you can use the NOW TV app which is owned and run by Sky and allows you to subscribe to individual packages of Sky Sports, Sky Entertainment (with HBO Max) and Sky Cinema. This can be received in up to the same UHD quality as you get from Sky Stream. You can get monthly or 6 or 12 month contracts with NOW. If you like to have a bit more control then this can be a good option. If you prefer Sky to run everything and have one bill from one place then Sky Stream is probably the better option for you.