Sky Box Installation

The following info will help you to make sure you get a good quality Sky Box Installation without problems. Please look at all of the pictures below. You will be shocked to see what a bad job can look like.

I was recently called to a customer who had just had a Sky Box and Sky Multiroom installed. The customer lodged a complaint that the Sky approved engineer left the Sky Phone Line wiring in an untidy mess, and wanted to know if there was a better way of running the cable, so got in touch with me.

I had never seen such a messy bodge job by an engineer that Sky sent to do the work.
Compare my ‘horror’ photos below with your own Sky Box installation. This will help you quality check your own wiring so you can differentiate between the right-and wrong way of running Sky Multiroom cables.

Sky Multiroom Sky Box – Is your installation up to standard?

They had asked Sky to fit the Multiroom Sky Box in the lounge and the bedroom. The property was a bungalow, the Sky Dish was mounted at the side of the property, with both Sky boxes concerned being fed through the same outside wall at opposite ends of the bungalow.
Sky Multiroom Sky Plus and SkyHD Box require a telephone line extension socket to be installed near each of the Sky boxes, so that they can upload information about peoples viewing habits, and also so that people can access the Pay To View films.
When I arrived, I was shocked at the way the Sky approved engineer had run the telephone wires. There was a catalogue of fundamental mistakes and an obvious lack of respect for the customers property, clearly demonstrated in the manner the work was carried out.

Sky Installation Photos

I took a number of pictures to help explain, as a trained and experienced BT Openreach Engineer what was wrong – in my view, with their Sky installation and the quality of workmanship.

 

The Sky Box Multiroom Dish Aerial Cable was draped in the gutter, for almost the full length of the customers property. There are no fixings, the cable will impair the drainage, become a fault liability with continued immersion in water, and prevent gutters from being cleaned easily.

Please note that the fascia is wooden, and that I easily tacked the BT cable to it. There was no issue with fixing the Sky Box Co-Ax cable to the fascia, and the only reason I can see for doing the job in this way is laziness. The customer wasn’t consulted about the route of the wire and they were unaware of further problems until I brought them to their attention.

Sky Box cable not tacked to fascia board. Sky Multiroom Cable run down wall away from the corner looks untidy.

Sky approved engineer drilled a hole through the wall, and left the damaged masonry on the floor. No attempt was made to stick the pieces back around the hole. No apology to the customer for the untidy hole left, no sealant to plug the hole and prevent water ingress. I also had to drill a hole in the wall to run the black telephone wire but managed to without causing much disturbance.

You can see the mess left by the Sky approved engineer still on the ground. The black telephone wire was run after Sky was installed. I tucked the telephone cable into the angle made by the two walls, was careful not to break through wall with hammer action turned off on the electric drill, and I applied silicone sealant to the hole.

This is the second hole made by the Sky approved engineer, again with no sealant and rendering also blown.

Sky Box Telephone Extension

You have to have your Sky Box plugged into a telephone line in order not to be in breach of their contract. You need it to purchase Sky Box Office Films, and for Sky to monitor your viewing habbits.

Internal Sky telephone extension cable looks like it’s been run with a DIY telephone extension lead. Is this correct practise for a professional quality Sky Box Installation?

Having a Sky Box telephone cable run around the door frame where the door shuts is not only unsightly – it presents a fault liability if the door grazes it when closed. It is susceptible to being struck with a hoover and if the staples come loose, it could present a trip hazard. In this situation the door does miss the telephone cable, however it would have been much neater if the Sky Engineer had run it through a hole in the wall drilled next to the frame.

The standard of workmanship demonstrated by the way this phone wire is tacked at an angle across the wall leaves much to be desired.

The customer was unhappy with the Sky Box installation, the choice of cable used and the unsightly route it took. Once removed the holes left in the frame will need filling, and the door frame will have to be re painted.

I was shocked at the manner the Sky approved engineer ran the wire. Crossing a corner in this way and crossing each other for no good reason.

When you book a household name company to take charge of new work in your home, you expect a high standard, and a job that will leave you with a great customer experience. The quality of workmanship of this Sky Box installation is appalling but it’s not an isolated case.

Thrilled and delighted aren’t two words that would describe how this customer felt after their terrible experience with the Sky approved engineer that carried out the work.

We moved both televisions away from the wall, and as we did, we discovered that the Sky Multiroom approved engineer had left piles of brick dust on the skirting and carpet. He hadn’t asked the customer for anything to protect the carpet, or a piece of paper to catch the dust. No attempt was made to clear his own mess up, opting instead to hide it with the television – in both rooms.

It’s important to use the correct tool to tension and cut cable straps. I used the tool, Sky approved engineer used cutters which leaves a very sharp knife edge capable of cutting clothing or someone if brushing against it.

BT installation – the way I was trained

At BT I was trained to survey the job, devise a route for the cable, and then to consult the customer and talk them through the method of doing the job.
I would then carry out the work to the best of my ability in a tidy fashion, and with all entry points sealed against moisture.
Once complete, I would walk the customer around and make sure that they were happy with all aspects of my work. They would see how I had run the cable, and I would give them the opportunity of having anything amended.
If I drilled a hole in a wall and accidentally blew the rendering off I would apologize, and try and stick the pieces back in place with sealant, usually with a high degree of success.

This customer asked for my advice regarding their Sky Multiroom and Sky Box wiring and I suggested a completely new route running all telephone cable externally. The job has been completed, and the customer will now deal with the Sky wiring with the intention to remove, and rectify damage to their decoration. I believe they will be asking Sky to re route the cable left lying in their gutter – which the customer knew nothing of until I pointed it out.

Sky engineer vs Sky approved contractor

I asked a few friends about their own experience when having their Sky Box fitted. They commented that when the approved contractors carried out the work there were a number of problems with their workmanship. After several complaints a Sky engineer employed by Sky came round, resolved the complaint and made a first class job. My friend commented that Sky engineers are salaried and contractors are paid per completed job. Therefore the Sky engineer is likely to be more conscientious and less eager to leave, as under less pressure. This emphasis on speed is one main reason why I left BT. If you want a new telephone cable run for a Sky Box or a bad job tidied up, contact me now! I’d be glad to hear from you and help you out Contact me

The customer will now raise a complaint to Sky and they await their reaction.

How to complain to Sky – Contact number for Customer Services with link to Sky Website

This article is from the Sky Website and outlines their complaints code of practice. If you’d like to make a complaint, go to their website How to complain to Sky

Our Customer Complaints Code of Practice below sets out our processes for resolving complaints related to the provision of our products and services and our complaints handling process.

What can you expect once you have registered your complaint?

At Sky we will do all we can to provide you with the most suitable response specific to your particular situation and to ensure, where possible, that your complaint is resolved to your satisfaction.

If you call us, our advisors will ask you about the nature of your complaint. We will take into account all the points you raise and the details we hold in our records and seek to resolve the problem while you are on the line. If your complaint requires specialist knowledge, we will transfer you to a specialist advisor with the right expertise to resolve it. If we are unable to resolve your complaint while you are on the line, we will inform you of how long it is expected to take to resolve and agree when and how we will keep you updated.

If you contact us by letter or by email we will review your complaint fully, taking into account all the points raised in your correspondence and the service details held in our records. We will ensure that your complaint is investigated by the person in the company that is best placed to resolve your complaint. We will normally get back to you by phone, but if this is not possible, we will respond in writing.

We will do all we can to resolve your complaint as soon as possible. If your complaint is of an urgent nature, for example, if you are experiencing a loss of service, we will prioritise as appropriate and escalate your complaint.

We aim to respond to your complaint and agree a resolution within 10 days. Some complaints by their very nature, however, may take longer than others to resolve, particularly if they have technical complexity. If we have been unable to agree the resolution of your complaint within this timeline we will contact you. We will keep you informed of progress in a way that best suits you and at a time that is convenient for you.

What can you do if you are unhappy with our response?

We hope to resolve every complaint promptly and to your satisfaction. But if for any reason you are not fully satisfied with our response, please tell us and let us know where you think further attention is required. We can then review your complaint, and our response, and can escalate the complaint within the company. We will let you know if anything else can be done to resolve your complaint and we will inform you of how long it is expected to take to resolve. We will keep you informed of progress and any changes.

Sky Broadband, Sky Talk and Sky TV complaints

If your complaint relates to Sky Box, Sky Broadband, Sky Talk, Sky TV or our complaints handling process and we have not resolved your complaint to your satisfaction after 8 weeks from when you first made your complaint to Sky, or if you have received a letter from us saying that your complaint has reached “deadlock” as there is nothing more we can do to resolve your complaint, you have the right to take your complaint to Ombudsman Services: Communications, an independent alternative dispute resolution scheme. Ombudsman Services: Communications will review your complaint and if it decides that your complaint is justified, Sky will act on any decision it makes and put things right for you.

If your complaint remains unresolved after 8 weeks we will send you a written reminder of your right to go to Ombudsman Services: Communications. We will also send you a deadlock letter on your request, unless there are further steps we can take to resolve your complaint in a timely manner (however, we will not send you a reminder or issue you a deadlock letter if your complaint is vexatious or outside the jurisdiction of the scheme).

Ombudsman Services: Communications can be contacted in any of the following ways:

By post:

Ombudsman Services: Communications
PO Box 730
Warrington WA4 6WU

By Telephone: 0330 4401614 or 01925 430 049

By Fax: 0330 440 1615 or 01925 430 059

By e-mail: enquiries@os-communications.org

Visit the website: Ombudsman

Sky Box Multiroom Installation Problems and Complaints help and advice by Geoff Grove
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