Hi follower(s)
Sorry I've not written anything for a while, it's just that I've not had anything worthwhile to write of late. I have recently been having issues with my digital television provider(s) and have had to resort to writing to the CEO of Sky to try and get them to actually stop counting their money for a minute and sort out my service. Here's the email I have sent to Sky, that I also copied to the CEO of Virgin Media, as it was due to their incompetence that I changed to Sky......
Jeremy Darroch CEO BSkyB UK
Dear Jeremy
I find myself in the unfortunate position of having to contact you directly regarding the fairly recent installation of my SKY television, broadband and telephone package, as I have had no joy from Customer Services.
Let me put you in the full picture, Jeremy - my partner and I were originally subscribers of Richard Branson's media outfit for our TV, Phone, Internet and Mobile. However, when we moved house, the idiots cut us off, as agreed, but did not actually bother to reconnect us at the new property on the day we had arranged 3 weeks prior to this. After a rather angry and frustrating phone call to their foreign customer service team, I was assured that they would be round the next day (Sunday) to connect us. As you can probably guess, Jeremy, they of course didn't show up at all, and when I rang up Delhi again, I was told rather abruptly that I was in the wrong, and their engineers NEVER work on a Sunday.... can you believe that, Jeremy???? I was then told that it would be at least a week before I would have my services restored, but they would not be re-imbursing me for the week I would be without it, as I was considered a new customer - without the benefits that new customers get, like brand new equipment, and a discount off of my first 3 months - you know what I mean. Well Jeremy, I was not having any of that, so I told him that as I was in customer "limbo" between being disconnected and a new customer I did not want to continue being a Virgin customer and to terminate my agreement with them. The cretin on the phone just said "fine, I shall do that now!" No passing to the customer retention department, no offer of goodwill - nothing, Jeremy, nothing!!
I immediately decided to call your company, and see what they had to offer - I spoke to a very pleasant lady based in the United Kingdom, who was able to offer me a like-for-like package that I had with Branson, plus an HD recorder and an extra receiver in the bedroom - all for £30 a month less!! Well, Jeremy, I nearly dropped the phone in shock!! Can you imagine my delight, Jeremy, that in this day and age, a company could offer more than its main competitor for two thirds of the price.. AND have their contact centre based in the British Isles!?!?!
Jeremy, I placed the order straight away, and within a week, my new equipment was installed by a very nice man in a Simpsons van.
I have been a customer for about 4 months now, and have only had a couple of reasons to contact the nice people in Scotland - once was when they phoned me to tell me that the telephone lead was not connected from the main receiver to the telephone line and was not ringing them, and that if I didn't sort it out, I would be charged!! I felt rather put out by this, Jeremy, as the engineer, didn't connect this, or tell me that it needed to be connected or I would be billed, plus I was made to feel a bit like a naughty child that has just stolen sweets from the corner shop! However, this was resolved before I was charged, so no real harm done. However, during the same call to the service department, I told them of problems I was having with my Sky+ HD box.......
Every day, I get a message saying that my viewing card is not inserted properly. But Jeremy, it is!! I take it out, clean the "chip" bit as I was advised, and re-insert it - then it's ok... until the next morning! As I have explained to customer services, Jeremy, this is getting rather tiresome, as my partner is getting sore knees from having to repeatedly squat down and re-insert the card - plus I'm sure that the constant "in-and-out" action is wearing the card out even more. Why couldn't customer service send me a new card, Jeremy? At least we could work together to eliminate the problem, is it the card, or the box? It's all under warranty anyway. This brings me on to problem number 2....
Sky+, Jeremy, Sky+ !!! What a great feature, recording selected programs onto a hard drive, series link, watch another channel while it's recording, set it from my iPhone - I REALLY like it, Jeremy, and it's a credit to your company, and infinitely better than Branson's offering. However, Jeremy, my Sky+ doesn't like my choice of programmes!! I set something to record (let's use "Whitechapel" as an example) as it is on quite late. Each time I have tried to record Whitechapel, and watch it the next day, I get the status (part recorded - technical error). However, my receiver has tried to make up for this by recording other delights such as Question Time, Home Invaders, and other such programmes that none of us in the household would ever dream of watching! At first, Jeremy, I blamed the children, and grounded them for a week for playing with Daddy's Sky box and recording things for no reason, but it seems now, Jeremy, that it wasn't them, it is doing it even while they are at school, and I have hidden the remote! I have checked all the "series-link" entries, and they are not in there, so why, Jeremy, is it recording that garbage, and not what I'm telling it to?? Is it trying to be clever and record things that it thinks I want to watch?? It's obviously not that intelligent, as it recorded a gardening programme for me the other day, and yet the dish is up on my outside wall, and it can clearly see that I have no garden to speak of. As the most influential person at BSkyB, Jeremy, could you please tell my box to record only the things that I ask it to, and not what it "thinks" I will like - as although Songs of Praise is very clear in full HD, I can't actually watch it without getting a nose-bleed!
Unfortunately, I told customer services about both these problems, Jeremy, and I was told they would get back to me, but nitto!!
I thank you for your kind attention to these matters, Jeremy, and let me assure you, that even though I have experienced these minor difficulties, I still value your products, services and customer support, a mile above Branson's junk, and I think that if he turned his attention to providing something that was at least semi-value-for-money, instead of pratting about in sub-orbital space ships, he would not lose so many customers.
PS, I have never got over Virgin Media or their predecessors (NTL, Cable & Wireless, Nynex), digging up my road to install their cables, and leaving a lumpy black tarmac line snaking down the entire length of the pavement, ruining the aesthetics and wrecking my skateboarding practice all those years ago.
Many thanks
James O'Hara
I shall of course post any worthwhile replies to this blog, so that anyone can see the level of service that we in the UK are expected to accept!
Until the next time!
J
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