Am I being conned ?

[Canoehq]

Hi all,

Thought I would mention something I came across yesterday and hope that forum members may be able to help.

However, please bear with me as I'm not at all tecchie and will only repeat what I was told by an installer.

Anyway, I had an independent installer round last night to give me a quote for the supply and installation of SKY+ and it was the usual £299 plus fitting charge of £60. Great guy and certainly knew his stuff.

However, he then mentioned that earlier in the week, the supplier of his boxes had confirmed that they were 'under instructions' to remove an LNB unit (whatever that is ?) from their boxes before onward supply to installers.

The guy said that these units were worth about £85 each but that even though they had been taken out, Sky would not be reducing the SKY+ cost and would keep it at £299

Is this right or am I being conned somewhere ?

Are Sky assuming I will have to buy this LNB at my own cost to make the box work

What's an LNB thingy anyway ?

Hope you can help before I part with my dosh.

regards

Canoehq

 

[Starburst]

The SKY+ package shipped by PACE to retailers and/or SKY includes a Philips QUAD LNB.
If it is being removed by a wholesaler or dealer who is then attempting to pass the product off as complete are very definitley trying to rip the customer off.
I'd get the full details of the person/company that is attempting this deception then contact PACE or SKY to make a complaint and then the local trading standards.

The LNB is the small squarish box that is on the end of the satellite dish arm, it receives the focused energy from the dish, converts it to electricity and sends it to the tuner.
The standard SKY minidish LNB is a single and used on a single digibox, SKY+ requires two inputs so a single output LNB needs to be replaced (With the Quad supplied).

If you are an existing SKY World customer for over 12 months then there are some deals to be had for SKY+ from SKY direct.

 

[Canoehq]

Thanks Starburst.

I now know what to do. However, the installer did seem to imply that this would become normal practice. So better watch this space I suppose.

Canoehq

 

[Jonny B Goode]

Normal practice for scam artists I suspect.

 

[lynx]

Have you approached $ly for their input to this tale ? Did the installer imply that $ly were behind these instructions to remove the lnb ?
There is a strong aroma of rodent here.

 

[Canoehq]

Leave this with me for a few days.
I will get back to the installer and check all facts before I call Sky.

Canoehq

 

[Canoehq]

Right, facts (or rumour) on the table time.

I have spoken to my installer person this morning. This is a large, reputable firm in Eastern England and not a one man jobbie. Whilst I accept that large firms try it on just as much as small ones, instinct says that this firm have a well earned reputation to protect and may not be telling fibs on this occasion.

Anyway, to confirm what is going on, it would appear that about seven days ago, my installers started to receive Sky+ boxes from their distributors with the quad LNB removed. I should clarify, not removed from the Sky+ box itself but from the package kit installers would need to install Sky+ as it were.

As I said in my earlier post, it would appear that this quadLNB thing costs about £85 and to proceed with the installation, the installers will need to buy one. I can only guess that this cost will then be passed on directly to the customer.

As to why this may be happening or who is behind it, I don't know. However, I do work in stockmarkets and can only say that the Pace share price has been collapsing. It may be the case that Sky have somehow renegotiated orders / costs / subsidies with Pace such that Pace cannot now fund the inclusion of a quadLNB with their deliveries.

Perhaps this is all rumour and will be short lived but my installer assures me it is fact and has double checked with their distributor.

I will leave this with you all to discuss as any feedback would be good for all of us.

Please tell me it is only a rumour

Canoehq

 

[graham.myers]

So how is this extra cost being passed on?

You got quoted £299 +£60 fitting. Did this include the LMB or is this now extra.

This means the price is not being passed onto the consumer - its an extra cost for the installer

 

[Canoehq]

Hi,

The £60 fitting was a very rough 'over the phone' quote, but this is the small part of the equation. You can be certain that installers already work on very fine margins and will not be swallowing an additional £85 of costs just to carry out work for Sky !.

The point is that the Sky+ package was £299 and included a quad LNB but now it does not yet the price still remains at £299.

How does this stack up

Canoehq

 

[squid]

The word that strikes me here is "remove". If this was pace that was tring to save money then i would have thought they would stop putting the lnb in the box in the first place so there would be no need for it to be taken out

"not removed from the Sky+ box itself but from the package kit installers would need to install Sky+ as it were"

The thing is who told you this is talking porkys . The lnb dos not come in a seperate package but is in the actual sky+ box .There is no seperate package that installers get that i am aware of .The only thing that you need that dos'nt come in the same box as the sky+ is the double cable . If somone is trying to get you to pay extra for the lnb , i would take a trip to comet or the like and ask them about what you get in the box .

It sounds very much to me like the installer is trying to pull a fastone . If not then his suplyer is trying to make a few extra bob by nicking all the lnbs

 

[Canoehq]

Squid,

Its probably down to my description as to the Sky+ box or the packaging it comes in. As I've never seen one, it probably doesn't matter, but apologies anyway.

However, it probably also doesn't it matter that the LNB is put in the box and then removed or never put in the first place. These are small details which are irrelevant in the greater scehme of things.

The question I am asking is, 'if I buy a Sky+ box for £299, will it come, as standard, with a quad LNB or will it not ? (my installer says that from now on, it will not)

This is irrespective of who may or may not have taken out the LNB, whether or not it was in there in the first place or which box they may or may not have taken it from.

Hope this clarifies.

Canoehq

 

[squid]

As i said just go to one of the high street stores as you can pic one up from them for the same 299 . You can then ask for confermation as to if you do or do not get one . If you do it will come in the box with the sky+ and should say it is included .

When i got mine earlyer this year it did . If they are stopping suplying the lnb with the box the high streat stores usualy have large stocks so might have the old ones with lnb anyway .

Whatever you do i would never go by what you have been told by one company . You never know what they are upto . Even the largest companys get upto dodgy dealings . I would do a little ringing around and find the real truth befor parting with any extra cash

As a last resort you can allways go direct thriough sky

 

[thfccambs]

i just had sky+ put in £259 total inc box re-location of sky box & instalation.that was through sky.you have had to of had sky 12months to get this deal.hope this helpsthey also put up a new dish,which the engineer said they always do with sky+

 

[squid]

Well they did'nt give mea new dish

 

[Respectamonkeee]

The guy just took off the old LNB and"tossed it in the garden"

Which i found later with my lawn mower!!! thanks sky....bunch of A$$

 

[jessie2222]

Hi all

First post for me here

anyway, i work in a retail shop and just received a new shipment of sky+ boxes. Thought i would check one for you. No LNB of any description. They are sealed with a sticker to say that the box must be fitted by an engineer. They must be taking the LNBs out to ensure you do this and fit it yourself

Later

 

[Canoehq]

Hi Jessie,

Thanks for posting and welcome to the forum. Nice to hear from the old country as I'm from Portadown myself !

Also nice to hear that I'm not going mad and that these things are being removed.

What's going on as something is seriously afoot with the new batch of SKY+ boxes ?

I await any other comments on this

Canoehq

 

[Starburst]

Originally posted by jessie2222
Hi all

First post for me here

anyway, i work in a retail shop and just received a new shipment of sky+ boxes. Thought i would check one for you. No LNB of any description. They are sealed with a sticker to say that the box must be fitted by an engineer. They must be taking the LNBs out to ensure you do this and fit it yourself

Later

Still being sold for £299 with no option but to ring SKY and book an install as part of the purchase?

 

[Nobber22]

What the hell is an LNB????

 

[graham.myers]

if you imagine that the dish focuses the signal to a point just in front of the curve. Thats where the LNB sits and sees the signals, and then pipes them down the cable.