can I get sky to replace my digibox?

[jmjm]

It's a 5 year old rubbish Grundig one that Sky gave me when I first got Sky - no optical output - can I get sky to replace it without upgrading to Sky+ ?

Has anyone tried? What happens if it "breaks"?

 

[Starburst]

Well first of all SKY digital has only been out for 4 years and correct me if I am wrong but the grundig didn't appear until early '99 as PACE supplied the initial batch.

If you expect SKY to just give you a £169 retail digibox for nothing then you are living in cloud cuckoo land
Now if you report your digibox as faulty they will send an engineer out for £65 and he may replace the digibox with a refurbished model or if you are lucky a brand new one. If you don't want to pay anything then ask to cancel your subscription and they "may" try to keep you by offering a free call out.

SKY will never give you a SKY+ digibox in exchange for a "faulty" standard digibox and if a DD 5.1 enabled optical output is what you want then the cheapest deal is £199 with conditions

Either way if you own the hardware you have to accept the fact that outside the warranty you are responsible just like anyother piece of domestic electronics you purchase.

 

[MikeyB]

I had this problem at the begining of the year. Sky would gladly charge me £150 for a new box and £65 to come out and plug it in, they insisted they had to come out!

So I got a second hand one cheap from http://www.ebay.co.uk

Plug it all in, pop your viewing card in, and all you have to do is call Sky so they can link your card to the box, no problems at all!

 

[DaveP]

So I got a second hand one cheap from http://www.ebay.co.uk

Cheap and eBay, now that's what I call an oxymoron!


I think you were very lucky!


DaveP

 

[MikeyB]

Originally posted by DaveP
Cheap and eBay, now that's what I call an oxymoron!


I think you were very lucky!


DaveP

Not at all, I've got loads of bargains off ebay.
My pace sky box was £35, it didnt have a remote, but that was no problem, just used my existing one.

 

[jmjm]

Originally posted by Starburst

Well first of all SKY digital has only been out for 4 years and correct me if I am wrong but the grundig didn't appear until early '99 as PACE supplied the initial batch.

It might be only 4 years but it is definitely Grundig and it is definitely crap! I have to reset it 2/3 times a night.

If you expect SKY to just give you a £169 retail digibox for nothing then you are living in cloud cuckoo land

Why not? They gave me the first one when I subscribed to their service.

SKY will never give you a SKY+ digibox in exchange for a "faulty" standard digibox and if a DD 5.1 enabled optical output is what you want then the cheapest deal is £199 with conditions

Do you work for Sky? I don't want Sky +, I want a standard digibox with optical output if that's possible and I don't want 4 year old, crap hardware.

Either way if you own the hardware you have to accept the fact that outside the warranty you are responsible just like any other piece of domestic electronics you purchase.

Yes but I didn't choose this piece of hardware - Sky did, so it isn't like all the other domestic electronics I have carefully researched and selected. Sky presumably give out free digiboxes as they make the money from the subs, like mobile phones. Mobile phone providers do upgrade paths - I don't think it is unreasonable to expect Sky to.

Anyway they clearly don't so I will get a second hand pace one as advised.

 

[cmax]

I cant comment on whether you would receive this support, but I can comment on how I was treated.

When I phoned sky to cancel, complaining of a faulty skybox, they offered a 'free of charge' engineers visit (normally £65) which would result in a replacement box if mine couldnt be fixed...

So, if youre prepared to cancel, then you could try this tact.

 

[Starburst]

Originally posted by jmjm


SKY will never give you a SKY+ digibox in exchange for a "faulty" standard digibox and if a DD 5.1 enabled optical output is what you want then the cheapest deal is £199 with conditions

Do you work for Sky? I don't want Sky +, I want a standard digibox with optical output if that's possible and I don't want 4 year old, crap hardware.

No I don't work for SKY.
You mentioned the "no optical output" so I assumed that an optical output was important to you on the next digibox you get. Since only the SONY has an optical output on a standard digibox(No DD5.1 though) and SONY no longer supply SKY with digiboxes I thought giving you some info on SKY+ as that is the only digibox that SKY now offer with an optical output would be of interest.

If my assumption about the optical output was wrong then you have my apologises, if I was right and SKY+ isn't a consideration then you will have to buy a second hand SONY or pay retail price from a dealer.

 

[Tejpal]

I have the same problem

A 3 Year old First Genaration Pace box. But sky dont care, "Sigh", what a surprise