I just thought I would share my experience of a multi-room house move install and how a sky engineer + a lad helping (i think was his son) has made my brand new town house, new build, into swiss cheese.
Engineer turned up on time. I told him where I wanted the dish, on a wall with direct sight to pick up signal, but more importantly where no rooms in the house could see it, thus ensuring that views from windows was not ruined, but also complying with house builder rules of where dishes could be fitted (i even told sky on the phone all this).
I showed the engineer where in the house the install needed to go, both in lounge and in one of the bedrooms on 3rd floor. I showed him the most logical way to route the cables (saving him time + cable), but again complying with rules set out in house deeds.
I went off to make the coffee whilst leaving them to get on. I heard the drills fire up in the lounge, drilling from the inside of house to the outside. Whilst I could hear drills outside, which was the lad putting up the dish. All seemed normal. I popped into the lounge to supply the drinks, where the engineer told me he had 12 jobs to do today and that he had only been back on Sky installs for 2 weeks after been doing Digital Switchover installs for the last 7 months. I joked that I hope he remembers what to do....I should have kept my mouth shut! Now bear in mind I had not gone outside at this point.
Anyway, I showed him upstairs to the bedroom, where again I left him to get on. Once again I heard the drills going on upstairs, inside the house. Again all seems normal, need drills for holes. I also heard hammering alongside the house, which was the lad tacking up cable (ok to be fair there are going along the route I said). Things go quiet....I don't suspect anything, but I get shown to my boxes to make sure there working....ok, that's not unusual. There working, brilliant I thought...job done.
I come outside to see the guys off, to find the dish is on the back of the house, wrong wall. I queried this to be told, they could not get a signal. I pointed out that the next 3 houses in street all have them exactly in the placed I asked. They insist no signal. I accept they could be right, I have no way to test otherwise, but seems odd.
I then notice a drilled hole in the wall, below the dish. I asked what that was for. He said it's there for health and safety so we can attach the ladders. Now bear in mind he drilled this after doing all the work, so he had not bothered to use the hole anyway.
The engineers left. 15 mins later I was out the back of house, when the site manager of the new build estate came over, who I get on with really well, said. "i love what they done to the place". I was like yeah, this hole and that. Unknown to me, he went on to say...."hole...try a brick". He quickly knew I was not aware....so he showed me...the install on 3rd floor, the whole brick face has come away, leaving the air holes inside the brick exposed. The cable is just dangling in the wind, until it gets down to the 2nd floor, where the lad has nailed it in. Its now clear to me, they knew what they had done and where quick to get away from the job.
We then checked the drilled hole from lounge, whilst not as bad, it's half broken and just been filled will clear decorators cork. No protection cover which every other house in the area have.
To top it off, no phone cables were attached to sockets, so I have the box upstairs unable to call Sky, which means I break my contract.
I phoned Sky, who I have to say have been superb in handling my case. Been put in contact with a lady direct, who has written to me, explained what's going to happen. I have never had to complain before, but I explained the whole situation and there was a real concern about the workmanship and how he has left the install. They have spoken to AVC (i believe) who I'm told will be sending out someone to review the work, within 5 days.
My fear now is they are going to say this is acceptable workmanship, with myself having to repair, at some cost, brickwork to make sure the house is watertight.
We been a customer of Sky since there were just 4 channels, back in the 80s. In all that time, I never had an install go wrong.
Engineer turned up on time. I told him where I wanted the dish, on a wall with direct sight to pick up signal, but more importantly where no rooms in the house could see it, thus ensuring that views from windows was not ruined, but also complying with house builder rules of where dishes could be fitted (i even told sky on the phone all this).
I showed the engineer where in the house the install needed to go, both in lounge and in one of the bedrooms on 3rd floor. I showed him the most logical way to route the cables (saving him time + cable), but again complying with rules set out in house deeds.
I went off to make the coffee whilst leaving them to get on. I heard the drills fire up in the lounge, drilling from the inside of house to the outside. Whilst I could hear drills outside, which was the lad putting up the dish. All seemed normal. I popped into the lounge to supply the drinks, where the engineer told me he had 12 jobs to do today and that he had only been back on Sky installs for 2 weeks after been doing Digital Switchover installs for the last 7 months. I joked that I hope he remembers what to do....I should have kept my mouth shut! Now bear in mind I had not gone outside at this point.
Anyway, I showed him upstairs to the bedroom, where again I left him to get on. Once again I heard the drills going on upstairs, inside the house. Again all seems normal, need drills for holes. I also heard hammering alongside the house, which was the lad tacking up cable (ok to be fair there are going along the route I said). Things go quiet....I don't suspect anything, but I get shown to my boxes to make sure there working....ok, that's not unusual. There working, brilliant I thought...job done.
I come outside to see the guys off, to find the dish is on the back of the house, wrong wall. I queried this to be told, they could not get a signal. I pointed out that the next 3 houses in street all have them exactly in the placed I asked. They insist no signal. I accept they could be right, I have no way to test otherwise, but seems odd.
I then notice a drilled hole in the wall, below the dish. I asked what that was for. He said it's there for health and safety so we can attach the ladders. Now bear in mind he drilled this after doing all the work, so he had not bothered to use the hole anyway.
The engineers left. 15 mins later I was out the back of house, when the site manager of the new build estate came over, who I get on with really well, said. "i love what they done to the place". I was like yeah, this hole and that. Unknown to me, he went on to say...."hole...try a brick". He quickly knew I was not aware....so he showed me...the install on 3rd floor, the whole brick face has come away, leaving the air holes inside the brick exposed. The cable is just dangling in the wind, until it gets down to the 2nd floor, where the lad has nailed it in. Its now clear to me, they knew what they had done and where quick to get away from the job.
We then checked the drilled hole from lounge, whilst not as bad, it's half broken and just been filled will clear decorators cork. No protection cover which every other house in the area have.
To top it off, no phone cables were attached to sockets, so I have the box upstairs unable to call Sky, which means I break my contract.
I phoned Sky, who I have to say have been superb in handling my case. Been put in contact with a lady direct, who has written to me, explained what's going to happen. I have never had to complain before, but I explained the whole situation and there was a real concern about the workmanship and how he has left the install. They have spoken to AVC (i believe) who I'm told will be sending out someone to review the work, within 5 days.
My fear now is they are going to say this is acceptable workmanship, with myself having to repair, at some cost, brickwork to make sure the house is watertight.
We been a customer of Sky since there were just 4 channels, back in the 80s. In all that time, I never had an install go wrong.