zip106

Our Sky+ box is on the blink.
Everything is juddery, tring to record whilst watching something doesn't work very well - missing sound/freezing picture.

It's over 7 years old so I'm guessing the hard drive is FUBAR.

Been looking ont' net but prices are very varied and it looks like only HD ones are available ( don't have an HD telly so does this matter?)- anyone know a good place to get one from?
Don't mind a recon one, either.

Cheers

Tidgy

ebay maybe?

Galifrey

iTrader: (3)

Ring Sky, tell em you are cancelling coz your box is Fubar, amazing what offers they come up with

Myles

iTrader: (40)

good advice.

zip106

After 7 years?
I'd have thought they'd tell me to eff off!
Guess its worth a try.

Brun

^^^^^
I'd start with that - if not, i've got one - make me an offer

markjmd

iTrader: (11)

Almost certainly a power-supply fault, most likely dried-out capacitors which they're notorious for. If you're handy with a soldering iron, www.satcure.co.uk do rebuild kits at very reasonable prices. Worth bearing in mind that if you take a punt on a box from ebay, you might end up needing to do the same to that within a short-ish space of time too.

Ant

this is the link i would give its a pain in the **** getting around that site

http://www.satcure.com/tech/thom_psu.htm#progress

EddScott

Ring Sky for an engineer. AFAIK they don't charge for sending out an engineer.

Our HD box was on the blink for a long while - I'd upped the HD to 500GB and replaced the PSU.

The engineer arrived and he said because the box was a Thomson it was an exchange only call. No trying to fix. The first box he brought in (a recon) didn't work so he gave us a new one - one of the smaller HD boxes. He also let me swap out my 500HD for the original 320HD.

I worked on the basis that if I didn't get a replacement box I was going to cancel. I know folk have got the 1TB boxes for free but I wonder if its because their location has high competition (Virgin, BT). Our alternative is Freeview and even that doesn't have all the available channels. They know full well our choices are limited.

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Always worth a try.

Remember your key argument (keep it polite and slightly flirty ) is

'if my box doesn't work, why should I pay a subscription for something I cannot watch?'

Combined with something along the lines of: 'I pay £xx per month subscription, have done so for 7 years, thats £xxx a year, I don't feel happy that I should have to pay in addition to this subscription for faulty equipment which Sky supplied and fitted, when new customers get it for free. All I want to do is be able to watch my channels again, if I can't get the equipment that Sky supplied and fitted working. Then I'm afraid I'll have to cancel'.

In the end of the day, as a long term subscriber you want to be put in the same situation before the box failure, or better.

Also remember to ask for a credit on the number days you are without service; as you are currently paying for something you cannot watch/use.

bigsinky

au contraire mon ami. 60 fecking quid

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

By the way, I should have mentioned that the symptom (stop/start/picture judder etc.) are also common of a duff LNB, bad cable (kinked or water contamination) or dish alignment is out of kilter.

PSU repair kits are hit and miss; I've done one and the problem turned out to be a fried reciever (probably caused by the PSU, but obviously too late by then).

If CH4 and CH5 are on the fritz (as well as BBC/2/ITV depending on the area where you live) more so than Sky news, Sky 1 etc then most its deffo weak signal. All the above causes that though (but not the hard drive).

XRS

I've got one kicking about. I'm on the South coast. What's it worth?

The Zohan

You can have mine for £20.00. Amstrad model with remote - box is less that 3 years old. Upgrading to HD on Monday so no longer needed

EddScott

Oh rly?

Thinking about it, when I was creating on the phone they did say they'd waive the service call.

zip106

Thanks for the plies and box offers - I'll ring Sky first and see what they say.

My problem, like Edd, is that we have no Virgin or cable in the village (nor gas or more than 3 street lights...) so Sky know they're my only option for the channels I want.

mart360

Do a search via quidco and then do a free upgrade...


Sky HD is free at the mo if you self install... its £10 pcm increase for the HD facility ...


and you can £50 back via quidco....


I got £50 worth of free rental on mine, because they cant access my account online


Mart