Sky HD box no longer £75???

Update - eventually, they offered £99 with free install, so technically cheaper than £75 + £60 install. The downside is that they can't actually deliver/install until January 2009. ÿThe best I could do online is £99 + £60 install with installation on January 8, 2009.

Is everyone being told next year for Sky HD install, or just (as I suspect) existing customers???

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I'll put it to Sky. I know someone recently (totally unrelated  to WHF) who got a late-November  installation date- lapsed  Sky subscriber  returning and signing up to HD.

I think the ads for the £75 offer stated it was a one month only kinda thing, available during October. The ads are now saying £99

As far as your install date goes, it seems quite common I'm afraid. There are quite a few folk saying similar things on other websites. Sorry

long waits for installations is normal in the run upto xmas i'm affraid, i've sub-contracted  for sky for years and this is the busiest time of year for me... due to sky's pre xmas offers

gregch:

So I called Sky to upgrade to HD (on the back of WHF's recommendation) and I'm told the price of £75 was a special offer that's no longer available???  Personally I still think the £10 extra per month (on top of the £38 I'm already paying) is over the top, so the only thing tempting me to upgrade was the lower box cost...  and in addition they tell me there are no more HD boxes and delivery/installation couldn't be done until january!!!!!

Yes, the £75 offer was a special deal until October 31st. Price is now £99, details here.

Clare Newsome:

I'll put it to Sky. I know someone recently (totally unrelatedÿ to WHF) who got a late-Novemberÿ installation date- lapsedÿ Sky subscriberÿ returning and signing up to HD.

Interesting! ÿSeems independent installers have no problem getting HD boxes (the newer Pace version), so I guess the deal with Sky is that they do in fact have boxes and install dates, but they'll prioritize new (or returning) customers over upgrading customers. ÿ

Makes sense from a business perspective, since existing customers are already signed up and paying them money each month, so they're only losing £10 a month versus signing up a new customer where they're increasing their revenue by £50 a month. Even so, it's not great for their existing customers. ÿThe real problem with Sky (from a customer's point of view) is that they're basically a private monopoly, they have no real credible competitor (I had high hope for Freesat but it's actually pretty underwhelming and it took soooo long for them to even get this far).ÿ

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Andy Clough:

gregch:

So I called Sky to upgrade to HD (on the back of WHF's recommendation) and I'm told the price of £75 was a special offer that's no longer available??? ÿPersonally I still think the £10 extra per month (on top of the £38 I'm already paying) is over the top, so the only thing tempting me to upgrade was the lower box cost... ÿand in addition they tell me there are no more HD boxes and delivery/installation couldn't be done until january!!!!!

Yes, the £75 offer was a special deal until October 31st. Price is now £99, details here.

In the WHF Awards issue, and the Blu-ray special issue, it quotes £75 as the price, doesn't mention an offer IIRC. So I guess I wasn't the only one that missed that!! ÿIn fact, as I discovered (and as is widely reported on the interweb) their prices and offers seem quite flexible - ie you need to call them up and haggle. Personally I hate haggling, but equally I don't want to be the only chump in the country that pays the higher price!!! So in a way I'd rather they had one price and stuck to it.ÿ

I'm sure the guys on the phones at Sky feel the same way, the guy I spoke to just sounded utterly fed up at having to haggle with customers all the time - and you can bet he has metrics to meet in terms of the number of discounts or offers he can make.

As an aside, I'm aware from a few friends that they also managed to get the sub reduced to £5 for varying initial periods, I don't recall that ever being advertised but when I asked about it I was told it was another 'limited time offer' that had 'finished last month'.

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gregch:

Clare Newsome:

I'll put it to Sky. I know someone recently (totally unrelated  to WHF) who got a late-November  installation date- lapsed  Sky subscriber  returning and signing up to HD.

Interesting!  Seems independent installers have no problem getting HD boxes (the newer Pace version), so I guess the deal with Sky is that they do in fact have boxes and install dates, but they'll prioritize new (or returning) customers over upgrading customers.  

 

Makes sense from a business perspective, since existing customers are already signed up and paying them money each month, so they're only losing £10 a month versus signing up a new customer where they're increasing their revenue by £50 a month. Even so, it's not great for their existing customers.  The real problem with Sky (from a customer's point of view) is that they're basically a private monopoly, they have no real credible competitor (I had high hope for Freesat but it's actually pretty underwhelming and it took soooo long for them to even get this far)

  

sky supply the equipment for me to install. dont know that a shortage of boxes being a reason for long installation waits. ime its normally down to the shear amount of instalations at this time of year!

couldnt tell you if sky prioritise new customers over existing customers tbh... guess thats one for sky to answer!

This from the small print on Sky's website:

ÿDue to high demand for Sky+HD boxes, existing Sky TV customers may have to wait up to 9 weeks to be installed.

Note the word "existing". Would seem to confirm that the "shortage of HD boxes" only applies to existing Sky customers. Or, put another way, the good deals and 2008 install dates are for "brand new customers only"!

Busted!

Just set up an order online at Sky as a "brand new customer" and was able to get installation date of November 28, 2008.

So the 'box shortage' story is definitely BS - they're just prioritizing new customers over existing ones.

Clare, I'd be really interested to hear Sky's answer on this !!!

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As an existing customer, I have just had Sky+HD box "installed" for £75 + £30 "standard" installation; and, only had to wait two weeks for it. However, intigrating it fully to my extensive installation is proving to be a bit of a nightmare because Samsung, in its wisdom, has removed Component out from the new Sky+HD box spec. My amp is the Denon AVR 3803 through which all the various kit in the system are selectably connected to both a wide screen TV and a H35 projector. Without boring people with the details suffice it to say that, having gone to a lot of trouble installing an HDMI to DVI cable through existing ducting I cannot get a picture through my projector because, according to Optoma, despite having a DVI-I Dual link connector, the projector is not HDCP compliant for use with the HDMI output of the Sky box. Is it just me, or do other people find the level of knowledge and proper advice amongst many so claimed "experts" to be woefully inadequate?

Cameraman:

As an existing customer, I have just had Sky+HD box "installed" forÿ£75 + £30 "standard" installation; and, only had to wait two weeks for it. However,ÿintigrating it fully toÿmy extensiveÿinstallation is proving to be a bit of a nightmare because Samsung, in its wisdom, has removed Component out from the new Sky+HD box spec. My amp is the Denon AVR 3803 through which all the variousÿkit in the system are selectably connected to both a wide screen TVÿand a H35 projector. Without boring people with the details suffice it to say that, having gone to a lot of trouble installing an HDMI to DVI cable through existingÿducting I cannot get a picture through my projector because, according to Optoma, despite having a DVI-I Dual link connector, the projector is not HDCP compliant for use with the HDMI output of the Sky box. Is it just me, or do other people find the level of knowledge and proper adviceÿamongst many so claimed "experts"ÿto beÿwoefully inadequate?

Can I ask how recent that was? and was it directly from Sky, or an independent installer??

As regards the other issue, no it's not you. I must admit I hadn't even considered the HDCP angle, although I don't think it'll be an issue in my case it's another thing to be aware of. ÿA pet hate of mine, as a law-abiding consumer that doesn't (illegally) download movies or pirate anything,ÿÿis these 'copy protection' technologies that can be got around by pirates but create all kinds of headaches and obstacles for legitimate customers. ÿIn my view, it would be better to exploit new technology as an opportunity (ie the money to be made from decent legitimate convenient and well priced digital content) rather than a threat - and remove all copy protection technologies altogether. ÿWe're gradually moving that way, and it will happen, but it's an almighty pain in the meantime!

After cancelling Sky digital a couple of years ago we took the plunge & have re-subscribed to Sky HD - This after nearly giving up yesterday. I'm afraid the usual nightmare experience of an outsourced call centre (how many sales to do Sky loose??). In the end, went direct to the Sky site & had a messenger style conversation and proceed to order..

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I managed to get the Sky HD box for £75.00 as well as installation for free by subscribing to the full movies/sports package and one mix package for an installation date for the end of this month. No hard sell for the phone or internet either, see how the HD pans out before battling Tiscali for my MAC code before moving onto Sky broadband.

Ordered it direct from Sky some three weeks ago; what a pain that is, and was delivered in two weeks. It might have had something to do with threatening to cancel my subscription in vavour of Freesat. I fully agree with your views re pirating but nthen it is always the honest folk who suffer most in such cases.

OK, we've put in a call to Sky's press ofice and are awaiting a reply about the delay in installations for existing customers. I'll post the response as soon as I get it. In the meantime, here's Sky's official response on current pricing of the HD box:

New Customers:

Priced from £99 when taken with a Sky TV and HD Mix subscription from £27 a month. Installation £30.

Existing Customers wishing to upgrade:

Priced from £99, plus £10 HD subscription per month and a one off £60 installation fee.