Sky customers who find they regularly cannot watch TV as they expect should be able to request a refund, one consumer watchdog says.
And it says the television operator should be offering discounts proactively while it deals with its service problems.
Sky has been beset with problems as a dying satellite disrupted its transmission, and customers complained about technicians not turning up to their homes for scheduled visits.
The network told the NZX this week that it was undertaking an “accelerated migration plan” to move from its current Optus D2 satellite to a new satellite by May.
“The accelerated programme was initiated upon advice from satellite provider Optus that the current D2 satellite would reach the end of its commercial life earlier than anticipated. Optus provided two replacement options and to date Sky has progressed a dual pathway satellite migration plan,” it said.
“Sky will continue to prioritise a smooth transition for customers, noting that the preferred satellite significantly reduces the near-term requirement for home visits to customers (given the common orbital slot with D2).
“Sky is aware that a growing number of customers have experienced intermittent signal disruption in recent weeks following the decision by Optus to place the existing satellite into an inclined orbit to conserve fuel. Sky is working with individual customers to remedy these issues, and has increased its operational capacity in both customer care and in-field services to take every step within its control to ensure customer needs are met.”
Customers on social media have complained about not having signal due to “atmospheric” factors even on a normal sunny day.
“I have been waiting for a technician since 17th December for ‘atmospheric conditions’ affecting the dish,” one posted.
“Have been given three separate dates, the latest being yesterday and still nothing. They have said we will be credited for every day we haven’t had it but that is surely a given, no service no pay. Rugby mad house and that’s the only reason we have Sky.”
It comes just over a year after the release of the Sky Box and Sky Pod was marred by reports of technical issues.
Consumer NZ said people who had paid for a service that was regularly not supplied, “should absolutely request a partial refund from Sky TV”.
“Under the Consumer Guarantees Act, companies must provide services that are fit for purpose and supply them with reasonable care and skill. Sky TV would appear to be regularly falling short on both counts. Rather than forcing customers to do all the hard work, we think Sky TV should be proactively offering discounts to all affected customers both to compensate them for the poor service and to encourage them to stay loyal, especially when there are plenty of cheaper options to choose from.”
Sky TV said it expected about 5% of its Sky Box customers, or 20,000 to 25,000 had been affected by the inclined orbit of the satellite.
“Obviously, we don’t want any of our customers to experience disruptions and we apologise to those customers who having issues, regardless of whether they’re short disruptions or more prolonged. Where customers are experiencing ongoing interruptions to their viewing, we want to do right by our customers and are looking at ways of doing that, such as making a credit to their account.”
In December, it told a customer it had heard their feedback about the quality of in-home technician support.
“We have been hard at work making improvements to our in-home technician service. We’re working to improve our systems to give you more accurate information, and we’re increasing appointment availability to ensure that you get the support you need from our friendly, well-trained technicians. Plus, we currently have all available technicians out around New Zealand to ensure that any customers with issues that have taken a while to resolve are sorted.”
It said customers could use Sky Go or request a Sky Pod to connect via broadband.
Greg Smith, head of retail at Devon Funds, said the problems should not be insurmountable for Sky.
“They’ve been dropped in it by Optus not having it ready but it will be ready by the end of the 2026 financial year. There is a resolution on the horizon but not the immediate horizon.
“As I understand it, it’s a case of repointing some of these dishes but it’s not a wholesale across-the-board problem. It appears to be relatively isolated so it’s just going out there and pointing the satellite dish in a slightly different direction. But that does come with costs and complications for customer satisfaction.”
rnz.co.nz
