need help - sky sub abroad

Alan Waddle

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 14, 2005
Messages
49
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Age
51
hi,

would greatly appreciate detailed instructions on how to get a sky sub working abroad thru a uk address - have a box and a card at the moment but have been stitched up by a "supplier" twice in 3 months now. )(-red

if i have a mate with a uk address to do it, what does he need to do? call them up, and what will they ask - does he need to have my box there, or is it enough if he gives them the box number or somit and they then post the card to him, after which he can post the card to me?

how much would it cost to have a new card for an existing box? i don't want a new sub with a new box cos my box is one of the older ones and i believe is better for fringe reception.

thanks in advace!
 

rolfw

Believe it when I see it Admin.
Staff member
Joined
May 1, 1999
Messages
38,292
Reaction score
1,615
Points
113
My Satellite Setup
Technomate 5402 HD M2 Ci, DM7000s, Transparent 80cm Dish, Moteck SG2100 DiseqC motor, lots of legacy gear. Meters: Satlook Digital NIT, Promax HD Ranger+ spectrum analyser.
My Location
Berkshire
Just get him to ring up and order a card, he can tell tham that it is for a second hand box. Does your mate already have a Sky subscription?

You say that you have a card at the moment, is it not activated?
 

Alan Waddle

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 14, 2005
Messages
49
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Age
51
rolfw said:
Just get him to ring up and order a card, he can tell tham that it is for a second hand box. Does your mate already have a Sky subscription?

You say that you have a card at the moment, is it not activated?

thanks for the quick answer!

when i refer to "mate" i mean i have to find one willing to do this, i think most of my mates have sky - i presume this is not possible, ie the call has to be made by someone with no sky sub at his address? also, will they send the card to him, after which he has to send it to me - i understand there's a hurry there as the card will have to be in the box within 10 days of ordering or somit, otherwise sky will close it?

what info specifically will sky ask for when making the call - is the address enough, do you have to provide working land telephone line (i presume not as many ppl only have mobiles these days)?

in fact, if i have an address of a mate, what will stop me making the call myself, pretending to be my mate?

what exact info of my box will they need? i have the version and serial no:s, i presume that's enough?

the problem at the moment is - i bought a sky sub thru a uk based company 3 mths ago, 2mths ago i changed my cc number, they have failed to change the cc number on my sub and thus yesterday my sky sub was cut off. i now have to either activate the old card (impossible since the company are not co-operating) or buy a new card - an i do NOT relish paying another £150 to open yet another card thru yet another company who can stitch me up!
 

billnot

Growing Old Disgracefully
Joined
May 23, 2003
Messages
242
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Age
84
My Satellite Setup
Famaval 3,1, IP9000HD plus other FTA and Linux boxes - Astra 1&2, Hotbird, Hispasat
My Location
Benitachell, Alicante, Spain
No, the call does NOT have to be made by somebody with no Sky subscription. They can still have another "second hand" subscription. Sky will want to suggest multiroom, but the answer to that is simple - it can't be connected to the phone line.

Another possibility is for your friends to take in a lodger - you. You phone up, under your own name, but using your friend's address, and say you want a second hand contract in your own name. Sky will send you a contract. Your friend sends it to you. You fill it in and send it back to Sky (sending it via your friend to make sure it is postmarked in the UK if necessary). If you have one, give your own UK bank account details. If not, you can give your own credit card number. The card will arrive at your friend's. He sends it to you. You put it in your box and *you* call Sky to activate it.

Whenever you phone, make sure you don't have your (foreign) phone number displayed.

Sky don't go out of their way to cause problems for people wanting to pay them money. Only if you thrust it in their face that you're using it abroad will they disable the card.

I have helped plenty of people get their own card by this method. It has the advantage that you're not dependent on a third party (except your friend) and all the time Sky get paid they'll leave you alone - and your friend gets a spare copy of the Sky magazine every month!

If all else fails, I know of a card supplier near me whom you can trust (they have a shop and are well known locally - they have a reputation to uphold!) But this, of course, is more expensive than arranging it yourself.
 

Alan Waddle

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 14, 2005
Messages
49
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Age
51
thanks very much billnot - very useful info!

a couple of additional questions so that i get this right -

is there a hurry for me mate to send the form to me when he receives it from sky, ie do they require that to be sent back within certain time? or is it that after they send out the card, that needs to be activated in the box within a certain time?

does it matter that they now have my current box at sky as one where the subscription (which, i believe, has been committed to be active for 12mths?) has been terminated due to them not being able to charge it on the CC (my old one) they have in their files? ie when i tell them the box number they come back at me saying "this box should have a card on it that should be active, we just haven't been able to charge the CC"?

thanks!
 

billnot

Growing Old Disgracefully
Joined
May 23, 2003
Messages
242
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Age
84
My Satellite Setup
Famaval 3,1, IP9000HD plus other FTA and Linux boxes - Astra 1&2, Hotbird, Hispasat
My Location
Benitachell, Alicante, Spain
You ask if there's a hurry for your mate to send the form. I don't know if there's a cut-off, although I'm sure there is one. But I helped with one a few months ago where the UK contact wasn't exactly fast and we had a month or so for each part of the procedure and it still went through OK.

As for the other part of your question, the box is irrelevant - you can buy and sell boxes on the open market, and they are not matched to owners, only cards. But you may have trouble if your name and address are on their records as being a defaulter. I don't know. That is outside my personal experience.
 

Alan Waddle

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 14, 2005
Messages
49
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Age
51
thanks again billnot - much obliged!


just one more detail - my mate i would use for this in the uk is thinking of getting another sub himself (either multiroon or separate sub), so mine could be the third one at that address. but if i call sky up and say i am the lodger at this address, this is no problem, right?

and to make sure i have no bother with my name showing up with the defaulted previous contract, i could really just use any name as the lodger, right?

thanks again!
 

sinbrad

Member
Joined
Feb 16, 2005
Messages
11
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Age
58
Alan Waddle said:
thanks again billnot - much obliged!


just one more detail - my mate i would use for this in the uk is thinking of getting another sub himself (either multiroon or separate sub), so mine could be the third one at that address. but if i call sky up and say i am the lodger at this address, this is no problem, right?

and to make sure i have no bother with my name showing up with the defaulted previous contract, i could really just use any name as the lodger, right?

thanks again!


If you use any name for the lodger, how are you going to pay for the subscription as obviously your name will be on the cc? Ahhh mr smith you are trying to use mr black's credit card for your subscription!
 

Alan Waddle

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 14, 2005
Messages
49
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Age
51
sinbrad said:
If you use any name for the lodger, how are you going to pay for the subscription as obviously your name will be on the cc? Ahhh mr smith you are trying to use mr black's credit card for your subscription!

how is this a problem? not everyone has a credit card, and thus i am using me mate's!
 

rikksow

Regular Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2004
Messages
58
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Age
58
My Satellite Setup
Huge great Dish in Cyprus
My Location
Tomb Of the Kings
Alan, I know this sounds stupid but where abouts are you, there are other ways about this, I am in Cyprus.
 

Alan Waddle

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 14, 2005
Messages
49
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Age
51
rikksow said:
Alan, I know this sounds stupid but where abouts are you, there are other ways about this, I am in Cyprus.

could you please send me a private email! (i can't PM cos i'm a newbie...)
 

billnot

Growing Old Disgracefully
Joined
May 23, 2003
Messages
242
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Age
84
My Satellite Setup
Famaval 3,1, IP9000HD plus other FTA and Linux boxes - Astra 1&2, Hotbird, Hispasat
My Location
Benitachell, Alicante, Spain
I have never helped anybody get a subscription other than in their own name. However, I know that if you pay from a UK bank account by Direct Debit it can be anybody's account and not necessarily your own.

My general advice is to keep everything as honest as possible - your name, at your friends' address, using your bank account / credit card and everything should be OK. As far as I see it, your only other option is to use an agent (which is what I think rikksow is suggesting), which, at the start of this thread you said you didn't want to do. Not all agents are rip-off merchants. You haven't said where you are. I know of one I trust in Spain.

To answer another question, if you are the lodger, your friend can still have multiroom without any problems - it makes the "can't connect to the phone line" bit even more honest!
 

Alan Waddle

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 14, 2005
Messages
49
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Age
51
ok thanks billnot!

just one more thing - presumably when i phone up sky they take up my personal details, which presumably includes my phone number; i obviously don't have a uk phone number. can i just say it's unlisted and i don't want to give it or do they insist on one?

thanks.
 

PoloMint

Super Minty Mod
Joined
Dec 31, 1999
Messages
1,588
Reaction score
1
Points
0
My Satellite Setup
1200cc with 100,000,000,000 neurons and 100,000,000,000,000 connections
My Location
Fife, Scotland
You can just say you don't have a phone :)
 

PaulR

Dazed and Confused Admin
Staff member
Joined
Jun 28, 2003
Messages
18,023
Reaction score
4,046
Points
113
My Satellite Setup
-----------See sig-----------
My Location
Wirral, NW UK and Vaucluse, France.
Alan

Why don't you want to say where you are?

It might help with answers if we knew where you are.

PaulR
 

Alan Waddle

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 14, 2005
Messages
49
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Age
51
PaulR said:
Alan

Why don't you want to say where you are?

It might help with answers if we knew where you are.

PaulR

sorry - i'm in finland. which is why i thought is it wasn't that relevant, there aren't many with previous experience near here, no agents etc...
 

Tiggy

ASBO Club Member - Persona non grata
Joined
Dec 31, 1999
Messages
264
Reaction score
0
Points
0
You may find that if your credit card address does not match the one on the subscription it will not be processed.
I would suggest that you get your friend to pay for the card/subscription and that you reimburse them.
Tiggy.
 

Alan Waddle

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 14, 2005
Messages
49
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Age
51
Tiggy said:
You may find that if your credit card address does not match the one on the subscription it will not be processed.
I would suggest that you get your friend to pay for the card/subscription and that you reimburse them.
Tiggy.

hmmm...are you sure?? i don't get this since this goes against the way these agencies work, eg. the one i used had sky charge my cc and that is addressed in finland, while surely they have an address for the sub itself in the uk?
 

billnot

Growing Old Disgracefully
Joined
May 23, 2003
Messages
242
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Age
84
My Satellite Setup
Famaval 3,1, IP9000HD plus other FTA and Linux boxes - Astra 1&2, Hotbird, Hispasat
My Location
Benitachell, Alicante, Spain
There does not appear to be any requirement for the address the sub. is paid from to be the same as that where the equipment (theoretically) lives - you could be paying the sub on behalf of somebody else.

However, there are so many potential difficulties with this subscription that it's my opinion you'd be better off using a reliable agent, and myself and others have offered to put you in touch with one we consider trustworthy.
 

Alan Waddle

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 14, 2005
Messages
49
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Age
51
billnot said:
There does not appear to be any requirement for the address the sub. is paid from to be the same as that where the equipment (theoretically) lives - you could be paying the sub on behalf of somebody else.

However, there are so many potential difficulties with this subscription that it's my opinion you'd be better off using a reliable agent, and myself and others have offered to put you in touch with one we consider trustworthy.

thanks for all the info everyone! will think about it and decide what to do now...

billnot - if you could please let me know this agent you were talking about. i'll think about it, but will think twice, as i have don't fancy coughing up again after paying 100 quid 3 mths ago and getting my fingers burned.
 
Top