Solus cards

[Swedish sam]

Now that the blue banners are back again on ITV, C4 & C5 I wondered if anyone can help me with a few questions.

Will the blue banners continue to run until the the Solus card replacement scheme is complete, or a for a limited period only?

When will the existing Solus cards expire?

Will S4C be affected? (I note the blue banners do not appear on S4C)

Can anyone provide information about their experiences of ringing the telephone number quoted on the blue banner, from outside the UK?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Swedish Sam

 

[600]

Now that the blue banners are back again on ITV, C4 & C5 I wondered if anyone can help me with a few questions.

Will the blue banners continue to run until the the Solus card replacement scheme is complete, or a for a limited period only?

When will the existing Solus cards expire?

Will S4C be affected? (I note the blue banners do not appear on S4C)

Can anyone provide information about their experiences of ringing the telephone number quoted on the blue banner, from outside the UK?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Swedish Sam

I have the same concerns as Sam as I live in Greece. I currently have the old BBC card which I had to register to an address in the UK and activate before leaving. Will I be able to get a card to use here and does it have to be married to my Sky box?

Thanks
600 in Greece

 

[cos32]

I have the same concerns as Sam as I live in Greece. I currently have the old BBC card which I had to register to an address in the UK and activate before leaving. Will I be able to get a card to use here and does it have to be married to my Sky box?

Thanks
600 in Greece

The answer to your question is yes, once again you will need a UK address
get someone you know in the UK to order you the new card which is now available for £23.50p.
It will have to be married to your box once again.

The Old light blue viewing cards which are FTA are due to expire on the
5th of Nov, if this is true or not is another mater.

 

[rolfw]

If you already have one of the old style cards and you still have a contact at the UK address to which it is registered, you should be able to get a replacement which I believe will self activate.

 

[arraknid]

If you already have one of the old style cards and you still have a contact at the UK address to which it is registered, you should be able to get a replacement which I believe will self activate.

You're right, the card will self-activate, but the number on-screen is NOT for that card. You'll be sold a Sky package if you call that number. The correct number is 0870 054 1800, and can only be called from within the UK. If you have a series 1 card, you can apply online at http://www.free2view.tv, but you need the serial number, the postcode of the address it was originally registered to, and you must pay by credit card on a UK bank account. Be warned though, that as soon as the transaction is accepted, the Series 1 card will be deactivated almost immediately!! AND it'll be sent to the original address - delivery is anything up to 2 weeks!!!! Much better to get someone in UK to call as a new customer and, if necessary, quote your digibox make and serial number. They can always say they just bought it. At least you'll continue to view.

As far as I'm aware, the company issuing the cards is not SKY, someone drafted in for the purpose, so they probably won't be too particular.

 

[Zorba]

Are these cards for sale to "new"customers also,or only for existing ftv card holders.What about people who have since moved or bought their ftv card/box from bootsales or internet????

 

[arraknid]

Are these cards for sale to "new"customers also,or only for existing ftv card holders.What about people who have since moved or bought their ftv card/box from bootsales or internet????

What do you think?!!!!! They'll sell to anyone with the money!

 

[devonbrown]

It will have to be married to your box once again.

Is above true? I ask because any other activated card does not need to be married to box in order to get ITV CH4 and CH5

 

[rolfw]

I reckon these will possibly be preactivated, it is much cheaper to do it that way and they probably want to keep the losses down to a minimum.

 

[arraknid]

I reckon these will possibly be preactivated, it is much cheaper to do it that way and they probably want to keep the losses down to a minimum.

All Series 2 cards are preactivated for FTV. They do not need to be married to the box, only for Sky stuff. I recently tried a friend's card in my box...no problem. ITV, Ch4 and Five all available instantly. As RolfW says, anything to save money!!

 

[Penryn]

You can phone from overseas. I called on Monday from Cyprus and my credit card has just been debited. The old P1 card has not been switched off yet and neither does come up with the blue banner. I await the new card with interest!

 

[Swedish sam]

Hello again,

Thank you very much to everyone who took their time to pass on their advice and experiences - much appreciated!

You may be interested to learn that http://www.free2view.tv are a little more relaxed than they were previously regarding addresses & bank accounts. They are sending my new card to a different UK address to that on which the card was originally registered & have accepted payment via my non UK credit card. Money talks!! Also the original viewing card is still activated & the blue banners have disappeared - just in time for the rugby this weekend.

Now I will just pray the rain stops so I can get Astra 2D again - even a 1.2m dish isn't quite enough here.........

Swedish Sam

 

[easysat]

They are sending my new card to a different UK address to that on which the card was originally registered & have accepted payment via my non UK credit card.

Did you use the on-line registration or the automated telephone option? Or did you have to speak to a human operator?

 

[Swedish sam]

I used the online registration - it simply asks for a name, a postcode, your viewing card number & your credit card details.

Online there appears to be no attempt to match the viewing card details to any address database.

 

[Swedish sam]

"Also the original viewing card is still activated & the blue banners have disappeared - just in time for the rugby this weekend"

Actually I take that back - the card has now been deactivated for ITV1, C4 & C5.

Sky News, ITV News & S4C are all ok, however. Guess I will just have to watch the rugby in Welsh................

Swedish Sam

 

[Corrigapp]

They are sending my new card to a different UK address to that on which the card was originally registered

So there's an option to choose a different address during the online registration then?

Corrigap

 

[dishdoctor]

They will send to a different address,ok,but if you do not know the original name and address the card was previously sent to,is it safe to give this card number,by replies already given it seems ok,but it was not completely clear that sams original card was of unknown origin.............brian

 

[600]

"Also the original viewing card is still activated & the blue banners have disappeared - just in time for the rugby this weekend"

Actually I take that back - the card has now been deactivated for ITV1, C4 & C5.

Sky News, ITV News & S4C are all ok, however. Guess I will just have to watch the rugby in Welsh................

Swedish Sam

Thanks to all for help. I ordered my new card online with no problem. I'm not too happy about my old card being instantly cut off though. My money's been taken and I can't watch 4 or 5. Is there anywhere to complain about this?

600 (in Greece)

 

[Old Fred]

The Scottish guy on 08700 541800 said he works for "Channel 4".

So now we know.

 

[rolfw]

[quote name='Ol' Fred']The Scottish guy on 08700 541800 said he works for "Channel 4".[/quote]

I'm surprised, that with the current trend in keeping call centre costs to a minimum, it wasn't someone in Bombay.