Former All Blacks coach Laurie Mains. Photo / Phil Walter, Getty
Former All Blacks coach Laurie Mains. Photo / Phil Walter, Getty
Former All Blacks coach and longtime Sky TV customer Laurie Mains has labelled the broadcaster’s customer service “absolutely disgraceful” following weeks of frustrations with patchy television reception.
Sky has apologised to Mains after he said technicians had failed seven times to show up - as arranged - to his SouthIsland home to sort out the issues. Only once had he been told the technician would be unable to make it beforehand.
Sky has apologised to its customers, with as many as 25,000 people believed to have been impacted. The company says issues have arisen after the Optus D2 satellite, which is running out of fuel, has been put into a new, “inclined orbit”.
A new satellite is expected to be operational by April.
Much of the customer anger is focused on the non-appearance of technicians for pre-arranged visits to adjust or fix any issues with their roof-top satellite dishes and home connections - and a lack of follow-up communication or action from Sky.
Mains - who coached the All Blacks from 1992 to 1995 and played 15 games for New Zealand between 1971 and 1976 - lives in Queenstown and noticed his Sky reception was becoming problematic in November.
He was on to Sky’s call centre the following month.
“I thought, jeez, I better do something about this or I’m going to miss a really important rugby or cricket match,” he said.
“At the end of this drama, I’ve spoken to eight people at Sky, and every time I’ve had to wait on the line anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes to get answered.”
He said technicians had been arranged seven times.
“I sat at home for seven days waiting, and no one ever showed up. No one ever let me know they weren’t coming, except once.
“I’ve wasted seven whole days sitting at home because the best [time] they’ll give you [to turn up] is 8 in the morning till 4 in the afternoon.”
Every time it was a no-show, he said. “That is absolutely disgraceful.”
All Black coach Laurie Mains at the 1995 Rugby World Cup. Photo / Geoff Dale
An Auckland man, David Weller, told the Herald last week that he had been promised a technician on seven different dates to fix his reception. He threatened to go to the Sky board if help failed to show up an eighth time. The technician showed up.
Mains said that at one point, Sky sent him an internet-connected Sky Pod device while the satellite-connected Sky Box issues were sorted out. Sky had told him the Pod would be free for his use - in a subsequent bill, he said he was charged $25.
“It’s just a bloody nonsense.”
Mains said he had also tried to find, without success, a Sky director responsible for customer service.
Sky apologises
In an email to the Herald, a Sky spokeswoman apologised to Mains.
“We’re sorry for the experience that Laurie has had in seeking support from Sky,” she said.
“There are several areas where we could have done better, and we’re actively working with our partners to ensure a smoother process for our customers ahead of the migration to a new satellite in April.”
She said the company was “navigating a unique and complex situation, given the accelerated timeframe to migrate to a new satellite and the issues some customers are having with the current one”.
“However, it’s our responsibility to deliver a positive experience for our customers and we own that.”
Sky TV chief executive Sophie Moloney in a recent video for customers: "I am very sorry."
She said she was aware of “delayed or missed appointments”.
Sky appointed a new national provider – engineering, infrastructure management and construction services firm Downer – to provide its in-home Sky customer support services from November 1.
“We’ve been doing a lot more tech callouts than usual due to these signal issues, and while our techs have been working as hard as they can to meet your needs, we’ve let you down at times,” said Moloney.
In an updated statement, Moloney said the company had been making some technical fixes and that on Monday last week it had received the lowest number in eight weeks of “work orders” - callouts for signal issues - from customers.
However, Downer and Sky have refused to answer a list of specific questions about the number of technicians available around the country and the cost and other details of the new contract.
A Sky spokeswoman previously did not wish to comment on whether the new deal had seen a reduction in payment for technicians – one Sky customer has claimed that in Canterbury, for instance, the number of installers has dropped from about 150 to about eight because technicians were being paid $25 per installation rather than the $100 offered previously.
Finally, a fix
The Herald contacted Mains on Wednesday afternoon - after hearing about his issues through another source - and Sky TV straight afterwards.
On Thursday, Waitangi Day, a technician was at Mains’ home to fix the problem - which turned out to be a technical issue with his satellite dish.
That evening, his signal was finally back to normal. “[It] could/should have happened last year,” Mains said.
Sky will announce its half-year results on February 21 - it is expected to face tough questions from analysts.
Editor-at-Large Shayne Currie is one of New Zealand’s most experienced senior journalists and media leaders. He has held executive and senior editorial roles at NZME including Managing Editor, NZ Herald Editor and Herald on Sunday Editor and has a small shareholding in NZME.
