1 00:00:00,320 --> 00:00:01,160 Speaker 1: Frame Bridge. 2 00:00:01,680 --> 00:00:04,720 Speaker 2: Just gone ten after four News Talk said, b if 3 00:00:04,760 --> 00:00:07,360 Speaker 2: your Sky TV signal has been a bit rubbish recently, 4 00:00:07,360 --> 00:00:09,119 Speaker 2: if you've noticed that on the tally, I've got a 5 00:00:09,200 --> 00:00:13,400 Speaker 2: possible explanation for you. Sky's long serving satellite is on 6 00:00:13,440 --> 00:00:16,960 Speaker 2: its way out, so they're migrating to a new satellite 7 00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:19,760 Speaker 2: in May. But until then, the old Optis D two 8 00:00:20,040 --> 00:00:22,360 Speaker 2: is what they call it has been put into an 9 00:00:22,400 --> 00:00:26,280 Speaker 2: inclined orbit to save fuel in its final days. In 10 00:00:26,320 --> 00:00:29,760 Speaker 2: the meantime, viewers all over the country are apparently having problems. 11 00:00:30,080 --> 00:00:32,360 Speaker 2: Nobody from Sky was available to come on the show 12 00:00:32,400 --> 00:00:35,159 Speaker 2: this afternoon. John Duffy is the CEO Consumer. He's with 13 00:00:35,240 --> 00:00:37,360 Speaker 2: me now, John, Good afternoon John. 14 00:00:37,400 --> 00:00:38,360 Speaker 1: Can you hello? Hello? 15 00:00:38,440 --> 00:00:42,040 Speaker 2: John? So who's having problems? What have you heard? 16 00:00:43,760 --> 00:00:50,440 Speaker 1: Well? Customers are having problems. Ultimately, it seems that Sky's 17 00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:55,560 Speaker 1: the satellite this Sky is leasing from Optus, is getting 18 00:00:55,600 --> 00:00:58,200 Speaker 1: towards the end of its life. It's not performing as 19 00:00:58,200 --> 00:01:01,960 Speaker 1: it should be, and customers are bearing the brunt of 20 00:01:02,000 --> 00:01:03,760 Speaker 1: that through a degraded service. 21 00:01:03,800 --> 00:01:06,280 Speaker 2: I guess how many customers have contacted you. 22 00:01:08,319 --> 00:01:11,480 Speaker 1: We've had more than normally. Don't have the exact amount, 23 00:01:11,560 --> 00:01:14,680 Speaker 1: but a significant number enough for us to notice at 24 00:01:14,720 --> 00:01:16,280 Speaker 1: least that this is an issue, and what. 25 00:01:16,280 --> 00:01:18,240 Speaker 2: Exactly are they saying? Does it cut out and then 26 00:01:18,280 --> 00:01:20,320 Speaker 2: come back in or does it just cut out and 27 00:01:20,360 --> 00:01:21,360 Speaker 2: they can't get anything? 28 00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:26,319 Speaker 1: Yeah, it varies between customers, So some people will be 29 00:01:27,400 --> 00:01:30,959 Speaker 1: will not have have a frozen kind of piculated image 30 00:01:31,040 --> 00:01:36,679 Speaker 1: for a period of time. Others it's intermittent so that 31 00:01:36,800 --> 00:01:39,120 Speaker 1: all you know, that situation will appear and then come 32 00:01:39,160 --> 00:01:41,360 Speaker 1: back and then go again, which is equally as frustrating. 33 00:01:41,400 --> 00:01:43,759 Speaker 1: But I think the biggest frustration that we're getting expressed 34 00:01:43,800 --> 00:01:48,480 Speaker 1: to us is how poor Sky's customer service has been 35 00:01:48,680 --> 00:01:52,320 Speaker 1: in helping customers who are trying to work out what 36 00:01:52,400 --> 00:01:54,800 Speaker 1: to do. I think, you know, in fairness, dis guys, 37 00:01:54,840 --> 00:01:57,720 Speaker 1: everybody understands that technology is fallible, and every now and 38 00:01:57,720 --> 00:02:00,880 Speaker 1: again the service is going to go down. Sky's terms 39 00:02:00,880 --> 00:02:03,520 Speaker 1: and conditions, you know, make that really clear that they 40 00:02:03,520 --> 00:02:06,040 Speaker 1: rely on satellites and therefore you can't expect one hundred 41 00:02:06,080 --> 00:02:09,960 Speaker 1: percent service one hundred percent of the time. What's happening. 42 00:02:10,080 --> 00:02:12,960 Speaker 1: What we've seen causing frustration is people are contacting Sky. 43 00:02:13,040 --> 00:02:14,880 Speaker 1: They are they can't get through or they can't get 44 00:02:14,880 --> 00:02:18,000 Speaker 1: a reasonable answer to their questions and that is just 45 00:02:18,160 --> 00:02:20,120 Speaker 1: doubling down on the pain that they're feeling with the 46 00:02:20,240 --> 00:02:21,320 Speaker 1: lack of services they're getting. 47 00:02:21,360 --> 00:02:23,840 Speaker 2: It's annoying, isn't it. So what should they do? I mean, 48 00:02:23,880 --> 00:02:26,119 Speaker 2: if your Sky goes out for a minute or two, 49 00:02:26,200 --> 00:02:28,480 Speaker 2: do you what? Do you get a discount? What should 50 00:02:28,480 --> 00:02:29,080 Speaker 2: they be doing? 51 00:02:30,840 --> 00:02:33,639 Speaker 1: Well? Sky's terms and conditions says that they're not liable 52 00:02:33,720 --> 00:02:37,600 Speaker 1: if there's kind of minor interruptions to the service, and 53 00:02:37,639 --> 00:02:39,920 Speaker 1: I think you know that that is reasonable. You don't 54 00:02:39,919 --> 00:02:41,960 Speaker 1: necessarily get a refund if the bus is ten minutes 55 00:02:42,000 --> 00:02:45,640 Speaker 1: late because there's traffic or something like that. That's reasonable. 56 00:02:45,880 --> 00:02:49,480 Speaker 1: But where we have sustained failure to provide the service 57 00:02:49,520 --> 00:02:52,920 Speaker 1: that people are paying for, we think actually the Consumer 58 00:02:52,960 --> 00:02:57,600 Speaker 1: Guarantees Act comes into play here and that either Sky's 59 00:02:57,600 --> 00:03:00,280 Speaker 1: satellite has to be deemed not fit for purpose because 60 00:03:00,320 --> 00:03:04,280 Speaker 1: it account deliver the service that's required, or Sky is 61 00:03:04,320 --> 00:03:07,639 Speaker 1: an exercising reasonable care and skill And these are both 62 00:03:07,720 --> 00:03:10,960 Speaker 1: kind of different actions under the Consumer Guarantees Act. Not 63 00:03:11,040 --> 00:03:14,600 Speaker 1: exercising reasonable care and skill in providing its service to customers. 64 00:03:14,880 --> 00:03:17,080 Speaker 1: People are paying for something, they have a right to 65 00:03:17,120 --> 00:03:20,079 Speaker 1: expect that that thing will be delivered at least most 66 00:03:20,160 --> 00:03:20,960 Speaker 1: of the time. 67 00:03:20,960 --> 00:03:22,880 Speaker 2: John, thank you very much for that. That's John Duffy 68 00:03:22,919 --> 00:03:23,840 Speaker 2: Consumer New Zealand. 69 00:03:24,560 --> 00:03:27,720 Speaker 1: For more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive. Listen live to 70 00:03:27,840 --> 00:03:30,840 Speaker 1: news Talks it'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow 71 00:03:30,880 --> 00:03:32,680 Speaker 1: the podcast on iHeartRadio