SKY viewing cards
 

I had an email this morning informing me that my SKY viewing card is about to be switched off and I should buy a new, white viewing card at an introductory offer of 75 Euros.

Now I know that those of us (some 300,00 at the last estimate) have an illegally acquired SKY box and card and hopefully for the suppliers we will keep our mouths firmly shut about it, BUT, 75 Euros for a replacement card, which will also be illegally acquired, seems a tad too much.

I was told, severely, that I should be grateful as I do not have to pay a TV licence fee, it seems to have slipped their minds that SKY do not benefit themselves from the fee, and the BBC are not the only channel SKY provide.

Now SKY are not a fly-by-night green around the ears organization therefore I suspect that they know all about the Spanish situation and the British-owned companies that supply the service. If they were contacted about this latest money-making scheme perhaps they might join in themselves, offer us white viewing cards for - say - 10 Euros each (3m Euros less postage and packing), obtain a list of thousands of new customers whose details would be more than welcomed by marketing organizations who would like to target British expats in Spain.

Has anyone been offered cheaper cards?

Re: SKY viewing cards
 

Very interesting and did you pay? We pay 150 euros a year for "maintenance" and if they think they are going to charge an extra 75 they will cut off the golden goose.

Re: SKY viewing cards
 

i gather this is an email from your agent who you pay a yearly fee to each year for using a uk address of theirs? it will not be an email from sky (just incase anyone else was concerned!)

your yearly fee should cover this, and many agents i know are passing on the new cards for free...as that is what you are paying your yearly fee pay for...maybe you got the one "bad agent"...

but yes some installers and agents are using this as an excuse for more money...

thats the issue with not arranging it at a uk address you control so that the new card went directly to your own address!

you can try and do it yourself..set up a sky account by using a uk address that "you control" and therefore you wont have to go through your agent or pay yearly fees. its been mentioned on these forums many times before....

i know what you mean but you phrase it like they are all stolen goods!. purchasing and using a sky box outside the uk is not illegal, and using a sky card outside the uk is against the t&Cs of the contract...i dont think it is illegal.

Re: SKY viewing cards
 

Thank you Chiclanagir and The Guy for your information. I actually do not pay any annual fees. When my system was installed in 2005 I paid a certain sum up front and that was that. When I moved to another province I took the whole shebang with me and paid a rather large sum to have it all re-installed and the dish re-aligned. Since I posted I have had several email exchanges with the couple that did the installations - they are very nice and I hated to take them to task over this but needs must. In an era of a low pound/Euro relationship every centimo counts and I ain't going to give in to every demand made to me. What happens if they try this nice little money-earner every year, irrespective of whether or not I pay a licence fee or a maintenance contract? I need a drink!

Re: SKY viewing cards
 

I forgot to say Chiclanagir that I have not paid, nor will I. Oh God, Spanish TV and the incessant game shows - if I show signs of giving in force-feed me Bombay gin!

Re: SKY viewing cards
 

I assume you're not watching any pay channels. If that's the case, do you need to buy a new card? All the main channels are now available without a viewing card.

Re: SKY viewing cards
 

Thanks - I was told about an hour ago that I will lose all of ITV and Channel 5 programmes if I do not buy a new card. You are right, however, I do not pay for extra channels I can hardly cope with the number of free ones. I would love Discovery tho'.

Re: SKY viewing cards
 

if you do not pay an annual fee then it will start, as many agents who were not now are..!!EDIT : Just seen your post - not relevant!


and be careful that if you are paying a sky monthly direct debit for pay tv channels, ensure that your dd is cancelled! - EDIT : Just seen your post - not relevant!

and as derek says, if you have a freesatfromsky card, and not an actually sky monthly subscription card, then your card should not have to be replaced...as FSFS cards have not been announced as being replaced...its just sub cards that are at the moment.
so unless "they" actually deactivate the card you should still be able to watch all the ftv channels like five, fiver five us....

you will not loose ALL your ITVs - there are just 6 ITV regions that currently require a sky card...all the others you can watch without a sky card (dish size depending!)

Re: SKY viewing cards
 

Hold on a sec. You watch ITV, yet you complain about the spanish channels being "incessant game shows" :ohmy: Apart from the language, what's the difference?

Re: SKY viewing cards
 

I didn't say I watch ITV, just that currently it is available to me, erm I do watch Emmerdale! Is that so bad? (don't answer). Thanks for your reply.

Re: SKY viewing cards
 

So, I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to my post. It has been very helpful and I am grateful. It would seem that I was being induced to purchase a new card on the threat of losing all of my British TV channels when patently this was not the case. More a case of 'selective information' being disseminated in order to reduce the weight of my wallet.

75 Euros I don't need to spend on TV channels will be put to good use purchasing Bombay gin. Happy days (or should that be daze?).

Re: SKY viewing cards
 

Have all of the official new Sky Subscription cards been distributed in the UK ?

Just wondered as I have not heard anything about a new one arriving at my UK address yet.

Re: SKY viewing cards
 

According to the SKY information channel they will all be delivered within the next two weeks. I don't have a convenient UK address so will have no confirmation of this. My sister has a friend in her village who has SKY and she is going to monitor what happens there - I'll let you know.

Re: SKY viewing cards
 

nope...
many scottish and irish addresses have been issued...and it has only recently that uk addresses have started to be issued....

dont panic....you will get the on screen message "insert your new card" when your card is posted to you...they have a few million to post out!

Re: SKY viewing cards
 

Wonder if there is a cut of date when all old cards will be deactivated.
The reason I ask is that last time I received a new card it did not immediately activate.Fortunately I was in the UK at the time.However it took numerous phone calls and messing with the controls under phone supervision from a Sky adviser before it worked.
Had I been abroad at the time I would have been snookered.