Sky Angel Customer Service Hits New Low

[BabaLouie]

Got home this evening, and my daughter was upset...no Spirit TV...In fact, no Sky Angel at all. I was getting my E* channels fine, signal on 61.5 OK, but no Sky Angel. So I called E*...they said Dominion had deactivated me. I said, "I have a lifetime subscription." They told me to call Sky Angel.

So I did. I explained the problem, and the SA rep said, "Do you remember that letter that we sent out earlier this Spring?" She then told me HGTV, Fox News, Hallmark and Hallmark Movie Channel were going to cost $4.99 additional (which I already knew). I told her I didn't want those channels if they were going to cost me extra, but I didn't understand why they cut off ALL my Sky Angel channels, and I'm not happy about it. She said there had been some misunderstanding."
Bottom line, we will be without Sky Angel channels for about 24 hours. This really ticks me off...Why resort to such hardball tactics?

She asked me for my receiver number info. I suspect they didn't have that info (why, I don't know). Evidently, for all of the lifelong subscribers who didn't bother to return "the letter", SA is going to deactivate you. To get your SA service back on, you will be forced to call them, and you will have a 24 hour wait.

This is very poor business, I think. Why treat loyal, long-time customers this way?
They are going to be a lot less apt to consider SA in the future.

 

[NYRman1975]

I have watched Skyangel go into the crapper at a rapid pace over the past 8 or 9 months now. Even the programming isn't what it used to be (obviously they don't have control over what sations air, but they do have control over tossing stations such as Familyland away and they have control of Angel 1 and 2). Now this whole IPTV thing. I don't give Skyangel 2 years maximum before they completely fold once they go to IPTV.

Such a shame to see a good vision crumbling.

 

[andrews777]

That could be why they wanted the receiver ids so they could limit their service to just those receivers. They probably didn't track well when people were added in the past.

I hope I can get an Internet radio solution up before SkyAngel goes kaput.

Brad

 

[ShaneLinder]

If you get service back within 24 hours I think that would be good. They are probably swamped with calls like this. Soon enough, all of us are going to have the same experience for good.

I am holding out until GloryStar get the dual feed monoblock. Then I am going to buy that with a motor and a DVR. Hopefully that happens before SA goes off the air for good.

 

[BabaLouie]

If you get service back within 24 hours I think that would be good.

I'm sorry, I don't see how it is good at all...Why should I have lost ALL of my SA channels for 24 hours? Why not just shut off the "special four" channels? I have lived up to my end of the agreement...I paid for my lifelong service upfront. For SA to deactivate my entire service the way they did is just deplorable business practice, IMO.

 

[Pepper]

What he meant is it will probably take much longer than 24 hours.

by the way my service is still active and I didn't bother returning the form.

 

[Wescopc]

I think they did need the letter back with the numbers. They have/had no way of knowing when some one died and the receiver is sold from the estate - giving the next guy free access to SA.
We should have all sent our letters back to insure continued service. I think 24 hours will be about the best they can do, being as Dish Network has to do the activation for SA.

 

[andrews777]

I did get a quick "you are not authorized to view this channel the other night. I think I was listening to the All Worship channel and the cutout happened right in the middle of listening. Fortunately, changing channels and coming back made the problem go away. We are paying the $5 for the extra channels (my wife watches a lot of HGTV), though we did not send our receiver numbers in.

Brad

 

[TPnMD]

Got home this evening, and my daughter was upset...no Spirit TV...In fact, no Sky Angel at all. I was getting my E* channels fine, signal on 61.5 OK, but no Sky Angel. So I called E*...they said Dominion had deactivated me. I said, "I have a lifetime subscription." They told me to call Sky Angel.

So I did. I explained the problem, and the SA rep said, "Do you remember that letter that we sent out earlier this Spring?" She then told me HGTV, Fox News, Hallmark and Hallmark Movie Channel were going to cost $4.99 additional (which I already knew). I told her I didn't want those channels if they were going to cost me extra, but I didn't understand why they cut off ALL my Sky Angel channels, and I'm not happy about it. She said there had been some misunderstanding."
Bottom line, we will be without Sky Angel channels for about 24 hours. This really ticks me off...Why resort to such hardball tactics?

She asked me for my receiver number info. I suspect they didn't have that info (why, I don't know). Evidently, for all of the lifelong subscribers who didn't bother to return "the letter", SA is going to deactivate you. To get your SA service back on, you will be forced to call them, and you will have a 24 hour wait.

This is very poor business, I think. Why treat loyal, long-time customers this way?
They are going to be a lot less apt to consider SA in the future.

I see it as good business. Seems to me they just want to know if you are still watching. I would say, the only way SA knows you are alive and watching is if you returned that postcard. If you didn't, they cut you off to get you to call if you are watching. That's what I would do if you are costing me money and you are not watching.

Seems fair, 24 hours since you did not respond to a PC they told you to respond to. I responded and didn't get cut off.

 

[lumpkin666]

I see it as good business. Seems to me they just want to know if you are still watching. I would say, the only way SA knows you are alive and watching is if you returned that postcard. If you didn't, they cut you off to get you to call if you are watching. That's what I would do if you are costing me money and you are not watching.

Seems fair, 24 hours since you did not respond to a PC they told you to respond to. I responded and didn't get cut off.

I don't see how they have any right to know if you are watching. As a matter of fact, they owe you the lifetime of service even if you are a blind/deaf/mute/parapalegic in a coma - as long as you (or your spouse) are alive (and other conditions of the lifetime contract are valid), then they should continue to provide you service. My guess is that they don't really care since they don't plan on getting any income from you after they ditch the satellite service and alienate 90% of their customers anyhow.

 

[BabaLouie]

I see it as good business. Seems to me they just want to know if you are still watching. I would say, the only way SA knows you are alive and watching is if you returned that postcard. If you didn't, they cut you off to get you to call if you are watching. That's what I would do if you are costing me money and you are not watching.

Seems fair, 24 hours since you did not respond to a PC they told you to respond to. I responded and didn't get cut off.

Thank you, Mr. Johnson, Jr.

I didn't keep the letter, but I recall that it stated that if I didn't return it, I would lose Fox News, HGTV and the Hallmark Channels. Since I didn't want to pay for those channels anyway, why return the letter? I figured they would just cut off those four, as they stated in the letter. NOWHERE in the letter do I remember reading that they would deactivate the whole service if I didn't send the info they wanted.

To me, it seems as though this could have been handled much better. Why didn't SA warn that customers would be completely deactivated if they didn't return the letter? Seems as though they would want to take that step before pulling the plug on a subscription.

 

[BabaLouie]

I don't see how they have any right to know if you are watching. As a matter of fact, they owe you the lifetime of service even if you are a blind/deaf/mute/parapalegic in a coma - as long as you (or your spouse) are alive (and other conditions of the lifetime contract are valid), then they should continue to provide you service. My guess is that they don't really care since they don't plan on getting any income from you after they ditch the satellite service and alienate 90% of their customers anyhow.

Exactly. I held up my end of the contract. There's no way they should have broken their agreement and deactivated my service. This is one customer they definitely have alienated, and won't be getting any income from.

 

[catkoko]

Probably more like deliberately "punishing" those who won't pay up. I will say that on average I lose my service 1-2x a year anyway. sometimes they get it right back up other times it can take a week of repeated phone calls to both dish and SA (each blaming the other) to get my lifetime , prepaid service. then heaven forbid you move, had to jump through hoops yet again.

if they are going to shut off my lifetime for not sending back the letter then so be it. I want going to help them shut it off by giving them the info in advance!

I still can't understand how some people who complained got the fee waived and others got shut off.

As a lifetimer I have had it with SA. Only way they will get me to IPTV is if they give me the equipment

start complaining to the VP:
Nancy.Christopher@SkyAngel.com
Nancy Christopher
Sky Angel
PO Box 7609
Naples, FL 34101

 

[Mr Tony]

Probably more like deliberately "punishing" those who won't pay up. I will say that on average I lose my service 1-2x a year anyway. sometimes they get it right back up other times it can take a week of repeated phone calls to both dish and SA (each blaming the other) to get my lifetime , prepaid service.

I haven't heard of that happening. Why would they do that (just cut it off for no reason)?

 

[BabaLouie]

Well, today SA channels are back...I expected that. What I DIDN'T expect was that Fox News, HGTV and the Hallmark channels would be back, but they are! I'm confused...what was the shutoff all about? I hope I don't get a bill for these four now, since I made it very clear that I was not willing to pay extra for them.

 

[catkoko]

They kept telling me it was an accident, DISH error etc. It has happened with different boxes, 3 different locations too. It was more of an inconvenience than anything. sometimes it would happen on a weekend, sometimes they could reactivate it right away which never made sense......

I had to laugh when I saw your channels are all back. I would wait to see if they send you a bill as they may shut everything off again! Mine are still on so far. figured I would be first on their hit list for complaining so much. they won't answer my letters and customer service won't answer me either. Only one who wrote back was the VP but it appears she is now done with me too!

 

[bonscott87]

This happened to my in-laws today. I told them to call up SA on and tell them they lost all their channels (and they have lifetime to boot). They are so close to getting Glorystar it's not funny (they'll be forced to anyway since they don't have broadband when SA goes IPTV only).

 

[catkoko]

hate to say it but.....

sky angel did not promise not to interrupt service when they shut off the "special 4" UNLESS you sent in the form. SEE BELOW:

Personally I did NOT send in the form, felt it was none of their business and I wasn't going to help them cancel my channels. That said If you did mail the form in your service should not be interrupted. Bottom line is Sky angel is making and changing the rules as they go. short of a law suit they will continue on this path. I feel they are ultimately headed toward the demise of Sky angel and nothing we say or do is going to change it. They have chosen the wide road of mamon rather than the narrow road of ministry.

This comes after CEO Robert Johnson, Jr., realized that "the additional cost to Sky Angel to provide these special four channels just to our life long subscribers is more than $950,000 for 2007 and we simply are unable to absorb that cost."

If the life long subscriber wishes to continue receiving these special secular channels, the life long subscriber will be required to remit a monthly or annual fee to Sky Angel beginning May 1, 2007: $4.99/month or $49.88/year.

Furthermore, "in order to assure continued service without risk of interruption..." a form must be returned to Sky Angel with the following information "no later than April 15, 2007":

1. If you are currently using the service,
2. If you are the original purchaser of the Lifelong account,
3. Name, address and phone,
4. Your choice to continue receiving the "special secular" channels at the rate specified, above, and
5. Smart card and receiver serial number.

If Sky Angel is monitoring this board they obviously are not listening to its loyal viewers. The lifetimers probably were the most likely to stick with them until the end. Instead they alienated us first with the "special 4" nonsense and now with IPTV. We deserved more than a press release or a blurb online. Many might have switched to IPTV, even at some cost if they hadn't already played "word games" with the lifetime contract! I speak for many who no longer trust sky angel.

what about those who aren't online? They probably have NO idea what is coming! Add that to the new subscriptions they are still selling and you have a mess of lies, dishonesty and 1/2 truths. How can you justify selling hurdreds of dollars in equipment when you are switching to IPTV within a YEAR?!

 

[jholland]

At the Sky Angel site, when I clicked today on the option to subscribe to DBS service, this is now added, along with a note to check out the upcoming IPTV option:

"Disclaimer: Programming, channels, number of channels, subscription prices, and special offers all subject to changes without notice. DBS satellite receiving equipment purchases are at your own risk as Sky Angel has requested permission from the FCC to transfer ownership of its satellite frequencies to DISH Network and if approved will discontinue providing dbs service shortly after FCC approval."

 

[catkoko]

they keep making changes to suit them as they go. I wonder if they read that disclaimer if you phone to order? after all not all have internet. Even if someone did here the disclaimer would they assume that Sky angel was going to shut down DBS after less than a year? do they actually tell new subscribers that they are switching to IPTV?

You will also notice they changed there mission statement too!