Any BT phone engineers about?

[moneypit23]

I've just had Sky+ installed and moved the old receiver up to one of the bedrooms. The bedroom doesn't have a phone point and neither, it would now seem, does the living room as the point in there appears to be dead ("knackered" cable under wooden floor).

The engineer finished the job but said I need to get some sockets in pretty sharpish as the boxes periodically dial Sky to confirm that they are where they should be. Now, what I ideally need for the neatest job is cable run externally to each room. It would be possible to run an internal extension upstairs with a lot of pulling up of carpet, but downstairs is all laminate flooring so hiding wires would be tricky.

Anyone able to help? BT charge a fortune for sockets.

 

[The General]

I'll ask my dad in a while. He's worked for BT for 25+ years so he's bound to be able to help.

Kev

 

[* ORM *]

I wouldn't worry about it - the only time my phone has ever been connected to sky is the day it was installed about 7 years ago. I'm pretty sure the phone box we had installed has long gone.

I'm surprised Sky's insistance in its T&Cs that you connect to a phone line has never been challenged. You don't need it, unless you have no life.

 

[moneypit23]

Quote[/b] (The General @ July 15 2005,17:13)]I'll ask my dad in a while. He's worked for BT for 25+ years so he's bound to be able to help.

Kev

Brilliant - cheers.

 

[moneypit23]

Quote[/b] (* ORM * @ July 15 2005,17:23)]I wouldn't worry about it - the only time my phone has ever been connected to sky is the day it was installed about 7 years ago. I'm pretty sure the phone box we had installed has long gone.

I'm surprised Sky's insistance in its T&Cs that you connect to a phone line has never been challenged. You don't need it, unless you have no life.

I know what you're saying, and I've been the same as you - not had it plugged into a phone line for years, but I've read from a number of different people that Sky regularly check multiroom installations. Actually you only had to have it connected for the first year on a basic installation.

 

[Upminster Blue]

Quote[/b] (moneypit23 @ July 15 2005,17:31)]

Quote[/b] (* ORM * @ July 15 2005,17:23)]I wouldn't worry about it - the only time my phone has ever been connected to sky is the day it was installed about 7 years ago. I'm pretty sure the phone box we had installed has long gone.

I'm surprised Sky's insistance in its T&Cs that you connect to a phone line has never been challenged. You don't need it, unless you have no life.

I know what you're saying, and I've been the same as you - not had it plugged into a phone line for years, but I've read from a number of different people that Sky regularly check multiroom installations.  Actually you only had to have it connected for the first year on a basic installation.

I don't know anyone that has their Sky box connected to the phone line, despite Sky insisting on it in their terms and conditions. As far as I can tell, they say you need to be connected to get software upgrades etc when they really want you to be connected in the hope that you'll spend some money on their interactive services.

If you do decide to connect and don't want to lift up your laminate floor, you can buy some "mini-skirting". Basically it's a hollow skirting board about 2cm high and ½cm deep that blends in and sits at the bottom of your existing skirting board. You simply run your cables round inside the mini-skirting. Was designed for hi-fi cables and a good hi-fi shop should be able to sort you out with some. If not there are a number of manufacturers on the web. Only costs a few £s per metre.

 

[Barmy Army]

We've got ours connected, no real reason why we shouldn't.

They do check the multiroom one and threatened to cut it off if we didn't connect it to the phone line.

 

[TrueBlue]

Sky will put your subscription up if you fail to have the phone line in!

 

[TrueBlue]

Quote[/b] ] As far as I can tell, they say you need to be connected to get software upgrades etc when they really want you to be connected in the hope that you'll spend some money on their interactive services.

Nope the operating system on the sky box is updated via the dish not the phone line

 

[Upminster Blue]

Quote[/b] (TrueBlue @ July 15 2005,18:19)]

Quote[/b] ] As far as I can tell, they say you need to be connected to get software upgrades etc when they really want you to be connected in the hope that you'll spend some money on their interactive services.

Nope the operating system on the sky box is updated via the dish not the phone line

which confirms they make up some story to get you to have the phone line purely in the hope you'll buy the interactive services

 

[TrueBlue]

Quote[/b] (Upminster Blue @ July 15 2005,18:41)]

Quote[/b] (TrueBlue @ July 15 2005,18:19)]

Quote[/b] ] As far as I can tell, they say you need to be connected to get software upgrades etc when they really want you to be connected in the hope that you'll spend some money on their interactive services.

Nope the operating system on the sky box is updated via the dish not the phone line

which confirms they make up some story to get you to have the phone line purely in the hope you'll buy the interactive services

..Well yeah.....

 

[the leopard]

i have had several threatening letters that if i dont connect my phone line it is a breach of contract and they can charge me extra or some penalty:angry:

 

[ph437]

Part of the reason is that some of the interactive service providers subsidise the cost of the satellite equipment on the understanding that Sky customers agree to stay connected for 12 months.....if you don't agree to that then you have to pay a higher price at the outset - pretty fair really I guess.

 

[Bob Cratchitt]

As said phone lines are only used by you when access the interactive services.

Moneypit - I am not a BT engineer but I know how to wire a house up. Get yourself down to B&Q and buy the bloody stuff. And if need be I could krone the wires into you BT box after all you really only need to use two wires 2 & 5 - see I have even told you how to do it. No wonder BT make so much money.

 

[moneypit23]

Quote[/b] (Bob Cratchitt @ July 16 2005,01:47)]As said phone lines are only used by you when access the interactive services.

Moneypit - I am not a BT engineer but I know how to wire a house up. Get yourself down to B&Q and buy the bloody stuff. And if need be I could krone the wires into you BT box after all you really only need to use two wires 2 & 5 - see I have even told you how to do it. No wonder BT make so much money.

Bob, I know it's only two wires (the blue ones apparently?) but I'd rather not be going up and down ladders (that I don't have) running wires around the top of my house and drilling through walls. I'm happy to pay someone a reasonable price to do the work, but I'll be buggered if I'm going to pay BT well over £200 for 2 sockets.

 

[Guest]

Quote[/b] (the leopard @ July 15 2005,19:54)]i have had several threatening letters that if i dont connect my phone line it is a breach of contract and they can charge me extra or some penalty:angry:

A question for the legal bods on here: are they allowed to do that?