Can Sky refuse to fix my faulty TV box?

QIn March 2010, I took out a Sky TV package, but now the HD box is faulty. Sky says it won’t repair it and I’ve got to pay for another. I can’t access Sky without it, so what are my rights? John Robertson

Sadly, John doesn’t have any rights. Once a customer’s initial 12-month Sky subscription ends, the set-top box becomes their property, not Sky’s. The company still remains responsible for fixing inherent faults, as required by the Consumer Rights Act (introduced in 2015) or in John’s case the Sale of Goods Act. But this protection lasts for up to six years only, so the deadline has passed.

John’s no longer tied into a subscription, so we suggested he talk to Sky. If it wanted to keep his business he could try asking for a discounted replacement set-top box. But Sky

Awouldn’t budge on the price and John wasn’t interested in having the company’s new Sky Q box.

So we looked for alternative solutions. We came across quite a few sellers of second-hand and refurbished Sky boxes on Amazon Marketplace and ebay. One online retailer, Richard Adoof of Chigwell Satellites, told us that John shouldn’t have a problem using one of these devices. It’s legal to use a second-hand box as a Freeview tuner or to access Sky channels you subscribe to.

However, Richard said that buyers should make sure they aren’t buying a fake box, and that they legitimately own their existing box (ie, that their initial contract has ended). He also mentioned that Sky sometimes makes it difficult if you ask it to ‘pair’ a current viewing card with a replacement box, but you can do this yourself (read more on Sky’s site ww www. snipca.com/23718).

Wewe’ve advised John to email Ririchard ( highstore@yahoo.co. uk) – as should any of our readers in a similar situation.