[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

....

Seriously contemplating if I should break my 11 year relationship with Tatasky.

TataSky are absurdly expensive for similar plans (my parents have Airtel DTH), and the Sony dispute doesn't appear to be anywhere close to resolution per my last conversation yesterday (next discussion is scheduled Nov 12 apparently).

[Arjun Reddy]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

I need to renew my Tata Sky biennial plan end of the month.
Seriously contemplating if I should break my 11 year relationship with Tatasky.

Viddy, tricky one. I have Tatasky multi tv at home. Mom watches a lot of Telugu HD channels on her tv. Most of these regional channels are not available on HD with other providers. Tatasky has most number of channels on HD compared to any other provider.

You will have to list out the channels you and the family are viewing on HD and see if they are available on Airtel HD before you swap.

I have a feeling this Sony issue will be resolved. Suggest you recharge for a 3/6 month period and then take a call. My connection is also due on 7th nov. Might just recharge for 3 months and then take a call.

Tatasky is expensive. I pay 6300 for 6 months for 2 TVs. This is for their platinum package where I get every channel on their list.

I have retained 2 tvs on local cable HD. Works when it rains.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by Arjun Reddy

Viddy, tricky one. I have Tatasky multi tv at home. Mom watches a lot of Telugu HD channels on her tv. Most of these regional channels are not available on HD with other providers. Tatasky has most number of channels on HD compared to any other provider.

You will have to list out the channels you and the family are viewing on HD and see if they are available on Airtel HD before you swap.

I checked and we mainly watch sports, english movies, news and entertainment all english. No regional or hindi (very rarely hindi).

Airtel has all the english HD same as Tata Sky. Our TV hours are quite less evenings or weekends.

WE also have netflix, hotstar, amazon prime so TV usage is mainly for dad watching news, sports or when we watch english movies together.

[motorworks]

I have no option but to continue with Tata Sky since my apartment has a common dish.

In this day and age of Amazon prime and Netflix, the prices of Tata sky have never come down. If you want all English movies, entertainment and sports plus HD, then there is no option but to subscribe to the highest package which is some 7k, if I remember correctly. And I have been doing this for the last 5 years now. I wish Jio comes up with something to break the monopoly of Tata sky, especially if they can bundle broadband and TV channels.

[Miyata]

Both my wife and I hardly watch TV. The only reason we have TS is for my in-laws when they come over.

I am not at all in favor of wasting our money on their shoddy services and questionable professionalism. Earlier we pre-paid for annual subscription, but since then only do a monthly recharge as needed. Such a pain they have been to deal with.

[shuvadips]

Originally Posted by Miyata

Both my wife and I hardly watch TV. The only reason we have TS is for my in-laws when they come over.

I am not at all in favor of wasting our money on their shoddy services and questionable professionalism. Earlier we pre-paid for annual subscription, but since then only do a monthly recharge as needed. Such a pain they have been to deal with.

I had done the same mistake of taking an annual subscription (platinum) ending only in June 2019.

I am so pissed off with the Tata Sky chat helpline. I asked them that if most of the Sony channel are not being aired refund a part of the annual money that I had paid to which they said that they will not do so. In anger, I mentioned that I will not renew my subscription next year to which they replied - 'As you wish'

But with the advent of Netflix, Amazon Prime and host of other internet based channels, I think, the dead of Tata Skys, etc are not very far and the questionable professionalism will go for a toss.

[ajmat]

And AXN/Tatasky feud twists the knife further, I was so looking forward to Billions 3 soon to be shown on AXN

[varunsangal]

Originally Posted by Miyata

Both my wife and I hardly watch TV.

Originally Posted by shuvadips

But with the advent of Netflix, Amazon Prime and host of other internet based channels, I think, the dead of Tata Skys, etc are not very far...

Same case with me, Have been using Amazon's Firestick for the last 6 months+ for all entertainment and have not recharged TataSky except for when my parents were over.

Have recently moved to a new apartment and TataSky quoted some insane 5k to move the connection (including some 90+ mts of wiring dangling from the rooftop and a new dish etc etc), so decided to let go of TataSky for good.

TBH haven't missed TataSky/cable TV at all as the content is all available online.

[PetrolRider]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

I need to renew my Tata Sky biennial plan end of the month.

I just did a comparison with Airtel and the Airtel Inifinity HD plan is 2K cheaper than Tata Sky per year even if I pay Tatasky a lump sum for 2 years and Airtel only annually, Airtel is cheaper.

They also have a lot of offers for new connection as well as cashbacks when recharging.

Seriously contemplating if I should break my 11 year relationship with Tatasky.

I used to be an Airtel customer for long before moving to Tatasky some 3 years back. I can vouch for Airtel plans and cost effectiveness over Tatasky. Only flaw with Airtel was (or the reason of me to shift out), they only repair hardware and not replace. After long, my box got damaged. Afterwards it was like spending 300/- every 6 month or so to repair it and they wouldn't sell me a new box even when I was ready to pay them the new connection cost. So got fed up and changed to Tatasky.
Just check with them, if they still have that stupid policy.

[Chetan_Rao]

Below are screenshots of the response I got from Tata Sky's nodal officer for my complaint, and my response.

Very disappointing, because the content of the email is virtually a copy-paste of the customer service template for this particular issue. I have at least 5 copies of this email since this issue started a month ago. If even the appellate nodal officer can't be bothered to provide an actual helpful response, there isn't much to be said for their service quality.





P.S. If my response seems curt, that's because it is. I've tried to reason with them for weeks, but all I got (and continue to get) is canned responses. I'm not one to lose patience easily but I don't appreciate being treated like I'm being done a favor after I've paid them a bunch of my money upfront for their rather expensive services.

[Miyata]

Originally Posted by varunsangal

TataSky quoted some insane 5k to move the connection

As far as moving is concerned, what I've done in the past is this - connect with local antenna related TV guys and ask for their help moving the antenna and associated paraphernalia.

Do the same at new place. Has worked just fine for me.

How does one find the local guys? As I travel back and forth to different places in the locality I look around for them. Speak to a few if possible. One that sounds and seems most 'decent' gets to do the job!

Dealing with Tata Sky is just an added headache when moving (and otherwise!).

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

I've tried to reason with them for weeks, but all I got (and continue to get) is canned responses. I'm not one to lose patience easily but I don't appreciate being treated like I'm being done a favor after I've paid them a bunch of my money upfront for their rather expensive services.

Originally Posted by shuvadips

I mentioned that I will not renew my subscription next year to which they replied - 'As you wish'

But with the advent of Netflix, Amazon Prime and host of other internet based channels, I think, the dead of Tata Skys, etc are not very far and the questionable professionalism will go for a toss.

In a country that lives with the principles of caveat emptor, the cliche of customer being king is way too far from the ground reality! Will take a lot longer for our markets to grow mature enough where folks can be held responsible and accountable for their respective ends of the stick - short ends; wrong ends; whatever!

[reignofchaos]

I've cut the DTH cord 2 years ago and I don't miss a thing. I was using TS originally but then moved to videocon when they started jacking up prices. Finally I shut down that too! It is a total utter waste of time trying to deal with these imbeciles. Vote with your wallet!

[varunsangal]

Originally Posted by Miyata

... what I've done in the past is this - connect with local antenna related TV guys and ask for their help moving the antenna and associated paraphernalia.

Would have done the same here, however, the previous building had a master dish for the building, so never had a dish/receiver. Now needs to be bought separately. Also, what really put me off was their ask to draw a wire from the rooftop of a high-rise to my floor and refusing to use the in-built wiring.

Given I was already looking at an abysmally low usage of TataSky, thought this a good opportunity to do away with the connection altogether.

This is also part digital detox for the family. The TV usage is now restricted to weekend movie watching.

[Chetan_Rao]

So after nearly a month of following up, I finally told the kind lady from the nodal service desk politely but firmly to stop bothering with trying to 'resolve' this, as they're unwilling to look beyond their set policies, which are obviously anything but fair and customer-friendly.

I'm already paid up till March, so will let things be and get rid of the connection then. Don't want to throw more good time and effort behind money already given to them. They're happy to lose long-term customers for short-term gain, who am I to stop them.

[Zappo]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

So after nearly a month of following up, I finally told the kind lady from the nodal service desk politely but firmly to stop bothering with trying to 'resolve' this, as they're unwilling to look beyond their set policies, which are obviously anything but fair and customer-friendly.

I'm already paid up till March, so will let things be and get rid of the connection then. Don't want to throw more good time and effort behind money already given to them. They're happy to lose long-term customers for short-term gain, who am I to stop them.

Ditto experience, except that I did not even bother to go up to the Nodal Officer. The careless response that I got from their floor manager or whoever I spoke to was enough to make me realize that they have been tutored to give such replies. Which also means that they have already factored in the possible loss of their captive user base and somehow they are good with that risk!

Also, and this is more worrisome, I don't know if you folks noticed but Tata Sky has already identified its next set of 40 channels, approximately, which they are offloading form their platforms on various grounds within the next month. Now these channels may not be heavy weights but they have their concentrated audiences. Like they have selected a bunch of Bangla Language channels for removal. Similarly they have also selected a few 9xm and such channels.

Now, these may not create as much furore as removal of Sony bouquet did. But the fact remains that Tata Sky is showing the same kind of arrogance over and over. All those on the long term packs of Tata Sky have already paid them a huge bunch of access fee for the period looking at the channels on offer. When they remove the channels in bulk after people have paid for it its simply unethical. It's not like 1 here or 1 there. This is bulk removal.