Vodafone - Let me choose my Set-top Box!

Forums › One New Zealand (including Vodafone, WxC, Farmside) › Vodafone - Let me choose my Set-top Box!

StarBlazer

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#146654 25-May-2014 10:41

I've been with TCL/Vodafone since arriving in NZ 8 years ago.

In my experience, Cable Broadband = fantastic, Phone = no problems, Mobile = Great; T-Box = poor. I just wish that you would allow me to choose which set-top box I have.

I had MySkyHDI before and it is a much better product and so I will be going back to Sky when my contract period ends. I like Vodafone, but nobody in my household likes the T-Box.

Please, allow cable customers a choice that doesn't involve leaving.

Procrastination eventually pays off.

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#1052708 25-May-2014 10:47

Won't happen

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sdavisnz

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#1052710 25-May-2014 10:53

you know you can pay sky bill with vodafone, have normal box and satelitte, and vodafone waive the $15 mysky box rental charge for paying it all with vodafone..

does that help you out at all?

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sbiddle

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#1052732 25-May-2014 11:58

There are no other options because that is the only piece of hardware they carry that is compatible with their cable and UFB offerings.

If you're wanting Sky to provide service via satellite then that's a very different product offering. You need to pick a plan that offers resold Sky.

quickymart

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#1052755 25-May-2014 13:04

Indeed, you can't just connect any old cable modem/TV decoder to the network and away you go - such a device could produce significant noise, and if it stops working, what would you do with your imported device then?

At least if the one supplied by TCL dies, you know it will be repaired/replaced.

StarBlazer

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#1052767 25-May-2014 13:29

johnr: Won't happen

Why not? Vodafone is already a sky reseller and they offer this with ADSL.

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StarBlazer

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#1052768 25-May-2014 13:31

sbiddle: There are no other options because that is the only piece of hardware they carry that is compatible with their cable and UFB offerings.

If you're wanting Sky to provide service via satellite then that's a very different product offering. You need to pick a plan that offers resold Sky.

I'm not looking to hook it up to the cable, I'll use the satellite dish like everyone else. There are no plans in the Cable set that offer resold Sky, hence my question.

Procrastination eventually pays off.

StarBlazer

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#1052770 25-May-2014 13:32

quickymart: Indeed, you can't just connect any old cable modem/TV decoder to the network and away you go - such a device could produce significant noise, and if it stops working, what would you do with your imported device then? At least if the one supplied by TCL dies, you know it will be repaired/replaced.

Not what I was even suggesting. I have cable for my broadband and phone and would like to use MySkyHDI with satellite dish - I would prefer to buy it through VF like the ADSL customers do, but apparently that "wont happen".

Procrastination eventually pays off.

StarBlazer

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#1052772 25-May-2014 13:34

sdavisnz: you know you can pay sky bill with vodafone, have normal box and satelitte, and vodafone waive the $15 mysky box rental charge for paying it all with vodafone..

does that help you out at all?

I do know about this, but it's not available for Cable customers - only ADSL!

Procrastination eventually pays off.

NonprayingMantis

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#1052773 25-May-2014 13:34

StarBlazer: I've been with TCL/Vodafone since arriving in NZ 8 years ago.

In my experience, Cable Broadband = fantastic, Phone = no problems, Mobile = Great; T-Box = poor. I just wish that you would allow me to choose which set-top box I have.

I had MySkyHDI before and it is a much better product and so I will be going back to Sky when my contract period ends. I like Vodafone, but nobody in my household likes the T-Box.

Please, allow cable customers a choice that doesn't involve leaving.

You can get Sky TV at the same time as Cable broadband, you just can't bundle it with VF, which means you aren't eligible for the discount or have it on the same bill.

On the upside, you will get the STB you want, and you won't be locked into a multi-product bundle that makes it virtually impossible to leave if you ever get annoyed by bad service or poor broadband. You'll also get access to the proper Sky services - like Sky Go, which I don't think you get with VF 'TV'
Sky also has discounts for customers, which make up for most of the discount you would be getting through VF anyway - e.g. I've seen free Sky sports for 6 months as an offer before - which is roughly the same value as the 'Free' Mysky for 12 months.

The other alternative is to ditch Sky altogether and use things like Netflix and torrents. save yourself loads of money, avoid ads, watch stuff whenever you want etc. That's what I've done.

StarBlazer

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#1052778 25-May-2014 13:45

NonprayingMantis: You can get Sky TV at the same time as Cable broadband, you just can't bundle it with VF, which means you aren't eligible for the discount or have it on the same bill.

They don't offer it, but I can't see why they can't

NonprayingMantis: On the upside, you will get the STB you want, and you won't be locked into a multi-product bundle that makes it virtually impossible to leave if you ever get annoyed by bad service or poor broadband. You'll also get access to the proper Sky services - like Sky Go, which I don't think you get with VF 'TV'
Sky also has discounts for customers, which make up for most of the discount you would be getting through VF anyway - e.g. I've seen free Sky sports for 6 months as an offer before - which is roughly the same value as the 'Free' Mysky for 12 months.

At the moment I'm in a 12 month contract, to get the best prices I would have to keep taking out 12 month contracts - so that precludes me from making rash/knee-jerk changes anyway - the only time I may look at BB from another source is when UFB reaches my street. You can use Sky Go with VF/T-Box - you can't do remote record though but that's a hardware issue.

NonprayingMantis: The other alternative is to ditch Sky altogether and use things like Netflix and torrents. save yourself loads of money, avoid ads, watch stuff whenever you want etc. That's what I've done.

Too much like hard work for general consumption - thought about it a number of times. World Cup coming up in June and I need a box to record the matches overnight and while at work. I've found it nearly impossible to find a "source" for games without finding out the score first which is why I have a PLP for all it's idiosyncrasies.

Procrastination eventually pays off.

Coil

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#1052781 25-May-2014 13:50

They don't offer it, but I can't see why they can't

Logic would depict if Vodafone runs their own network delivering their own content over their own box without a 3rd party it would have higher profit margins. Why would they sacrifice that for a lesser margin.

StarBlazer

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#1052782 25-May-2014 13:50

it's impossible for me to make the next statement without sounding like trolling or flaming - but that's not my intention!!!

Is the reason Vodafone won't offer an alternative to cable customers because they know that the customers will switch leaving the T-Box a minority or even dead product?

Procrastination eventually pays off.

StarBlazer

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#1052784 25-May-2014 13:52

TimA:
They don't offer it, but I can't see why they can't

Logic would depict if Vodafone runs their own network delivering their own content over their own box without a 3rd party it would have higher profit margins. Why would they sacrifice that for a lesser margin.

But they will make no profit from me at all if I drop the TV and go to Sky - surely some profit is better than none!

Procrastination eventually pays off.

NonprayingMantis

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#1052785 25-May-2014 13:54

StarBlazer: it's impossible for me to make the next statement without sounding like trolling or flaming - but that's not my intention!!!

Is the reason Vodafone won't offer an alternative to cable customers because they know that the customers will switch leaving the T-Box a minority or even dead product?

see Tim's post above.

The margins on a re-transmission deal (how they deliver sky over cable/UFB) is going to be significantly more than the margin on a Sky re-seller deal (bundling satellite service with DSL).
It's entirely plausable that VF make $0 on the sky reseller deal (giving away $15 suggests that could be the case) so there is no point offering it when they have a much higher margin service that is basically the same, even if it is slightly inferior in your opinion.

Coil

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#1052786 25-May-2014 13:56

StarBlazer:
TimA:
They don't offer it, but I can't see why they can't

Logic would depict if Vodafone runs their own network delivering their own content over their own box without a 3rd party it would have higher profit margins. Why would they sacrifice that for a lesser margin.

But they will make no profit from me at all if I drop the TV and go to Sky - surely some profit is better than none!

The cable billing system doesnt facilitate for the SKY offers as like the Vodafone ADSL, VDSL does. Cant compare two different bundles.

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