Sorry, but I have just deleted several paragraphs of careful scripted prose outlinging every detail of the most appalling example of incompetence and lack of customer understanding. Here's a cut down version...
To all of you out there contemplating giving up your current ISP in favour of SKY here is my (severely condensed) advise. Think twice.
My router arrived dead and unlike many who have been more fortunate and sailed into a broadband service with SKY unscathed, I was plunged in to the murky depths of SKY broadband customer and technical support.
My numerous recent encounters surrounded my trying to find out when my replacement router, ordered on the day the other one arrived dead, would arrive. The support staff are incompetent technically, ask you to hold whilst they pass you to other departments that have no relevance to your query; they appear to knowingly misinform you in order to fob you off and get rid of you (verified by ringing straight back and getting completely contrary information from another operator). Ultimately having waited 7 working days (I work from home - no broadband = big problem) I finally got the one operator that had a grasp of customer service (note - exclusively a UK based characteristic and therefore an Angle/Indian lottery). He informed me that my replacement order had not been instigated as they needed my Mac Address!! I asked how long the router would take to arrive "2-5 working days"; how long would it take to issue me the MAC CODE necessary for an alternative provider to take on my service "2-5 working days". No brainer. I am now awaiting this MAC code and will be switching back to Demon 8mb unlimited for £25/month. Demon employ UK based professionals; the service almost never goes down and if it does, they care!!. Worth every penny.
Summary. You may never need to contact SKY Broadband Cusomer/Techncial SuUpport but having scratched the surface of what purports to be a comprehensive and professional broadband service, I have found such utter incompetence and willingness to misinform that I am more than willing to pay the premium for a proper service. By the way - I am not your proverbail Mr Angry, nor and active Blog participant but such was my disgust with SKY that I feel compelled to share my experiences. They are absolutely bl**dy useless!!