Last updated 22:02, Wednesday, 20 August 2008

AFTER your report of comments by Michael Moore MP (‘MP raises fears over Sky charges for set-top boxes’, 7 August 2008), I would like to reassure readers about Sky’s involvement in the switchover help scheme.

The help scheme is an important support to help older and disabled viewers to take advantage of digital TV.

As the provider of the help scheme’s standard option, we want to help make the scheme a success by providing a worry-free switchover for eligible people.

To help us do this, we have years of experience in serving customers with disabilities and we have a dedicated team of accessibility advisers to provide specialist help, alongside Sky engineers trained in disability awareness.

Unfortunately, we made a mistake with some of the first letters we sent to help scheme customers by printing an incorrect reference to an amount of money owed to Sky.

As soon as we realised the mistake, we contacted all those customers to apologise and to reassure them that the letter was sent in error. We’ve also taken steps to make sure the mistake is not repeated.

Hundreds of help scheme customers have already taken up our offer, which includes professional installation of a Sky box, and we’re delighted with their positive feedback so far.

It would be a shame if others lost out and chose not to take up the help scheme offer because of confusion about an honest mistake.

Robert Fraser

Director of Corporate Communications

Sky