Sky has promised to deliver fast, reliable broadband for customers in every single room in their home as part of a new speed guarantee. The supplier said it will give households peace of mind, promising speedy Wi-Fi all round, in a move that could benefit thousands of households in the UK. It said the Wi-Fi Guarantee will be "strong enough [for households] to stream their favourite shows, for example via Sky Go, or from NOW TV or Netflix". And, if it's unable to deliver the required speeds, it will give the customer their money back. However the company said you will have to pay £5 a month for the 'guarantee' privilege. The Wi-Fi Guarantee will form part of Sky's Sky Broadband Boost from 6 September, and anyone with a Sky Broadband package will be able to add it for £5 a month - when you agree to a new 18-month contract. Boost customers will also have their broadband line speeds checked by Sky every day - and will be sent a text if the supplier need to fix anything. They’ll also have access to engineer visits, including evenings and weekends, at no extra cost. "Wi-Fi Guarantee reflects Sky’s commitment to innovation and technology that matches our customers’ evolving connectivity needs” explained Aman Bhatti, head of propositions, at Sky. "The need for fast and reliable broadband that reaches every room is more important than ever before – but as you can’t physically see your Wi-Fi signal, it can be difficult for most people to understand what makes it stronger or weaker. "Our Wi-Fi Guarantee, combined with the new Sky Hub, genuinely guarantees a strong signal in every room of the house – strong enough to stream movies and TV from Sky Go and Netflix – or your money back." Whether you're a Sky customer on the new plan - or not, you have rights when it comes to slow broadband. If your provider is failing to deliver the speeds quoted at the start of your contract, they may be in breach of contract. Call or write to them to explain the situation. Explain that the statements made to you at the start of your contract were 'misrepresentations'. Your provider will then open an investigation into your complaint - and get back to you (usually) within 14 days. If you don't get a satisfactory solution after this period, go through its formal complaints procedure. Keep records of all verbal or written communication as this can help your case should you need to take it further. If you still have no luck, after eight weeks you can take your complaint to the relevant alternative dispute resolution ADR scheme. All broadband providers have to sign up to an (ADR) scheme. Your provider will either be signed up to a scheme operated by CISAS or Ombudsman Services: Communications. If you're considering using the ombudsman, this is how to open a case. Ofcom also offers a complaints and disputes platform for customers that have been let down by their provider - this includes cases where you may have been mis-sold, billing issues and blackouts whilst switching networks. The regulator says that any provider using the Openreach network: BT, EE, Sky and TalkTalk, must deliver the expected range of speeds. If they're unable to do so, you have the right to exit your contract penalty-free. Unfortunately, cable providers, such as Virgin, are except from this rule. To make a complaint, you'll need to head to Ofcom's complaints page where you'll be asked to follow relevant the steps. You also have protections in place from the moment you sign up for a deal. Earlier this year, regulator Ofcom introduced new rules to protect households from being mis-sold broadband. Customers must now be told how fast their broadband will be before they sign the contract. The new rules will ensure people get a 'fair deal' and are 'treated well by their providers'. If a customer’s broadband speed then drops below the promised level, companies will have one month to improve performance, before they must let the customer walk away – penalty-free. This right to exit also applies to landline and TV packages bought at the same time as broadband. Broadband providers must also be upfront with customers about what speeds to expect during peak times. This is because broadband is typically not as fast during the busiest times of the day – 8:00pm – 10:00pm for people online at home, and 12:00pm – 2:00pm for businesses. They cover all the major broadband firms signed up to the new Code – BT, EE, Plusnet, Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin Media, which together serve around 95% of home broadband customers. “When you sign a contract, you should be treated fairly and know exactly what you’re getting," Lindsey Fussell, Ofcom’s consumer group director, said. "These protections mean broadband shoppers can buy with confidence. Before they sign up, customers will be told their minimum internet speed. And if companies break that promise, they’ll have to sort it out quickly, or let the customer walk away." Test your Wi-Fi router speeds via Sky’s online checker or through My Sky app. If your Wi-Fi isn't performing as well as it should, Sky will launch an investigation and send a booster to help improve signal. If it still isn't performing as well as it should, you’ll get a home visit from a Sky Engineer to optimise the signal in every room. Sky Boost customers will have access to evening and weekend appointments as part of the service, so they don’t have to wait in or take time out of the working week to have their W-iFi enhanced. If you still aren't receiving signal in every room – we’ll refund your Boost upgrade for the remaining time in your contract.
Sky is offering a money-back Wi-Fi speed guarantee that promises to deliver fast and reliable household broadband strong enough to stream TV shows in every room. Part of the Broadband Boost package, it will cost Sky customers an extra £5 ($5) a month on an 18-month contract.