You Can Keep Your Boxes....

[Zooropa]

Former subscribers to the failed ITV Digital service need not worry about paying for their set-top boxes any more.

According to the Financial Times this evening, Carlton and Granada -- the two ITV companies who operated the venture -- are to buy the 990,000 boxes on behalf of their former customers as a goodwill gesture.

Last month ITV Digital's liquidators, Grant Thornton, asked subscribers to pay £40 or return the boxes, prompting fury from many viewers who had lost money when the company went under.

Now Carlton and Granada will be splashing out £2.8 million to the liquidators in a deal which will allow ex-ITV Digital households to keep their boxes indefinitely for no charge.

Just 8,000 customers have paid the £39.99 fee so far, all of whom will be refunded fully.

"The sum received closely tallies with the likely returns under the financial model we established and the indicated value of previous offers to purchase the boxes and customer debts when ITV Digital was in administration," said joint liquidator Malcolm Shierson. "Our offer to subscribers was proceeding very satisfactorily, but this agreement offers a certain return to creditors."
:mexican:

 

[Sparky]

Great news!
:mexican:

8000 actually stumped up the cash eh? Wonder how many letters they sent out?

I didn't get one.
:Clap: :Clap: :Clap: :Clap:

 

[carlgrainger]

Definately right guys just phoned their number on the letter and it says we can have them free of charge :Clap: :Frog: :Clap: SORTED

 

[Rat]

Just got a message on screen saying

This digital tv set top box is now yours for free prees red to find out more

arnt we lucky LOL :Clap: :Clap: :Clap:

 

[Goldberg]

Cool news.

 

[chris1975]

great news the kids can now keep there freeview courtesy of it\/ digital
lol
:Clap: :Clap:

 

[fatman]

just as well, they owed me a few quid and weren't seeing any part of my box :Clap:

 

[paul2u469]

Itv box

i bet after all this time no probbs with me box
now thay say i can have the box free it, will go wrong breakdown
catch fire blowup

 

[handyman]

itv digi box..

ok ok now what do we do with this free box..


just watch the free channels... ??????


my elvis is wasting away... anyone done the telewest digital ?

cause i need more channels for free.

 

[Spectre]

What is this rubbish on ITV, a blue box telling me I can have my box...I should damn well hope so because they still owe me about £80.

 

[monkeyspunks]

they did ask for too much

 

[The Mackem]

Hi guys, just reading the February issue of What Satellite Tv. On page 9 is a feature on ITV Digital headline "Money for old boxes". It says "ITV Digital's liquidators are to target former subscribers with a £39.99 charge to keep their old set-top boxes for use with freeview. But pre-pay customers who payed up to £129 for a box and a 12-month subscription won't be hounded because many are still owed money for their lost viewing time"

Just thought you'd be interested in that article. It goes on to say recovered boxes would likely be refurbished and resold as freeview boxes.

 

[Sparky]

Time warp alert

This is old out-of-date news. Read the earlier posts in this thread.

 

[The Mackem]

Sparky, didn't know that what I was saying was out of date. Just wanted to join in the conversation. All I was doing was reiterating what was printed. Although it's probably coming round to the next issue now. That's the thing though, what you read and what happens can be pretty different as we just proved. I don't have ITV Digital though, so I wouldn't know what phone calls they have made to customers etc or letters have been sent out. So what's the old ITV boxes like for Freeview now? I heard that they are a bit slower that the newer Freeview ones?

 

[handyman]

i have itv box

i still have mine


the bairns like the cbeebies,,

and your post,, they havent sent me any letters since they closed, i have only recieved 2 letters from them
1 for pirate cards calling a card amnisty !
2 to let me know they were bankrupt.


thats it,

 

[Sparky]

I never received the 'Return your box' letter. I think my subs were just about timed to perfection. I had a renewal notice about a month before they went under and authorised the renewal, which was never actioned, so I had a good month of free TV. Getting to keep the box is a bonus. :Biggrin2:

Mackem: Can't fault my box for Freeview (or the one they didn't know about, ahem...). OK, the menus still say OnDigital, but what difference does that make?

People talk about the speed of the boxes, but all I can say is that I press the button and the channel comes on. What more could I ask? :Laugh:

 

[The Mackem]

I used to have an OnD box but sold that a long time ago. I once received a letter saying that they were bankrupt I think it was. But to be honest I wasn't overly impressed with OnD. Only got it because you could get the cards from a man down the pub so to speak. Only had it a short while then I think they done something with the muxes/transmitter power so sold the box for more than I pid for it. Got it cheap of one of the auction sites. But if it suits your needs then it must be worthwhile.