I did actually mean that we've had Superfast Broadband ever since it's been available mainstream,
Superfast Cornwall Partnership (2010-2021): Funded by the EU, Cornwall Council, UK Government, and BT, the pioneering Superfast Cornwall initiative led the rollout of fiber broadband across the region. By the end of this program in 2020, Cornwall achieved an impressive 95% coverage of 30Mbps superfast broadband1.
The ability to record may be a little bit illogical, as technological advances have, in some senses, made it redundant.
But there is still a certain sense of ownership in record/record & keep. In much the same way as CDs have an ownership quality that the loan via Spotify etc cannot match, however convenient they are in the short-term.
I can see lots of advantages to Sky in Sky Stream-they can save costs on engineers. But I think the attraction for customers is only for people new to the market. I'm sticking with Q until Sky make it financially unattractive to remain on Q. I'm not sure that will be in the short-term-simply because the average age of people currently with Q does not lend itself to trying to force a streaming service as an alternative-they need every customer they can get.
Stands can be really light now, as today's TVs weigh a fraction of they did 20 years ago.
SKY Stream works fine off Superfast Broadband (65mbps)
I'm getting used to it, and use the Playlist feature instead of recordings.
Only things I don't really like is the fact that the LIVE action is about 30 seconds behind !! ......which would be absolutely useless if I was betting 'whilst horses were running '
....and I can't get a couple of channels on SKY Stream 'coz they are 3rd Party channels ( RacingTV being one of them), so I have to watch that on computer
In the end I decided not to go for Sky glass, or stream.
I couldnt face the thought of the Mrs Hayes serious moaning about the lack of a recording facility, and a different set up.
It turned out to be a bit of a minefield. There are so many options. And so many suppliers. Some of them set the TV up, others dont. I certainly wasnt going to order a TV, that just arrived in a box. I would never rely on my own setting up skills. So the setting up, narrowed it down. I decided to go for a 65 inch. I currently have a 50 inch Panasonic.
I also have a stand that weighs a ton, that I think I paid around £330 for, about 18 years ago. I found a smaller one on Amazon, that weighed 33 kilos.
First off I tried to buy a Samsung from John Lewis. Not as easy as you may think. They had a deal on, as long as you bought the TV, and a soundbar on the same day. I got as far as the checkout. I selected the recycling of my old TV, as well as the setting up of the new one. The stumbling block was that they couldnt deliver the TV and the soundbar on the same day.
I couldnt overcome this problem online, so I phoned customer services. The woman I spoke to was no real help. I think she could see the problem, but was short of answers. Apparently the TV, and soundbar, are sourced from different suppliers, and there was nothing she could do. It just seems strange to have a deal which involves a cash back from Samsung which is dependant on ordering both together. Why would anyone pay to have their TV set up, if the soundbar arrived later? Why wouldnt they just deliver the soundbar first?
Plan B was Currys. They were the only alternative that did the setting up. I phoned them to see if a 65 inch TV would fit on my existing stand. They stock stands that are manufactured by the supplier of my stand. No chance of finding that out. I then mulled over the option of just getting a 50 inch, that might fit on the stand. Although I couldnt be sure that a different make of TV would fit, and I wasnt buying another Panasonic.
Plan C, was getting rid of the stand, and buying another one. So I logged into Oak Furniture Land. They stock quite a number of TV stands. Although some are on 17 weeks delivery. I found one that was suitable, and on 7 days delivery. I ordered it. It will be delivered in 2 weeks.
Plan D, back to the TV. I read a couple of reviews, that agreed that a Hisense U8K was probably the best value for money on the market. I logged back into Currys. They have a similar deal on a TV, and soundbar purchased together. Although they seem a bit more efficient than John Lewis, as they deliver the soundbar first. So I have order the Hisense, and saved £1400, on what I was going to pay for the Samsung, and soundbar. £1100 after the Samsung cash back. I requested delivery for the day after the stand arrives. The soundbar arrives today.
Oak Furniture Land have since offered me an earlier delivery date, and are now delivering a week tomorrow. The TV is due on the Friday after, so I now have a bit of leeway.
I hope it lasts for a bit, I dont want to go through this again anytime soon. I will be sticking with Sky Q for the foreseeable.
This has turned into an ongoing saga. For which I assume full responsibility. Well I have had a little help from Currys customer services, and Oak furniture land. The TV cabinet arrived. It was too big. My fault. I asked them to cancel the order, and collect it. I am due for a refund for the full amount, less £50 for being an ar5ehole. Fair enough. As the TV was due a couple of days later, and I had nothing to put it on, I called Currys customer services to explain the position. The guy I spoke to suggested that I let them turn up with the delivery, refuse to accept it, and choose an alternative delivery date. I couldnt agree and cancelled the order. That night I chose two smaller units on the Oak furniture land website, put them in my basket, with a view to ordering one of them the following day. They immediately responded with an email saying that I hadnt checked out my basket, and a 7 day delivery was available. I therefore immediately re-ordered the TV with Currys, with a 10 day delivery to be on the safe side. This time I ordered a 55 inch Hisense, after checking it was compatible with the soundbar that had already been delivered. I immediately realised I had forgotten to enter the discount code for the 10% discount that was available on the telly. The woman I spoke to suggested that there was nothing that she could do, and that I may wish to call in to my nearest store, to see what they could do. Unimpressed, I cancelled the order for the second time. I placed the order for the third time, and remembered the discount code. Whoopee.
I ordered one of the units from Oak furniture land. When they confirmed the delivery date it was in mid April, rather than 7 days. I had a discussion with them, but to no avail. They are amazingly blaming the Red Sea sh1t.
I called Currys customer services yet again. I asked them to delay the delivery until the 12th April, as the unit was being delivered on the 11th. This was not possible, she could only delay until the 2nd. She suggested I accept this, and phone again in late March, to delay it further. No option, but to cancel the TV order for the third time. Fortunately I got the 3.5k in refunds from Currys this morning.
My latest cunning plan is as follows, I cancelled the Hisense soundbar this morning. I ordered a Samsung 50 inch, and soundbar. This will fit on the existing stand. They are installing next Thursday. If all goes according to plan, I will cancel the new unit, on Thursday. If not, they can set the TV up anyway, and I will put it on the new unit when it arrives.
The ability to record may be a little bit illogical, as technological advances have, in some senses, made it redundant.
But there is still a certain sense of ownership in record/record & keep. In much the same way as CDs have an ownership quality that the loan via Spotify etc cannot match, however convenient they are in the short-term.
I can see lots of advantages to Sky in Sky Stream-they can save costs on engineers. But I think the attraction for customers is only for people new to the market. I'm sticking with Q until Sky make it financially unattractive to remain on Q. I'm not sure that will be in the short-term-simply because the average age of people currently with Q does not lend itself to trying to force a streaming service as an alternative-they need every customer they can get.
Stands can be really light now, as today's TVs weigh a fraction of they did 20 years ago.
As far as stands go, I was happy with the quality. If you dropped a nuclear bomb on my house, I would expect the stand to be there amongst the rubble, intact, and without a scratch on it. I will be sorry to see the back of it. The new one is more of a cabinet than a TV stand.
Old One.
New One.
The bottom one has been returned. Definitely keeping the top one, hopefully.
Perhaps you should try a wall mount and forget about the cabinet?
Let the saga commence.
I had thought of that, but it mostly fits into a small alcove. The only wall it could fit on has a fireplace, and it think it would be too high.
Just doing a media wall for my daughter - fireplace below with 65 inch tv above. Of course if fireplace is too high then you end up with a creaky neck.
Perhaps you should try a wall mount and forget about the cabinet?
Let the saga commence.
I had thought of that, but it mostly fits into a small alcove. The only wall it could fit on has a fireplace, and it think it would be too high.
Just doing a media wall for my daughter - fireplace below with 65 inch tv above. Of course if fireplace is too high then you end up with a creaky neck.
1. Samsung 50 Inch QN90C 4K Neo QLED HDR Smart TV (2023)
£949.00 Save £350.00 Was £1,299.00 (from 16/08/23 to 29/09/23)
Best overall 50-inch smart TV
Currys have a deal on at the moment, and Samsung are offering £300 cashback on the TV, and soundbar, as well as the below.
Claim £100 cashback on this Samsung TV, plus up to £300 cashback on selected Samsung Soundbars. Samsung Electronics (UK) Limited. UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man and Republic of Ireland residents aged 18+ or registered companies only. Participants who purchase Promotion Products between 31.01.24 – 27.02.24 from Participating Retailers are eligible to claim a cashback reward paid via bank transfer. Participants who purchase a TV or Projector and Sound Device Promotion Product on the same day from the same retailer shall be entitled to claim an additional cashback reward (£50/€55). Claims must be submitted between 1 and 30 days from the date of purchase here, the date of purchase counts as day 1. Claims must only be made by the end user customer. Maximum 4 claims per household and 10 per registered business.
Click here for full terms and conditions.
Get £50 off this TV when you trade-in any old TV. Use TRADETV50 and select Recycling at checkout. UK only. 18+. Trade-in any old TV and get £50 off the purchase of any TV from £649 - £1000 from 21/02/24 to 19/03/24 until further notice. Enter code TRADETV50 and ensure you select recycling at the checkout. TV to be traded-in must be unfixed from any unit and ready to collect. 1 discount per customer.
Get £225 off the HW-Q60C soundbar when bought with Samsung TV. Use code SAMQ225 at checkout. 1. Copy the code and add this product & an eligible soundbar to your basket
2. Proceed to checkout, and when at the payment section, paste in the code and hit apply.
This offer is not available in conjunction with any other offers.
Get £130 off the HW-C450 soundbar when bought with any Samsung TV. Use code SAMC130 at checkout 1. Copy the code and add this product & an eligible soundbar to your basket.
2. Proceed to checkout, and when at the payment section, paste in the code and hit apply.
This offer is not available in conjunction with any other offers.
Get up to 3 months Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and Apple Fitness+ free. Buy this product online or in-store Keep an eye on your inbox for your promotional link Once you’ve got your link, click on it & you’re good to go! New/returning customers only. 09/05/23 until further notice. Cannot have already redeemed Apple service from Currys group. Standard monthly price starts after trial unless cancelled. T&Cs apply.
Perhaps you should try a wall mount and forget about the cabinet?
Let the saga commence.
This is something that I never thought of.
PERLESMITH Ceiling TV Bracket - Adjustable Swivel Ceiling Mount for Most 26-65 inch TVs, Full Motion Ceiling TV Mount, Supports up to 50kg, Max VESA 400x400mm, PSCM2-E
The TV, and soundbar arrived yesterday. It was an eventful day. Amazingly, I woke up yesterday morning, switched on the telly, only to be greeted by a "no satellite signal" notification. Yesterday of all days. I had a quick look at the wiring, and everything seemed to be in order. I decided against tampering with anything, in the likelihood I would make things worse, although I wasnt quite sure how. I therefore went on the Sky website. This was a waste of time, as I was just sent around in circles. They surely know this. You follow the various instructions, step by step, and end up back where you started. I then found a number to phone. I phoned, jumped through the numerous hoops, before a recorded message directed me back to the website, and ended the call. I found an alternative phone number. I phoned, and this time a recorded message took me through exactly the same steps as those recommended on the website. I found another number, and phoned for the third time. I went through the various security hurdles for the third time, but eventually spoke to a person. To be fair, she seemed to be quite helpful, but was unable to offer any solutions.
Currys were due to call between 13.20, and 17.20 pm. I wasnt really keen on them tuning the telly in, with no satellite signal, but there you go.
After completing a number of checks, the Sky lady suggested that I would need an engineer to call, to investigate the problem. I was thinking I would probably have to wait a week or so, and therefore suggested that she should hold off on the engineer, as I thought it may have been something simple, and could be sorted out by the guys that were installing the TV. I nearly fell of my sofa when she offered to get an engineer to visit yesterday. She promised that he would be with me between 12, and 5pm. I was hoping he would arrive closer to 12, and be able to sort it out before the Currys guys arrived. You dont always get what you wish for, and the Currys guys arrived just after 1pm.
I had spoken to Currys a number of times, about whether a new telly would fit my existing stand. They were pretty much undecided when I asked them about the larger size TVs, that I had considered ordering. Although I did get an "it should be ok" when I ordered the same size. I did investigate a little, and discovered that they quote a VESA measurement in the specifications. This is the measurement between the bolts that go into the back of the telly, that secure it to the stand. This measurement in the case of the new telly was 200x200mm, and much narrower than the spacing of the old one. As the brackets on the stand are adjustable, I thought that there would be no problem. Although I didnt consider that TVs are much thinner these days, and therefore the bolts are shorter. Currys didnt mention this in any of the three conversations.
So the guys from Currys arrived, and I relayed the plan. They looked at the stand, took the old TV off it, and started bolting the new TV to the brackets. Within 5 minutes they had come to the conclusion that the bolts were too long, and that they would refit the old TV, leave me with the new one, and I could install it myself once I had found suitable bolts. I politely suggested that if the TV was not installed it would be returning to Currys, and left them in no doubt that this would be the case. So we needed a plan B.
This takes me onto the Amazon stand. In the middle of all this, when I was torn between using my existing stand, or buying an Oak furniture land cabinet, I decided to buy a metal floor stand from Amazon. It cost £60, and was delivered the following day. When Currys confirmed that the telly would probably fit the existing stand, I thought it was not worth wasting £60, and decided to return it. I dont usually send stuff back to Amazon. In fact this was the first order I have returned in 12 years. Although I will admit that ordering 3 TVs, 1 soundbar, and 2 cabinets, that were either cancelled or returned, doesnt look good.
Returning stuff to Amazon is not as easy as you might think. They agreed that I could return the stand with no problem at all. However, printing the label was a problem. I havent got a printer. I have never needed one. They insisted that in order to return the stand, I had to print the label off. I politely suggested that they could post me the label. They guy I spoke to maintained that they couldnt. Although he was unable to explain why. He suggested that I could get a friend or relative to print it off. I was having none of it. In the end he said I could keep the stand, and he would authorise a refund. I felt a bit guilty, and said I was happy to return to return the stand, if he could post me a label. He was adamant, so I kept the stand, and got a refund. He later sent me an email confirming that the reason for the refund, was that the stand was damaged in transit, which was a bit naughty.
Plan B. I opened the box containing the Amazon stand and gave the bolts to the Currys guys, which just happened to fit the new TV. They only fitted after they used a few washers. This meant I was happy to keep the 4th TV, and now have an Amazon stand with no bolts. I gave them a drink, and they left.
As soon as they left, the Sky guy arrived. My satellite dish is on my roof. He made it clear straight off that he wasnt going up on the roof. I didnt ask why. He established fairly quickly that there was a problem with the wiring between the dish, and the Sky box. There were therefore two solutions. Either renew the wiring, or install a new dish. As he wasnt going up on the roof, I would have to wait for another engineer who was prepared to go up on the roof to call, or have a new dish. I envisioned either of these solutions taking a couple of weeks. So I asked how long I would have to wait. He said he would install a new dish there and then. I was gobsmacked. I now have two dishes. I have slagged Sky off a bit in the past, but to be fair, they were brilliant yesterday. I was expecting a charge for the new dish, but there isnt. If someone said to me that you could get a Sky engineer to call on the same day that you phoned them, and fit a new satellite dish free of charge, I would have said you were talking b0ll0cks.
So its all done. The TV is excellent. I cant get my head around the deal. You have to think it is bs, but I am very happy with it.
They say the proper price of the TV is £1299, and the soundbar £499. So £1798 in total. Before you checkout, they knock £350 off the TV, and £225 off the soundbar. Therefore £1223 for the both. They also recycle the old TV for free, usually £20. Delivery costs £20, and setting up £45. Invoice price £1288. I have completed the Samsung cash back form this morning, and they have confirmed £300. Therefore a bottom line of £988 for the both. In addition you get 6 months Disney+, and 3 months Apple+.
Comments
Funded by the EU, Cornwall Council, UK Government, and BT, the pioneering Superfast Cornwall initiative led the rollout of fiber broadband across the region.
By the end of this program in 2020, Cornwall achieved an impressive 95% coverage of 30Mbps superfast broadband1.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/techandscience/prime-video-just-locked-dolby-vision-and-atmos-behind-a-premium-subscription-plan-what-you-ll-need-to-pay/ar-BB1ibc4D?ocid=msedgntp&pc=NMTS&cvid=d797110e207d4cd68f305c0bbb678087&ei=42
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/lifestyle/shopping/best-roku-deals-2024-cheap-offers-for-all-your-streaming-needs/ar-AA1n8RN5?ocid=msedgntp&pc=NMTS&cvid=d9d70f8682a94629b5d9d0b8746cab8b&ei=172
https://uk.yahoo.com/news/sky-price-rise-confirmed-coming-233000589.html
For which I assume full responsibility.
Well I have had a little help from Currys customer services, and Oak furniture land.
The TV cabinet arrived.
It was too big.
My fault.
I asked them to cancel the order, and collect it.
I am due for a refund for the full amount, less £50 for being an ar5ehole.
Fair enough.
As the TV was due a couple of days later, and I had nothing to put it on, I called Currys customer services to explain the position.
The guy I spoke to suggested that I let them turn up with the delivery, refuse to accept it, and choose an alternative delivery date.
I couldnt agree and cancelled the order.
That night I chose two smaller units on the Oak furniture land website, put them in my basket, with a view to ordering one of them the following day.
They immediately responded with an email saying that I hadnt checked out my basket, and a 7 day delivery was available.
I therefore immediately re-ordered the TV with Currys, with a 10 day delivery to be on the safe side.
This time I ordered a 55 inch Hisense, after checking it was compatible with the soundbar that had already been delivered.
I immediately realised I had forgotten to enter the discount code for the 10% discount that was available on the telly.
The woman I spoke to suggested that there was nothing that she could do, and that I may wish to call in to my nearest store, to see what they could do.
Unimpressed, I cancelled the order for the second time.
I placed the order for the third time, and remembered the discount code.
Whoopee.
I ordered one of the units from Oak furniture land.
When they confirmed the delivery date it was in mid April, rather than 7 days.
I had a discussion with them, but to no avail.
They are amazingly blaming the Red Sea sh1t.
I called Currys customer services yet again.
I asked them to delay the delivery until the 12th April, as the unit was being delivered on the 11th.
This was not possible, she could only delay until the 2nd.
She suggested I accept this, and phone again in late March, to delay it further.
No option, but to cancel the TV order for the third time.
Fortunately I got the 3.5k in refunds from Currys this morning.
My latest cunning plan is as follows,
I cancelled the Hisense soundbar this morning.
I ordered a Samsung 50 inch, and soundbar.
This will fit on the existing stand.
They are installing next Thursday.
If all goes according to plan, I will cancel the new unit, on Thursday.
If not, they can set the TV up anyway, and I will put it on the new unit when it arrives.
Definitely keeping the top one, hopefully.
This has turned into an ongoing saga.
Fancy that.
Let the saga commence.
The only wall it could fit on has a fireplace, and it think it would be too high.
Best 50-inch smart TVs of 2024
1. Samsung 50 Inch QN90C 4K Neo QLED HDR Smart TV (2023)
£949.00 Save £350.00
Was £1,299.00 (from 16/08/23 to 29/09/23)
Best overall 50-inch smart TV
Currys have a deal on at the moment, and Samsung are offering £300 cashback on the TV, and soundbar, as well as the below.
Claim £100 cashback on this Samsung TV, plus up to £300 cashback on selected Samsung Soundbars.
Samsung Electronics (UK) Limited. UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man and Republic of Ireland residents aged 18+ or registered companies only. Participants who purchase Promotion Products between 31.01.24 – 27.02.24 from Participating Retailers are eligible to claim a cashback reward paid via bank transfer. Participants who purchase a TV or Projector and Sound Device Promotion Product on the same day from the same retailer shall be entitled to claim an additional cashback reward (£50/€55). Claims must be submitted between 1 and 30 days from the date of purchase here, the date of purchase counts as day 1. Claims must only be made by the end user customer. Maximum 4 claims per household and 10 per registered business.
Click here for full terms and conditions.
Get £50 off this TV when you trade-in any old TV. Use TRADETV50 and select Recycling at checkout.
UK only. 18+. Trade-in any old TV and get £50 off the purchase of any TV from £649 - £1000 from 21/02/24 to 19/03/24 until further notice. Enter code TRADETV50 and ensure you select recycling at the checkout. TV to be traded-in must be unfixed from any unit and ready to collect. 1 discount per customer.
Claim 6 months of Disney+ when you purchase this 2023 Samsung TV
©2023 Disney and its related entities. Promoter: Samsung Electronics (UK) Limited. Purchase and activate a new eligible Samsung 2023 TV or Monitor (see each “Eligible Product” in full T&Cs) before 31 March 2024 (by 23:59 GMT). The Disney+ 6-month subscription offer is valid until 1 May 2024 (by 23:59 BST). 18+ UK and ROI residents only. Participants should find the Disney+ Code from the Samsung Promotion app on their Eligible Product and input details to Disney. Disney+ Code must be redeemed by 1 May 2024 (by 23:59 BST). Subscription auto renews after 6 months at then Premium price in the UK after 6 months (currently £10.99 p/m) or current price in ROI (currently EUR 10.99) unless cancelled. Cancel anytime. See here for details and full terms and conditions and here for the Disney+ Subscriber Agreement.
Click here for full terms and conditions.
Get £225 off the HW-Q60C soundbar when bought with Samsung TV. Use code SAMQ225 at checkout.
1. Copy the code and add this product & an eligible soundbar to your basket
2. Proceed to checkout, and when at the payment section, paste in the code and hit apply.
This offer is not available in conjunction with any other offers.
Get £130 off the HW-C450 soundbar when bought with any Samsung TV. Use code SAMC130 at checkout
1. Copy the code and add this product & an eligible soundbar to your basket.
2. Proceed to checkout, and when at the payment section, paste in the code and hit apply.
This offer is not available in conjunction with any other offers.
Get up to 3 months Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and Apple Fitness+ free.
Buy this product online or in-store
Keep an eye on your inbox for your promotional link
Once you’ve got your link, click on it & you’re good to go!
New/returning customers only. 09/05/23 until further notice. Cannot have already redeemed Apple service from Currys group. Standard monthly price starts after trial unless cancelled. T&Cs apply.
Click here for more information.
PERLESMITH Ceiling TV Bracket - Adjustable Swivel Ceiling Mount for Most 26-65 inch TVs, Full Motion Ceiling TV Mount, Supports up to 50kg, Max VESA 400x400mm, PSCM2-E
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/lifestyle/shopping/what-is-a-roku-tv-and-should-you-buy-one/ar-BB1iKgh8?ocid=msedgntp&pc=NMTS&cvid=82d0bc906f6248069f52954e3c256a25&ei=48
It was an eventful day.
Amazingly, I woke up yesterday morning, switched on the telly, only to be greeted by a "no satellite signal" notification.
Yesterday of all days.
I had a quick look at the wiring, and everything seemed to be in order.
I decided against tampering with anything, in the likelihood I would make things worse, although I wasnt quite sure how.
I therefore went on the Sky website.
This was a waste of time, as I was just sent around in circles.
They surely know this.
You follow the various instructions, step by step, and end up back where you started.
I then found a number to phone.
I phoned, jumped through the numerous hoops, before a recorded message directed me back to the website, and ended the call.
I found an alternative phone number.
I phoned, and this time a recorded message took me through exactly the same steps as those recommended on the website.
I found another number, and phoned for the third time.
I went through the various security hurdles for the third time, but eventually spoke to a person.
To be fair, she seemed to be quite helpful, but was unable to offer any solutions.
Currys were due to call between 13.20, and 17.20 pm.
I wasnt really keen on them tuning the telly in, with no satellite signal, but there you go.
After completing a number of checks, the Sky lady suggested that I would need an engineer to call, to investigate the problem.
I was thinking I would probably have to wait a week or so, and therefore suggested that she should hold off on the engineer, as I thought it may have been something simple, and could be sorted out by the guys that were installing the TV.
I nearly fell of my sofa when she offered to get an engineer to visit yesterday.
She promised that he would be with me between 12, and 5pm.
I was hoping he would arrive closer to 12, and be able to sort it out before the Currys guys arrived.
You dont always get what you wish for, and the Currys guys arrived just after 1pm.
I had spoken to Currys a number of times, about whether a new telly would fit my existing stand.
They were pretty much undecided when I asked them about the larger size TVs, that I had considered ordering.
Although I did get an "it should be ok" when I ordered the same size.
I did investigate a little, and discovered that they quote a VESA measurement in the specifications.
This is the measurement between the bolts that go into the back of the telly, that secure it to the stand.
This measurement in the case of the new telly was 200x200mm, and much narrower than the spacing of the old one.
As the brackets on the stand are adjustable, I thought that there would be no problem.
Although I didnt consider that TVs are much thinner these days, and therefore the bolts are shorter.
Currys didnt mention this in any of the three conversations.
So the guys from Currys arrived, and I relayed the plan.
They looked at the stand, took the old TV off it, and started bolting the new TV to the brackets.
Within 5 minutes they had come to the conclusion that the bolts were too long, and that they would refit the old TV, leave me with the new one, and I could install it myself once I had found suitable bolts.
I politely suggested that if the TV was not installed it would be returning to Currys, and left them in no doubt that this would be the case.
So we needed a plan B.
This takes me onto the Amazon stand.
In the middle of all this, when I was torn between using my existing stand, or buying an Oak furniture land cabinet, I decided to buy a metal floor stand from Amazon.
It cost £60, and was delivered the following day.
When Currys confirmed that the telly would probably fit the existing stand, I thought it was not worth wasting £60, and decided to return it.
I dont usually send stuff back to Amazon.
In fact this was the first order I have returned in 12 years.
Although I will admit that ordering 3 TVs, 1 soundbar, and 2 cabinets, that were either cancelled or returned, doesnt look good.
Returning stuff to Amazon is not as easy as you might think.
They agreed that I could return the stand with no problem at all.
However, printing the label was a problem.
I havent got a printer.
I have never needed one.
They insisted that in order to return the stand, I had to print the label off.
I politely suggested that they could post me the label.
They guy I spoke to maintained that they couldnt.
Although he was unable to explain why.
He suggested that I could get a friend or relative to print it off.
I was having none of it.
In the end he said I could keep the stand, and he would authorise a refund.
I felt a bit guilty, and said I was happy to return to return the stand, if he could post me a label.
He was adamant, so I kept the stand, and got a refund.
He later sent me an email confirming that the reason for the refund, was that the stand was damaged in transit, which was a bit naughty.
Plan B.
I opened the box containing the Amazon stand and gave the bolts to the Currys guys, which just happened to fit the new TV.
They only fitted after they used a few washers.
This meant I was happy to keep the 4th TV, and now have an Amazon stand with no bolts.
I gave them a drink, and they left.
As soon as they left, the Sky guy arrived.
My satellite dish is on my roof.
He made it clear straight off that he wasnt going up on the roof.
I didnt ask why.
He established fairly quickly that there was a problem with the wiring between the dish, and the Sky box.
There were therefore two solutions.
Either renew the wiring, or install a new dish.
As he wasnt going up on the roof, I would have to wait for another engineer who was prepared to go up on the roof to call, or have a new dish.
I envisioned either of these solutions taking a couple of weeks.
So I asked how long I would have to wait.
He said he would install a new dish there and then.
I was gobsmacked.
I now have two dishes.
I have slagged Sky off a bit in the past, but to be fair, they were brilliant yesterday.
I was expecting a charge for the new dish, but there isnt.
If someone said to me that you could get a Sky engineer to call on the same day that you phoned them, and fit a new satellite dish free of charge, I would have said you were talking b0ll0cks.
So its all done.
The TV is excellent.
I cant get my head around the deal.
You have to think it is bs, but I am very happy with it.
They say the proper price of the TV is £1299, and the soundbar £499.
So £1798 in total.
Before you checkout, they knock £350 off the TV, and £225 off the soundbar.
Therefore £1223 for the both.
They also recycle the old TV for free, usually £20.
Delivery costs £20, and setting up £45.
Invoice price £1288.
I have completed the Samsung cash back form this morning, and they have confirmed £300.
Therefore a bottom line of £988 for the both.
In addition you get 6 months Disney+, and 3 months Apple+.
"I will admit that ordering 3 TVs, 1 soundbar, and 2 cabinets, that were either cancelled or returned, doesnt look good."
One concurs.
I should have added one stand to the list.