Help me out here guys...

RE: Setanta Boxing Coverage.

It would be appreciated if all affected members of this forum would sign this thread in petition form in hope that we can positively alter the quality of service we are receiving.
A big thank you to bzkfn who has organised this entire petition single handedly....Well done mate.


As an avid boxing and sports enthusiast I have taken issue with the quality of service that I have been receiving from your company in recent months.
I have always been fond of the Setanta network and upon the announcement of your companies new interest in Boxing earlier this year i was quite pleased. However, since I ordered my first fight from your company on PPV over the internet last July (Hatton-Castillo.) I have become increasingly dis satisfied and indeed frustrated with your service.

Upon the order of my first fight i realised that i was viewing a delayed feed, although I had waited up until Three am to view the fight. Surely this is unacceptable as no disclaimer was displayed to suggest that I was not watching the fight live?
Further issue arose with recent fights where I found the anlysis and commentary sub-standard and generally poor. As the sole owner of the rights to view many popular fights in the United Kingdom you have a guaranteed audience for your coverage. I feel that it your duty to use this position of power responsibly and provide as good a service as possible.

Finally I ceratinly hope that you value your customer base enough to dignify this petition with a response and also respect your target audience enough to attempt to rectify the situation.


Many Thanks,
Yours Faithfully

Alan Donnellan

I too have experienced nothing but problems since signing up to Setanta.

It began with the Hatton-Castillo fight on December 23rd when I had Setanta on Sky. Minutes before the fight was due to begin, I stayed up till 4am anxiously awaiting a great fight when suddenly my picture froze. I tried unplugging my sky but this didn't work. I telephoned Setanta, but they only have customer services working until 12am, so nobody was available to fix my problem. The frozen still images flashed to a pictured of Castillo on the floor, and then Hatton celebrating. So not only had I missed the fight, but I had the ending ruined for me.

I cancelled my subscription, but realised that I needed the channel if I wanted to watch UK boxing.

Having been advised by a Setanta call advisor that Setanta would have my continuous freezing problem on sky, I purchased a Setanta ready freeview box for £50. When I called to resubscribe, the man I spoke to took my details and my money and went to get off the phone. I said "hold on, how do i know I have the channel." He apologised and told me how to find out, but all the tests showed that the channel wasn't working. I explained I only wanted it for the boxing, and after doing various tests I was fobbed off and told that freeview had to fix my problem. Freeview advised me I needed to replace my TV ariel. I spoke to the same guy from Setanta again, who told me I hadn't been charged as I couldn't receive the service. Feeling unsure, as I'd given my card details at the start of my very first call, I called again, and spoke to a different advisor who told me that not only had I been charged, but I'd have to give a month's notice to cancel, thus having to pay for 2 months worth of service I hadn't received...and I had been lied to!

I called my bank and informed them not to pay any money to setanta as they were trying to con me. My bank cancelled all direct debits to them. I informed a man at setanta that I'd done this, which got their attention. They agreed I wouldn't be charged a penny unless this can be fixed. I paid £40 to get a new TV ariel installed on the top of my house, and £10 for a booster for the signal. This eventually worked and I was able to receive Setanta on freeview...only to late discover that despite paying the same £10 a month Sky customers pay, I only receive Setanta 12pm to 3am which stops me from being able to watch the one thing I got the channel for...BOXING! (which I told them no end of times during telephone conversations).

For the record, I'd also like to state that I spoke to a Setanta advisor on Friday 23rd November at around 9pm, who informed me that it is not part of their script to inform customers of freeview that they won't be able to view the channel from 3am to 12pm.

Luke Shannon

With you Donny.

Except I'm not a customer of Setanta nor do I intend to on principle.Peoples pockets aren't all that deep. After being shat on by Sky and their Pay to view boxing, I am not paying any more money out each month to Setanta which by all accounts has even worse coverage.

Thank you Missy, appreciate the input and admire ur principles.

The picture cutting out during the Barrera fight pissed me off but I can let that go as long as it doesnt happen all the time. My main problem is that the fights arent live which I think is a disgusting rip off. Apart from the fact that for my monthly subscription I feel conned at having to watch a delayed feed, I usually like to have a bet when im watching the boxing and sometimes even place bets during the fight - but now I cant do that with any fight on Setanta as Im watching it 4 or 5 rounds behind. Ive been really pleased with all the great fights that Setanta have managed to get the rights for but If they dont start to show them live I probably wont keep up my subscription for too long.

How do you know ALL the American fights have been slightly delayed feed? I thought it was just last time with Cotto-Mosley? I read it was down to the fight starting early whilst Setanta were in the middle of showing the Casamayor undercard fight, so couldn't pull it.

I'm NOT happy about this either. If it's advertised as LIVE and says LIVE on the screen I want it to be bloody LIVE. If they're behind by just a round they might as well show the fight the next day as far as I'm concerned.

Having said that, the quality is poor BUT at the end of the day

It's a fiver a month.

Hatton-Castillo
Cotto-Judah
Cotto-Mosley
Calzaghe-Keslser
Pac-Barrera
Morales-Diaz
Diaz-Diaz
Haye-Mormeck
Woods-Gonzalez
Matthews-Marsh
Dunne-Martinez
Vargas-Mayorga

I'd sooner see these fights, shit coverage or not, than not see them.

I agree that it should be shown Live.

For one i can't post on this site while the fight is on because the ending will be spolit for me.

Haye - Mormeck as also delayed by a few rounds as was Cotto - Mosley and Hatton - Castillo so i would presume it's likely to be most fights....if not all

For what it costs....it is good value still but you can't help feeling ripped off when its advertised as live and it is infact delayed coverage.