"On Jan 23, my new B.yond decoder couldn’t be switched on. The next day, I noticed that the decoder was still not able to power up. I reported the problem and got a call from their technical support later in the evening, almost 11 hours after I complained," he says, adding that he was informed that the decoder might have some hardware problem and the technician will visit his house to replace the unit.

"The technician turned up on Jan 26 around 9pm to replace the decoder and he told me the service can be activated in the morning on Jan 27 since Astro needs to synchronise the new decoder and the previous B.yond smart card.

"In the evening on Jan 27, they called and told me they have a systems problem and they were unable to do what they had earlier promised. I was annoyed and asked the caller to expedite my problem. She never called me back.

"On Jan 28, I called Astro again and was given all kinds of excuses. Later that night, I gave them yet another call and they finally said the smart card needed to be replaced and that I could either collect the card or they would send it to me via courier service.

"I asked them to courier and was told it would take three to five days to receive it. But from Jan 29 until Feb 1, there was no sign of the replacement smart card."

To ARVIN's shock, he later found out that Astro had sent the smart card belatedly on Feb 1.

"If any subscriber doesn't pay on time, Astro will disconnect and charge RM10 for reconnection. Will they compensate me for being unable to use the B.yond decoder from Jan 23 to Feb 1?"

• A spokesperson for Measat Broadcast Network Systems Sdn Bhd, which operates Astro, informs that ARVIN's complaint has been resolved amicably.
"ARVIN is now able to receive Astro's services and we regret the inconveniences caused to him. We would also like to thank him for highlighting this matter."
When contacted by Hotline, ARVIN says his B.yond decoder is now fully functional.