Electrical retailers in Shrewsbury have been inundated with calls from people struggling to get their televisions working, following the first phase of the digital switchover.
Yesterday, Wednesday, saw analogue BBC Two permanently switched off in households in large parts of the county, signalling the dawn of a new era of digital TV.
Staff from Maplin Electronics, in the town centre, told the Chronicle they had received more than 50 calls from people struggling to get their TVs working following the change.
Simon Evans, sales manager, said: “We have been inundated with calls from people reporting problems with their TVs. Many have not yet got Freeview boxes while others need bits of equipment to adapt their TVs for the digital signal.”
And Sound and Vision Ltd, in St Michael’s Street, said they had taken around 50 calls in just one morning. A representative from the store said: “It’s been a bit nuts, we’ve had calls from people who can’t understand the menu screens on their TVs. We have been offering to come out and fix the problems for customers.”
But Save on Electricals, in Harlescott, reported very few calls from members of the public. Sales assistant Reg Thomas said: “It’s been very quiet really we have only had a couple of calls from people asking about their TVs.
“Over the last few months we have been advising people buying TVs of the switchover date and what they need to do to prepare for it. Touch wood we have had very few problems reported. People seem to be well aware.”
Stage two of the switchover begins on April 20 when the remaining analogue channels will be switched off.
by Catherine Ferris