2019 Rugby World Cup: Spark Sport offering free devices, home visits as streaming issues continue

Spark Sport are offering additional 'customer care measures'.

Spark Sport have confirmed they are offering additional "customer care measures" in a bid to tackle ongoing streaming issues during the Rugby World Cup in Japan.

However, the telco-turned-sports-streamer has rubbished social media claims that it would be offering Google chromecast and Apple TV devices to select customers.

According to a statement, some customers would receive Freeview SmartVU devices and home visits to troubleshoot their streaming complications.

Spark Sport have had a rocky start to the World Cup with complaints over the quality of the streaming continuing to flood in.

The company was also forced to broadcast the second half of the All Blacks' World Cup opener against the Springboks on free to air after several issues and have since promised large-scale refunds to unhappy customers.

"We've identified some customers for whom we think an alternate device is likely to provide a better streaming experience," Spark Sport said in a statement ahead of the All Blacks' Pool B clash against Canada.

"Spark Sport will offer to courier a Freeview SmartVU streaming device at Spark's cost to customers where we believe that this could solve their issue.

"Second, we have begun making home visits to a smaller number of customers free of charge, so that the Spark Sport care team can perform more advanced diagnostics and tests, again on a case by case basis. This is an important step to help resolve complex in-home customer challenges and it is also helping to identify patterns of problems that we can then use to help more customers with similar challenges. Initial home visits have been successful in resolving most customer issues – and for those customers where it has not, we are offering refunds."

Earlier, social media claimed that Spark Sport were sending customers the Chromecast and Apple TV devices free of charge.

A spokesperson denied this when contacted by the Herald on Wednesday.

"There remains a small percentage of customers who for a range of reasons, it has been challenging to find a resolution to their issues via our standard troubleshooting processes," Spark Sport said.

"We know these customers have had a frustrating experience and we're sorry for that."