[Technology] Out of contract with Sky - Tips ?

[sparkie]

Eye-watering sums quoted here as well as a few bargains.

Not money that I'll pay though.

Independent Broadband + FreeView + Amazon Prime + Netflix + NowTV + Pub for albion games is my choice.

 

[Glawstergull]

That’s pretty much identical to where I ended up in discussion with Sky, but Virgin deal was £85 (and broadband is more than 10x faster)

Unfortunately i live on top of a hill in a semi rural area so broadband is crap anyway. I also went through a lot of pain to set it up around the house as some of the walls are 3ft thick. there are aren't any Virgins around here.

 

[Deleted member 37369]

That’s pretty much identical to where I ended up in discussion with Sky, but Virgin deal was £85 (and broadband is more than 10x faster)

I've got the £85 deal with VM until May 24 - which includes Netflix ... although for some reason I've only been billed £80 this month!

 

[Deleted member 37369]

Originally it was Nynex….then Cable and Wireless …then NTL now VM….so i think about 25 years …and ive had the odd annoyance but overall fine.

Each time a contract expires its a round of negotiations which generally works fine for both sides

I've taken that same route from when Nynex laid their cables down when I lived in Greenacres in the early 90's ... so close to 30 years with the now. As you say, you get the occasional issue which can be a bit of a pain to sort out - but it generally works and it works well. Every time my deal is up I check with Sky and BT and the can't get anywhere near VM pricing for what I have.

 

[dazzer6666]

Unfortunately i live on top of a hill in a semi rural area so broadband is crap anyway. I also went through a lot of pain to set it up around the house as some of the walls are 3ft thick. there are aren't any Virgins around here.

We had the same issue until Virgin blitzed Burgess Hill and installed fibre everywhere - we were kind of captive for Sky until that point so the contract negotiation game was a bit one sided.

 

[Since1982]

I gave Sky 31 days notice less than a week ago. Current package is £74/ month, the first offer was £86 and it then went down to £68. I decided to sit tight until nearer the end of the notice period but today was emailed with an offer of Sky Signature, Sports, Multi-room and the Sky Go app for £36/month for 18 months. Keep reading the email looking for the catch….

 

[Weststander]

I don’t like haggling over the phone with these companies … only because it’s tedious.

We only use Virgin for TV, but not Sky Sports or movies.

We had to order a new Virgin box, as the last was ruined by a power surge with last week’s electric storm. Virgin aren’t now issuing TiVo boxes, instead an internet based box, which you’re now compelled to take as part of a bundle … but we don’t want Virgin telephone or broadband.

No surprise … the monthly cost increases from £35 a month to £77. I said I was departing, whereupon £55 became available after a long contrived “put you on hold”. They held firm when I said I’d only stay for £40, in fairness the TV package has expanded. Another contrived “put you on hold” then £40 was their offer. What a malarkey, 35 minutes all in all.

A footnote, their new contracts now include an annual RPI uplift. For 20 years that wouldn’t have mattered, I assume they’ve seen how O2 and Vodafone are raking in riches from this.

 

[sparkie]

Tips ?

Ditch them and use NowTV sports/entertainment.

 

[dsr-burnley]

Tips ?

Ditch them and use NowTV sports/entertainment.

I had virgin (TV including Sky Sports and TNT Sports, second box, broadband, landline) and because I had let the contract lapse (and they hadn't bothered to warn me) I was paying £160 per month. So I placed an order with BT and BT told Sky I was cancelling; a man from Virgin rang up (during BT's cooling off period) and asked what he could do to make me stay.

I was so teed off with Virgin that I said BT had offered £80 per month (which was true) but I was so disgusted with Virgin's customer service that I would only stay if they offered £60.

They offered £61.13.

(It might have helped that I have fairly old equipment and don't want it updating. For one, we've got a load of recorded programmes that we will watch one day, and for another, my mother knows how it works and might struggle to learn how a new one works. So it costs Virgin literally nothing to let me keep the stuff and carry on.)

Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I think genuinely being prepared to leave is a very strong selling point.

 

[Weststander]

Well, Virgin are either shysters or run chaotically.

I agreed over the phone a £40 pm TV contract, these days that must internet-based. So I had to accept their broadband which I will never use, for their TV box to work.

Then I wondered why the new set top box, on repeat, didn't arrive despite me chasing them and courier texts saying it's on its way. It turns out that they want to make me pay another £14 pm, in fact they're insisting on it and that I'm now contracted to them for 18 months.

Bollocks, if I could be bothered, contractually I could hold them to the £40 pm for working cable TV. Now they've agreed that I'm in the 14 day cooling off period, so I can cancel. Too right .

The upshot, my near 30 year relationship with them comes to an end. For the first time ever, I'm switching to Sky!

 

[monty uk]

Virgin seem quite amenable at the moment. Got mine reduced in stages to almost half price. I told them I was about to switch to CityFibre+Toob+Freeview with 900Mbs broadband at a third of their price. He seemed to realise that I was serious so offered a good price which reduced with a little extra haggling - "Oh we have a special offer at the moment, etc, etc."

Downside is an 18 month contract but probably worth it for the hassle-factor in a few months.

Also added TNT for £13/month instead of £18 - another special offer. This on 30 day cancellation so will be dumped when the season ends.

 

[ElectricNaz]

Only tip I will give RE: cancel, sit back and wait for the calls

Make sure you're opted in to receive telephone marketing (you can check that in your account online).

If you're not, you won't get anything. May seem obvious, but worth checking anyway.

 

[Balls of Steele]

I never mentioned Sky. I was just making the point that the threatening to leave gambit doesn't work for everybody. Some get luckier than others.

It’s also about timing as they have targets on customer retention etc.
Key is hold your nerve and worst case you can always call back before the 30 days and when due to get cut off . It’s worked for me over the years but appreciate one day it won’t

 

[HeaviestTed]

Only tip I will give RE: cancel, sit back and wait for the calls

Make sure you're opted in to receive telephone marketing (you can check that in your account online).

If you're not, you won't get anything. May seem obvious, but worth checking anyway.

I’d assumed they would call anyway and say they were important service discussions or some such nonsense.

This is great advice!

 

[ElectricNaz]

I’d assumed they would call anyway and say they were important service discussions or some such nonsense.

This is great advice!

If you're still under contract, technically it can be classed as a service call and not marketing.

However once your contract expires, then it falls into the marketing bucket!

 

[Weststander]

Virgin seem quite amenable at the moment. Got mine reduced in stages to almost half price. I told them I was about to switch to CityFibre+Toob+Freeview with 900Mbs broadband at a third of their price. He seemed to realise that I was serious so offered a good price which reduced with a little extra haggling - "Oh we have a special offer at the moment, etc, etc."

Downside is an 18 month contract but probably worth it for the hassle-factor in a few months.

Also added TNT for £13/month instead of £18 - another special offer. This on 30 day cancellation so will be dumped when the season ends.

I ended up staying with them when the next day a nicer VM bloke telephoned me, asking me to stay. Costing me £1 more a month at £41, but with high speed broadband which we didn’t actually need … 211 Mbps download typically.

 

[Pevenseagull]

2 hours this morning trying to cancel some of my Sky package.

I need a drink.

 

[trueblue]

2 hours this morning trying to cancel some of my Sky package.

I need a drink.

I feel your pain. After years of being with Sky, they're still unable to remove an address from my account that I lived at well over a decade ago. This, apparently, is why I can change absolutely nothing via the website and have to contact them every single time. Drives me nuts.

Mind you, BT are just as bad. Getting them to end my monthly Discovery+ (TNT) rolling contract took over an hour on live chat. They too sent a confirmation email linked to a former address and I still have the service currently, so no idea whether they've actually cancelled it until the next bill. Hopeless.

 

[Greavsey]

Anyone had any luck with the Sky cancellation dance recently? I've only just realised I'm out of contract and was paying £130 a month for the full works (Sports, TNT, UHD, Cinema etc).

Been with Sky for 13 years so previously when I've called to cancel they've immediately given me a significant "loyalty" reduction in price when agreeing a new contract. However, this time I called and they couldn't go any lower than what I'm paying currently, so I've cancelled an entered the cooling off period.

I know it's not the cheapest way, but quite like the convenience of everything being in one place and have younger kids that have got used to the user experience with Sky, so don't ideally want to lose it, but equally don't want to be paying so much...

 

[METALMICKY]

Anyone had any luck with the Sky cancellation dance recently? I've only just realised I'm out of contract and was paying £130 a month for the full works (Sports, TNT, UHD, Cinema etc).

Been with Sky for 13 years so previously when I've called to cancel they've immediately given me a significant "loyalty" reduction in price when agreeing a new contract. However, this time I called and they couldn't go any lower than what I'm paying currently, so I've cancelled an entered the cooling off period.

I know it's not the cheapest way, but quite like the convenience of everything being in one place and have younger kids that have got used to the user experience with Sky, so don't ideally want to lose it, but equally don't want to be paying so much...

Precisely the reasons why annually I go through the painful ' dance ' with Sky. You've done the right by putting in the cancellation notice and you should start getting offers.

That's unusual they didn't offer to budge an inch on your first call. They usually offer some derisory reduction or query taking off items. I always ensure I talk to the UK based retentions team and the key is to be polite and personable. A regular gambit is if it's a bloke I'll establish whether they like football and have a chat. One of their big call centres is in Livingston so last time we chatted about Doug Rougvie. It's all a bit silly but ultimately they came back with a decent offer