[Help] Sky/BT Sports & Broadband Haggle

[South Stand Bonfire]

So, it's that time again.

I like to have Sky and BT Sports. Not interested in anything else apart from broadband itself.

Sky say they are constrained by BT prices and can only offer broadband, TV and full sports at £86 per month.

Virgin are offering the same at £69.

This looks like the best offer.

I had thought about just having Now Broadband and dipping in and out of BT as I don't use it much in the mid-summer, but I can't see anything better than Virgin really.


What do folk think ? NOW TV often have offers.

I got Covid around 6 Jan and, not being able to go to the Palace game, went to Now TV as I was £20 in credit with them to watch the game. I’m now paying £15 per month for Now TV Sky sports compared to their offer of £25 per month during lockdown. Worth giving them a call to see if they are still doing that offer.

 

[Eeyore]

I got Covid around 6 Jan and, not being able to go to the Palace game, went to Now TV as I was £20 in credit with them to watch the game. I’m now paying £15 per month for Now TV Sky sports compared to their offer of £25 per month during lockdown. Worth giving them a call to see if they are still doing that offer.

Thanks. I think I'll check them out before doing a Virgin deal.

 

[Weststander]

We have just TV with Virgin, but including Sky Movies, Sky Sports and BT Sport, one TiVO box.

We're not TV football obsessives.

Just received their email that the price rises from £80 to £97 per month from 15th April.

21%! Fck that for a game of soldiers.

I'll call them later to go the bare bones TV package.

 

[Bold Seagull]

We have just TV with Virgin, but including Sky Movies, Sky Sports and BT Sport, one TiVO box.

We're not TV football obsessives.

Just received their email that the price rises from £80 to £97 per month from 15th April.

21%! Fck that for a game of soldiers.

I'll call them later to go the bare bones TV package.

I even ditched the TV box! Just BB, plus we have VM sim mobiles, I get my sim + BB for £32 pcm. Freeview on the TV. Honestly, what does their TV box/Package really get you that you actually watch? My TV allows me to connect an HD and record stuff.

 

[Weststander]

I even ditched the TV box! Just BB, plus we have VM sim mobiles, I get my sim + BB for £32 pcm. Freeview on the TV. Honestly, what does their TV box/Package really get you that you actually watch? My TV allows me to connect an HD and record stuff.

Thanks, I didn't know about some of that.

Funny think about the TiVO box is that I didn't use 90% of its functions for many years (busy with my young family?). But in the last couple of years, I use it for so much, imho great technology.

Do you watch live EPL and Champions League games aplenty?

 

[Bold Seagull]

Thanks, I didn't know about some of that.

Funny think about the TiVO box is that I didn't use 90% of its functions for many years (busy with my young family?). But in the last couple of years, I use it for so much, imho great technology.

Do you watch live EPL and Champions League games aplenty?

I share various logins for streaming stuff. My bro-in-law shares his BTSport and SkyGo with me which I watch through my Son's Xbox, we share Netflix and Prime with them. TIVO was good, especially the wishlist for recording anything by a particular director, or actor, but the more readily available streaming such as iPlayer etc. find myself recording less and less so I've not missed it.

 

[Weststander]

I share various logins for streaming stuff. My bro-in-law shares his BTSport and SkyGo with me which I watch through my Son's Xbox, we share Netflix and Prime with them. TIVO was good, especially the wishlist for recording anything by a particular director, or actor, but the more readily available streaming such as iPlayer etc. find myself recording less and less so I've not missed it.

My recording has gone the other way, off the scale

Haven't done so such since the days of VHS.

 

[Bold Seagull]

My recording has gone the other way, off the scale

Haven't done so such since the days of VHS.

If you're playing hardball on a new deal and you really can accept leaving if they don't get their price low enough, you can buy a decent HD recorder that does what Tivo does for under £200. Virgin charge at least £20 pcm or so for their TV package over and above the BB. 18 month contract that is £360 for a box that you have to give back - that's why they and Sky push their contracts so hard.

 

[Weststander]

If you're playing hardball on a new deal and you really can accept leaving if they don't get their price low enough, you can buy a decent HD recorder that does what Tivo does for under £200. Virgin charge at least £20 pcm or so for their TV package over and above the BB. 18 month contract that is £360 for a box that you have to give back - that's why they and Sky push their contracts so hard.

Because it's 21%, I'm fine in leaving them. In a way, it clarifies my thoughts, breaking the customer inertia.

 

[Oscar]

I managed to haggle to a fairly decent deal with Virgin and got BT Sport thrown in. I would dearly love to ditch the TV aspect of Virgin's service but we have awful signal where we are for freeview and I'm not savvy enough*to work out how to get basic TV for free online, other than through apps.

 

[Weststander]

I just reduced the cost of our Virgin TV only package from £97 (their intended DD from April) to £23 per month, by eliminating Sky movies, Sky Sports and BT Sports.

Saving £888 per annum. Pleased with that, I would rather spend the money on other things.

The only thing I'll miss is their wall to wall live F1 coverage, which I prefer to C4.


They made no attempt to entice me to stay or negotiate, contrary to the past!!

 

[Bold Seagull]

I just reduced the cost of our Virgin TV only package from £97 (their intended DD from April) to £23 per month, by eliminating Sky movies, Sky Sports and BT Sports.

Saving £888 per annum. Pleased with that, I would rather spend the money on other things.

The only thing I'll miss is their wall to wall live F1 coverage, which I prefer to C4.


They made no attempt to entice me to stay or negotiate, contrary to the past!!

Is that separate from BB/telephone line if you have one?

 

[Weststander]

Is that separate from BB/telephone line if you have one?

Just TV, we left their other services 15 years ago.

Going Zen Broadband (via BT hardware, with an unused landline phone sitting there and no cost to us from BT).

Only because Zen were winning every ISP award going and to this day are still rated the best by Which?


Edit: Mobiles are with O2, because only their mast truly covers our road. Happy with them.

 

[Stuart Munday]

Be interesting how this goes, I am out of contract soon and with the increasing costs of everything I imagine lots of people will be looking to leave or get a big reduction.

 

[Springal]

I'm just doing the 'dance' with Sky - cancelled 10 days ago, no retention offers yet which is a bit unusual.

 

[BigBod]

Just signed up to Sky Sports on Now TV, £20 a month for 9 months....Seems like a deal to me....

 

[Badger Boy]

I'm just doing the 'dance' with Sky - cancelled 10 days ago, no retention offers yet which is a bit unusual.

They'll get to it. There's just a high volume of customers to contact and try to retain!

 

[Deleted member 37369]

I just reduced the cost of our Virgin TV only package from £97 (their intended DD from April) to £23 per month, by eliminating Sky movies, Sky Sports and BT Sports.

Saving £888 per annum. Pleased with that, I would rather spend the money on other things.

The only thing I'll miss is their wall to wall live F1 coverage, which I prefer to C4.


They made no attempt to entice me to stay or negotiate, contrary to the past!!

Interesting they made no attempt to offer a deal. I've been with 'them' nearly 30 years since Nynex first started laying cable in Shoreham in the early 90's.

I currently pay £92 for their M200 Broadband (although I get 350 due to also having my mobile contract with O2), Maxit TV, Sky Sports and Movies and BT Sport in HD - which is a pretty good deal. Contract runs to December when it's due to go up to £130 ... which I won't be paying as I will either get a deal or remove the likes of Sky Sports/Movies. I've always managed to negotiate a deal I've been happy with ... so will be interesting to see what happens end of the year!!

 

[Wilka]

I'm just doing the 'dance' with Sky - cancelled 10 days ago, no retention offers yet which is a bit unusual.

Last time I did it I got an e-mail with a great deal eventually.

Or try there live chat and say just to confirm before you sign up to Virgin you want to check there last offer was there very best they can offer.

 

[Weststander]

Interesting they made no attempt to offer a deal. I've been with 'them' nearly 30 years since Nynex first started laying cable in Shoreham in the early 90's.

I currently pay £92 for their M200 Broadband (although I get 350 due to also having my mobile contract with O2), Maxit TV, Sky Sports and Movies and BT Sport in HD - which is a pretty good deal. Contract runs to December when it's due to go up to £130 ... which I won't be paying as I will either get a deal or remove the likes of Sky Sports/Movies. I've always managed to negotiate a deal I've been happy with ... so will be interesting to see what happens end of the year!!

It appears the same for people ringing Sky or Virgin just now, the companies are robotically saying "goodbye then" / processing requests for much simpler/cheaper packages, end of.

Perhaps the years of everyone from Martin Lewis to the average punter, advising on the knack of pretending you're departing, has come to end with Sky/Virgin happy to have a rump of 80% plus paying them full whack?

You may have better luck having a wide package of services?

I was happy that they didn't try to persuade me to stay, a saving of nearly a grand every year will be very helpful.