topic How to tell when my discounted contract ends?? And WHY is basic B/Band SO expensive?? in Archive

How to tell when my discounted contract ends?? And WHY is basic B/Band SO expensive??

decembersangel72 — Sun, 27 Feb 2022 00:07:15 GMT

Hi all,

Well, (I think 🤔) it's that time of year when my 'discounted contract' comes to an end ........ EXCEPT I have NO idea of the actual date when it does 😠 .......just a kind of 'Well, it's about this time of year'!!

When I look at 'My Account' there is absolutely nothing helpful to show me the date the deal ends so that I can look at swapping to a cheaper deal on the actual date before being charged full price.

Why is something as simple as this information so difficult to find??

This is the info I can see:-

02/03/22 - Payment £25 (B/Band Essential = £30 minus £5 in contract discount)

02/04/22 - Payment £27.50 (B/Band Ess = £32.50 minus £5 in contract discount)

02/05/22 - Payment £29.50 (B/Band Ess = £32.50 minus £3 subscription discounted)

So as far as I can tell sometime between the dates of 02/04/22 and 02/05/22 is the actual end of my 'discount contract' but if I change before the actual end of contract date then I'm sure Sky will rub their hands together when they charge me for 'breach of contract' and I'll end up paying a lot of 💷 in penalties!

And why is basic broadband still so costly when upgrading to Fibre B/band can be had for ~£19/mth for 18mths?!?!?!?? I really don't understand how Sky can justify, year on year, increasing the cost when they are supplying the same product with no improvement to it! I think OFCOM needs to have a good look at the rules with regards to suppliers being able to increase subscription costs when the service provided doesn't change.

This is especially true when the cost of living is now so high the rise in cost that they are introducing is not justifiable and is a slap in the face. I have been a Sky customer for many years now and this year I am definitely going to change to a new supplier as it appears that being loyal gets you nowhere.

Not only that, I am on such a very limited income that I am already debating 'heat or eat' and I am also agoraphobic/reclusive so the internet is my only connection and lifeline to the outside world and if I can no longer afford to have it then I will be in a really bad place that my internet keeps me away from.

Should broadband really be seen as a 'luxury' in this day and age and only available to those who have the ££ available to afford it??😞

Re: How to tell when my discounted contract ends?? And WHY is basic B/Band SO expensive??

Chrisee — Sun, 27 Feb 2022 08:14:10 GMT

@decembersangel72 You msybe paying more than you need to. Sky contracts run for 18 months and if you cannot remember the deal you agreed you can call Sky to ask but the most important thing is to check if you are still in the fixed term as switching ISPs while under contract will cause you to have to pay cancellation charges.

Sky have to contact you to tell you that a fixed term is ending so you can shop around. Broadband is normally a highly competitive market but BT among others are trying to increase the price to improve their returns. If you are out of a fixed term contract simply shop around and either buy from a competitor -as long as they use Openreach lines they do everything including telling Sky - or call Sky to negotiate a better price. You can also access any offer Sky make to new customers if you ask.

Re: How to tell when my discounted contract ends?? And WHY is basic B/Band SO expensive??

TimmyBGood — Sun, 27 Feb 2022 11:15:24 GMT

@decembersangel72

Cost of living increase is significantly driven by energy pricing, and ISPs are huge energy users with narrow profit margins. Unfortunately expecting them not to increase pricing in line with published inflation figures is simply not realistic.

Re: How to tell when my discounted contract ends?? And WHY is basic B/Band SO expensive??

decembersangel72 — Fri, 04 Mar 2022 22:11:46 GMT

Thank you @Chrisee your advice is very much appreciated!👍

@TimmyBGood I didn't realise that ISPs used energy to that great extent so thank you for the information as it was very enlightenning!😊

Have a great weekend both 🤗

Sky emailing me with an offer for a new discounted contract on a service I don't actually have!!

decembersangel72 — Fri, 04 Mar 2022 22:51:34 GMT

So on the 01/04/22 the annual increase to bills is implemented and on 01/05/22 my current fixed term discount ends and below are the payments I've copied from MySky account for the next few months (I have the basic Sky Broadband Essential package (b/band at ~10 Mbps + phone line)) :-

02/03/22 - Payment £25 (B/Band Essential = £30 minus £5 in contract discount) - what I've paid to date

02/04/22 - Payment £27.50 (B/Band Ess = £32.50 minus £5 in contract discount) - with annual increase

02/05/22 - Payment £29.50 (B/Band Ess = £32.50 minus £3 subscription discounted) - end of old contract but with 'new' offer

I had an email from Sky with regards to the payments from 02/05/22 and this is the info they sent:-

Your offer

Sky Broadband Superfast

Monthly saving

£3.00

New offer start date

02/05/2022

12-month saving

£36.00

So.......

Q1 - Why does it state 'Broadband Superfast' when I am only on the basic 'Broadband Essential' package??😤 I've looked at 'My Package' and I do NOT have 'Superfast B/band'!!

Q2 - They don't actually say what the actual monthly charge is. Why is this not stated??? This is Ok if you know your way around the internet and can find your future bills on the Sky website but if you can't.........🤔

I really don't understand why Sky can't be transparent in their correspondance i.e. this is the price we usually charge, this is the discount we are giving you and therefore this is what you will pay! SIMPLE!!

I will definitely be changing ISP as of 01/05/22 as I no longer trust Sky.