topic Re: Still on Sky Variety in Sky Q

Still on Sky Variety

RichL74 — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 06:03:00 GMT

Hello all, hope you can advise.

My mom pays for Sky, has done since my dad died and we got evertyhing switched over to her - not relveant but added for context.

It's never comes up in topics of conversation when I visit as we don't generally talk about Sky TV however it would seem that she is still on this so called variety pack and has been paying something like £129 a month (plus a mixture of multiroom, Sky Sports and Sky Cinema too)

Reading on here it seems this pack was discontinued some 7 years ago - might be even longer now?

She's 83 and has poor eyesight which is why I'm looking at the acccount now - if this legacy package did indeed end 7+ years ago, why is she still on it? Shouldn't Sky have put her on the next best / available package rather than contiuning to take £120+ a month off her for something they no longer provided?

I apprecaite there is some element on her too but I'm not sure how she was supposed to know it had ended? If you go into her account and manage it, her 'packs' cleary says Sky Variety.

There are supposedly cheaper packages now than this variety pack so for over 7 years they've been taking money for the pack they don't provide? Yes, I apprecaite we have the channels and could watch the services that isnt the point- but is the Sky policy that unless the customer points it out then they'll continue to charge them for a package they don't offer anymore?

Shouldn't Sky have written and said this package is no longer available, we are moving you to XYZ and this will be your cost sort of thing?

Appreciate your thoughts / insights. Thanks.

Re: Still on Sky Variety

oj01 — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 07:24:24 GMT

Hi @RichL74

Unfortunately that's not how it works. When your mum's minimum term ended she would have gone onto a rolling contract, paying full list price on whatever package she was on (Variety in this case). Some people are happy to do this as it gives them the ability to leave at any point (subject to 31 days notice). Only if your mum contacts Sky to negotiate a new 24 month minimum term would she be switched to the current base package, which would be Sky Signature. This would be considerably cheaper (but tied into 24 months) and probably give more access as Box Sets would be included.

Re: Still on Sky Variety

TimmyBGood — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 07:55:12 GMT

@RichL74 wrote:

is the Sky policy that unless the customer points it out then they'll continue to charge them for a package they don't offer anymore?

Yes.

Re: Still on Sky Variety

DaveDrizen — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 09:28:56 GMT

@RichL74 wrote:
Hello all, hope you can advise.

My mom pays for Sky, has done since my dad died and we got evertyhing switched over to her - not relveant but added for context.

It's never comes up in topics of conversation when I visit as we don't generally talk about Sky TV however it would seem that she is still on this so called variety pack and has been paying something like £129 a month (plus a mixture of multiroom, Sky Sports and Sky Cinema too)

Reading on here it seems this pack was discontinued some 7 years ago - might be even longer now?

She's 83 and has poor eyesight which is why I'm looking at the acccount now - if this legacy package did indeed end 7+ years ago, why is she still on it? Shouldn't Sky have put her on the next best / available package rather than contiuning to take £120+ a month off her for something they no longer provided?

I apprecaite there is some element on her too but I'm not sure how she was supposed to know it had ended? If you go into her account and manage it, her 'packs' cleary says Sky Variety.

There are supposedly cheaper packages now than this variety pack so for over 7 years they've been taking money for the pack they don't provide? Yes, I apprecaite we have the channels and could watch the services that isnt the point- but is the Sky policy that unless the customer points it out then they'll continue to charge them for a package they don't offer anymore?

Shouldn't Sky have written and said this package is no longer available, we are moving you to XYZ and this will be your cost sort of thing?

Appreciate your thoughts / insights. Thanks.

Dose your mum live on her own and there have things in her package that she never uses. For instance she has multiroom, but dose shy actually watch tv in more than one room if not that may be something that could be canceled and reduce her cost. And the other things on her package like sports dose make she make use of that part of her package again may be saving she could make. I am not sure how much she pays for variery but I think it was cheaper then the present entertainment package signature which is £42 pounds a month, may be check her bill and see how much she pays for variety. Also presumably you mum has very old Sky box's HD box or a older Sky+ box. These are no longer supported by Sky and if they went wrong Sky would no longer even send out a engineer to fix it. Therefore maybe you could get her box updated to Sky Q box as she would have to do this if her present box failed any way. May be you could have a chat with your mum and find out what actually watches and what parts of her package she would like to keep. I know Sky will normally only speak to the account holder but if you mum may find difficult difficult, may be she could start off the conversation with Sky as the account holder but tell the advisor that she would like you to have the main conversation with them to sort out the problem, I as sure understand the circumstances they may allow this.

Re: Still on Sky Variety

Chodley — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 09:50:35 GMT

I would NOT recommend voluntarily upgrading an 80 year old's box from HD to Q unless they used to be a quantum physicist or aerospace engineer or something.

Re: Still on Sky Variety

RichL74 — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 18:52:19 GMT

Appreciate the advice and hell, even the one word answer.

I rang them managed to get it sorted - and it is indeed Sky Q - before her eyesight began to fail she was quite an avid watcher of all sorts of... well... crud as politely as I can put it. She's kept the multi room and we've managed to decrease the bill by £70 a month.

Thanks again.

Re: Still on Sky Variety

DaveDrizen — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 11:28:05 GMT

@Chodley wrote:
I would NOT recommend voluntarily upgrading an 80 year old's box from HD to Q unless they used to be a quantum physicist or aerospace engineer or something.

I don't think Sky Q Is that bad. Yes it slightly more complicated than Skys+ or HD. We have Sky Q and my wife who 74 and is differnatly is not tecnosavey, put this way she dose not know how to use the microwave Ibhave to do that but She manages the bacic Sky Q operation ok . Yes if she want to watch somthing on demand or in the apps I have to do it for her. But finding the linner channels she want to watch she can mange quite easily. Yes unlike the Sky HD box on switch on you have to press the the button within arrow on it to get your full screen picture after that she just use the number buttons to select her channel of choice. I think your mum should get used to the new box quite easly The channel numbers are the same as on her old box if she used to selecting her channels like that should be no problem and even selecting the tv guide is not that difficult just pressing the home button and selecting tv guide from the menu on the left , even selecting the various genres in the tv guide is quite easy. I don't think these operation is much more difficult than using the Sky HD box even a for 80 year old. May be if you like you could write down the simple button operation initially until she use to her new box.

Re: Still on Sky Variety

RichL74 — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 17:03:49 GMT

Hello again,

I have a new problem now. Looking at my upcoming bills it would seem that despite the lady on the phone saying she would give two months Sky Ultimate for free as a courtesy (as I have no interest in Netflix) it would seem that I am to be charged £5.50 a month for Ultimate TV.

Instead of ringing up Sky, I thought I'd have a go and see if there genuinely was anything that interested me - so I go to the Netflix app press learn more and it says something along the lines of 'to watch Netflix you need to upgrade your Sky Q package, more info here sky.com/skyqnetflix to start' of course that link doesn't work - takes you to a sign in page for manage your account then says shopping basket is empty.

Suggestions / thoughts / help! please? Thanks.

Re: Still on Sky Variety

DaveDrizen — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 17:09:20 GMT

@RichL74 wrote:
Hello again,

I have a new problem now. Looking at my upcoming bills it would seem that despite the lady on the phone saying she would give two months Sky Ultimate for free as a courtesy (as I have no interest in Netflix) it would seem that I am to be charged £5.50 a month for Ultimate TV.

Instead of ringing up Sky, I thought I'd have a go and see if there genuinely was anything that interested me - so I go to the Netflix app press learn more and it says something along the lines of 'to watch Netflix you need to upgrade your Sky Q package, more info here sky.com/skyqnetflix to start' of course that link doesn't work - takes you to a sign in page for manage your account then says shopping basket is empty.

Suggestions / thoughts / help! please? Thanks.

If it showing your bill that have the ultimate tv pack which in Skyis basic Netflix with ads you need to contact Sky and tell them the problem may they can press a few buttons there end to give what you paying for.

Re: Still on Sky Variety

Laing1 — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 17:30:16 GMT

@RichL74 wrote:

Hello again,

I have a new problem now. Looking at my upcoming bills it would seem that despite the lady on the phone saying she would give two months Sky Ultimate for free as a courtesy (as I have no interest in Netflix) it would seem that I am to be charged £5.50 a month for Ultimate TV.

Instead of ringing up Sky, I thought I'd have a go and see if there genuinely was anything that interested me - so I go to the Netflix app press learn more and it says something along the lines of 'to watch Netflix you need to upgrade your Sky Q package, more info here sky.com/skyqnetflix to start' of course that link doesn't work - takes you to a sign in page for manage your account then says shopping basket is empty.

Suggestions / thoughts / help! please? Thanks.

@RichL74 If you have never had Netflix before you would have to create a username and password to access it have a look at the link below

https://www.sky.com/help/sky-apps/tv-apps-on-my-sky-q-box/articles/manage-netflix