Can I cancel a sky package deal?

[LeeRJ]

About 6 weeks ago, I was visited by a Sky engineer who fixed satellite dish on condition that I upgraded to Sky Q.

The engineer told me that there was an offer on my account for 2 months free Movies and Sports, and that I would be able to cancel after the free period if I didn't want to keep them. I agreed on condition that it wouldn't cost me anything. He activated the account on his tablet; I never saw any terms and conditions. He told me to keep an eye out for an email "after about a month" to see if I wanted to cancel this or not. No such email has arrived, and I can't find any reference to these terms online. Was he telling the truth, or have I been conned into paying for a subscription that I don't want?

As far as I can tell online, these have minimum terms of 12 or 18 months, and I can't cancel them before this, in direct contradiction to what was explained to me. The "virtual assistant" tool keeps offering me broadband upgrades and fails to connect to a person; it clearly doesn't know what to do with my query. The website just shows that I will be billed from next month, and gives me no option to cancel.

I don't even watch Sports.

Is there any way out of these bundles, or did Sky's engineer lie to me?

[PandJ2020]

I'm not aware that you receive a reminder to cancel it but you should be able to give notice to cancel it once you connect to a human.

Note that you have to give 31 days notice, so if this does take you past the free period then you will be charged pro-rata for it.

[LeeRJ]

In that case I will phone them tomorrow and see what they say. 31 days would take me over the free period, so if they insist on pro-rata then I will be complaining.

[PandJ2020]

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@LeeRJ wrote:

In that case I will phone them tomorrow and see what they say. 31 days would take me over the free period, so if they insist on pro-rata then I will be complaining.

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The pro-rata billing is automatic.

Whether you can convince an agent to credit against it could be difficult.

[LeeRJ]

Well, I called them, but only spoke to yet another robot.

The automated voice confirmed that I was cancelling Sky Movies and Sports, told me that I was subscribed until October, there may be a charge and that any changes could take up to 31 days to take effect. Without confirming my cancellation, they then asked if that was everything, and said goodbye.

I had to dig out my bill to confirm that the cancellation has gone through, and I have been charged £33 that I wouldn't have been if Sky had sent the email that their engineer said they would send.

A very unsatisfactory experience all around. I'm going to write to them to explain the situation, at it seems impossible to contact a human being otherwise. Insisting on a 31 days' notice without stating the T&C's up front is very bad business, and possibly a matter for Trading Standards.

[PandJ2020]

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@LeeRJ wrote:

Insisting on a 31 days' notice without stating the T&C's up front is very bad business, and possibly a matter for Trading Standards.

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They are the standard terms - which you would have agreed when taking out your subscription originally.  (Even if you didn't have a premium sub at the time)

But, of course, pursue Sky for a credit.

[EndaConway]

Very same has happened to me, and it seems impossible to get help with this issue.

Only robots to add a simple upgrade, but no help to cancel something you never wanted in the first place.

Sky are horrible to deal with.

[Daniel0210]

@EndaConway 

Your own thread has been replied to. 

[LeeRJ]

Well, I wrote to Sky to complain, and eventually got an answerphone message suggesting that I can contact them if I still want to talk about it - but giving me no way to do so.

They didn't even address my complaint.

Worse, I have checked my upcoming bill, and they have not cancelled Sky Sports or Movies in spite of their ro telephone bot telling me that they had!

The Sky chatbot doesn't understand my questions today.

So I guess that I have to write another letter of complaint, and probably cancel my direct debit and start posting them cheques, since they are seemingly incapable of calculating my correct bill.

[TimmyBGood]

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@LeeRJ wrote:

 probably cancel my direct debit and start posting them cheques, since they are seemingly incapable of calculating my correct bill.

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That would just cause your account to fall into deficit, service gets suspended while still being billed, Sky ceases communication and eventually assigns the debt to a recovery company: it's really not advisable.

[PandJ2020]

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@LeeRJ wrote:

...in spite of their ro telephone bot telling me that they had!

I don't believe you cancel without actually speaking to someone.

If you didn't and haven't had an email confirming as such then you haven't cancelled.

[LeeRJ]

I finally have a result!

It took me about two hours of arguing with the bot on Sunday to get through to a human advisor, and they were very helpful.
They cancelled my service immediately, as I had beet told that I had cancelled in December. They also gave me the number for the billing team for a refund, which I haven't got round to calling yet.
While I was arguing, I also filled in their email complaint form, and I just had a reply to that saying that they have refunded me the subscrition amount that they overcharged me.

I'm gobsmacked. I have no idea why the email worked but the letter didn't. Sky have great customer service if you can just get past the bots and speak to a person, but they seem to be making that harder and harder to do (in spite of them still saying on TV adverts that you "get through to a real person").