Cancellation not actioned

[Anonymous]

I emailed Sky to cancel my account giving the requisite one month notice on 6 January 2026. Their email asked me to confirm via the chat, which I duly did on 9th January, despite being passsed from pillar to post and repeatedly having to identify myself and spending over 30 minutes on the process. A couple of days later, my direct debit was taken, so I cancelled all future ones. 

In February, Sky contacted me to say that my direct debit had not been paid, and thereatning me with debt collection. I called their number and after a bit of effort, got through to a Customer Service representative and explained the situation. However, she was cldearly not empowered to help me, as even after an hour, the best I could achieve was that she would get back to me. She never did.

Since then, Sky restricted and then cancelled my service, but still insist I pay them the Direct debit and an administration fee.

The only response I can get from them directs me to a phone number, or to their chat, neither of which I can access because the fee has not been paid - the fee which I don't owe because it was their failure, not mine. I have repeated emailed them asking for a means of contact other than these, and just get the stock response with the phone number and chat which I can't use. I even requested a Data Subject Access Request (which they also didn't do porperly) just to try to get hold of somebody, but they just issued me with the same impossible contact details. How can I speak to a human at Sky?

[Daniel0210]

@Anonymous 

Could you have cancelled your direct debit too early?

Billing continues through a notice period. Bills for Sky+, Sky Q and Broadband /Talk are generated 14 days prior to a payment date. For Mobile, Glass and Stream it's 3 days before the payment date.

It's therefore quite normal that another bill payment will be required. Of course any overpayment will be reimbursed to you. 

How much do Sky say you owe (more than the 31 days notice period for example)?

[Anonymous]

Hi Daniel 

Thanks for the response.

No, I sent my email a week before my January direct debt came out, and went through the tortuous Chat process, repeatedly explaining to multiple people (or maybe robots) that I wanted to cancel and was giving my 31 days notice. My January direct debit came out a few days later, and I thought that was that.

It was only after the February payment was due that Sky started demanding money off me, and it became clear that they hadn't actioned my request. I managed to call someone then, and spent over an hour trying to explain to someone who was supposedly Customer Support, yet had no access to any of my records and was clearly empowered to do precisely nothing. My promised follow up never occurred.

Since then, all I get from Sky are threats of debt collection, and invitations to call a number I can't call without paying them the money they are falsely demanding, or a Chat service that simply refuses to understand that I have a complaint, even when given the reference number. This happens every time, no matter how many times I explain that they don't work. Then they try to claim my complaint is closed because I haven't contacted them...

In all honesty it would be much easier for me to pay the ransom, but I don't see why I should be out of pocket for their failure and I don't believe they would go away anyway.

It's a really simple problem - they didn't act on my legitimate instructions, and expect me to pay for it. All they have to do is look at the records they sent me and it is abundantly obvious that I cancelled with more than one month notice. But they just won't...

[Me134]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Hi Daniel 

Thanks for the response.

No, I sent my email a week before my January direct debt came out, and went through the tortuous Chat process, repeatedly explaining to multiple people (or maybe robots) that I wanted to cancel and was giving my 31 days notice. My January direct debit came out a few days later, and I thought that was that.

It was only after the February payment was due that Sky started demanding money off me, and it became clear that they hadn't actioned my request. I managed to call someone then, and spent over an hour trying to explain to someone who was supposedly Customer Support, yet had no access to any of my records and was clearly empowered to do precisely nothing. My promised follow up never occurred.

Since then, all I get from Sky are threats of debt collection, and invitations to call a number I can't call without paying them the money they are falsely demanding, or a Chat service that simply refuses to understand that I have a complaint, even when given the reference number. This happens every time, no matter how many times I explain that they don't work. Then they try to claim my complaint is closed because I haven't contacted them...

In all honesty it would be much easier for me to pay the ransom, but I don't see why I should be out of pocket for their failure and I don't believe they would go away anyway.

It's a really simple problem - they didn't act on my legitimate instructions, and expect me to pay for it. All they have to do is look at the records they sent me and it is abundantly obvious that I cancelled with more than one month notice. But they just won't...

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Sorry but it looks like you jumped the gun for sure there, due to the way Sky billing works you should have left the DD details in place until the final bill was sorted and then (if needed) chase up any credit on the account. You're going to have to call them I'm afraid and that involves first paying whatever the debt on the account is.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the response.

I am not sure I understand, as the problem is that Sky didn't action my cancellation, despite repeated requests to do so. If I hadn't cancelled them direct debit I would still be paying them now, because they don't want to respond.

Are you suggesting that, despite giving them the required notice, I still have to pay them until they deign to action my request, and then they might consider giving me my money back? If so, that doesn't sound like I was a subscriber, but more of a hostage.

[Daniel0210]

@Anonymous 

Did you at any point receive an email from Sky acknowledging the cancellation?

[DaveDrizen]

When you spoke to Sky and canceled did actually you get a email from Sky confirming your cancellation,   this  standard practice  of sky to do this.This email is sent shortly after speaking to Sky usualy within a hour afterwards . If you did not receive any email or message that you would find in "Your messages"  in the my sky app or by logging into your account on the Sky web site. This message would be dated the day you spoke Sky canceling your service and   would be titled " conformation of cancellation to your service" . If you have never got such a email or message for some reason you  cancelation for some reason was not actioned and you would still be in contact and still liable for the  monthly payment. . Your action should have been  to get back on to Sky to find out why they have not canceled and if you not on minimum term insist and this mean raising a complaint to get the matter sorted after 8 weeks if it not resolved Sky will issue  you with a dead lock letter and you would then get the onwards man involved which would resolve matter, either telling Sky to cancel you contact or if Sky had good reason not to like if you are still in minium tern informing you that the contract must stand for that term.  And yes I am sorry to say until the matter is sorted you are still in contract and liable for payments.However if jugme t is made in your favour you could ask Sky for a credit forctbe period from when the 31 dy notice should finished till obwoudman jugme t was given. But  canceling  your direct debit is not the right move to do  as until contract is actually cancelled you remain in law in contact and liable for payments. By Cancaling your direct debit as you have found out will only cause you more problems.  From I read from you initial post you canceled the direct debit  as onky couple of days after requesting cancellation would still be in your notice period Sky still had right to take that payment. As you found out Sky will not speak to you now until outstanding payment is made I understand that Sky eventually cancelled your service  because of the length of non  payment. However you are still liable for the  amount outstanding  bill and Sky will continue to take steps to recover it probably involving debt reovery service which will  involve extra cost add by debt people and eventually  court action may be taken against you leading to CCJ  This will mean you will have  difficult in obtaining  credit and service in the future. My Advice to you is bury your pride and pay the outstanding amount. This will be draw a line under the matter  as your service is now cancelled  you will get Sky of your back. However not sure  how it will effect you getting service from another provider as that usualy subject to credit check which under the circumstances you may fail.

[MightyQuinn]

Hi @Anonymous   Were you outside your minimum term contract? As Sky don't use email as a means of inbound communication, do you mean you filled in a web form. I can only repeat, did you receive a confirmation email (proof) that Sky accepted your cancellation request.

[Anonymous]

Thanks all.

I didn't receive a cancellation email. Sky ( by their own admission) recorded my Chat cancelling the contract as a complaint, but nevertheless didn't actually cancel the contract. The contract had been in place for over 14 years. 

As a customer I can't know what Sky's processes are, neither should I have to care, particularly. I repeatedly explained that I wanted to cancel, and they simply kept putting me through to others. In total I informed them 16 times. If they can't action it after that, they never will.

In all my subsequent dealings with Sky, they have failed,on every single occasion, to take any notice of what I have asked them. So, whilst I thank you for your response, I don't believe that Sky would have cancelled the contract at all if I hadn't cancelled the direct debit.

From your responses, it sounds like I will simply have to pay the ransom. But it really sucks that I will be rewarding them for their inefficiency. I had no animosity with Sky - I was only cancelling because I hadn't used it in over 3 years as my work leaves no downtime. But after this experience, I won't be going back when I retire, or ever.

[DaveDrizen]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Thanks all.

I didn't receive a cancellation email. Sky ( by their own admission) recorded my Chat cancelling the contract as a complaint, but nevertheless didn't actually cancel the contract. The contract had been in place for over 14 years. 

As a customer I can't know what Sky's processes are, neither should I have to care, particularly. I repeatedly explained that I wanted to cancel, and they simply kept putting me through to others. In total I informed them 16 times. If they can't action it after that, they never will.

In all my subsequent dealings with Sky, they have failed,on every single occasion, to take any notice of what I have asked them. So, whilst I thank you for your response, I don't believe that Sky would have cancelled the contract at all if I hadn't cancelled the direct debit.

From your responses, it sounds like I will simply have to pay the ransom. But it really sucks that I will be rewarding them for their inefficiency. I had no animosity with Sky - I was only cancelling because I hadn't used it in over 3 years as my work leaves no downtime. But after this experience, I won't be going back when I retire, or ever.

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1. From what you say above that you did get a cancellation email and the recorded chat, had you not cancelled the direct debit a futher call to Sky and explaining  that tou  had there email but looke like you service not actually been cancelled,  would quickly been  resolved the situation and the advisor would probably actioned you calculation there and then . Also with you everdence doing the cancellation notice period  from original date of the email and may been able to apply a credit for extra period  of  contract because cancellation  had not been actioned properly.. But by you cancling the direct debit and a futher Payment then  due that had failed,  changed things. You were lucky to get though to customer service advisor as normally with unpaid bills  you just get a recoded message  that payment needs to be paid and until it is Sky will not talk to you. Therefore when did speak to the advisor she was correct to to tell you under the circumstances she was not  inpowed   to do a thing  on you account until, outstanding was paid as system would not allowed her to do any thing anyway.

[MightyQuinn]

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@DaveDrizen wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

I didn't receive a cancellation email.

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1. From what you say above that you did get a cancellation email

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Hi @DaveDrizen   Slight contradiction there ...

[DaveDrizen]

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@MightyQuinn wrote:

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@DaveDrizen wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

I didn't receive a cancellation email.

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1. From what you say above that you did get a cancellation email

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Hi @DaveDrizen   Slight contradiction there ...

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Sorry read it wrong . However I think my other comments still apply a simple called to Sky would sorted it,

[Anonymous]

Hi Dave

Thanks for the response, but I still don't understand.

To be clear, I didn't receive a cancellation email from Sky. But I am just a customer. How do I know that they have to send me that before it's accepted?

What you have said is exactly what I would have expected - that it was straightforward to see from my communications that I had made clear that I wanted to cancel and that they had failed to implement it. Even the person I spoke to at Sky agreed that if I had asked multiple times for the account to be cancelled and paid for the following month, that somebody should have addressed that. She also told me that it would be investigated and that I would be contacted about it. But, like everything else, Sky failed to act on that.

As you say, it should be easy for Sky to look into and rectify. I even have copies of all of the documents from a Data Subject Access Request stating exactly that. But they won't.

In any event, if explaining to Sky 16 times to multiple different people that I wanted to cancel was not enough, they would never have actioned it anyway. A contract that only they can cancel is not a contract.

From what you have said, cancelling the direct debit was in fact the only way I could get the contract cancelled. At least it got their attention.

As it stands, it looks like I will have to pay their fine and blame myself for being stupid enough to have ever engaged with Sky in the first place. Lesson learned.

[Me134]

I note that you never answered the question posed by another user. Were you in a minimum term contract? You say you've been with them for 14 years but I guess you've not been paying full price since your initial 18 month deal?

If you're in contract that would explain why Sky wouldn't cancel it.

[Mark39]

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@Anonymous wrote:

From what you have said, cancelling the direct debit was in fact the only way I could get the contract cancelled. At least it got their attention.

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Simply cancelling your means of payment doesn't cancel your contract. It just means an increasing outstanding debt.