Existing v New Customer prices

[ThunderRoad89]

I have Broadband and TV with Sky. It's the old HD box, with a satellite dish. Recently my bill went up to £162. I am out of contract. My current package is.

Broadband Superfast
Sky Signature
Sky Sports - Complete Pack
TNT Sports

I spoke with an adviser and he said the cheapest they could offer for all this was £102. I looked at building a package on the Sky website and as a new customer I could get all of the above (Sky Entertainment, not Signature) for £83. Sky were unwilling to go this low, so I have cancelled my TV package (officially ends 29th Dec) entirely and kept broadband.

Is it genuinely true that such an offer is exclusive to new customers only? I have been with Sky for 18 years, and this seems like a pretty poor way of treating a loyal customer. I've kept the broadband, for now, but may cancel that as well since I'm out of contract.

I've heard that Sky may in fact get in touch to negotiate now I've cancelled. Is this likely, or would I have to completely leave by getting rid of broadband as well?

Thanks

[SKY1992bf]

@ThunderRoad89  Yes sky don't have to match new customer prices for existing customers 

the onus is on the customer to negate a price they are willing to accept or initiate the cancellation process after which you may receive come back offers but again they don't have to match new customer price 

[PandJ2020]

Yes, it seems they only care about new customers.

if you're not happy with the price then give notice to leave.

They don't seem to be budging on this so voting with your feet seems the best way.  Better offers may materialise.

[MarkGoldsmith]

Yeah all the offers are new customers offers, and indeed were very nice offers during their Black Friday sales.

This is common practice for most companies, their main aim is to get new customers, as they know that not all existing customers will cancel over the initial minimum term of their contract, so once they get customers in, whilst they know they will lose a percentage of them, they still make enough money with the ones that either don't phone to renegoitaite any offer or the ones that do who accept a slight reduction on their bill.

This is standard amongst most service providers and whilst Sky used to offer decent renewal deals to customers this has stopped since the Comcast takeover as they change their focus to a more industry standard model.

Ultimately they know that if users want to watch the Sky channels they don't have that many alternative options/competitiors to switch over to so its not in the interest of their profit margins to give amazing deals to existing customers.

I have heard of some customers being offered better deals once they have cancelled and being enticed to rejoin but i still dont think the offers are generally as good as new customers.

[ThunderRoad89]

Thanks for your help all.

Since I'm out of contract, in theory what is stopping me from cancelling everything and then simply rejoining straight away as a new Sky customer for a reduced price? I'm assuming there would be initial costs involved?

[PandJ2020]

---

@MarkGoldsmith wrote:

I have heard of some customers being offered better deals once they have cancelled and being enticed to rejoin but i still dont think the offers are generally as good as new customers.

---

Yes, I did this about 9 months ago.  Not sure if the same will work for my next renewal but I'll walk if their offer isn't good.  (And no admin charges)

[SKY1992bf]

@ThunderRoad89  Sky will see you as a returning customer unless you have been without sky services for more than 12 months and only then will you be able to obtain new customer discounts 

[MarkGoldsmith]

Sky only recognise you as a new customer if you have  not had services for at least 12 months. As the Sky accounts are linked to your address they obviously know when they stopped providing TV and broadband to that address.

[ThunderRoad89]

Ah ok, I figured it must be something like that.

Can I ask what you would consider a reasonable price range for my current package? It would be nice to know as I negotiate with Sky and/or other providers.

[Mark39]

Reasonable is really what you personally consider to be value for money.

[MarkTaz]

Have had the same problem with Sky full fibre.  Changed from ultra to gigafast and that's when the problems started. Although I was connected at 900mbs, speed tests from various sires showed I was only getting about 450mbs.  Tech support gave me some dodgy advice saying to change the connection port to port 4 and get a cat 6 ethernet cable, which I did.  It made no difference what so ever!  I worked in various roles as an IT technician for 26 years and never heard anything like it.  I should have told them that.  Today I complained about the speed again and they put me through to tech support again.  I told them I'd done as instructed and he said there was nothing they could do.  I asked to be put through to cancellations as I was on my cooling off period and got the same problem.  Sorry we can't offer you that package which is £10 cheaper as you're not a new customer.  So for now I'm on 500 with cooling off period.  Going to look elsewhere for my fibre broadband tomorrow as there are better deals out there.  Can't believe Sky don't care about their long term customers

[Rothie15]

Just had a "warm" discussion with one of their so called customer service peeps.

Yet again I find that they are happy to let existing customers roll out of their contract with discounts into paying full price even if you are a "valued Platinum" customer.

Then I find they have disjoined my TV and Broadband packages because Openreach couldnt connect me proprely for three months! I was of the belief that i had a single contract. Noce of Sky to let me know.

They are offeroing Sky Stream and Ultrafasty Plus for £24 a month LESS than my present discounts. But I cant get that as it for "new customers" only.  

Push comes to shove I'm off once my Broadband contract ends.   Sick of Sky customer (non) service.

[MarkGoldsmith]

The TV and Phone/Broadband contracts are always different due to them being different services. They each have their own various T&Cs as well like different notice periods etc.

[MarkTaz]

Hiya Mate

If you want to get out of the contract, there is an easy way. I upgraded to gigafast, this means a new contract, which means a 2 week cooling off period. During which you can cancel the contract.  Fins out about it.  Sky won't tell you this if course

Regards

Mark

[Kaos_KS]

From what I gather, after you cancel there is a 12 month waiting period before you can rejoin as a new customer.

Sky is registered at the address so they know which property has had it . 

A change of name  would work ie someone new buying/moving in to the property.