My wife has been paying for Sky Q tv for 15 years AFTER I took the dish down!

[Milkersky]

I am disabled but recently took over the accounts my wife has been paying. I was horrifed to hear that she had been paying this dispite it not being used, I would have thought this non use would have been signalled to sky through their account system?. I have found them to be insidiously evasive and unhelpful to say the least, I simply want to cancel the bloody thing! I want keep broadband and talk and want to increase the speed by going to full fibre. Can someone tell me the most stress free (heart failure) way of doing this, without having to jump through hoops and/or wait months to get a result!.

[GD1 · Accepted solution]

@Milkersky  Not using a service does not cancel it,  when you took the dish down did you/your wife call Sky to cancel their TV service?  Did you/they return the Sky Q box?

To cancel all your TV subscription, if you’re out of contract you’ll need to give Sky the required 31 days notice. The latest T’s and C’s explicitly state you can’t cancel when still in a minimum term deal unless Sky agree. If they agree you’ll have to pay the remainder of your discounted term.

Select ‘Need more help’ at the bottom of the following link which will lead to contact details.
https://www.sky.com/help/your-account/my-account-and-subscription/cancelling/cancel-my-subscription/...
(Make sure the flag in the bottom right corner is the correct one ie; UK or ROI).
UK customer ~ The link may include an email link and also a Message Us option (which is normally available between 9am and 7.30pm).
ROI customer ~ it’s only by calling Sky Ireland or writing in.

If you successfully cancel you should receive an acknowledgment email from Sky.

If you are cancelling Sky Q, return packaging will be sent out near the end of your notice period. It’s important that you obtain proof of posting and keep it safe and indefinitely.

If you’re moving to another ISP you could use the One Touch Switching system which is explained in this link
https://www.uswitch.com/broadband/guides/one-touch-switch/

If you are cancelling Broadband/Talk altogether you need to contact Sky and give the required notice of 14 days. Remember that if you are still in a discounted 18/24 months deal Sky could impose cancellation charges.

Return packaging for any equipment Sky expect back will be sent out to you near the end of any notice period. Remember to keep any proof of posting indefinitely.

[Daniel0210]

@Milkersky 

Not using Sky Q, or just taking the satellite dish down does not cancel your subscription. It carries on until you correctly cancel it.

To fully cancel your TV subscription, if your minimum term has ended you’ll need to give Sky the usual 31 days notice. Note that the latest T’s and C’s explicitly state you can’t cancel when still in a minimum term deal unless Sky agree. If they agree you’ll have to pay the remainder of your discounted term.

See the below link
https://www.sky.com/help/your-account/my-account-and-subscription/cancelling/cancel-my-subscription/...

Select ‘No, I still need help’ at the bottom of the link which will lead to contact methods.
(Make sure the flag in the bottom right corner is the correct one ie; UK or ROI).
UK customer ~ It may include a phone number, an email link and also a Message Us option (which is normally available between 9am and 7.30pm).
ROI customer ~ there’s a text option (Monday-Friday 9am to 4:30pm) otherwise it’s only by calling Sky Ireland or writing in.

If you successfully cancel you should receive an acknowledgment email from Sky.

Remember that billing continues through the notice period after which a credit for any overpayment will show on your bills and should be refunded in about 6 weeks from your last day of connection.

If you are cancelling Sky Q or Stream return packaging will be sent out near the end of your notice period for any loaned equipment Sky are expecting back. It’s important that you obtain proof of posting and keep it safe and indefinitely.

[MightyQuinn]

@Milkersky   My wife has been paying for Sky Q tv for 15 years - Sky Q was only introduced in 2016. So you took the dish down 5 years before Sky Q existed. Do you mean the old Sky+? Do you even have a Sky Q box on loan?

[TimmyBGood]

@Milkersky 

Sky Q was released a decade ago.  Unfortunately not using a Sky satellite receiver wouldn't cease the billing for it.

[MightyQuinn]

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@Milkersky wrote:

I simply want to cancel the bloody thing! I want keep broadband and talk and want to increase the speed by going to full fibre.

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Hi @Milkersky   I would not try to muddy the water by trying to do two things at once. First I would simply cancel the TV subscription as you no longer want it, then deal with the full fibre upgrade once that is completed.

[Milkersky]

Lol, Ok lets not patronise the newbie too much!. Yes I am aware that non use is not going to cancel my subscription, yes I first had SKY+ and then Sky Q with the upgraded receiver, the 15 years was a rough guess, but was still a long time!.

My wife assures me she had cancelled the account on my behalf (I was incapacitated) using the account number and Sky card number.
I would have thought with the technology and software involved (they are soon to disconnect you for a late payment!) the non use would have registered somewhere in the system, that's all.

I see the 'Need more help' route seems less obvious than it could be for something as important as a cancellation?

"If you successfully cancel" sounds like a challange lol.

I shall give it a try and hope not to be hanging on the phone forever or the dreaded reffered back to website endless loop, be wrongly diverted by confusing multiple choice departments (I speak from experience) only to be told to start again.

My Apologise to all for my frustration driven initial post.

JRH

[Mark39]

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@Milkersky wrote:

My wife assures me she had cancelled the account on my behalf (I was incapacitated) using the account number and Sky card number.

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That's not usually possible. Only an accountholder can cancel.

[Daniel0210]

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@Milkersky wrote:

My wife assures me she had cancelled the account on my behalf (I was incapacitated) using the account number and Sky card number.

Only the account holder can cancel a subscription, so if the account is in your name only you can cancel it. Sky send emails out acknowledging a cancellation and then packaging for the return of any loaned equipment they want back… Sky Q box and all mini boxes for example.

I would have thought with the technology and software involved (they are soon to disconnect you for a late payment!) the non use would have registered somewhere in the system, that's all.

Unfortunately that wouldn't trigger Sky to contact you. 

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[Milkersky]

Hi, I just checked the box, it's a Sky+HD not Sky Q as I thought!

[Daniel0210]

@Milkersky 

Okay. You still need to contact Sky to cancel though, giving the required 31 days notice. 

[DaveDrizen]

.
I would have thought with the technology and software involved (they are soon to disconnect you for a late payment!) the non use would have registered somewhere in the system, 

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You are correct if a payment was late or not paid yes that would have led to disconnection of service, however by the look of it your case  the direct debit must been paid every month in fact is Skys eyes you are a good payer. So there would have been no reason to disconnect your service.

Also  what happened to your Sky box? If  as you say your wife canceled Sky would have asked for your Sky box to be returned and would have  sent you packing to do so, as Sky Q boxes are only supplied on loan and must be returned when the service ends. Did this happen?

[Milkersky]

It's only a Sky+ HD box so not on loan, I don't know why I thought it was Sky Q, my mistake.