Postponing new connection start date or canceling altogether

[pbount]

My contract with Onestream is nearly expiring. Trying to be proactive about this, I looked for alternatives and settled for Sky.

My contract terminates on 15th of Jan so in exactly one month.

I tried multiple times to order a new connection through sky.com however each time I got  an error message that the process could not be completed and that I should try again later.

I called the sales department and the person I spoke to said that he could help me set this up so I aggreed.

The person then asked if I want to switch over to Sky right away.

I said that I am still under contract, and that I don't mind waiting a month, plus there are exit charges.

The person then said that "These charges will be covered by Sky"

I explicitely asked whether I would pay anything out of pocket and the sales rep said No! These charges are covered by us and that I don't have to do anything. I explicitely asked whether I would see an exit charge on my bill and he said No.

As soon as the call terminated, I received a call from onestream assuring me that I am very much on the hook to pay £112 for exiting a month early and that they receive no payment from Sky. Instead, I would have to claim this amount from sky in the form of a discount on my bill. This was Not what was discussed on the phone.

I asked Onestream to not proceed with the termination of my account, however, after contacting Sky within less than an hour of the initial call to sort this, the customer support person I spoke with, told me that there is nothing that she can't do since the line is already activated (in less than one hour!)

I have no visibility in the process. I received no emails regarding my order. I can't postpone it. I can't terminate it.

What are my options here? How can I escalate this problem?

[daveNOS]

Post edited.

The information I posted regarding the timescale for line takeovers was incorrect, the new OTS system has removed the 14-day mandate wait period.

[TimmyBGood]

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@pbount wrote:

The person then said that "These charges will be covered by Sky"

I explicitely asked whether I would pay anything out of pocket and the sales rep said No! These charges are covered by us and that I don't have to do anything. 

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Unfortunately that was incorrect advice: in this situation the subscriber pays any early exit fee required by the ISP they are leaving, and can then claim back up to £100 from Sky (which is provided as a broadband account credit, not cash)

[PandJ2020]

Sky will credit up to £100 in early termination charges.  See here: https://www.sky.com/help/articles/switching-credit-offer

[TimmyBGood]

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@daveNOS wrote:

@pbount 

Ofcom mandates a 14-day wait period

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Not since One Touch Switch was extended, though (which has led to concerns over the potential reappearance of phone slamming)

[caesarome]

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@pbount wrote:

The person then asked if I want to switch over to Sky right away.

I said that I am still under contract, and that I don't mind waiting a month, plus there are exit charges.

The person then said that "These charges will be covered by Sky"

I explicitely asked whether I would pay anything out of pocket and the sales rep said No! These charges are covered by us and that I don't have to do anything. I explicitely asked whether I would see an exit charge on my bill and he said No.

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That is wrong as any exit/early termination fees do have to be paid then you can claim up to £100 back by the way of a credit that is added to your Sky account:

https://www.sky.com/help/articles/switching-credit-offer

[daveNOS]

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@TimmyBGood wrote:

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@daveNOS wrote:

@pbount 

Ofcom mandates a 14-day wait period

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Not since One Touch Switch was extended, though (which has led to concerns over the potential reappearance of phone slamming)

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@TimmyBGood I wasn't aware they had dropped that, having just read up on it the new system is surely going to cause all sorts of issues with people losing service while waiting for ISP-supplied equipment given now it can be switched in as little as one day.

[TimmyBGood]

@daveNOS 

Until now, for most broadband/internet installations, either a new circuit had to be installed (which takes time), or a migration is done with a carrier such as BT Wholesale. BT Wholesale have, to date, enforced a 14 day delay in migrations. So 14 day cooling off period is effectively enforced.

However, a new initiative by OFCOM has changed things. This takes effect 12th Sep 2024. As a result, BT Wholesale are dropping the 14 day minimum lead time on migrations. OFCOM are trying to encourage switching of broadband to be easy for consumers, indeed, the wording of the OFCOM general conditions means a provider has to provide a service as soon as technically possible if the customer expressly requests it, which may be within that 14 day cooling off period.

https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2024/08/ofcoms-new-broadband-switching-system-may-clash-with-1... 

[pbount]

So basically I am now a Sky customer and that's that? Shouldn't I at the very least receive some sort of confirmation of this in my email? The sales rep said I would receive all details within an hour. I asked him to spell my email. He spelled it letter-by-letter and it was correct, but I still have not received anything. Just an SMS saying that my equipment would be arriving in the following days.