Sky Bait-and-Switch: Promised £32/mo Deal via Email, But Now Stuck in £43/mo Contract
Hi everyone,
I recently received my first out-of-contract bill from Sky, which was a wake-up call to shop around for better deals. I found a great offer from Virgin Media – significantly cheaper and with faster speeds – and started the switching process.
Shortly after, Sky emailed me a retention offer: £32 per month to stay with them. It seemed like a no-brainer – why go through the hassle of switching if I could save money without the disruption? I accepted and called to confirm.
The phone call was sketchy from the start. The agent explained it in a convoluted way: I'd have to sign up for a £43/mo contract first, then someone would contact me in 5-7 working days to "apply additional discounts" to bring it down to the promised £32/mo.
When the follow-up call came, surprise – they claimed they couldn't honor the £32 deal. "Computer says no." Every time I push back with customer service, they hide behind "The Client" (whatever that means) and refuse to let me speak to anyone higher up or directly involved.
This feels like classic bait-and-switch tactics: lure you in with an email offer, get you to commit, then renege and lock you into a higher price. Now I'm trapped in an overpriced contract I never wanted.
Has anyone else experienced this with Sky? Did you manage to get the original offer honored, or find a way to cancel without penalties? Any tips on escalating this – maybe through complaints to Ofcom, or specific phrases/departments that get results? I'd really appreciate hearing your stories or advice to help me (and others) avoid getting ripped off.
