Thank you Sky for being a rip off!! Leaving after almost 24 years :(

[nikpatel19]

I've posted the following rewview on Trust Pilot.

I'm honestly surprised at the level of negative reviews here, I would certainly consider giving Sky a 4 star review if it wasn't for the fact that we've been getting ripped off for a very long time as well as being charged for things we have not signed up to.

So we've been loyal Sky customers for almost 24 years. We've never had a major issue in regards to the service received however I was astonished to find a significant increase to our monthly bill hence decided to look elsewhere. We were originally on an £85 package for Sky Q Signature + UHD (exc Sports & Movies), Anytime International phone line and Sky Broadband superfast (download speed around 60 mbps) however it would appear that we've been out of contract for a very long time resulting in an increased monthly bill of approx. £120. My dad is an elderly man who doesn't regularly check his bank statements hence the increase in price went undetected for so long, possibly for over a year.

Upon further investigation it would appear that we've been paying double to what we were originally for Broadband (approx. £45) which is ridiculous for 60 mbps! Furthermore we were being charged for Netflix and the Sky Kids package. WE DID NOT ASK FOR THIS!! We've never requested Netflix and Sky Kids used to be free as part our TV package, we don't use it and have never asked for it. This discovery really annoyed me which ultimately resulted in the termination of our almost 24 year relationship with Sky.

We have not received any communication from Sky in regards to being out of contract however regardless of this, as a very long existing loyal Sky customer.... I would expect Sky to contact us directly to offer the best value, this is the bare minimum expectation. I can't image there's many customer's who have given Sky 20+ years of loyalty and I'm quite sad to be parting ways, but ultimately I hold Sky responsible for prioritising profits over customer care.

Money is important but we've always valued service over cost hence why we remained with Sky for so long. We would've never considered alternative providers if it wasn't for this experience. I'm now somewhat glad about being ripped off by Sky as I would've never known about the offers available from Sky's competitors. In 2023 Sky really ain't what it used to be!! It feels like they don't care anymore 😞

FOR INFO
As stated above, we used to pay £85 for Sky and are now paying approx. £120. We've managed to get an amazing deal with Virgin Media... I just wish I knew about their offers sooner.

For £85 p/m (inc £200 bill credit), we'll get:
- Full TV package (inc UHD, Sky Sports, BT Sports & Sky movies), Asian channels (Asian Mela package), 2x TV viewing boxes (main + mini)
- 1 Gig fibre broadband (min download speed of 570 mbps)
- Anytime talk phone line
- O2 sim-only plan - unlimited calls/text/data

Excluding the O2 sim, the above like for like at Sky would easily cost in excess of £150 (if Openreach full fibre was available in my area). There is no comparison and I don't understand why anyone would remain a Sky customer in 2023.

[GD1]

@nikpatel19  You're not talking to Sky via the forum, we are all customers here, nor would Sky contact when your discounts expire as you are told how long they last when you took them out.  It is up to you to note this and check and call Sky for any new offers.

You won't get a response from Sky via the forum also.

[Daniel0210]

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@nikpatel19 wrote:

it would appear that we've been out of contract for a very long time resulting in an increased monthly bill of approx. £120. My dad is an elderly man who doesn't regularly check his bank statements hence the increase in price went undetected for so long, possibly for over a year.

The account holder would have been informed the date the discount was ending when it was taken out.  The onus is currently on the customer to keep a note of this so I fail to see where a "rip off" is taking place.

If the discount has ended the account holder needed to contact Sky to try to negotiate a new deal which will require another 18 month minimum term contract. Sky are not obliged to offer another discount but if one was offered that was acceptable the account holder needed to agree to it there and then because if they waited to think about it the offer may no longer be available. 

I can't image there's many customer's who have given Sky 20+ years of loyalty 

I've been a customer continuously since June 2001. Perfectly happy with the service provided. 

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[Mark39]

This once again demonstrates the consequences of not understanding the terms and conditions of the contract you agree to and of the viewing packages you sign up to, combined with less than ideal financial management.

I don't detect any 'rip off' in what is described here.

[TimmyBGood]

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@nikpatel19 wrote:

There is no comparison and I don't understand why anyone would remain a Sky customer in 2023.

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Perhaps because they've seen what Virgin will charge in subsequent years once their 'amazing deal' has expired?

[Tchandler1973]

I feel the same. Have been with sky for 25 years and am now leaving.

Basically I combined my TV And broadband and agreed a price of £106 a month. 
They then said they did not add tue TNT Sports package for b and my bill would rise to £130 per month !!

They have basically admitted they have miss sold me a product and will not back down or reconsider.

So 25 years of my custom means absolutely nothing ! 

[CBC001]

Its not misunderstanding the terms and conditions that the OP is suffering from, its the high cost increases which is something I too am about to see, or would be if I too were not on the cusp of leaving Sky.

In the age of streaming I feel that these fixed, no flexibility type broadcast based subscriptions have had their day and are increasingly too expensive for their own good to be honest. 

There is a great deal of competition now and I can more than half my monthly bill and still enjoy almost all the same programming I watch now, often in UHD with Atmos too. I don't want or need an 18 month contract so I can watch, Googlebox on a Friday evening and Apple TV, Paramount, Netflix or Amazon prime the rest of the time, in one of two rooms at a time. £76.00 a month for that is horrendously expensive.

So sorry but I agree with the OP, the cost is now too high, largely due to the fixed inflexible nature of the packages on offer in my opinion, along with rather outdated sundry charges for HD and UHD services which are part of the subscriptions with the streaming services anyway.

Its a cost of living crisis we are living in and large price increases forces people into looking at their finances with a critical eye. In contract price increases and yet more increases when the contract ends is asking to lose customers.

[TimmyBGood]

@CBC001 

Perhaps worth noting that the current pricing for streaming services is almost certainly not viable long-term unless the parent companies are prepared to cross-subsidise from elsewhere within their corporate holdings:  Apple and Amazon can certainly afford to do this if they choose to, but the others less so.

[Mark39]

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@CBC001 wrote:

Its not misunderstanding the terms and conditions that the OP is suffering from, its the high cost increases which is something I too am about to see, or would be if I too were not on the cusp of leaving Sky.. 

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The price reverting to,the standard, list price at the end of a discount period is explained in the terms and conditions and shouldn't come as a surprise to anybody who knows what they're signing up to. A bit of forethought and financial management is all that's required. If you don't want to pay list price, and can't negotiate a new deal that you consider to be value for money, there's a commonsense alternative. No drama.

[CBC001]

I agree, its clear that the price will rise at the end of a contract when the previous deal ends. None the less its entirely possible for people to experience 3 inflation busting rises within 12 months and that's a hard pill to swallow for anybody when the previous owners were a lot more generous with renewed contract prices than the current debt laden owners are. 

[CBC001]

Timmybgood, you are probably right and prices will inevitably rise. That said, not tying people to fixed terms is an attractive plus. Being able to dip in and out of services without penalty so we can watch a series that interests us then leave and do the same with other platforms is affordable and favoured by many. Now TV for example gives people that option and its a really good model in my opinion when there is so much choice.     

[PandJ2020]

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@CBC001 wrote:

That said, not tying people to fixed terms is an attractive plus. 

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Or tying to 'fixed terms' could be a plus, especially if you negotiate a good set of discounts.

Depends on your budget and usage...

[CBC001]

Not really any such thing as fixed though with Sky. The 18 month contract price is not fixed, they can raise the price at least once within 12 months and will. They say things like £19.00 for 18 months for 150 chnnels in HD which looks good until you read the small text benetah that says prices may change during the period.

With other services I buy I get proper fixed contract prices that don't change so I know what I will be paying for how long. If a providor doesn't offer that fixed price, not being tied is better because I can walk away if the price does change, penalty free.

Sky really want their cake and be able to eat it, a fixed contract term tying the cutomer up but be able to change the deal price to suit them, its a very one sided arragement.

[Daniel0210]

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@CBC001 wrote:

The 18 month contract price is not fixed, they can raise the price at least once within 12 months and will. 

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@CBC001 

Prices only rise for one of three reasons

1. your discounted minimum term deal ends

2. you amend your package 

3. at the annual price review/increase which for UK customer is the beginning of April

so during an 18 month deal you coukd have two annual price increases. 

[PandJ2020]

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@CBC001 wrote:

Sky really want their cake and be able to eat it, a fixed contract term tying the cutomer up but be able to change the deal price to suit them, its a very one sided arragement.

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There are parameters though - they just can't change the price completely to suit them.

There are also exit parameters too based on rises - all in the contract...