Trying to cancel my Sky TV package. They make it impossible

[MightyQuinn]

Hi @William120   I'm sorry I haven't read the entire thread, but have you raised a formal Complaint with Sky? Cancelling your DD may have closed some doors.

[Daniel0210]

@William120 
All calls will start automated. Stay on the line as long as possible and saying nothing when asked the reason for the call sometimes helps being put in the queue for an agent.

[2muchTV]

@William120 here's what I did to give 31 days to  cancel my Stream package which was still within my 18 month contract.

Wrote an email with my name, address, phone #, account #.

I stated that I am giving 31 days notice to cancel my services and understand that there will be early termination fees.

Sky will eventually contact you and  the cancellation notice will start from the day they receive your email.

I cancelled a few days early because you pay a month in advance.

My next bills

• 16 Sept - 15 Oct balance is £0
• 16 Oct-15 Nov predicted bill is £11.39 credit
• 16 Nov-15 Dec  predicted bill is £6.39

All being well Sky will owe me just £5.

My point is write and let them contact you. 

[Escapee]

I received an email yesterday about the new charges for new services that I do not want. It said that if I was not happy about this (it was only 3 quid more) then to contact them within. 30 days and I could cancel, no early termination fees. My current sky package runs for several months yet.

so I used the online chat thing. After the usual upsell, and then offering me a broadband and sky deal, which I refused all of, we got down to it.

I said I wanted to leave as per the email.

The agent said they'd applied a discount which would cover the fee hike and therefore I could only leave on my contract end as my grievance was price. This was not what the email said. I didn't ask for the discount, I asked for termination. It was Sky who applied it, not me, and therefore went against the sentiment of the email, which said I could leave.

Told me the could reduce it by about 20 quid. No I just want to cancel.

Asked to speak to a manager, they told me manager would say the same.

Told them I wanted a manager on the phone in 5 mins or the whole transcript was going to customer services as clearly they were trying to con me.

They told me they'd cancelled it, 31 days notice, no charges,  but I was a "special case" and they don't usually do that. I can imagine that most people would have quit arguing at the point where the discount had been applied and accepted their concession. No, the email specifically said if I did not like the change to the contract, I could leave, no exit fees.It was underhanded what they tried and I was not giving up.

[DaveDrizen]

---

@William120 wrote:

It doesnt include a phone number, or I'd have rung it weeks agom, it just sends you to another link and then the same bot you talked to 4 hours prior . I don't want Sky, my box stopped working weeks and weeks ago, I just want them to leave me alone. [removed]

Moderator Actions: Removed unfounded allegations

---

If you ring sky and go though the automotive system just answer it questions but ignore  what they tell you to do. At  the end it will ask if that all or words to that fact say "no" you will then be asked if you are the account holder to which you say yes,  they then might ask you the password on the account after giving that you will then be put though to a human at customer relations.

[DaveDrizen]

---

@William120 wrote:

You're not reading my posts. I've tried for over THEE WEEKS to try and speak to someone. To no avail. It's impossible!

And yes, I know all the steps and links. They simply lead right back to the start and the bot, who spend 10 minutes telling you to speak to a human, and the link then takes you eventually back to the bot.

---

If you phone yes you are answered by the automated system I found just answer it questions, might say they  will send you link or something like that I just ignor what it says,  it then ask you "if that is all "or words to that effect  I always  say "no"  after asking if you the account holder and maybe the password on the account, hold on the line and you will be put though to human advisor. Yes it's bit of a palaver but it has always worked for me. Doing it that way  I have always managed to speak to some one and sort out what I wanted . The important part is not to take any notice of the links it might send you just wait for it last question which is always " is that ll" then you ar always put though to a 

[oj01]

@Escapee Did the email not contain the dedicated phone number dealing with this? 

Incidentally, the new charges are not for new services that you don't want. They are the contracted annual price rise that you previously agreed to.

[Escapee]

The email told me I was within my rights to cancel sky with a month's notice if I was not happy with the new charges they imposed on me.

It said to use either online chat or phone. I was at work, so online chat worked better for me.

My point is they tried some sneaky moves to prevent that such as adding a discount that I didn't ask for, and then saying I couldn't leave because if it. I didn't want a discount, I wanted out as per what the email said I was entitled to. Plus asking me questions about my broadband supplier which I refused to answer.

The sentiment of the email was that if I didn't like the price rise I could leave, that's what it said, end of. The reality is they tried to trick me into staying subscribed, it was a dirty unenforceable trick, and a lot of people will fall for that. Legally what they were trying to do was a grey zone. But I'm out due to demanding to speak the the manager and threatening to report the person trying to effectively con me if they didn't do that.

if sky send an email saying one thing, customer service should honour it without argument or bluffing.

[Me134]

---

@Escapee wrote:

The email told me I was within my rights to cancel sky with a month's notice if I was not happy with the new charges they imposed on me.

It said to use either online chat or phone. I was at work, so online chat worked better for me.

My point is they tried some sneaky moves to prevent that such as adding a discount that I didn't ask for, and then saying I couldn't leave because if it. I didn't want a discount, I wanted out as per what the email said I was entitled to. Plus asking me questions about my broadband supplier which I refused to answer.

The sentiment of the email was that if I didn't like the price rise I could leave, that's what it said, end of. The reality is they tried to trick me into staying subscribed, it was a dirty unenforceable trick, and a lot of people will fall for that. Legally what they were trying to do was a grey zone. But I'm out due to demanding to speak the the manager and threatening to report the person trying to effectively con me if they didn't do that.

if sky send an email saying one thing, customer service should honour it without argument or bluffing.

---

Obviously I wasn't privy to the conversation so couldn't comment on the discount offered (if applied you would have received almost instant email notification BTW) but all companies will try and retain your custom. They only ask who your current BB supplier is so they can try and beat their price (including sometimes putting credit of up to £200(?) on your account to cover ETCs, but you can just politely tell them you're not interested in moving.

Perhaps it's because I used to work in customer service (not Sky) but if you go in ready for a fight then it rarely ends well. Being polite but firm gets the honey.

[Me134]

---

@oj01 wrote:

@Escapee Did the email not contain the dedicated phone number dealing with this? 

Incidentally, the new charges are not for new services that you don't want. They are the contracted annual price rise that you previously agreed to.

---

My email certainly included the telephone number (I struggle to believe it's not on all email rise emails), but the automated bot, after asking the usual questions, decided I was still in minimum term and couldn't leave 😖 Seriously Sky, your own automated system???

To save my phone from physical damage I used the included link in the email and used the Whatsapp option. Picture me surprised when the first agent told me I couldn't leave due to being in contract...

I asked to be connected to someone who knew of the recent changes in the T&Cs and the guy couldn't have been better, I took a new contract at £9 less than I would have been paying with the rises with no rise this April (it was effectively already baked in by the looks).

It shouldn't have taken 3 separate contacts though Sky, it really shouldn't have.

[DaveDrizen]

---

@Escapee wrote:

The email told me I was within my rights to cancel sky with a month's notice if I was not happy with the new charges they imposed on me.

It said to use either online chat or phone. I was at work, so online chat worked better for me.

My point is they tried some sneaky moves to prevent that such as adding a discount that I didn't ask for, and then saying I couldn't leave because if it. I didn't want a discount, I wanted out as per what the email said I was entitled to. Plus asking me questions about my broadband supplier which I refused to answer.

The sentiment of the email was that if I didn't like the price rise I could leave, that's what it said, end of. The reality is they tried to trick me into staying subscribed, it was a dirty unenforceable trick, and a lot of people will fall for that. Legally what they were trying to do was a grey zone. But I'm out due to demanding to speak the the manager and threatening to report the person trying to effectively con me if they didn't do that.

if sky send an email saying one thing, customer service should honour it without argument or bluffing.

---

As you say the email  say if you are not happy with new charges you can cancel, yes that is your right, however if Sky though can't actually change there new list prices but will give you extra discount to same amount that your subscription would have gone up, in effect wipping out the price increase for you. As you will  then still be paying the same monthly amount how can you not be happy with that. You have no new charges not to be happy with. You say you did not want these discounts, but you wanted you monthly subscription to remain the same and applying these discounts for you dose just that. If you say you are still not happy the reason for you wanting to cancel is more than just April increase.

[Me134]

---

@DaveDrizen wrote:

---

@Escapee wrote:

The email told me I was within my rights to cancel sky with a month's notice if I was not happy with the new charges they imposed on me.

It said to use either online chat or phone. I was at work, so online chat worked better for me.

My point is they tried some sneaky moves to prevent that such as adding a discount that I didn't ask for, and then saying I couldn't leave because if it. I didn't want a discount, I wanted out as per what the email said I was entitled to. Plus asking me questions about my broadband supplier which I refused to answer.

The sentiment of the email was that if I didn't like the price rise I could leave, that's what it said, end of. The reality is they tried to trick me into staying subscribed, it was a dirty unenforceable trick, and a lot of people will fall for that. Legally what they were trying to do was a grey zone. But I'm out due to demanding to speak the the manager and threatening to report the person trying to effectively con me if they didn't do that.

if sky send an email saying one thing, customer service should honour it without argument or bluffing.

---

As you say the email  say if you are not happy with new charges you can cancel, yes that is your right, however if Sky though can't actually change there new list prices but will give you extra discount to same amount that your subscription would have gone up, in effect wipping out the price increase for you. As you will  then still be paying the same monthly amount how can you not be happy with that. You have no new charges not to be happy with. You say you did not want these discounts, but you wanted you monthly subscription to remain the same and applying these discounts for you dose just that. If you say you are still not happy the reason for you wanting to cancel is more than just April increase.

---

Ah, I might have misread @Escapee s post, so you think they offered to put a discount on the account wiping out the rise, therefore they couldn't leave? Yeah, that isn't on. Obviously if the discount is accepted then they are in it for at least 12 months (until the next rise) but that's entirely up to the customer.

[Escapee]

Yeah that was my point. 
Can't just send an email out saying if a user wants to cancel, they are within their rights and it will be done..... but then try to effectively trick them into staying and saying they cannot leave. A lot of people will fall for this tactic and it feels underhand.

I was polite but called them out on this. It's not on. Obviously people can leave, the email clearly stated as much which means they should honour this immediately I think, not try to argue with people not to. As I said in the end I just said I wanted a manager on the phone within 5 minutes. And magically it all got sorted.

[DaveDrizen]

---

@William120 wrote:

Same here, I've been trying for over a month to cance. I've now cancelled mt DD and they can take me to court if they want to, at least I'll get to speak to a human. They've done this deliberately, I've spent hours going round in circles. 

---

No your wrong there cancelling your direct debit will not get your to speak  to a human in fact it will make maters worse. Yes your service will be restricted in other words you wont have Sky tv but it won't be cancelled you will still owe your monthly subscription. And far from speaking to someone from Sky  untill you pay what you owe and new mandate is set up Sky will not speak to you. Phoning Sky will just result in a automated message telling you that your bill needs to be paid. I can't understand why you can't not get though automated system in the last three months I have phoned Sky customer service number 3 or 4 times, yes I have  been greeted with  automated robot but just answering it questions and ignoring anything it offers, I have definitely not used the text  link it sends you after it send that  link you eventually get there response " it that all";or words to that effect  upon that I have always been though to a human customer service agent and able disuse my business satisfactory. To be honest getting though to speak to a agent has always only lasted a few minutes, in fact looking at my phone call log for Skys  number and all the calls have only ever lasted 15 to 20 minutes.

[Me134]

---

@DaveDrizen wrote:

---

@William120 wrote:

Same here, I've been trying for over a month to cance. I've now cancelled mt DD and they can take me to court if they want to, at least I'll get to speak to a human. They've done this deliberately, I've spent hours going round in circles. 

---

No your wrong there cancelling your direct debit will not get your to speak  to a human in fact it will make maters worse. Yes your service will be restricted in other words you wont have Sky tv but it won't be cancelled you will still owe your monthly subscription. And far from speaking to someone from Sky  untill you pay what you owe and new mandate is set up Sky will not speak to you. Phoning Sky will just result in a automated message telling you that your bill needs to be paid. I can't understand why you can't not get though automated system in the last three months I have phoned Sky customer service number 3 or 4 times, yes I have  been greeted with  automated robot but just answering it questions and ignoring anything it offers, I have definitely not used the text  link it sends you after it send that  link you eventually get there response " it that all";or words to that effect  upon that I have always been though to a human customer service agent and able disuse my business satisfactory. To be honest getting though to speak to a agent has always only lasted a few minutes, in fact looking at my phone call log for Skys  number and all the calls have only ever lasted 15 to 20 minutes.

---

I've never had an issue with getting through to Sky via various methods in 18 years, if the line is busy I'll hang up and try a different time the following day or perhaps the chat options.