Awful offshore customer service experience

[Joe090]

I'm out of contract so phoned Sky yesterday to see what deals they could offer on the existing package I have but having Sky Broadband added. I was offered a competitive price from the Indian operator that I agreed to. The operator said she would call back yesterday with a broadband installation date. That didn't happen so I phoned today but spoke to a different operator, and what an awful experience that was.

He did (finally) confirm that there were notes in my account of yesterday's discussion but that no price was there,  which I found impossible to believe and quoted him the price that was agreed. He then kept putting me on hold and when he was talking to me it was in such a way as to make it very difficult for me to get a word in. Additionally, and most damningly, it was almost as if he either wasn't listening to me or he couldn't understand me. Looking through this forum, you have a lot of complaints around offshore operators not understanding English well enough and I have to add my 'experience' to this. 

When I finally spoke to him after being put on hold a couple of more times, I said to him that obviously he had the 'power' to finalise this (potential) new contract and complained to him that...

1) His needless behaviour was causing the customer extreme frustration, and

2) He admitted yesterday's call (and new package details) were on my notes - but he chose to deliberately leave out the price agreed.

In our 'discussion' he even tried to arrange a package himself - that STRONGLY suggests to me that we have a case here of one operator trying to steal commision from another operator.

Sky - YOU NEED to look into the working of your offshore India centre !!!

In the mean time, I will phone Sky a few more times, hoping to speak to someone who can act on what was agreed yesterday...and someone who hopefully understands English better. Failing that I'll try Virgin Media.

[Daniel0210]

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@Joe090 wrote:

Sky - YOU NEED to look into the working of your offshore India centre !!!

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@Joe090 
You aren’t contacting Sky here. This is a customer ▶️ customer discussion forum where we try to help other customers.

If you give Sky the time of the original call they should be able to listen back on that call and hear what was said and more importantly agreed.

[Joe090]

So, I phoned again and after the quick realisation that the same communication/non existent ability to honour yesterday's package agreement - which I confirmed with yesterday's operator did include the new broadband service - I asked to get through to customer retentions. Lo and behold, in less than 5 seconds I was speaking to a UK person. I re-explained yesterday's package agreement, and discussed the extreme frustration of dealing with today's offshore operators, which he sympathied with. 

He confirmed the details of yesterday's offer written in my notes but then proceeded to suggest it didn't include broadband - at total odds with what was discussed yesterday. I confirmed with him that I was speaking to 'customer retentions' and reminded him that he literally had the final say...the power to be flexible with the package and price. Unfortunately, clearly driven by protocol to extract maximum new contract profit, he refused to honour yesterday's agreed package and insisted another £35 should be added. Truly shocking behaviour from someone from 'customer retentions', zero flexibility. I reminded him that Sky's webpage offers new customers a much, much better deal...and still, he didn't budge!

I told him that I live in a tower block with multiple tv and fibre broadband options including VM, Hyperoptic, BT, City Fibre etc. Rise, for example, offers 1 gig up/down for £20 over 2 years and they offer me 2.3 gig up/down for less than that same £35 over 2 years.

I realise this is a 'Community' forum and was reminded of this, above, however, as you all know, Sky (and pretty much everyone else) have stopped including their customer support telephone numbers in their online pages - you have to 'work' to get them, and work much, much harder to get to speak to a real person, then get put onto another person...then a "supervisor". This whole game is now an extreme sham, who's sole purpose is to frustrate the customer so much that they 'give in' and agree to their final extortionate 'offer'.

I told that customer retentions person that I will phone Virgin Media to discuss what they have to offer. I will not be paying extortionate package prices. I may end up taking that Rise 1 gig offer, dropping Sky etc and going Freeview + a couple of streaming options (Netflix etc). Heck, there's always the torrent option! In the end, unbelievable that people like Sky are so gluttonously pig headed!

[JimM1]

@Joe090 Not sure what is going on, but if you have read any previous post's then as soon as the offer is made and it is acceptable to you then that is it, decission get's made there and then, no taking time to think about it, and yes Sky will play hardball with you, what is done yesterday may just not be available today retentions or not! You tried and looks like the end game is a loss, so new ISP is the way to go!

[Daniel0210]

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@Joe090 wrote:

I reminded him that Sky's webpage offers new customers a much, much better deal...and still, he didn't budge!

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@Joe090 

Better discounts are offered to new customers as an incentive for them to join. Most providers now do this. You'll have probably benefited from such offers in the past.

If you now choose to leave and go with another provider then in 18/24 months you'll be in the same position with that provider and if you want you'll be able to return to Sky as a new customer and gain whatever benefits are available at that time.

[bethan4]

Sounds like the same lady I spoke to last week saying will ring back , she was very Rude , because I have had nothing but problems with the sky max , and I came to a decision that I am leaving in January , they are so rude the Indian ones thier customer service is absolutely disgusting, I went to CISAS in the process of doing a dispute 

[Joe090]

On my last call they said they would review yesterdays telephone call, but that would take 7 days, lol. Unbelievable considering yesterday's new package details, and price, were in my notes - as the retentions person admitted.

In the end, I phoned Virgin Media. They offered a deal that was even less than what I was paying for Sky TV + Hyperoptic broadband together when I was in-contract with them. And, that includes 2 x O2 sim cards. In the end, I was obviously lucky I spoke to the right person at VM...and I was equally very unlucky I spoke to two different 'wrong' people from Sky (and I getting more and more tired of this 'end of contract renegotiation luck game')...

SHOCKING behaviour that Sky doesn't want to negatiate an expensive 2 year contract...at a REASONABLE price!

Your loss, Sky.

[Joe090]

(That VM deal was also for 1 gig broadband)

[JimM1]

@Joe090 Keep in mind that the sky broadband and TV are two seperate deals, you will have to take care off cancelling the sky TV and it's 30 day's to do so, VM will take care off the broadband side through the OTS! Mobile now you have brought that up you do not say if also with sky on that if so you need to now start getting your pac codes for the numbers move if keeping the same numbers!

[bethan4]

Exactly , been with the for 8 years , and after that experience I was like nope your loss I am going, and deed to god they keep ringing to offer me deals no thanks your blocked 🤣

[Chloe-W22]

Hi both,

I'm very sorry to hear you had a bad experience over the phone. I just want to ensure there's an appropriate resolution to this for you both, you can raise a complaint here if you wish.

Thanks,

[bethan4]

Thank you x