We are a family of four, all using iPhones on Sky Mobile. I recently travelled with my son to Canada (August 23rd–30th) to help him settle into university in Vancouver. This was already an emotional and stressful time for us as a family, and Sky’s complete service breakdown only added unnecessary stress and frustration.
In the past, roaming in Canda has worked seamlessly – we would arrive, receive the welcome text, and use our UK plan abroad without issue. This time, however, we received no roaming text, no service, and no ability to make or receive calls. Our phones displayed only “SOS” with a satellite icon.
This was not a minor inconvenience. My son urgently needed access to his UK number for OTPs and two-step verifications to set up his bank, student accounts, and other essential services. Because Sky failed us, he could not receive these texts and we were forced into time-consuming, stressful workarounds at an already difficult time.
We wasted hours troubleshooting. The Apple Store confirmed the issue was Sky, not the devices. When I attempted to contact Sky support, things went from bad to worse.
On Tuesday, August 26th at 1:23pm UK time (5:23am Vancouver) I spent 40 minutes on the phone—using my mother’s Canadian carrier, at international call rates—speaking to four Sky agents who had no solutions. One transferred me without warning; another simply hung up. No progress, no resolution. (I hope they listen to the call)
Later that same day I tried again, spending 50 more minutes on the phone with three different agents. Once again: promises, confusion, no accountability, and no answers. In total: 94 minutes on international calls, at an estimated cost of $136 CAD (£73)—for absolutely no support.
Not only was this financially costly, it directly disrupted an already emotional week of settling my son into his new life abroad. Instead of focusing on him, I was stuck making endless, expensive calls to a provider that offered no help whatsoever.
And to add insult to injury: when I returned to the UK and landed in Manchester, instead of normal service resuming, I was greeted with an incorrect roaming text. "Welcome to Republic of Ireland" **bleep**?
Frankly, this experience has been disgraceful. My family has been loyal to Sky Mobile, but this has seriously made us question our commitment going forward.
What I expect from Sky:
The stress, frustration, and disappointment this has caused cannot be overstated. In a week where support mattered most, Sky was absent.
I urge you to take this complaint seriously and provide a meaningful response. Otherwise, we will have no choice but to reevaluate our future with Sky Mobile.
Come on, Sky—you are better than this.
