Digital TV Cost Cutting Article - Discuss What You've Been Offered

Scrumshie

Littlelily

To get the best deal you need to state that you want to cancel your account. The account holder has to call, so if its in hubby name he will have to make the call. Sound firm, you need to sound like you mean it.
Monstermind has recently posted showing the current offers made by the cancellations dept
SUBSCRIPTION OFFERS (PACKAGE DISCOUNTS)
=======================================

10% OFF ANY PACKAGE FOR 12 MONTHS (usually offered if you are cancelling due to price increase)

25% OFF ANY PACKAGE FOR 6 MONTHS

25% OFF ANY package for 12 MONTHS (taking this offer re-commits you Sky for a further 12 month contract.)

3 MONTHS 1/2 PRICE ANY PACKAGE (if you refuse the 6 months 25% deal)

5 MONTHS 1/2 PRICE only if taking Sky Sports and family pack.

50% OFF CHEAPEST 2 MIX PACKAGE FOR 6 MONTHS (£7.50 instead of £15) if you are cancelling to go to freeview / freesat or are having financial difficulties.)

Looking at this info the best deal for yourself would be the sports and family pack at 5 months 1/2 price if you do not have movies.
You cannot ask for this offer, the sales op will ask why you want to cancel( " it costs too much") and what you want to watch ( " need to keep the sport for hubby") and you should be offered the above deal to stop you cancelling your contract.

Good luck.

littlelily

Scrumshie,

Thanks so much for the reply. The subscription is in my husband's name so he will have to make the call - that's probably a very good thing as I am a complete pushover and would probably end up being talked into an extra subscription to the Woodwork and Knitting package and increasing our direct debit!

I'll let you know how we get on...

Thanks again!:T

Lady_K

Why do NTL set the channels so stupidly. BBC1 used to be set to come on after channel 120 before now thats on normal but ITV1 has now been moved to come on after channel 870. The sequence is bbc1 bbc2 chan4 chan5 they miss out itv1

Hillfly

This was taken from digital spy forums:
For customers who have already cancelled their subs and the notice period has passed:

"I cancelled about a month ago from Sky because they were being such !!!!!!!s to me! Today i recieved a letter to come back to Sky, which basically i think it really good. I for one will NOT be going back to Sky and i am sticking to my decision from when i cancelled. Unless i get a written apoligy from them, i will see. For now i have 2 words for them.....????

Anyway, this offer is the best i have seen around. You get the following: -

1 - 50% off for 6 months on any TV package you choose

2 - Sky Broadband, up to 2MB Free of Charge

3 - A FREE Refurbished Sky + Box

4 - Standard installation and 12 months warranty free of charge

5 - If you want, unlimited landline calls for an extra £5 a month. (You do need a BT phoneline)

£40 one off activation fee apllies if you get the Broadband.

So you call the magic number, 08708504248 and mention the magic offer code of............ BEST OFFERS 1!

But do remember the magic expires on the 28th of September!"

Hillfly

HappySad wrote:

I am interested in your "Hauppage" to copy files straight to your computer. Can you tell me more about this or list the URL for more info on this. I want to next year get HomeChoice/Freeivew and be able to the programs onto the computer. Want I would like is to use a removeable harddrdive to store the information and be able to plug this into the TV/Harddisk device (using whatever device) and play the programs from there. I want to ideally go straigh from VHS to Harddrive and leave out the DVD format for my favourite recorded programs.

You will need an HVR (Hybrid Viedo Recorder). They will alow you to capture any digital or analogue signal straight to your hard drive.
You can eithe rplug in an aerial straight ot he device whereby it will allow you to record all the freeview channels or you could plug in your vcr and it will allow you to record all your analogue tapes.

I have an Hauppage HVR900 which i use to watch freeview and also to play playstation games using my laptop as a tv.

http://www.hauppauge.co.uk/pages/products/prods_hvr.html

drempels

The best solution is to receive a selection of the "Sky" package for free.
I soon realised that I was paying £30 a month to Sky and I still didn't find programmes I wanted to watch. I then realised that the cost of about 3 months subs to Sky would buy me a non Videoguard Free To Air satellite box. These receivers pick up all the BBC digital TV and radio stations, ITV 1, 2,3,4 plus
Sky news and Euronews. Also all commercial radio stations are free to air also.
I find it's great. The box paid for itself almost immediately and everything is free.
Although Film 4 is free, currently the Channel 4 stations and 5 are encrypted, but they are still free via an analogue aerial or Freeview.
The satellite used by Sky is just one of many owned by Astra and if you have access to the old 19.2E satellite position then you'll pick up Eurosport in Englishon the analogue satellite site along with CNBC Europe and CNN plus Arte and German TV and radio. Digitally, 19.2 will also give you BBC World, plus all of the above plus great radio stations such as 10Gold, Sky Radio, Veronica and Klassikradio (which has some great chill out music). This last station, Klassikradio is also broadcasting in analogue still along with RTL Oldies. Analogue TV on 19.2E also includes Arte, 3Sat, NDR, Vox and RTL plus a further choice of about 15 TV stations. Bloomberg TV can be found for free on the Hotbird satellite again along with a host of good stations including
RaiSports. I'm never short of a TV station or radio channel to tune into and
I pay no subscription to anyone at all. This is what satellite should be like,
if you ask me. My bank balance is alot happier too

monstermind

drempels wrote:

The best solution is to receive a selection of the "Sky" package for free.
I soon realised that I was paying £30 a month to Sky and I still didn't find programmes I wanted to watch. I then realised that the cost of about 3 months subs to Sky would buy me a non Videoguard Free To Air satellite box. These receivers pick up all the BBC digital TV and radio stations, ITV 1, 2,3,4 plus
Sky news and Euronews. Also all commercial radio stations are free to air also.
I find it's great. The box paid for itself almost immediately and everything is free.
Although Film 4 is free, currently the Channel 4 stations and 5 are encrypted, but they are still free via an analogue aerial or Freeview.
The satellite used by Sky is just one of many owned by Astra and if you have access to the old 19.2E satellite position then you'll pick up Eurosport in Englishon the analogue satellite site along with CNBC Europe and CNN plus Arte and German TV and radio. Digitally, 19.2 will also give you BBC World, plus all of the above plus great radio stations such as 10Gold, Sky Radio, Veronica and Klassikradio (which has some great chill out music). This last station, Klassikradio is also broadcasting in analogue still along with RTL Oldies. Analogue TV on 19.2E also includes Arte, 3Sat, NDR, Vox and RTL plus a further choice of about 15 TV stations. Bloomberg TV can be found for free on the Hotbird satellite again along with a host of good stations including
RaiSports. I'm never short of a TV station or radio channel to tune into and
I pay no subscription to anyone at all. This is what satellite should be like,
if you ask me. My bank balance is alot happier too

Also bear in mind that after you cancel your Sky, the box is yours to keep and you'll continue to receive the following digital free-to-air channels at no charge:

General Entertainment:
BBC1, BBC2, BBC THREE, BBC FOUR, ITV1, ITV2, ITV3, ITV4, C4, five,Audi Channel, AVAGO, BEN, Big Game TV, Bonanza Channel, M, FRIENDLY TV, Game Network, Get Lucky TV, Hollywood TV, Information TV, Jackpot TV, Life Showcase, Life TV, Live 2, LONDON TV, Majestic TV, O’Seasproperty, OBE, Open Access, Open Access 2, Performance, Poker Channel, Rapture TV, Real Estate TV, Reality TV, Reality TV +1, Sky Three, S4C Digidol, S4C 2, Travel Channel, Travel Ch 2, TTV2, Turn On TV, Wine TV, Yooplay TV, You TV, You TV2, You TV2 Extra.

Movies:
Bad Movies, Eat Cinema, Film4, HorrorChannel, Matinee Movies, True Movies.

Sports:
Channel 425, Golf Channel, TWC, Real Madrid TV

Music:
B4, B4U, Music Bubble, Hits, Channel U, Chartshow TV, Classic FM TV, Fizz, Musicians Chnl, R Music tv, The Vault, Zee Music.

Special Interest
2ShopTV, AAG, Al Jazeera, Apna Bazaar, ARY, Oneworld ARY, QTV, ATN Global, Baby Channe,l Bangla TV, Best Direct, Best Direct+, Bid TV, Broadband UK, NTV Chat Box ChoicesUK TV Christmas Shop Create & Craft Cyprus Direct Dating Channel DAYSTAR DM digital DM Gold Dove Vision TV EeZee EWTN Gay Date TV Gay Network Gems.tv Gems.tv 2 GEO TV GOD 2 GOD Channel Golf Pro-Shop iBuy TV iBuy tv 2 Ideal World INI Islam Channel Look4Love TV Loveworld TV Lucky Star Majestic TV MATV NAtional Max Max TV Men and Motors mta-muslim.tv Myphone.tv One TV Passion TV PCNE Chinese Playboy One Pitch TV Poker Channel Price Crash 2 price-drop.tv Quiz Call Quiz Nation Quiz TV QVC Raj TV Record TV Revelation Shop on TV Shop Vector Simply Ideas Simply Shop Speedaucion TV Superstore TV Star Bazaar Stop + Shop TBN Europe Teachers' TV Tel Sell Teletext hols Thane Direct Thomas Cook Thomson TV TTV TV SHOP TV Warehouse TVW Select UCB TV Unity Muslim Vector 24/7 Vegas 24/7 Vitality We Deliver TV Wonderful YES Your TV


News and Docs:
Sky News, BBC NEWS 24, BBC Parliament, CCTV-9, CNN, Community Channel, EuroNews

Kids:
CBBC Channel, CBeebies, CITV, POP, Tiny POP.

Plus the 80 or so radio channels currently on Sky's EPG.

Babbler

Woo Hoo! Made the call (am within 30 days of my contract start date with NTL).

I was on 4meg bb, select pack and phone for £37/month. Got the family pack, phone and downgraded to 2meg for £29.99 a month! Think thats a great offer! Thanks for the encouragements!

Also, she said if Im unhappy with 2meg I can ring in 2 weeks and see what deal they can do for me and 4 meg!

Bleakhouse

Hi,
Made the call - said I was cancelling blah blah.....results £10 monthly reduction plus sky movies thrown in for 12 months, not bad eh?

elljay20

was paying 21 for the basic package, rang them up and arranged a deal for sky plus and multi room and was quoted £42 per month. said ok and they came and fitted the boxes etc. Had to pay £50 for all phone line extentions (fair enough) all happy. untill.....
Rang up to activate movies and found out i'd been mis quoted the price and it was going to be £57 a month. i hit the roof and demanded that they come take it all back out again and refund our 50 quid. eventually retentions gave me our standard package plus full movies or half movies and half sports plus sky plus and multi room for £37.75 !!! RESULT