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

wilf55

my mum and dad live by the sea when they had sky and it was a rough sea or a particularly high tide you could almost see the waves on their telly ..came in waves...with similar timing to the wet waves....if you follow me!!

ludds123

My cancellation came into force after the months notice on Monday. On Tuesday I gave up with this sky-war I was fighting and phoned them up!!! I just figured I LIKE having ALL the channels, just because! The monthly subscription isn't an issue budget wise so I was kinda cutting off my nose to spite my face. However, I did manage to get the Sky+ installed for £49 offer and they are coming tomorrow. If anybody does want Sky+, like I did, I think you should fairly easily manage to get it for £49. AND despite what some people are saying, I did get offered any package on six months half price, but not in addition to the £49 sky + unfortunately!!!

ludds123

Three months half price not six months! Sorry!

rob5ta

Humanoid wrote:

Hi,

Thanks for posting your experience. I suspect that this new policy may have come in just after you called (3 weeks ago) and just before I called (3 days ago). Sky said the policy had been in force for 2 weeks and maybe you called 1 day before they implemented it?

In terms of competition - which other satellite provider offers a comparable or direct like-for-like service? Cable companies to my understanding offer the same Sky sports and Sky movies as Sky do directly via satellite.

The Sky representative I spoke to was categoric in saying this is a blanket policy and "there are no discounts on channels anymore, just discounts on equipment" (my paraphrasing). I actually found that equipment was no cheaper than before.

If someone is spending £00's a month on box office and per view events then of course it would be foolish for Sky to loose a customer over a relatively small discount and on those grounds I find it hard to believe that Sky have a "no excpetions policy to this blanket policy"

Therefore, the two issues are: 1. Me trying to get a bargain when I am very low spender and have a poor bargaining position and 2. Sky saying that no one never is going to get a discount on channel packages.

In terms of to whom one speaks to I am not sure it makes a difference. Maybe others who have called subsequent to my call have different experiences as I would be interested to hear!

The only other aspect it that maybe Sky will offer something tempting during the 30 day notice period? If so I will post it here!

In terms of what a large company needs to do (in a member of the publics opinion) and what they actually do is another issue altogether! I do not dispute your general logic but I can only go on personal exepriences and those of others

Maybe its down to the package you were on then. Lets look at it from a different angle.

Take a high spender. £43 per month, and lets say 5 box office movies a month at £3 (or however much they are - dont use them), and he already has the latest skyHD box

In my reckoning that around £60 per month spend, vs somebody at the lower end of the spectrum £16.50 (or whatever the lowest package costs).

So what that CS agent is saying is the person that is spending £60 per month is not worth saving because they cant offer him an equipment upgrade, because he has the best they offer. And because they have a blanket policy on not giving a package discount they will have to let him go sailing into the sunset - BULL!!

At the end of the day they are sales people regardless of their fancy job titles. If Mr £60 per month called up to say he was cancelling, they would save him like a shot.

Some of the lower end users, well maybe but i would also be very surprised if they were offered nothing to stay. I work for a big UK mobile retailer, and retention is everything to a business. Keeping existing custom as well as generating new are both equally as important.

Maybe they only have a certain amount of deals to give per day - i dont know but if they have stopped retaining customers, then the retention staff are going to have a very happy xmas without a job.

Just to make it clear, im not having a dig at you, i just dont buy what you were told.

Rob

Humanoid_2

Hello,

Good reply! No worries as I never thought you were having a dig. You just sounded sceptical over what I found out!

I decided to make another call to Sky to satisfy myself that I have got all my facts right.

I could write a everything in detail but instead I will summarise my phone call of 5 minsutes ago:

1. NO ONE GETS ANY SUBSCRIPTION DISCOUNTS. NOT EVEN IF YOU SPEND £100 A MONTH ON SKY (I ASKED THEM THIS IN PARTICULAR)

2. THE SKY CSRs HAVE BEEN BRIEFED (AFTER A 1HR TRAINING SESSION) TO TELL EVERYONE WITH NO EXCEPTIONS THAT THERE WILL BE NO SUBSCRIPTION DISCOUNTS

3. SKY SAID "THEY ARE PREPARED TO TAKE THE LOSS"

4. I ASKED THEM HOW THEY INTEND TO RETAIN CUSTOMERS. THEY SAID THEY WILL LET CUSTOMERS KNOW ABOUT SKYTALK AND SKY BROADBAND???

I BEG anyone to please please please call Sky and find out for themselves if the above is the case or not.

This call I just made was excellent becuase the lady I spoke to was brutally honest about the internal policies of Sky.

It does not matter if you think it is bad business sense or "bull" - it really does not matter. Sky have stopped all subscription discounts for existing customers who are threatening to leave. They will call your bluff.

ludds123

But I did on Wednesday!!!! So you are WRONG!!!

ludds123

Sorry didn't mean to 'shout'!!! Forgot about the caps rule!

I posted above with my experience this week - but I also have a friend who has had a phone call a week after cancelling. She got hers today so they are still doing it! She got offered six months half price.

Humanoid_2

Hello to you!

I am not wrong, you just happen to disagree.

I must enquire as to what makes you say I am wrong? The facts I have got straight from Sky or my interpretation?

What I have said is merely what Sky told me. This can verified one way or another by people asking Sky directly themselves, simple as that.

I can not verify what happened to your account, but there are aspects which are not directly relevant to what applies in my case and what Sky are saying to people who want to disconnect.

For instance you had already disconnected.

And it sounds like you were offered a package similar to a "new" customer (and yes I know they know you are not a new customer).

So it appears that what happened to you was not a retention issue because your disconnection was seen through.

Where I do agree with you is in giving up on this Sky War, the difference is that I'm equally happy with or without their service (only when I think their service represents good value!).

In summary, you were coming from a different angle and claimed I am wrong when this is not the case as I have shown you.

What I have learned is that maybe after disconnection I might get a good deal, so thanks for your experience.

ps. I shall have to accept what you say about your friend as I can not prove of disprove either way.

ludds123

Ok you weren't wrong. But the information you have been given is clearly not necessarily true in every case!

I had full package - cancelled and could have had three months half price.
My friend cancelled and a week afterwards got a call and could have had six months half price to reconnect. That all happened this week!

Humanoid_2

Hello again!

The time when you requested disconnection would have been around 30 days ago (as you stated in your previous post), this therefore pre-dates the new rules that Sky are using now so they could have offered a subscription discount back when you requested your disconnection, that is before the new rules came in to force.

Many thanks,

Humanoid.