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

Bargain_Babe-a-Licious!

:j :j :j :j :j

This is just the sort of Telewest posting I was looking for!
Woohoo!
Here goes... I'll post my update as soon as I have it.

MSE fingers crossed... any last minute tips guys?

andymoneysaver_2

Have been a loyal (mug) sky+ with multi room top package subscriber for a long time. I really went for it after doing my research on freeview etc.

(For info Humax have a new freeview twin tuner 160GB hard disk PVR witch is top up TV compatable - yes I know but I needed it for the kids cartoon offerings).
Basically this is like Sky+160 (ref 9200T and around £200 without TOTV)

I did manage to haggle my £52 sub down to £18 but they would only do this for 3 months and I needed to cancel the multiroom and cut out the sports channels (we dont watch them).

They would not do anything for longer than the 3 months only saying I need to call back.

Must have got their goat a bit though as they were constantly 'rubbishing' freeview and 'unlimited DVD rentals' AKA Tesco etc.

I was just about to go and cancel anyway then I realised that with a 1 month cancellation period it will be cheaper for me to accept this offer and cancel later otherwise I would have paid the full £52 for the 1 month!

Gaffer_2

I've been with Sky for quite a while now and have fancied Sky+ for ages. After a bit of searching, I have found this offer (don't know if it's been posted anywhere else though):

https://www.sky.com/friend

Basically, you can get free Sky+ and free installation (subscription or premium channels still required) if you recommend Sky to a friend. So, if you know someone who is going to get Sky anyway, you just recommend them on this link and then call Sky with their customer number when they have it installed. At current rates, this saves £65 (there is also the option to receive £50 M&S vouchers or even Sky+ 160 if you already have Sky+).

Would it be appropriate to have a thread where people can 'recommend' others who are about to get Sky anyway? If so, us poor punters can get something for nothing from Sky, hurrah!

I don't believe this affects the new subscriber in any way (they can still have half price for three months), and the only details needed is a name and email address! Also, the offer always appears to expire shortly, but the closing date always usually gets extended.

So, to start the ball rolling, would anybody about to get Sky let me recommend them? If so, I'd be VERY grateful if you could contact me so that I can enter your details and recommend you!!

oz_valdo

Hello Everyone (be gentle - this is my first post - woohoo!),
Fao paul - in june i phone Sky and told them i was having financial problems and wanted to cease my custom with them. After a fair bit of haggling (invloving me not budging i am proud to say) they agreed to give me the 'half price' offer for 3 months. The chap that i spoke to did say to me that if i was still having probs when this came to an end, then to ring back and discuss it with them.

So in september i did. I stuck to my guns, as the person that i spoke to this time was adamant that the original guy would not have told me to do this. But i know he did. Anyway (again after some discussion) the offer was extended for a further 3 months.

I would suggest you call them back, tell them that although their offer has helped, you are only just starting to get back on your feet and wouldnt like to commit to paying the full amount. Make it clear that you mean business, then it really is their choice to help you again and retain a customer, or be mingy and risk losing you.
Hope that helped!

P.S, i must say as a customer of Sky for 8 years, their customer services have finally started to pick up a bit (nothing to do with the competition?! But credit where it's due.....). Good Luck!!

duputydugg

Having had Sky for 4 years, then got offered the 3 months at 1/2 price, thought I'd threaten to cancel again and see what happens. So, called 0800 731 6965, talked to friendly Scottish cancellations lady who cancelled my Sky. No offers, no talk of Sky+, nothing! http://img.moneysavingexpert.com/icons/icon9.gif
Unhappy
Anyway, it will save me £21pcm, so can't complain. Is there anything actually worth watching anway?

K_J_Wheeler

I have been with NTL for about five years now, I get Telephone, Television and Broadband internet connection with them. I pay for Sky Sports and movies and also an Extra Sports channel NASN. All this has been coming to Around about £90 a month ( I know this is a lot, but I do love my sport). Having seen the 3 for £30 offer however I contacted NTL, to see if they could do me a deal.

I have been paying around about £46 for the same thing they are offering new customers for £30. I told them that I was basically happy with their company, but the fact that I was paying about £16 more as an existing customer was annoying me. I was put on hold 5 times, each time I was asked my details, phone number etc etc. I have a feeling they were trying to make me put the phone down.

In the end they did the deal and I got 3 for £30 as an existing customer. Saving myself £16 a month.

tigermatt

It's probably already been mentioned (sorry if it has), but Sky attempt to get £400 out of every subscriber every year, by putting the price up a few pounds every so often. Usually, you don't realise it, but this is what they are trying to do. See [thread=113351]this thread[/thread]: [thread]113351[/thread]

If I could, I would probably go for freeview because it is mainly the BBC channels and a few others (available on freeview) I watch. The Discovery channels are interesting, but it's something I could live without. Unfortunately, I can't get freeview and terrestrial here is soon going to be cut off, is a poor quality and doesn't have BBC 3, E4 etc.

Ash3G

tigermatt wrote:

The Discovery channels are interesting, but it's something I could live without. Unfortunately, I can't get freeview and terrestrial here is soon going to be cut off, is a poor quality and doesn't have BBC 3, E4 etc.

Analogue terrestrial will not be switched off in any area until new digital transmitters have been switched on, so do not fear, you will not be without TV!

If you do get Freeview, don't forget you can get a limited Discovery service from Top Up TV's package.

rmnewboy

Thanks to all you encouragers.
Have been paying £39.49 per month for the last 5 years for TV, phone & BB (now 1MB).
One call and it's down to the current price of £32.99 - £78 pa saved. Easy! :T

SaverSarah_2

We have Sky+ (which we got for £49 with no installation charge and no multiroom, but that's another story), with the family pack plus Sky Sports 1 and 3, and Sky Movies 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9. We'd been paying £36 a month for our package, and, frankly, I'd put off phoning Sky because I wasn't sure they'd reduce our package as we'd only had Sky+ since September.

Anyway! Following the advice on this website, I used 0800 731 6965 option 2 to phone them free (just as well, as it took 13 mins to get through!), explained to customer services that I was thinking of cancelling, short of money after Christmas and fed up with getting flyers saying half price Sky to new customers. He transferred me straight away, and I was immediately offered either 3 months half price or a Recommit to Sky deal, which is 25% off your package for a year, (with a few terms and conditions, including that you lose the discount if you downgrade your package, all of which suits us fine).

As I didn't fancy phoning up once a quarter, I went for the latter, a guaranteed £108 saving instead of £54. All in all, a good result.