Sky, Virgin & BT TV Haggle down prices and get serious discounts Article Discussion

mije1983

costingbunny wrote: »

Hi
We are looking to have BT package (broadband. Line. TV ) as we want BT sport. At present we have free view. Is the best option to just book online or can we get a better deal calling up? Had Sky a few years ago and can't get Virgin. Ta

You could try calling up and seeing if they can do anything extra that's not on the website. If they can't, hang up and do it online. TCB currently have up to £157.50 cashback on the full package (Quidco is £140).

moreliens

moreliens wrote: »

Hi,
I was on O2 broadband and then this time last year got a call from Sky offering me free HD+ box, TV package (family bundle) and broadband and I just had to pay the line rental (which I paid in advance and got the discount). Now its time for renewal so have been browsing this forum recently for advice and this is my plan:

- My TV package expires a week before my landline and broadband. Got a letter in the post offering me half price TV (family bundle) if I stick with Sky for line rental and broadband. I will have to pay roughly £15 for line rental and £7 for broadband.

- Had online chat with Sky and asked them to either give me more discount or accept the notice for the TV package. The guy mentioned that since my broadband is still not up for renewal, no better deals are coming up on his system. So I have handed in my 30 day notice for the TV package. I can always go back anytime in coming 30 days to accept the half price TV package deal. However I am not happy that I will have to pay for broadband (roughly £7) since many other providers are cheaper (Tesco for example offers it completely free if I take my phone line to them).

- Next week when I am only 30 days remaining in the contract for phone line and broadband I will call them to hand in notice for that too. Technically it requires only 14 days notice to move active phone line and broadband (apparently). At that time I will mention that Tesco is offering free unlimited broadband for just the line rental. If they can match that and better the half price TV offer then will stay with them, otherwise good bye.

I am not a massive TV user so wont miss Sky TV if thats what happens. The HD box is for me to keep so will still have plenty of free to air channels to view anyway.

Trying to save some money and trying to cap Sky expenses to around £25 for line rental, broadband and the TV package. Fingers crossed!

Third time lucky. Chatting with the Sky advisors online was not successful (tried twice) so phoned them. After 33 minutes long call, managed to get the deal for just under £26. So that is half price broadband, half price line renal and half price TV. I had to downgrade the TV package though (from Family bundle to Original). Happy to stick with Sky for one more year.

Hope this information is of some use to other forum members.

ellielovesem

Some good advice here so I'm wondering if anyone can advise me on this.

I'm going to phone up Sky tonight to cancel. An offer would be nice but I think I could easily manage without it if nothing was forthcoming. My question is in relation to phone and broadband which I also have with them. I'm currently on the lite broadband and would like to upgrade to unlimited so a special offer on this would be great also. If there was no offer on the telly that would be fine but should I risk cancelling my phone/broadband at the same time just in case they call my bluff and actually disconnect me? I could manage without it for a week or so whilst I sorted something else out but obviously it would be a bit inconvenient.

Thoughts would be good please

KTF

They dont disconnect anything until the 31 days notice period is up so you can always call back nearer the time and say you have changed your mind to reverse it.

*max*

*max* wrote: »

I called Sky earlier to cancel my BB & phone ( I don't have TV), as I was paying £25 and Plusnet are offering £17.99 a month. The Sky lady matched the Plusnet offer. I still asked for my MAC code because I want to see what retentions are going to offer (if anything!).

I'm thinking of getting TV now, so what's the best I can expect from retentions if they phone me? On BB & phone + basic TV? I'd be happy with paying around £30 all in...Is that reasonable?

Well, after not receiving my MAc code, I called them back an dspoke to 3 different people who told me 3 different things. First, I was emailed my code, must have had the wrong address. Two, the code is never emailed, will be sent by post. Three, I don't need a MAc code as other provider just takes over the line.

In the midst of this pallaver, they did offer me BB & phone for £15.50 incl line rental. I do want the TV though, but couldn't get any offer on that. I don't know what to do now! I'm not even sure rententions are going to call as they wouldn't let me cancel and kept saying I didn't need to, the new provider would do everything. I'm stuck now, and a little sick of talking to them tbh! I don't know what other people tell them to manage to get deals, but I'm obviously not doing it right!

lev441

egrescrimp wrote: »

I left Sky at the end of last year, but the 31 day notice period took me into January.

In February they offered me 50% off for 12 months, not contracted either.

March & April, 25% off for 12 months but a 12 month commitment.

May, 50% off for 12 months and SkyGO Extra free for 6 months. I wonder what June will bring?

Sit tight, the offers will land soon

Ended up getting the phone call 50% off and free broadband too!

cheekytinkster

I've yet to be offered any decent deal, I was on a 50% off BB, line rental & TV last year which has just ended. When I called to cancel they offered me 30% off TV only so I've gone through with the cancellation. They called again and offered me the same deal (30% off TV) which I turned down.

Can I ask - when my Sky TV is turned off will I lose all my recorded programmes? Does the box work as a freesat box automatically?

Thanks in advance :-)

KTF

cheekytinkster wrote: »

Can I ask - when my Sky TV is turned off will I lose all my recorded programmes? Does the box work as a freesat box automatically?

You lose access to them but they are still on the STB.

Your account downgrades to a freesat from sky automatically.

[Deleted User]

cheekytinkster wrote: »

I've yet to be offered any decent deal,

cheekytinkster wrote: »

I was on a 50% off BB, line rental & TV last year

Seems to me these two statements contradict each other..

cheekytinkster wrote: »

when my Sky TV is turned off will I lose all my recorded programmes?

They remain on your hard drive but you will have no access to them unless you re-subscribe.

cheekytinkster wrote: »

Does the box work as a freesat box automatically?

Only the subscription channels will no longer be decoded, the free-to-air channels remain viewable just as they are now.

Los_pollos_Hermanos

KTF wrote: »

They dont disconnect anything until the 31 days notice period is up so you can always call back nearer the time and say you have changed your mind to reverse it.

which highlights you as a bluffer i am afraid.

My top tips are these

• If you have never played this game before remember Sky has played probably a million + times
• The people you will get through to on the phone when cancelling cannot offer you something that the is not already on your account. It is pointless demanding a deal they cannot grant you
• Do not say you can get Virgin if you cannot. They know excatly which customers can and cannot currently get Virgin
• Be nice and be polite. every call and what you say is logged
• If you have been a full paying customer for a long time do not expect an offer just because of this. Sky is in the buisness of making money and has fact and figures on who is most likely to pay more and who will not pay full price. The fact is people who have payed full price for a long time are most likely to keep doing so. Hence you are unlikely to be given a big discount on the phone
• If you threaten to cancel you HAVE to be prepared to go through with it or be labelled a bluffer who cracks near or soon after cut off. You now have let Sky contact you with an offer. Make sure your phone number and email is up to date on the Sky system before cancelling. set a date reminder if you do take up an a offer to know exactly when to call and try again. This highlights you as someone who is on the ball and might be so because they really cannot afford full price.
• Not having Sky phone or BB makes it easier to bargain with the TV package because it is much much harder to cancel all three.