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Oh noes. Sky are cutting me off! (is the stereotype true?)

24

Comments

  • Hooloovoo wrote: »
    I wouldn't sign up to a fixed length contract unless I knew I already had the money to pay it completely.

    Obviously this isn't possible for things like a mortgage (otherwise you wouldn't need the mortgage) but for something frivolous like subscription TV where you know a 12 month subscription is going to cost you £500 or whatever, there really is no excuse.

    And if I didn't already have the £500 to completely cover the cost of the contract, I'd be questioning whether I could afford to sign up to the contract at all, or whether my money would be better used towards building up some savings.

    Totally agree, but like I said:

    1. Most people don't know in advance that they are going to be unemployed (especially from small companies) and sky/virgin offer only contracts. It's like buying a car over 3 yrs and losing your job and being unable to finance the finance!.

    2. Some don't want to save, they live in the here and now. Can't save for a year to afford next years Sky or 3 years for a car.

    I personally hate paying anything in installments, i.e husbands motorbike insurance is saved the year before, so company makes no profit by collecting monthly. My mortgage is the only bill not paid in full but I can wish, can't I.
    Mortgage: Aug 12 £114,984.74 - Jun 14 £94000.00 = Total Payments £20984.74

    Albert Einstein - “Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it ... he who doesn't ... pays it.”
  • Hooloovoo
    Hooloovoo Posts: 1,281 Forumite
    1. Most people don't know in advance that they are going to be unemployed (especially from small companies) and sky/virgin offer only contracts. It's like buying a car over 3 yrs and losing your job and being unable to finance the finance!.

    Except it's not, as I said in my post.

    The cost of a 12 month Sky subscription is not an outrageous amount to have saved up before you enter into the contract.

    It's not like something that costs a year or more of your salary like a car.

    If getting "payed" a few days late means you don't have the £40-£50 to pay your Sky sub, then clearly you already don't have a pot to !!!! in and so should have maybe considered it would have been better to use the Sky money to build up some savings as a safety net, rather than spend every single penny you have coming in.
    2. Some don't want to save, they live in the here and now. Can't save for a year to afford next years Sky or 3 years for a car.

    Well if they don't want to save that's their own problem. But they have no right to moan about their poor decisions afterwards.
    I personally hate paying anything in installments, i.e husbands motorbike insurance is saved the year before, so company makes no profit by collecting monthly. My mortgage is the only bill not paid in full but I can wish, can't I.

    Same here.
  • coastline
    coastline Posts: 1,662 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    No doubt people are short of cash...I hear about it all the time.
    I've also heard time and time again when coming to the end of an agreement you just give them a ring...you're pulling out...and by magic they offer a reduced monthly payment.
    Why can't we do this with our gas and electric...;)
  • coastline
    coastline Posts: 1,662 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    ukcarper wrote: »
    Do you think they are one of the those people we hear about on here who can't afford to save for a house.

    Times are changing...every older generation has something to say about the younger generation..
    Things that we wouldnt consider essential....we'll they are to many younguns...mobile phones etc etc..
    So..yes...they can't afford to save for a house..;)
  • coastline wrote: »
    ....So..yes...they can't afford to save for a house..;)

    .. or indeed their pension.

    We hear a lot about current younger workers 'paying for' the state pensions of the retired. Tempered by the sentiment of [but you boomer lot all got FS pensions didn't you?].

    I am happy to know I will be in my grave long before todays 18-year-olds are having to pay state pension + huge income support to their parents' generation, none of whom will have paid a brass farthing into their pension plans....

    The only word of comfort I could give them is that the 'antique value' of 2010 i-Phones may well be high.
  • ash28
    ash28 Posts: 1,789 Forumite
    Mortgage-free Glee! Debt-free and Proud!
    Oh no... I've got Sky - I've had it for over 20 years......

    When we moved here last year we decided we wouldn't have it and would just have Freeview.......early retired dontcha know and decided we had to economise.....lasted about a month - about as long as being in the scrum for the "woopsies" - saw that on the Old Style board and thought I've got to get me some of those.....

    Sky is my dirty little secret - hopefully I can still come on this board even though I have Sky and don't do reduced price grocery scrums....
  • Quote from:HooLooVoo

    Except it's not, as I said in my post.

    The cost of a 12 month Sky subscription is not an outrageous amount to have saved up before you enter into the contract.

    It's not like something that costs a year or more of your salary like a car.

    I hear what your saying above but:

    If your a family on a low wage and your only entertainment is 'stay in, tv', then is it so bad to take out a contract, (you quoted ;£500.00). I'm not talking about the unemployed, i'm taking about real families, (nurses etc) with childcare cost's, increased fuel bills and everything else to pay for. Rather different for those on large single or double salaries.

    I'm only seeing this from another side.
    Mortgage: Aug 12 £114,984.74 - Jun 14 £94000.00 = Total Payments £20984.74

    Albert Einstein - “Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it ... he who doesn't ... pays it.”
  • Hooloovoo
    Hooloovoo Posts: 1,281 Forumite
    I'm only seeing this from another side.

    I do take your point that on a pounds-per-hour-of-entertainment perspective, Sky may well be very economical for some people.

    But I still say if money is that tight you shouldn't be signing up to a luxury contract at all.
  • ash28 wrote: »
    Oh no... I've got Sky - I've had it for over 20 years......

    When we moved here last year we decided we wouldn't have it and would just have Freeview.......early retired dontcha know and decided we had to economise.....lasted about a month - about as long as being in the scrum for the "woopsies" - saw that on the Old Style board and thought I've got to get me some of those.....

    Sky is my dirty little secret - hopefully I can still come on this board even though I have Sky and don't do reduced price grocery scrums....

    I think it's legal, provided you don't wear a shell suit. Still best not to mention it, though.

    When on this board, provided you are a respectable early retiree, I would recommend you concentrate on the important things like....
    • Defending the position of so-called 'boomers', and rubbing in the fact that we didn't 'have it good' - it's just that we wore hair shirts, deprived ourselves, and stashed it away for retirement.
    • Sneering at the bears at every opportunity.
    • Reminding the 'poor' of today that we had to live through 27% inflation, 15% mortgage interest rates, and never received 'benefits'.
    • Thundering about today's education standards and boast that in our day, we learnt complex and difficult concepts [such as knowing that 'Interest Only' means... er... 'Interest Only']
  • ash28
    ash28 Posts: 1,789 Forumite
    Mortgage-free Glee! Debt-free and Proud!
    I think it's legal, provided you don't wear a shell suit. Still best not to mention it, though.

    When on this board, provided you are a respectable early retiree, I would recommend you concentrate on the important things like....
    • Defending the position of so-called 'boomers', and rubbing in the fact that we didn't 'have it good' - it's just that we wore hair shirts, deprived ourselves, and stashed it away for retirement.
    • Sneering at the bears at every opportunity.
    • Reminding the 'poor' of today that we had to live through 27% inflation, 15% mortgage interest rates, and never received 'benefits'.
    • Thundering about today's education standards and boast that in our day, we learnt complex and difficult concepts [such as knowing that 'Interest Only' means... er... 'Interest Only']

    Quality.

    I'm glad you've qualified the respectable early retiree requirements for using the board.

    I'll do my best to remember them and will try and implement them at every opportunity.

    TBH point two might be a bit of a struggle and might go against the grain a bit - I already do my bit for the bears.

    http://www.savethebears.co.uk/
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