MSE News: Sky takes over O2 and Be broadband: What does this mean for customers?

jem16

I_luv_cats wrote: »

Least with o2 you could see your contract and adjustments almost immediately.

You can with Sky too. However just like O2 you have to have your account set up first.

Stories of their promise not be bound by is putting me off. (also it took months for them to acknowledge I'm not migrating)

Everything I was promised was given. O2 sometimes had problems too with promises not being kept.

This loop business too. If you take your phone across to Sky, is it hard to move elsewhere??

Perhaps not as easy as just choosing another BB provider but otherwise it should just be a matter of moving both. Unfortunately these days it seems to be better deals when both are together with the same provider.

[Deleted User]

I'd echo jem16's three points.

Quentin

You don't have to take their landline to get offered a deal for 12 months bb conteact.

Mosquito46

My recent Facebook posts:

I just had an email from Sky. They took over my broadband from O2. The price has doubled! They are charging me £5 a month for NOT having sky talk and £2.50 a month for NOT having sky TV. What a load of sharks they are. I'm leaving!
I will get a bill from Asda next for not shopping there!
----

Just sent Sky an email asking for my MAC code. We'll see what they say.
----

Just been on the phone to Sky demanding my MAC code. I'm staying with Sky! The next six months FREE and then just £5 a month! Result! It pays to play hardball with them.

youravinalarrrf

I fared slightly better in the broadband only negotiating stakes by adopting a far less "demanding" approach.

The day before my transfer from O2 was due I rang and just asked what options were available to me as a long standing TV customer and made it clear I was aware what others had been offered.

I ended up with the following after a little persuasion
12 months @ £5 per month and £75 credit on my account
Free Sky Hub
Free Wireless Booster
Free On Demand Connector

Delivered and working and credit showing on my account as promised. (Just waitng for delivery of the wireless booster due to a backlog of orders)

I think that was 20 minutes well spent I would say!

teddysmum

youravinalarrrf wrote: »

I fared slightly better in the broadband only negotiating stakes by adopting a far less "demanding" approach.

The day before my transfer from O2 was due I rang and just asked what options were available to me as a long standing TV customer and made it clear I was aware what others had been offered.

I ended up with the following after a little persuasion
12 months @ £5 per month and £75 credit on my account
Free Sky Hub
Free Wireless Booster
Free On Demand Connector

Delivered and working and credit showing on my account as promised. (Just waitng for delivery of the wireless booster due to a backlog of orders)

I think that was 20 minutes well spent I would say!

Lots of people have had that offer.

teddysmum

Mosquito46 wrote: »

My recent Facebook posts:

I just had an email from Sky. They took over my broadband from O2. The price has doubled! They are charging me £5 a month for NOT having sky talk and £2.50 a month for NOT having sky TV. What a load of sharks they are. I'm leaving!
I will get a bill from Asda next for not shopping there!
----

Just sent Sky an email asking for my MAC code. We'll see what they say.
----

Just been on the phone to Sky demanding my MAC code. I'm staying with Sky! The next six months FREE and then just £5 a month! Result! It pays to play hardball with them.

They are not charging you £7.50 for not having services; just their bad way of explaining things .The normal broadband price is £15, £12.50 with tv, £10 with phone or £7.50 with both, so their 'charging' is just a removal of discounts, where you haven't earned them.

Skeenfleent

teddysmum wrote: »

They are not charging you £7.50 for not having services; just their bad way of explaining things .The normal broadband price is £15, £12.50 with tv, £10 with phone or £7.50 with both, so their 'charging' is just a removal of discounts, where you having earned them.

Correct.
To put it clearly for anyone not familiar with how bundled services (TV, Broadband, Phone) discounts work:

1) Sky (for example), don't tend to want to or actually lose money, we can agree, right?

2) A discount on something already over-priced, is not a 'real' discount, right?

3) Sky's TV and phone are over-priced, compared to the cheapest on the market or just by value (arguable, but often-said).

4) Thus, the overpriced TV, Sports packages etc are what's subsidising the cheap broadband.

5) Thus, they are charging you extra for not having the services that are subsidising the others, simply as you are likely to generate revenue for them via having those services. You're not generating your own discount, in other words, so they don't 'give' you one. Nothing comes for free.

6) In other words, Sky are not generous, do not see these discounts as anything more or less than they actually are. Cheers!

Matt17

If you switch to Sky on a 12 month contract do you lose your o2 email addresses?

spenderdave

No, but the future of O2 email is uncertain - they have already closed it for non-broadband customers, those moving to Sky (with or without a new contract) have a reduced mailbox size of 20MB, and there are suggestions it will close in April for everybody. Best to look for somewhere else for your email now (and having your own domain and email with that is a far better option than ISP options).