Sky cancellation - does not follow sky's T&c's

edfellows

There are quite a number of people on the sky forum like myself who are complaining about sky not following their own cancellation terms and conditions. Four methods for cancelling are detailed in the T&c's. However, sky will only accept cancellations by phone. The number they give you to call is a premium rate number and after asking you to call the number if you use any of the further three cancellation methods, they keep you on the phoneline for a considerable period of time. sky say this is because of data protection - but sky is clearly abusing the data protection act. For example, they don't require the same if you upgrade your package and the although the cancellation process clearly details what information is required sky demand passwords to proceed with cancellations.
Once your cancellation then is agreed during the follow up call, sky refuse to backdate your 31 day notice period to the date you notified you were exercising your right to cancel your subscriptions.

There are several posters on the sky forum who clearly have been trying to get sky to stop this practice for around 12 months or more, including taking the case up the chain of command. The responses tend to be blaming of their staff - pretty much saying their staff are not following the procedure.

Sky is getting away with obtaining monies from customers fraudulently. Seems to be a co-ordinated collective response is needed to stop this practice.

Peter999_2

Use 0207 1267020 instead and use free minutes on your mobile/landlinde if you have any.

pen1

Sky Community Managers acknowledged earlier this month, that they had identified issues with both the information provided to customers by their representatives and how cancellations were being handled in practice.

They undertook that cancellation notices would be processed in accordance with the terms & conditions.

Sky_Community_Manager wrote:

[FONT=verdana,geneva] .... As many of you have noted within this thread we offer a multi-channel contact option for Customer's who wish to cancel their Sky account. This offers our Customer's alternative methods in order to suit their lifestyles/contact preferences therefore, as a Sky customer you have the option available to cancel your service via telephone, in writing, fax or indeed via Email (MySky).[/FONT].....

See the full post at:
http://helpforum.sky.com/t5/Billing-Payments/How-much-notice-do-SKY-need-to-cancel-a-subscription/m-p/1356387#M23222

They added in a later post:

Sky_Community_Manager wrote:

....We are aware that some agents are advising customers there is not enough detail and that they should call in, but this is not the process and we are working with the teams as previously advised to prevent this.....

See the full post at:
http://helpforum.sky.com/t5/Billing-Payments/How-much-notice-do-SKY-need-to-cancel-a-subscription/m-p/1365373#M23266

waccoe_2

Peter999 wrote: »

Use 0207 1267020 instead and use free minutes on your mobile/landlinde if you have any.

This number doesn't work.

[Deleted User]

waccoe wrote: »

This number doesn't work.

None of the numbers last for long as Sky quickly discontinue their use as they become well used. You need to watch for updates at https://www.saynoto0870.com

edfellows

Hi pen1

The forum is littered with posters making reference to these posts ( the ones you quote) by sky community managers. However, despite this, posters continue to indicate that the problem has not been resolved. What the sky community mangers say and what sky does is incongruent.

What tends to occur is when you make public your complaint on the forums the community managers put you in touch with the escalation team. Some posters get the problem resolved, some don't.

However, what about the customers who don't go on the forum - sky is charging them for extra days sky subscription if the email and then get told to call several days later. This little trick it appears to me is leading to a lot of subscribers paying a few further days subscription. Sky is quids in. It's fraudulent practice.

A further twist to this is - many also have had the experience that if sky is challenged and agree they owe a refund, it is not always refunded to you. Sky put it in a credit account with them for you instead. No use if you are cancelling your account/ changing providers. Hardly refunding you what they owe you.

McKneff

Hang on a minute and I will give you a Freephone number which I used tonight,

Here you go.

0800 096 3624

pen1

edfellows wrote: »

Hi pen1
The forum is littered with posters making reference to these posts ( the ones you quote) by sky community managers. However, despite this, posters continue to indicate that the problem has not been resolved. .....

Hi edfellows,

Rest assured, that I am under no illusion that the undertakings made in the Sky Community Managers’ posts have fixed the issues as yet.

However, I think them worthy of note because Sky’s Community Managers have apparently identified issues with Sky’s cancellation policies/processes that I brought to Sky’s attention 8 months ago in a very detailed complaint.

During the course of the complaint, I was assured that the issues were being investigated by Sky’s Data Protection and Legal Department.

In March 2013 I identified the issues to Sky in substantial detail and I provided them with many links to their own forum, to help them investigate the points raised further.

At the conclusion of the investigation, Sky’s Executive Support Team firmly asserted in a written response, that their approach did not conflict with their terms & conditions or legally protected rights of cancellation and were not designed to impinge on their customers’ right to cancel. They added that the policies Sky had in place were needed to protect the interests of their customers.

Like you, I’ve noted that the issues have been attributed at least in part, to agents not following Sky’s processes. However, at the risk of stating the obvious, they are not disconnected from each other- Sky create the policies and processes and Sky are responsible for ensuring that the staff observe them!

Unfortunately, it appears that 8 months has so far proven to be insufficient time for Sky to ensure that their staff follow their policies and processes.

During this time the issue has been attracting significant volumes of further social media comments, from customers complaining that they were being prevented/delayed from exercising their rights of cancellation and expressing the harm it was doing-sometimes financial- to their interests.

We are told on the Sky forum that our concerns are being taken seriously and being addressed. We’ll see.

edfellows

Think I know who you are PEN1! I think I have read many of your posts in the sky forum.

Was having a look on money expert to see if anyone was raising the issues here. Notice the usual though. Advertising the sky deals - seemed an anomaly - many customers trying to cancel would not say they were saving money!

pen1

I think I know who you think I am, edfellows.:D

Per my list in the other thread to which you posted, the issue has been raised on MSE in the past, but nothing near the scale of anger at what's going on that has been posted on the Sky forum and Twitter feed.

The manner in which "written" cancellations are treated by Sky has been a constant discussion point for several years. However, awareness of it escalated in the past few months, in my view, because customers were experiencing long telephone delays, thus were looking for alternative methods of downgrading/cancelling and then discovered what some of us already knew.

pingu

spoke to sky in july to cancel ((really wanted to cancel)) special offer was coming to end was told by adviser to call back on the last day the current offer ends and there is 6 month half price on my account and he has put notes on my account
called back and was told by another adviser that there is no offer on my account and no notes etc...
so cancelled
mrs likes recording crap like xfactor strickly and other sxxte terrestrial channels

so i plugged in sagemcom freesat box but she couldnt get used to it so before i could get anther box (bought humax) called sky to just have sky+ facility and asked if i needed to give 31 days notice to cancel he told me no just call and cancel no notice needed but when i called next day surprise surprise adviser was not sure so had check with someone and came back to say needed 31 days notice

i have sky bb and phone line(still under contract) so they are getting money from me so not really bothered about any offers or good customer service

safe to say i wont be with them once my bb/phone contract ends!!!