Sky overcharging?

WhatDoYouDoForMoneyHoney

Hi all. I’ve got to the stage where I’m ready to get rid of Sky. I’m probably moving in the new year so will stick with it until then to avoid switching now and getting in to new contracts elsewhere which I then have to move etc.

I do watch a LOT of TV and regularly make use of On Demand, Movies & Sports, as well as other channels, so up until now I’ve always felt that despite the large cost, I do get my money’s worth. But given that I can access so many of these shows/films/sports online etc. nowadays, I’m starting to think I can watch all these things in a more cost-effective way elsewhere and won’t be lining Murdoch and co.’s pockets in the meantime.
Trying to work out my Sky bill seems to require a degree in accountancy. Two of my live chats on the site there have taken nearly three hours, let alone hours of phone calls spread across weeks back in March when I was on the verge of leaving. I’ve recently noticed an erroneous £10 charge I’ve had on my account for the past five bills which is going to be credited onto next month’s. The fact I’ve got so many credits on my account does make things harder to read and perversely seems to mean they’re probably more likely to get away with sneaking in extra unnecessary charges here & there. I can’t help but think I’m still paying way OTT (even by Sky’s standards) in the meantime and would like to see if any fellow customers can spot places where I’m overpaying, judging by similar packages:

Family with Sport & Movies - £66
HD Pack - £5.25
Multiscreen - £11.25

I am currently receiving a discount of £10.75 for all the hassle I received back in March, so this is offering a slight reduction until March 2015. But this still seems an awful lot to me - £82.50 and that’s not including my phone & BB on top, which is a whole other story!

[Deleted User]

Other than Sky's now rectified errors, I can't see any overcharging from what you detail. In fact, you appear to be paying less than most for HD.

Regardless, the thing to realise is that Sky IS expensive-something you'll come to realise even more if you leave them and make do with the free viewing options available to you.

Captain89

Agree with the post above that those prices are correct. Sky is a luxury item that could run you close to 1k per year if you take out the full TV package alone without any discounts.

The way sky does their bills is slightly confusing at times but I've never had a problem with them overcharging me. They seem to add and remove the same item multiple times but always ends up with the correct amount. For example when I purchased the 2TB box for £49 there were around 6 transactions total in my bill just for that purchase.....

tomtontom

If you are out of contract give them a call to disconnect, they should offer you a far better deal than that. My dad has the same tv plus MUTV, line rental and anytime call package, and unlimited internet for approx £50 a month.

MataNui

The thing with sky is they keep changing the packages. I have the family bundle which has HD channels but i dont get the movies (i have a nowTV account) and wont ever be bothering with sky sports. I only pay £16 a month for this as i got a good deal from tne online team when i signed up.

To be honest its no wonder there are so many billing mistakes given that sky customers will be on lots of different packages at different costs depending when they joined yet many will probably be getting pretty much the same thing.

WhatDoYouDoForMoneyHoney

Moneyineptitude wrote: »

Other than Sky's now rectified errors, I can't see any overcharging from what you detail. In fact, you appear to be paying less than most for HD.

Regardless, the thing to realise is that Sky IS expensive-something you'll come to realise even more if you leave them and make do with the free viewing options available to you.

I speak to some people and I feel like I'm being overcharged and others I feel like I'm getting a decent deal. I've been with Sky for twelve years now and because I watch 75-100 movies a month and 2-3 football matches a week, let alone TV shows & other sports on top of that, I've always been willing to pay whatever necessary to have the best packages etc. but with all these things now being more open and options elsewhere, I feel it's best to be a bit smarter about it all.

WhatDoYouDoForMoneyHoney

MataNui wrote: »

The thing with sky is they keep changing the packages. I have the family bundle which has HD channels but i dont get the movies (i have a nowTV account) and wont ever be bothering with sky sports. I only pay £16 a month for this as i got a good deal from tne online team when i signed up.

To be honest its no wonder there are so many billing mistakes given that sky customers will be on lots of different packages at different costs depending when they joined yet many will probably be getting pretty much the same thing.

I think that's part of the problem. I've had so many odd discounts here & there from them after 12 years, making me stay with them for another year or two, that it's hard to keep up with whether I'm getting the very best value or not. I suspect I've probably overpaid at times and underpaid at times, my worry was that I was being taken for a ride which doesn't appear to be the case at least.

WhatDoYouDoForMoneyHoney

tomtontom wrote: »

If you are out of contract give them a call to disconnect, they should offer you a far better deal than that. My dad has the same tv plus MUTV, line rental and anytime call package, and unlimited internet for approx £50 a month.

I think I'd do that if I were staying but not sure I'd want to stay with them even at a reduced rate really now, thanks for that though, interesting...

WhatDoYouDoForMoneyHoney

Captain89 wrote: »

Agree with the post above that those prices are correct. Sky is a luxury item that could run you close to 1k per year if you take out the full TV package alone without any discounts.

The way sky does their bills is slightly confusing at times but I've never had a problem with them overcharging me. They seem to add and remove the same item multiple times but always ends up with the correct amount. For example when I purchased the 2TB box for £49 there were around 6 transactions total in my bill just for that purchase.....

The fact I called them out on the £10 overpayment has led to me to question everything they've charged me, what makes it hard is that everyone I speak to seems to be getting a different deal so I suppose it's a personal judgement call to make.

WhatDoYouDoForMoneyHoney

I'm now overpaying for Sky BB & Line Rental after a couple of years with free or half price. The logical step if I wanted to stay with Sky would be the two year free BB deal but I'm not keen on getting into an 18 month contract with them so I'm going to have to suck up paying full price for phone & BB for a while

[Deleted User]

WhatDoYouDoForMoneyHoney wrote: »

I'm now overpaying for Sky BB & Line Rental after a couple of years with free or half price.

You're not "overpaying" though, you're now paying the correct price after formerly having a deal!