SKY Broadband Cut Off Before Exchange by Owners To Be

Cracken

Hi All,

Currently in a long and drawn out house move and we are now approaching exchange but have not yet exchanged. The buyers of my property have jumped the gun and requested that the phone and broadband with SKY (I hate SKY but not my decision) be taken over.

After speaking with sky it turns out that they have written to us but due to a plethora of difficulties we are going through personally as a family we did not see the post (already redirected) until it was too late.

As a result we have lost our phone line and number which was a communication channel with hospitals for my wife and son amongst other things. We've also lost our broadband service which has been disconnected and which I rely on for home working between driving to far off offices and client sites.

All this has happened without my permission and without the future owners having any legal claim on the property or services.

Has anyone else been through this? Do I have any leverage to get SKY to sort this out promptly (I need an outcome rather than any drawn out protracted argument)?

Currently Sky have advised that I call back tomorrow and request a 'takeover' of the new line but this could take up to two weeks for BT Open Reach to connect to the exchange and press a few buttons. Now I've no idea when we will move, it could be as quick as a week or drag out further but either way I need the internet back ASAP.

Just one of a number of failings by various parties in our house move

Any help or advice much appreciated.

patman99

Buy yourself a PAYG mobile phone and make sure to keep all the receipts for the phone and top-ups.

Make sure your solicitor informs them that as THEY transferred THEIR broadband to YOUR number and address without obtaining YOUR permission, THEY are responsible for any and all costs incurred by you in remedying this.

They had an extreme cheek in doing this. They don't own the property (yet) so are in no position to start switching service providers.

Out of spite, I would arrange for the phone line to be disconnected at the exchange the day you complete. Now that would cost them a few quid to deal with.

Cracken

patman99 wrote: »

Buy yourself a PAYG mobile phone and make sure to keep all the receipts for the phone and top-ups.

Make sure your solicitor informs them that as THEY transferred THEIR broadband to YOUR number and address without obtaining YOUR permission, THEY are responsible for any and all costs incurred by you in remedying this.

They had an extreme cheek in doing this. They don't own the property (yet) so are in no position to start switching service providers.

Out of spite, I would arrange for the phone line to be disconnected at the exchange the day you complete. Now that would cost them a few quid to deal with.

Despite the extreme frustration and inconvenience this has caused me they are first time buyers who have been waiting along with the rest of us for this to happen for over 8 months now - I suspect they are excited and just did not think. What frustrates me the most is that SKY have just carried out the switch with no proper checks or authorisation.

Nicki

Is there a working phone line just with a different number? If so, would the buyers to be not let you give that number as a temporary fix for hospital and work calls? Likewise if their broadband is up and running on their bill why can you not agree with them that you will use it until completion?

Not ideal but a practical fix perhaps. As they shouldn't have cut off your services it's not unreasonable they pick up the bill for the broadband and certainly non-international phone calls until completion

AnotherJoe

Did I read this right? You redirected your post before you exchanged ?

G_M

AnotherJoe wrote: »

Did I read this right? You redirected your post before you exchanged ?

So in different ways, both parties are jumping the gun.

What else have you both done? Have they give notice on their rented flat? Have you booked the removal van? Have they ordered new furniture? Have youbooked time off work to move?

........

Dird

I don't understand what this situation is. Are both you & the FTBs both with Sky? Doesn't this now mean you're getting free Internet before exchange (as it's in their name)? Or there's 2 broadbands so you can still use your old one & just need to update the hospital phone records?

I don't see how your Internet would just be instantly cut off as when I switched from Virgin to Sky I had to give 30 days notice with Virgin & used them both for a while.

Are you exchanging & completing pretty close together? If so, have you not already told your ISP you'll be moving? As it will also take like 2 weeks for them to come out to the new place

beanandbean

You redirected your post before your move..... Do you have access to it?!

eddddy

Cracken wrote: »

Currently Sky have advised that I call back tomorrow and request a 'takeover' of the new line...

Be careful about doing this.

Would you be initiating (or taking over) a 12 month contract? That could be very expensive to cancel if you move in a few weeks time.

It might be better to contact your previous provider to explain that your contract was terminated by somebody who wasn't the account holder, and without the account holder's consent. So you want the service re-instated on the same contract terms.

POPPYOSCAR

Non of this makes any sense to me.


Not even exchanged contracts and:


Post -redirected?
Sky contract cancelled by someone other than the contract holder and no new service in its place for the 'new' owner?

giddypenguin

I would be asking to speak to a manager at Sky tomorrow, and making a bit of a fuss - how can the actions of someone else change my contract with a service provider?

But, as others have mentioned, doesn't that mean you now have free sky? Have they changed your phone number?