Sky TV retention deals ( post your haggling successes )

ajmoney

ImranQ said:

ajmoney said:

I am currently out of contract and paying a very expensive £122.50 a month. The renewal cost in my account says it will be £107.50. Other than me getting rid of the sports package there doesn't appear to be an option to bring the price down below £100. I am currently undecided what to do and how much I am willing to pay but it is frustrating that it looks like I could get £37 a month as a new customer. As with all there things though, it is hard to actually price match like for like (or I am finding that harder to do anyway). Their price certainly doesn't seem to be something to shout about as a retention deal currently although I haven't gone as far as the retention team yet. I want to know my plan should I need to leave first!

So you haven't given notice to cancel? 

They dropped it to £65.50 when I said I was going to cancel (getting rid of one part of my package). I would have liked to stay with them but I don't watch a lot of the channels as much as I did so unfortunately it doesn't make sense to stay.

ImranQ

ajmoney said:

ImranQ said:

ajmoney said:

I am currently out of contract and paying a very expensive £122.50 a month. The renewal cost in my account says it will be £107.50. Other than me getting rid of the sports package there doesn't appear to be an option to bring the price down below £100. I am currently undecided what to do and how much I am willing to pay but it is frustrating that it looks like I could get £37 a month as a new customer. As with all there things though, it is hard to actually price match like for like (or I am finding that harder to do anyway). Their price certainly doesn't seem to be something to shout about as a retention deal currently although I haven't gone as far as the retention team yet. I want to know my plan should I need to leave first!

So you haven't given notice to cancel? 

They dropped it to £65.50 when I said I was going to cancel (getting rid of one part of my package). I would have liked to stay with them but I don't watch a lot of the channels as much as I did so unfortunately it doesn't make sense to stay.

Mine had increased to close to a rolling mid-90s after the contract expired. When I gave notice they offered around mid-70s and then mid-60 during the cancellation. Finally after the cancellation period expired, I was offered 47 which I am now on. However I was prepared to quit right up to the end.
My point is, you have to not falter if you want a decent price - like you say they are offering much cheaper prices to new customers while they seemingly let the existing easy money customers go! It's just a chicken game...

Catplan

Got email from them offering signature and sky sports for £35 a month with £10 admin fee. Phoned them as wanted a total month figure including broadband yeah we can do that but it’s £20 admin…. Said email wrong, thanked them for the time but pointed out virgin still cheaper so I’m off to them.

MouldyOldDough

Catplan said:

Got email from them offering signature and sky sports for £35 a month with £10 admin fee. Phoned them as wanted a total month figure including broadband yeah we can do that but it’s £20 admin…. Said email wrong, thanked them for the time but pointed out virgin still cheaper so I’m off to them.

It really makes me angry when I have been a paying customer for 23 years and they are unwilling to even offer me a new customer price - on my Q box - I mean, a new customer needs expensive kit and all that I need is a signal !!

Catplan

PMouldyOldDough said:

Catplan said:

Got email from them offering signature and sky sports for £35 a month with £10 admin fee. Phoned them as wanted a total month figure including broadband yeah we can do that but it’s £20 admin…. Said email wrong, thanked them for the time but pointed out virgin still cheaper so I’m off to them.

It really makes me angry when I have been a paying customer for 23 years and they are unwilling to even offer me a new customer price - on my Q box - I mean, a new customer needs expensive kit and all that I need is a signal !!

I’m 26 years, I’m gone 27th of this month now. They’ll use the a but you got a deal when you signed up, things change in 26 years though……

ImranQ

Catplan said:

Got email from them offering signature and sky sports for £35 a month with £10 admin fee. Phoned them as wanted a total month figure including broadband yeah we can do that but it’s £20 admin…. Said email wrong, thanked them for the time but pointed out virgin still cheaper so I’m off to them.

I've just come off Virgin 1GB internet. They wanted £58 p/m for renewal in the end. I moved over to 1GB Vodafone fibre on £33 p/m (£38 p/m if you don't have a mobile with them). A lot cheaper than Virgin and generally I am getting  much higher bandwidth even though Virgin claim to be faster than fibre.
When your Virgin contract expires, you will find Virgin are as bad as Sky if not worse. 

MouldyOldDough

ImranQ said

A lot cheaper than Virgin and generally I am getting  much higher bandwidth even though Virgin claim to be faster than fibre.

So how do Virgin claim that they connect you to the Internet if not by fibre? 

Detail_Merchant

MouldyOldDough said:

ImranQ said

A lot cheaper than Virgin and generally I am getting  much higher bandwidth even though Virgin claim to be faster than fibre.

So how do Virgin claim that they connect you to the Internet if not by fibre? 

Virgin Media generally use coax cable originally installed for cable TV, not fibre-optic.

Using Docsis 3.1 they can offer 1gb/s via the coax.

MarcusUEA

Thanks, everyone - this worked really well! Discovered this thread a few weeks ago (30th Dec) and rang Sky to get a better package.  After a lot of back and forth, the best they said they could do was:

Signature £24

Ultimate TV £4  (Netflix basic)

Netflix £7 (Netflix premium)

HD £7 

Kids £2 

£44.00 

No admin fees


I told them I've seen it cheaper on here for Sky Q customers returning.  The woman got quite aggressive and said she was 'fed up with customers just telling her the prices they want'.  I said politely that it was nothing personal, but it seemed unfair others were getting a better offer.  

I told her I'd like to leave unless she could match the offers I'd seen on here.  I worked out I could get it for £39.00 a month and said I'd leave otherwise. 

She began to process my leaving, then at the last minute came back with £42.00 (after apparently checking with her supervisors' manager!).

I'd had enough by that point and asked to leave anyway unless they could do £39.00.  I was told that's simply not possible. 

Fast forward to today.  Got a text message asking me to call them. 

Just spoke to a nice chap who offered me it for £34.00!  

Signature £17

Ultimate TV £4 (Netflix basic)

Netflix £7 (Netflix premium)

HD £5 

Kids £2 

£34.00


He insisted he could not move the £10 admin fee - which I challenged him a lot because his colleague did two weeks ago. 

Overall I'm happy.  Leaving Sky and waiting for the text message saved me £180 over the next 18 months.  

Although, I have to say it's a really bad way of dealing with customers.  

ImranQ

MouldyOldDough said:

ImranQ said

A lot cheaper than Virgin and generally I am getting  much higher bandwidth even though Virgin claim to be faster than fibre.

So how do Virgin claim that they connect you to the Internet if not by fibre? 

Vodafone use BT FTTP fibre-optic using (generally) overhead cables (from the masts) . Virgin use their own standalone underground hybrid copper/optical cable network.