best value Sky tv swap

budget_barbie

hi there,

We've been loyal ( can't be bothered shifting) customers of Sky for more years than i care to think about. 20 odd years probably.

So I logged in once I worked out our passwords and rest everything.

We are currently paying £31 a month, for a variety package. We don't watch sport , extra kids channels etc.

How can I best cut the cost. We had contemplated upgrading to Q as we are currently Sky+ HD but it seems that would be an extra £12 a month, plus installation etc.

My other query is that when i logged in we are still listed at our old address, we self installed the system when we moved house about 8 years ago! Does that mean I could get a better deal as a new customer at my bew address? Or shoudl I change the address and then haggle as a loyal customer ?

Any advise apprecaited.

[Deleted User]

The extra £12 for Q is purely for multiroom & a mini box(and I think Ultra HD).

If you want Q and you've been with them over 15 years you get free Q setup, the current minimum price is for the new Entertainment pack launched yesterday for £20 for new customers and £25 full price so yes you can do much better. If you're happy with your HD box and Variety then aim for 50% off your price.

https://www.sky.com/newmyskyapp/discover-your-new-loyalty-programme

Join the VIP scheme (it's free) and you'll get numerous benefits including a free DVD.

budget_barbie

thank you Colin, that is really helpful. thank you for posting. I don't suppose you know where I can find the list of the channels in Entertainment package?

So I could get Q but without multiroom, and take entertainment and just be £20 a month? Is the £20 an introductory price for 3/6 months or the permanent monthly charge?

[Deleted User]

budget_barbie wrote: »

thank you Colin, that is really helpful. thank you for posting. I don't suppose you know where I can find the list of the channels in Entertainment package?

So I could get Q but without multiroom, and take entertainment and just be £20 a month? Is the £20 an introductory price for 3/6 months or the permanent monthly charge?

The Entertainment channels are all listed here in categories:

http://www.sky.com/shop/tv/#section-2

The £20 is the price for new customers (full price is £25) and they pay £20 up front for the 'basic' 1TB box for an 18 month contract.

You need to join the VIP scheme first and then you'll see your offers via the Android/iOS app. I would phone them as well once you've joined up.

If you don't need the Q system then you could keep your Variety pack as I think you get the same channels (plus kids & F1) and if out of minimum term (given your costs a certainty) you could get what seems to be a standard 50% off plus maybe £25 credit. You may need to agree an 18 month contract (I got a rolling monthly one for 18 months) but you'd only be paying £15.50 a month.

budget_barbie

I see you can pick up sky q boxes on ebay now, we self installed the existing box when we moved house, I wonder if we could negotiate money off the existing package and just pick up a second hand q box?

We could really do with the extra recording space and recording more than 2 channels at a time. Most of what we watch is recorded rather than live

[Deleted User]

budget_barbie wrote: »

I see you can pick up sky q boxes on ebay now, we self installed the existing box when we moved house, I wonder if we could negotiate money off the existing package and just pick up a second hand q box?

We could really do with the extra recording space and recording more than 2 channels at a time. Most of what we watch is recorded rather than live

Sky Q boxes are supposed to go back to Sky when the contract is terminated, I don't know what Sky's policy is with ones bought secondhand. They could potentially not enable them. Also don't forget that the Q system uses a different LNB (the bit at the end of the arm on the dish) so if it's hard to reach you may have to get Sky or a local person to do it anyway. If you really want Q then given you get free setup I'd get Sky to do it and get a new box at the same time.

Edit: here are the rewards for VIP (you're a Black member, now renamed Diamond. I wonder why they renamed it )

http://www.alphr.com/technology/1006510/sky-vip-loyalty-scheme-UK-rewards

budget_barbie

Hi Colin,

Thanks for bearing with me!
Joined VIp I'm on gold, as we last moved house 8 years ago and joined on an 'new customer' offer. Switching it out of my husbands' name into mine.

OK, so I called them for the first time in about 8 years this afternoon ( have to say their call handling had greatly improved, no wait, call back withint 5 minutes, and a very well spoken gentleman I could understand) I rekon that was the reason I didn't call them when we moved house, as the call handing 7 years ago was so awful.

Said I wanted to cancel, I was offered a discount of £6 a month to keep the package I was on, variety. on an 18month contract. Not an offer of new equipment etc.

So we chatted away and in the end I came away with 1tb Sky Q box for the £24.05 reduced price. Not to arrive till end of January but price reduced immediately. £20 installation charge and a £10 admin

Maybe I could have done better if I had had the guts to just cancel and wait for an offer, but hey ho. Still £6 a month saving and a bit of an update.

thanks so much for your guidance and help. Have a very merry Christmas !