Sky Variety Package

DisneyQueen

I have been a Sky TV customer for 15 years and I have been on the Variety package since that package was set up by Sky. Sky ended the Variety package at the end of January 2018. They now only have the Entertainment package with the option of adding extras on at an extra cost.
The Variety package has the same TV channels as the Entertainment package, but with the kid’s TV programmes included. So, the Variety package was £32 and the Entertainment package is £20 plus an additional £5 if you want the kid’s TV programmes too.
Sky didn’t inform me in any way that the Variety TV package I was on was ending at the end of January 2018. But since that date they have continued to charge me £32 a month for it despite the fact that it no longer exists.
I only found out today, purely by chance, that I was being overcharged £12 a month. I phoned Sky and they said that the changes to the Variety package were ‘widely advertised’. I pointed out that they were still charging me £32 a month for a package that didn’t exist, but that they were happy to keep taking my money because I wasn’t aware that my package had been withdrawn. Sky said that it was my responsibility to contact them to have my package changed and that they wouldn’t contact me to change it. I told them that someone from Sky had phoned me in the last couple of weeks to ask if I wanted to upgrade to Sky Movies and that they hadn’t even mentioned to me that my Variety package was obsolete. They had their opportunity then to tell me that I could save myself £12 a month by changing to the Entertainment package (£20 per month) but they chose to say nothing.
I told Sky that I was so disgusted with them overcharging me that I wanted to end my subscription (I’m not under contract with them). Sky said that they didn’t want me to cancel and maybe they could offer me something so that I would stay. I asked if they were going to refund my overpayment since January and they said no. Instead they offered me a £5 a month discount on the Entertainment package (£15 instead of £20) for 18 months but I would then have to enter an 18-month contract with them. I really couldn’t believe the absolute cheek of it. They had overcharged me for months on end and were offering me a measly £5 discount but expecting me to tie myself into an 18-month contract to get the money back that they owed me anyway.
Needless to say, I went ahead and gave them notice to cancel my subscription.
I only wonder how many other Sky customers are being charged £12 a month too much for their non-existent Variety package.

Not a good way to do business is it.

iniltous

I'm in the same situation but was aware of the option to reduce costs by moving to the 'entertainment' pack.
I could be wrong, but my understanding is you are recontracted and in my case I didn't want to be inside an 18 month contract even though it would be£12/month cheaper as I wouldnt take the children's channels.
If it is the case that moving from the legacy Variety pack to the current cheaper Entertainment pack locks you into an 18month deal, that is appalling , as they have no up front costs to cover , (like if you took a totally new service and they supplied equipment ) so how can Sky justify the 18 month term ?

[Deleted User]

The Variety pack does still exist, it's just that you can't buy it anymore. I'm on Boxsets which is also a legacy package (the correct name for anything that isn't Entertainment) but then I'm on 50% off for a rolling monthly 18 month contract.

You've been paying full price for Variety for a long time when you could have renegotiated earlier and got a lower price, you don't expect Sky to refund you for that do you? Sky are a business, not a charity and although people might think it would be nice of them to give you a lower price automatically their shareholders would disagree.

You can BTW get a rolling monthly contract on Entertainment for £5 a month extra although they don't like to advertise that too much.

Now you've scheduled a cancellation they'll offer you a better discount perhaps, £11 a month for Entertainment and £1 per add-on is the best I've seen on here, sometimes on a rolling monthly contract although if you've been with them that long I'm guessing you weren't looking to move anyway?

[Deleted User]

iniltous wrote: »

so how can Sky justify the 18 month term ?

They don't need to justify anything unfortunately, it's entirely up to you whether you agree to it or not. However as I said above I believe you can pay an extra £5 a month to have a rolling monthly contract rather than an 18 month one if it suits you. You will save some money at least.

Neil_Jones

The easiest solution to the all-too-common "I think I'm paying too much for Sky" problem is to phone them up and say you want to leave. Doing that on its own will usually generate a conversation along the lines of "what do you watch, do you watch everything you're paying for, if not we can downgrade you to this". The best deals are available for taking an 18 month contract, especially if you can get one that is fixed for 18 months and you can get that confirmation in writing. If you have Cinema and/or Sports you have more muscle if you like for a better deal as these are usually from £18 each a month on top of Entertainment.

Sky Entertainment on its own is better value than the old Variety Package, as the only real difference between it and the Entertainment package is the inclusion of the children's channels, so you're paying £12 for a set of channels you can get for £5 by moving package. That on its own would save you £84 a year.

DisneyQueen

The whole point of my post was that Sky contact me about everything else that involves me spending more money...signing up for sports or movies, getting their broadband or phone, or their mobile contracts. They tell me when they even contact me when they are putting their prices up, but they couldn't let me know that my package was obsolete and that now was the time to review it. I know that they are not alone when it comes to this kind of practise in business, but I am finished with them now. They have phoned me recently and told me that they are trying to give me the best deal, all the time knowing that they could potentially save me £12 per month by telling me that my package is an old one and that another package would be cheaper. And, to be honest if I thought that I was £12 better of a month I might have signed up for another add on with the savings.
This isn't the first time I've been lied to by Sky. In the past I have agreed to an upgrade which I was told was only £5 per month, only to find out a couple of months later from my bank that the upgrade was more than double this. On that occasion Sky were not interested in investigating this 'con' and again tried to get me to sign up for an even longer 'deal'. I realise it's business and that they have shareholders, but without loyal customers you have NO business.
They can offer me whatever they like now, I don't trust them and I WON'T be going back to Sky.

[Deleted User]

DisneyQueen wrote: »

They can offer me whatever they like now, I don't trust them and I WON'T be going back to Sky.

As long as you are fully aware that (to my knowledge) every other company do exactly the same. It's up to you the customer to manage your accounts and subscriptions.

mije1983

Business in shock move to try and make money! Awful...

DisneyQueen

I was trying to help Sky customers who might be in a similar situation so that they could stop wasting £12 a month.

Colin_Maybe, I'm sure that there are a lot of customers out there who are not aware of what has happened.

mije1983, being sarcastic isn't really helpful to forum readers is it. I was trying to contribute information that might be helpful to others.

When forum users are ridiculed they don't post again and forums like this lose information which others might find useful. you might not agree with what is being said but there is no need to poke fun at people.

mije1983

DisneyQueen wrote: »

When forum users are ridiculed they don't post again and forums like this lose information which others might find useful. you might not agree with what is being said but there is no need to poke fun at people.

It's not ridicule. It's trying to make people responsible for themselves rather than expecting hand holding through life.

Sky = business
Joe Public = consumer

Both have completely different goals. Their's to make money, yours to save money. They are not going to offer to save you money unless they have to. The same as you wouldn't offer them more money unless you had to.

Your package hasn't ceased to be available, it's just not available to new customers. There are probably hundreds of thousand of people still on legacy packages. In fact, I still have an old 'obsolete' package that I am more than happy with, and have no intention of moving to the new packages.

In most industries, there is no law that says businesses must inform you of cheaper alternatives. The onus is on the consumer to think for themselves, which is how it should be for the most part.

Neil_Jones

DisneyQueen wrote: »

The whole point of my post was that Sky contact me about everything else that involves me spending more money...signing up for sports or movies, getting their broadband or phone, or their mobile contracts. They tell me when they even contact me when they are putting their prices up, but they couldn't let me know that my package was obsolete and that now was the time to review it.

The "prices going up" notification is standard and considered a detrimental change to the contract which is why they notify you. It tells you this in the terms and conditions, which I presume you read?

And the package was not "obsolete", it was just no longer available. If it was obsolete you would no longer be on it at all. It is ultimately up to your good self, the customer, to ensure you are on the best deal for you. The launch of Sky Entertainment was widely publicised including on sites like this one and just like in law and with the greatest of respect, ignorance (and to an extent apathy) is no defence.

I know that they are not alone when it comes to this kind of practise in business, but I am finished with them now. They have phoned me recently and told me that they are trying to give me the best deal, all the time knowing that they could potentially save me £12 per month by telling me that my package is an old one and that another package would be cheaper. And, to be honest if I thought that I was £12 better of a month I might have signed up for another add on with the savings.
This isn't the first time I've been lied to by Sky.

You haven't been lied to. While Variety is "old", it is still valid and suitable for lots of people. You pay for all the channels in the variety package and you were able to receive all the packages in the variety package, yes? As above the fact a new package/system that happens to work out cheaper for you is nice but its ultimately your responsibility to get onto it.

They can offer me whatever they like now, I don't trust them and I WON'T be going back to Sky.

You are actually in the best position now to get the better deals now you've left, expect some "Come back to Sky" deals to follow.

With regards to "I was trying to help Sky customers who might be in a similar situation so that they could stop wasting £12 a month", maybe they want to "waste" £12 a month on a package that meets their needs?