Slightly shady renewal behaviour from Sky TV (shock horror) - advice pls

gypsymoth

Got a really sly email from Sky in May about our out of contract costs going up for our packages. Would appreciate a bit of tactical advice pls.

Attached is the email. I check my future bill for August and it goes up by £12 (£58 to £70pm) despite these claimed discounts, so their chat is nonsense. I'm happy to stay with them but I won't be fleeced after years of loyalty

I would like to drop Sky Cinema but don't want increases on the remaining packages.

Advice on next steps would be appreciated. Shall I wait until after the contract has ended (26th July I think) then renegotiate, or just call them tomorrow and threaten to leave? Bear in mind we had a price increase in April of £4

Thanks

Neil_Jones

Yeah you can do better than that by getting on the blower.

If you don't want Cinema any more, just drop it.

Other options are available for Sky content if you can live without UHD.

gypsymoth

Neil_Jones said:

Yeah you can do better than that by getting on the blower.

If you don't want Cinema any more, just drop it.

Other options are available for Sky content if you can live without UHD.

Thanks Neil

I guess my question was more about timing - phone them up now pre contract end or after?

I think we'd want to keep UHD as our TV is an OLED

Neil_Jones

Phone them up whenever you like, it'll probably start a new contract and you'll have what looks on your next bill a fascinating array of credits and charges.

brewerdave

Neil_Jones said:

Phone them up whenever you like, it'll probably start a new contract and you'll have what looks on your next bill a fascinating array of credits and charges.

Neil_Jones said:

Phone them up whenever you like, it'll probably start a new contract and you'll have what looks on your next bill a fascinating array of credits and charges.

I phoned up to cancel 30 days before the end of my discounted period and basically ignored their "wonderful" offer of a further 12 months discounts. Got a deal that was slightly better than the email (~ £5 pm) and for 18 months. However as per above ,the bill for July is totally impossible to understand - it has 9 credits, and 18 discounts detailed as well as 11 charges. I actually printed it off to try to reconcile - over a month later I still can't make sense of it (tho it agrees roughly with my fag packet calculation)

JSmithy45AD

There's nothing shady or sly about that offer at all although I'd like to see the actual breakdown of charges rather than 'savings'. Presumably they did give you that?

They're offering you a monthly rolling discounted deal that you can add or remove from, giving a months notice rather than just jumping to full price. If the discounts aren't suitable then call them and negotiate a new 2 year contract that you're tied in to and that will be subject to two mid-contract price rises around April of each year.

I guess some folk are just never happy.

gypsymoth

JSmithy45AD said:

There's nothing shady or sly about that offer at all although I'd like to see the actual breakdown of charges rather than 'savings'. Presumably they did give you that?

They're offering you a monthly rolling discounted deal that you can add or remove from, giving a months notice rather than just jumping to full price. If the discounts aren't suitable then call them and negotiate a new 2 year contract that you're tied in to and that will be subject to two mid-contract price rises around April of each year.

I guess some folk are just never happy.

No they havent, that's the point. Hence the sly comment. You seem to spend a fair bit of time on these forums so you'll know that companies can be opaque about pricing.

If you're happy to pay over the odds for a service, all the best. I'm not, hence posting on a 'money saving' website chief x

gypsymoth

brewerdave said:

Neil_Jones said:

Phone them up whenever you like, it'll probably start a new contract and you'll have what looks on your next bill a fascinating array of credits and charges.

Neil_Jones said:

Phone them up whenever you like, it'll probably start a new contract and you'll have what looks on your next bill a fascinating array of credits and charges.

I phoned up to cancel 30 days before the end of my discounted period and basically ignored their "wonderful" offer of a further 12 months discounts. Got a deal that was slightly better than the email (~ £5 pm) and for 18 months. However as per above ,the bill for July is totally impossible to understand - it has 9 credits, and 18 discounts detailed as well as 11 charges. I actually printed it off to try to reconcile - over a month later I still can't make sense of it (tho it agrees roughly with my fag packet calculation)

Thanks Dave - this is helpful and lines up with what I'v seen so far. It's tricky to pick apart their various discounts, especially when they regularly change package names etc. I'll give them a buzz today

JSmithy45AD

gypsymoth said:

JSmithy45AD said:

There's nothing shady or sly about that offer at all although I'd like to see the actual breakdown of charges rather than 'savings'. Presumably they did give you that?

They're offering you a monthly rolling discounted deal that you can add or remove from, giving a months notice rather than just jumping to full price. If the discounts aren't suitable then call them and negotiate a new 2 year contract that you're tied in to and that will be subject to two mid-contract price rises around April of each year.

I guess some folk are just never happy.

No they havent, that's the point. Hence the sly comment. You seem to spend a fair bit of time on these forums so you'll know that companies can be opaque about pricing.

If you're happy to pay over the odds for a service, all the best. I'm not, hence posting on a 'money saving' website chief x

So, nothing in your future bills? How do you know it's not a great deal if you don't know how much it is? There must be something somewhere that tells you what you'd be paying.

PendeLun

I'd look at cancelling HD/UHD as you'll get offers for it e.g 2 months free etc as I have. They are also 31day rolling contracts so cancel take up offer give your 31 day notice and you should in theory get another offer for it there after. Helps to save a few quid. I cancelled Cinema as well as wasn't using it often and got offered £10pm albeit on a 24 month contract 

Vegastare

I had a similar email from Sky I worked out that there wonderful offer is £5.34 per month more.
We have Sky Hd+ and a second older HD box...letter early this year asking us to move to Q as no updates to Sky HD+ after June(I think) - frankly have used Q but old fundy duddy and used to what we have.
Hubby took his eye of the ball due to my illness and think no contract thing plus to CPI has brought it £89 - next still higher.

Can I ask are they still offering Q to old customers  or not - would rather stick to older platforms rather than stream.  ITVX drives me mad.  Also do they still offer contract and can you get them lower - it was the norm we used to do - even if you give up the will to go on due to they tactics.