Does Sky Mobile always use these tricks when you try to make a formal complaint?

Keruge

I got two emails from Sky a day apart, first one said they were hiking price from £8 to £11, I had been staying with them while they resolved another matter, but they never did.

Then I got another email a day later saying I was out of contract and I could leave,

The price increase was going to take effect in less than 30 days and I was already paying a month in advance.

I therefore plan to cancel my direct debit on Monday.

So I made a formal complaint to Sky in line with their complaints procedure regarding the original issue I raised with them

I then got these

3rd EMAIL

Thanks for contacting us recently.

The unique reference number for your query is 4xxxxxxxxxx. Please keep this for your records and quote this should you need to contact us in the future.

If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to contact us.

then 4th EMAIL sent at exactly same time as 3rd email

Thanks for contacting us recently.

Just to let you know we've closed your complaint 4xxxxxxxxxx. Please keep this for your records and if you have any further questions please don't hesitate to contact us.

If you require further information on Sky's complaint handling procedures this can be found on Sky.com. If you've made a complaint to us about your Sky subscription services or specifically about our complaints handling process, and it hasn't been satisfactorily resolved after eight weeks, or we have issued a deadlock notification, you have the right to refer it to the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CISAS) who can be contacted by post: CISAS, 100 St Paul's Churchyard, London, EC4M 8BU. By phone: 02075 203 827 or by email: cisas@CEDR .com.

If we don't hear from you within 28 days of this email, we'll assume everything is resolved and take no further action.

So I tried to make a formal complaint to Sky via phone and they said they don't have a department for complaints.

This was after an hour on the phone being shuffled between broadband, TV and eventually mobile.

When I got through to the 4th person I asked them to confirm they were the complaints dept. and they said we don't have a complaints department and all calls are sent to retentions, who say they can't do anything.

They asked me how I wish to be contacted by a manager and I said via email, I got the standard email confirming the complaint ref saying

5th EMAIL ref increased in length (KMMnnnnnnnnnAnnnnAnAA )

"We have received your message and aim to provide you with a personal reply as soon as possible. We value your custom and appreciate your patience whilst we look into your enquiry."

I then got 6th EMAIL 4 days later

"Thanks for contacting us about your Sky account.

We've tried contacting you about your complaint but haven't been able to get hold of you. If your issue is still unresolved please contact us so we can help.

If we don't hear from you, we’ll assume everything is resolved and close your case within 28 days of the date of this notification."

Get hold of me? I got no email addressing the issue, just them trying to dump the complaint.

So I went back to the complaints page and funnily enough they had an option asking what you are complaining about and one of the pre-set choices was about a previously made complaint. I chose that and entered the reference number

I asked for an email response to the issues I raised.

When I made that complaint via the site and stated the preferred method of contact was via email. I specified I wanted a deadlock letter if they were not going to address the issues I raised.

EMAIL 7 followed a day later, virtually identical to the initial confirmation using same longer ref (KMMnnnnnnnnnAnnnnAnAA)

"This is an automatic acknowledgement of receipt of your email. Please do not reply to this email as replies to auto acknowledgements will remain unanswered.

Thank you for contacting Sky Help Centre.

We have received your message and aim to provide you with a personal reply as soon as possible. We value your custom and appreciate your patience whilst we look into your enquiry"

I am now expecting the complaint to be closed AGAIN in an 8th EMAIL

It is not a personal reply if they send me standard letters that do not address the issues raised and closing a complaint is not handling a complaint.

I assume I can consider us at deadlock now and complain to their Ombudman and then County Court for breach of contract?

I dumped their TV service many years ago after disgusting underhand conduct, then I took out their Broadband years ago when you could get an MSE deal for peanuts, I got three of those deals on MSE or by getting them to price match. When they decided not to compete I cancelled the Broadband and on mobile I have been with them for 8 years. Originally they were cheap and they matched MSE deals, plus included the piggybank rollover but all has gone to $%^&£ and service is dire anyway.

My main question for you guys is whether these tricks are normal behaviour for Sky Mobile?

JSmithy45AD

Most of that seems to be down to you keep putting in multiple complaints, any open complaints will be closed so that there's only one open.

What exactly is your complaint?

Cancelling the DD is the wrong thing to do as that doesn't cancel the contract, you'll possibly lose your number into the bargain. Send a text for the PAC.

born_again

Without any timeline, no one has any idea.

You have to give them chance to look at your complaint. Simply keeping sending emails is a waste of both yours & their time. Which leads to posts like yours.

You can not just demand a deadlock letter. If their timescales are anything like banking. They have 8 weeks to respond, with either how they will address your issue or a deadlock letter.

Keruge

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81865343#Comment_81865343

If I had not sent further complaints the matter would be CLOSED.

So NOT a waste of time.

What do you mean posts "like mine", is that supposed to be some sort of insult?

Today, as expected, I got another email saying they are closing.

Also I CAN request a deadlock letter, it is advised regularly by Consumer Lawyer Dean Dunham KC.

I asked people here without a timeline because many would know whether these things always come back.

As it is with the lack of response I did my own research from other sources and will be publishing my findings, so far it is quite interesting. I need to figure out how to paste a table.here.

southsidergs

Why straight to a complaint? You received notice of an increase & can either leave or negotiate. Cancelling DD is also completely the wrong thing. Why not just negotiate or cancel rather than wasting time raising numerous complaints which won't change those options anyway?

Keruge

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81865961#Comment_81865961

As explained in my original post which you clearly did not understand, the complaint is about a completely different matter.

Sky already decided they did not want to compete and I did get the PAC code to transfer, hence I am looking at Lebara now.

The complaint is about a totally separate issue that is a breach of contract. What they are doing is failing to follow their own procedures and breaching the Practice Direction for pre-action conduct.

I heard on radio that Sky Mobile is also failing to give people adequate notice of price increases.

I have cancelled the DD as it is completely the proper thing to do, in the past when I left Sky they took money despite the contract being terminated. They made the point that I pre-pay when I queried a charge being taken before service was provided.

born_again

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81865930#Comment_81865930

No insult.

Still trying to work out what exactly you are complaining about & what outcome are you looing for?

As other poster why straight to complaint?

You posted & gave no indication of any time between starting the complaint & the emails you sent?

Companies do not have staff sat there waiting for a message to drop in & then spend their time resolving it. The person picking up your complaint may not work in complaints team, so it would be sent to them & await someone to pick it up & deal with it. (hence a timeline of emails) With a change of policy such as this, there maybe many more, leading to longer waits & hold emails.

They will then look at the complaint & try to resolve it & if they can't at that point send a email with reference & a hold.

In reality it appears (again timeline helps) you are not giving them time to fully look into your complaint.

la531983

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81866139#Comment_81866139

Have you heard of the Direct Debit Guarantee?

Direct debits taken in error or not legitimately can be recalled rather easily.

Keruge

(Removed by Forum Team)

The breach of contract does not concern you, the issue is how they handle complaints and automatically close them without doing anything. So as I explained above, they are in breach of their own complaints procedure.

Cancelling the DD is absolutely the RIGHT things to do as I have terminated the contract, got a PAC code and called them to tell them why I am leaving, two hours of conversations, so they do not need a crystal ball. They are also emailing to ask me to come back so they know I am done with them.

The rod is theirs and of their making, I am keen to take it to Court because I am sure that many many people have been affected, I will not mention it yet so as not to prejudice live proceedings. However, once I win, I will let people know so they can put in their own claim.

Keruge

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81866216#Comment_81866216

Yes I tried that last time when I cancelled Broadband, it did not work and I had to go to a 3rd party before they conceded. They also paid me £150 for inconvenience.

I also tried to us DD Guarantee when energy company charged me for a statement wrongly calculated with 3 months of estimated reads before I was even an occupier, my bank said that due to energy crisis they were not taking DD Guarantee requests because as they had issued a statement it was deemed valid, even though I had disputed the statement.

Again, I got my money back and the ombudsman awarded an extra £200, plus interest.

In my experience the DD Guarantee is meaningless.

Prevention is better than cure.

The issue of this thread is the Sky Complaints procedure, not other stuff like DD's.

EdSanRo

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81866139#Comment_81866139

In all fairness to the other posters here, I read through your post and have to admit that I am also not entirely in the clear about your issue.

Lebara: money-wise good choice. I noticed slight lower call quality over TalkMobile (both of course on same Vodafone network). TalkMobile's customer service in app is second to none. I pay 3.75 for 100GB, so can't complain about call quality. My own choice.

I hope you get your issue sorted with Sky. I was just talking to them on the customer service chat, and find them always very helpful, faster than calling. (Still have a handset with them for another 10 months) So far I can't fault them, been a customer since 2021