Sky price rise – retention would not move despite 26-year customer

avatar259

Hi Folks - First post, so here goes…..

Today, I received Sky’s email about the April 2026 price increases and contract changes, so I phoned to discuss the account before deciding whether to cancel.

Our current package is £75/month and includes:

• Sky Signature
• Netflix Standard with Ads
• Sky HD
• Multiscreen
• 1 × Mini box (Bedroom)

The contract runs until February 2027.

I followed the usual approach recommended here: asked to be transferred from the offshore first-line team to the UK cancellations/retentions team and explained that because the price is increasing and some guarantees are being removed, I wanted to know what retention offers were available before deciding whether to cancel.

The retention adviser checked the account but said £75/month is already the lowest price available and no further discounts could be applied. They would not move at all.

Outcome:
Even after reaching the retention team, Sky would not reduce the price and said the only option if I was unhappy was to proceed with cancellation.

We’re also classed by Sky as a “VIP customer” due to the length of time we’ve been with them (around 26 years). However, that status appeared to make no difference at all when speaking with the retention team. They still maintained that £75/month was the lowest available price and would not apply any further discounts.

Isthisforreal99

So what are you going to do, leave or not? Do you really think 'VIP' means anything. If you do go ahead and cancel you may find they are more flexible.

ps, stop bolding every other sentence

Ayr_Rage

Time to start playing cancellation roulette then.

You may get a better deal if you move to Stream.

Brie

Have you tried checking for a similar package with another provider to give them a comparison? Or tried ringing them up as a new subscriber and see what their intro rate is?

I did try to have a look myself but without actually saying I want to switch to them (I don't) there seems to be no way of see what a package might actually include!

WelshPaul

Having been a Sky customer for 26 years and holding VIP status signals to Sky that your likelihood of you cancelling is very low.

JSmithy45AD

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6657993/sky-price-rise-retention-would-not-move-despite-26-year-customer

Looking at my bill and adding £10 for multiroom I can only get it to £67 with no discounts so that can not be your current "deal" and you do say you're under contract until Feb 2027 so you've given incorrect details there.

What are you missing out?

Detail_Merchant

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81909415#Comment_81909415

I don't think they are necessary missing anything out, just not on a very good deal.

Some of the official 'full' prices from the Sky Q terms and conditions - https://static.skyassets.com/contentstack/assets/blt7f2b03fd02c7fe60/blt5399f7ff9dfbd943/67ed379437684415db7844ab/download?disposition=inline - are quite high.

Signature says £35.50 but then further on "*Sky Signature costs £5 extra (£40.50 per month) as standard if you do not agree to a minimum term discount or when your minimum term ends." - i.e. a loyalty tax.

Also in there it says "Plus, it costs an extra £15 per month to add the Sky Q Multiscreen subscription to your Sky Q subscription package." rather than the £10 you mentioned.

It also mentions a "Legacy" HD pack in there - no price mentioned, but a quick search finds mention of £14/month.

If you add it all together it could easily be close to £75. And that's before the price rise this April (those Ts&Cs date from last April).

JSmithy45AD

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81909453#Comment_81909453

But they are in contract (according to them) so the extra £5 won't apply for starters (or at least shouldn't but perhaps being 28 years "loyal" means that wasn't available as a discount back then, I'm only 18 years myself :) ). I checked my own deals available for the cost of multi-room as I don't have it and it says £10 on a rolling monthly with no mention of a discount on it, but again maybe a legacy thing.

That said my Signature without the discount applied is £42.50 so Sky's billing can be hard to fathom with all of the legacy stuff rolled in

Peter999_2

I dumped them after they broke the terms of the contract by increasing mid contract. When I signed up I got several discounts so I won't have actually paid anything for the 6 months that I had it.

They made no attempt to keep me at all, but they are a business and not a charity in my eyes. I haven't heard a thing from the retentions and it's getting cut off in 2 days.

I've already signed up to use Three home broadband with a 5G modem instead and that is working fine - a damn sight cheaper as well.

Woodstok2000

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81909415#Comment_81909415

I'm on the same package as OP without multiroom, and paying £40 per month, so now who's missing stuff out?

Sky basically make their prices up, I've never known two people on the same package to be paying the same price after the first year or two.

soolin

I’m also a long standing VIP member and about 2 1/2 years ago had no luck at all with a decent retention deal. Previous to that I was able to phone them up each renewal time and negotiate something suitable, but last time they wanted a lot more money just to keep what I had.

When I said it was getting too expensive , we only had HD full channel (sport but no films) TV via a sky q box, they told us that they were obliged legally to offer us a £15 deal due to our age. However for that £15 I basically get nothing at all, except I get to keep the Q box and all the pausing, recording and voice search facility. I took the deal fully expecting them to come back with some deal or other after we started paying our £15 , but to this day they have made no contact at all with any offer, extras or begging letters trying to persuade us back. We really don’t miss all the bells and whistles, I tape a few things from the tv , my OH mainly watches YouTube but does keep some stuff on the sky q box from terrestrial or freeview . We are basically just renting a Q box and remote , and now that’s gone to £16 a month may have to rethink what to do going forward . We aren’t in any contract, just 30 day notice.

They really don’t seem to want to retain existing customers anymore, for us they wouldn’t even match any of the advertised packages for new customers.