# SKY TV/Broadband "Service."



## horusd (3 Dec 2020)

I'm with SKY around 2/3 years. In the first year with them, I had to call to sort out the BB, and the hold times were awful.  To boot, I got a very high bill  for the call to SKY, I think one call cost me 10 Euro.  Last year, conscious of the high call costs,  I contacted them via Twitter. I agreed a lower amount on my last annual bill - dropped to 65 Euro a month for essentially BB & basic TV package. I get speeds around the 70mp mark, and it's adequate.  The contract deal expired and now the bill went to 93 Euro a month. I'm abroad and cannot use the local 0818 number to contact them.  They no longer respond to Twitter, and the customer service on boards.ie is closed (COVID I think).  I've logged into SKY and queued on the 'webchat' only to be told I was on the UK site and asked to call IRL, I explained I'm away and told they they don't have any other ways to contact SKY Ireland. I eventually contact SKY (UK) and they tried to transfer me to SKY Ireland, and I was left on hold for nearly an hour before I finally hung up.

I finally found an email "roi-complaints@sky.ie " (should anyone need it) and sent a complaint - still no essential  response, despite promises to do so in the procedures. I have now told SKY I will be canceling my package when I return to Ireland irrespective of any response they give me now. My point is at least twofold.  I will LEAVE SKY no matter what they do now, so they have lost a customer and over 1100 Euro a year because of terrible customer service. On the flipside, they offer  price incentives to 'new customers only' to entice new customers in.  I noted from the website that, if I was a new customer, I could get to webchat straight away - it appears only existing customers are sent to the back of the queue, or basically told to' go away' in  not so many words.  At several points on their website 'service' areas they sent customers in a loop to 'self-help' sections which are mostly useless. The facility to change 'my package' informs the customer that it is 'having technical difficulties' and try again later, and these difficulties have been  experienced every time I've gone to their website, and that has been many times, believe me.

  My points?

* There's more money in serving existing customers better than  new ones.

*Make retention a key objective of the business.

* Make sure the website works.

* Self-service facilities only work up to a point -customer care agents are needed.

* Webchat/email and  telephone customer care are not optional extras for any  modern business.

* Customer care can be a great selling point. 

I will be leaving SKY regardless of any offer they make and I mean that. They will not see me as a customer again, and I will tell anyone who asks me about my experience. They are losing a customer, 1100 euro a year, and all the reputational damage an irritated customer can do.   There has to be some smart service company who can capitalize on that.


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## Páid (3 Dec 2020)

When did you send the email?


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## Leo (3 Dec 2020)

horusd said:


> * There's more money in serving existing customers better than new ones.



The fact that they, and most other providers, still prioritise new customers and put them to the top of the queue tells you that we are still too slow to switch providers here.


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## Zebedee (3 Dec 2020)

Which company are you moving to?  I have virgin media and wouldn’t rate them highly on customer service. If I’m trying to get through I ring the sales team (answered instantly-what a shock!) and feign interest in an upgrade “but trying to decide given poor service to date...”. Usually get put through to service fairly quickly.


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## elcato (3 Dec 2020)

This is the unfortunate side of 'accountancy' reviews. They are told what each sections cost and then simply stop or filter that service to save money. There is no price or cost on collaboration with customers except the actual figure of hiring the people so get rid of the people and save instantly.


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## Hurling Fan (3 Dec 2020)

Not sure if you want to contact them again or if you can use a 1800 number from overseas but to contact Sky I use this free phone number 1800 92 74 76 ... might save you a few euro.


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## horusd (3 Dec 2020)

Páid said:


> When did you send the email?


Last week.  Got an acknowledgement, two in fact. No contact since then, but the complaint reference will be useful in case of a problem.

I'm planning to go back to Virgin as I had good service from them, and the offer is 24 Euro cheaper with higher BB speeds (I've got the Virgin wallpoint already) tho I had toyed with trying Vodafone, altho the reviews online aren't great.  The Eir offer would be far the best, but deffo not going there with the reviews!.

The 1800 number doesn't work from abroad -I did try that.

My main point is that SKY are kissing goodbye (or slamming the door) to an existing, paying customer, no add'l expense in getting him, and chucking money, service and deals to passing strangers discounting 370 euro from the standard price.  Now, I would have haggled to get my price down, and probably would have stayed paying around the 830 mark, a new customer would have paid 830 so in effect, they have expended costs in  advertising and setup/equipment and made no gains whatsoever, except to really annoy an existing customer who's going to share the terrible experience, and not come back. To me, this approach makes no sense on any level - either from a business or a customer service prospective.


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## Leo (3 Dec 2020)

horusd said:


> Now, I would have haggled to get my price down, and probably would have stayed paying around the 830 mark, a new customer would have paid 830 so in effect, they have expended costs in advertising and setup/equipment and made no gains whatsoever, except to really annoy an existing customer who's going to share the terrible experience, and not come back. To me, this approach makes no sense on any level - either from a business or a customer service prospective.



They run the numbers, €X spent on advertising will bring in a certain number of new customers. Customer service problems cost them a small number of existing customers and €Y revenue. So long as X far exceeds Y, they will continue to prioritise new customers over existing. It's only if a lot more people take your lead and cancel as a result of poor service that they'll be forced to do something about it.

Sky report combined results for the UK & Ireland, customer cancellations have hovered around the 10% mark for the last 10+ years now, improving somewhat since they introduced the VIP loyalty program before taking a dip as a result of the pandemic halting all major sports.


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## horusd (3 Dec 2020)

Thanks Leo. That's really very informative and hard-nosed. I'm not an accountant, but I cannot  for the life of me see how buying in a new customer with all the ancillary costs etc. works out profitably unless they're paying a lot more, (which they're  most certainly not), and will equate to losing a customer and the reputational damage and all that goes with that, but there ya go.  There are costs you simply cannot account for, such as reputational damage which surely has lingering effects on a brand.

I know I will not be going back to SKY, and I know I've already sent at least one new customer elsewhere (a friend looking to switch).   I used to manage a large corporate customer service operation, with lots of competitors, and we were very clued into retention and the value of those customers, and how easy it really was to keep them provided we gave a reasonable level of service. We didn't have to jump throught hoops - people just wanted respect and to be treated well. Not rocket science - but maybe I'm old school.


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## Leo (3 Dec 2020)

horusd said:


> Thanks Leo. That's really very informative and hard-nosed. I'm not an accountant, but I cannot for the life of me see how buying in a new customer with all the ancillary costs etc. works out profitably unless they're paying a lot more, (which they're most certainly not), and will equate to losing a customer and the reputational damage and all that goes with that, but there ya go. There are costs you simply cannot account for, such as reputational damage which surely has lingering effects on a brand.



Good customer service is expensive, and in a competitive market, consumers are more influenced by up-front price than customer service levels.

If customer complaints and reputational damage factored highly in consumer decision making, the likes of Ryanair and Eir would have gone out of business years ago. People keep going back because they like the price, others don't move because they perceive switching as a hassle.


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## horusd (3 Dec 2020)

Leo said:


> Good customer service is expensive, and in a competitive market, consumers are more influenced by up-front price than customer service levels.
> 
> If customer complaints and reputational damage factored highly in consumer decision making, the likes of Ryanair and Eir would have gone out of business years ago. People keep going back because they like the price, others don't move because they perceive switching as a hassle.


Rightio.  I don't really get this, but I accept customer service might go the way of extra bagage on a Ryanair flight, ya gotta pay for it. What strikes me about BB & TV is that these services aren't particularly cheap, or at least they don't seem to be to me, but with shareholders expecting a return  I suppose companies go for costs and customers don't vote with their feet. Anyway, done for me now, I'll pack my TV, my PC and take a walk to someone else. ;0)


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## MrEarl (3 Dec 2020)

Hello,

I previously experienced very poor service from Sky, but found their CEO (JD Buckley) most helpful, when I ultimately contacted him.

At the time, I contacted him via private message on LinkedIn. I see that he still has an account there, and he's also on Twitter, if anyone wanted to reach out to him.

Notwithstanding the above, I subsequently left Sky TV, due to their extortionate prices, and extremely poor broadband service.

I now have a far superior broadband service from Virgin, and a couple of Saoirview & FreeSat combination boxes, for TV. I'm saving about €700 a year (excluding the initial capital outlay, for the TV boxes - which paid for themselves in about 9 months), and it was definitely the right decision.


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## horusd (3 Dec 2020)

MrEarl said:


> Hello,
> 
> I previously experienced very poor service from Sky, but found their CEO (JD Buckley) most helpful, when I ultimately contacted him.
> 
> ...


Thanks MrEarl, I've given up on SKY so I'll not be in touch with anyone other than to finalize leaving them. I understand I keep the SKY dishbut must return the Q box thingie, I've asked them to clarify that.  I must check into the Saorview as it ma well work in combo with SKY dish. Did you get both and do you need a dish?


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## MrEarl (4 Dec 2020)

Hello,

Yes, you get to keep the dish - regardless of what Sky tell you, the simple fact is, that it would cost them a lot more to remove it, then it's worth. They also get the benefit of it being a marketing aid for Sky, given just about everyone thinks of Sky, when they see a dish. 

There are lots of combo boxes, offering both the free to air satellite channels, and Saoirview channels, through one box, with one remote control. Lots of different specs, almost all have EPGs, some offer record, pause live TV etc. 

The Sky dish will plug straight in to the new box, no card needed etc. That will get you the various free satellite channels. However, you will need a seperate, small antenna, for the Saoirview channels. Even if you are told that an indoor antenna will suffice, I would recommend that you get an outdoor one, as it'll ensure a better signal, during bad weather etc. They aren't expensive to buy, and have installed.

Have a look  here  to get an idea on what channels you can get etc.

I've no connection with that website or supplier btw, I just put a search into Google and selected the website, to illustrate the selection of channels etc.

.


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## Gordon Gekko (4 Dec 2020)

The market should really deal with these issues and focus the minds of the JD Buckleys and Carolan Lennons of this world.

The real value in these businesses is their annuity-type income streams. In a 0% interest rate environment, the market applies a very high multiple to recurring income. But if that’s threatened by poor customer service and reputational issues, it should have a disproportionately negative effect.

The smarter play would be to ignore the beancounters who just look at this year’s P&L and to spend the money to resolve these issues.

In Sky’s case, it’s particularly disappointing because in my view the product is superb.


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## Early Riser (4 Dec 2020)

MrEarl said:


> The Sky dish will plug straight in to the new box, no card needed etc. That will get you the various free satellite channels.



I don' think so - this would work with the older SKY dishes that go with the SkyHD system. The OP mentions Sky Q. This uses a different LNB and afaik it will not work with a free-to-air box, unless there was a specific request made for a hybrid LNB at installation.


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## horusd (4 Dec 2020)

Gordon Gekko said:


> The market should really deal with these issues and focus the minds of the JD Buckleys and Carolan Lennons of this world.
> 
> The real value in these businesses is their annuity-type income streams. In a 0% interest rate environment, the market applies a very high multiple to recurring income. But if that’s threatened by poor customer service and reputational issues, it should have a disproportionately negative effect.
> 
> ...



I really do hope this happens for the benefit of companies and customers alike. It seems madness that a policy which serves neither customer or company is continued to the detriment of all concerned.


As for the SKY dish thingie. I ll chat to someone tech saavy before I do anything.  I know I did use my old SKY dish for 'free- to - air.' but maybe things have changed and that's no longer a runner.


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## Purple (4 Dec 2020)

I like the Sky product. Their menu and interface is, in my opinion, far better than Virgin.
I have previously found their customer service excellent, with wait times of 3-10 minutes. When I was with Eir for broadband the wait times were 25-90 minutes. So, if Sky are now uncontactable are any of the others any better? Is moving from one to the other a case of out of the frying pan and into the other frying pan?
I'd happily pay an extra €10 a month to know that someone will just answer the phone when I call them.


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## Steven Barrett (4 Dec 2020)

I've been with Sky for over 15 years. We had our broadband with Eir and had no problems. I switched broadband to Sky to reduce the overall costs and got the Q box for €10. 

Issues with Q box getting internet connection - they sent me a booster immediately. 
Internet was dropping, driving my son mad when he was playing games. They asked me to do a few things, none really worked. They then had a look and saw themselves the internet was dropping. They scheduled to call me back so I wouldn't have to wait on hold to speak to someone again. I told them the problems were still there. They stopped charging me for internet and said an engineer would look at the exchange and if needed, come to the house. The engineer called out yesterday (4 days after call) and did a few things. My son tells me the broadband is fine and I've haven't heard him giving out about the Sky broadband connection. I found their service to be very good. I may have had to wait 30 minutes to get through, but with earphones in, I can do other stuff while waiting. Compare it to Eir, I could be waiting 2 hours. They went through all the possible problems and solutions and eventually got it fixed. 

As for cost, most of my bill is for Sky Sports and BT Sports, which I am not giving up. Once I see my bill creeping up, I give them a call and ask them to reduce it. They give me a discount on something and tell me to phone back on that expires and they'll put me on a new deal.


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## elcato (4 Dec 2020)

In all fairness, if you think Virgin will have a better customer service you may be in for a shock. As Leo pointed out, it's not cheap to have customer service and people are drawn to the price at the moment. I am old school and was used to the customer service but nowadays people have changed and value cost more than service. Having said that, even I would prefer to pay €50 to cross the Irish Sea now and not get a free drink and peanuts than to pay £200 in the 80's.


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## horusd (4 Dec 2020)

My basic issue isn't with the product, my issue is with the sheer impossibility of making contact with SKY from abroad. I cannot get them by 1. Phone, 2. webchat, 3 Twitter, 4. email.   It also seems they go out of their way to AVOID speaking with  existing customers, or offering their best products and fees to existing customers, and favor new customers with better prices and a facility to engage via webchat.  My ancillary point is that they are foolishly chasing new clients whilst losing paying existing clients, and this is a bad business practice for both SKY and the customer, with no winners on either side ultimately. I won't reward this behavior by staying - I'm voting with my feet. If other companies are as bad I will leave them in due course.  I have had a fairly good previous experience with VIRGIN, so they are, at the moment, the preferred option, and they are cheaper with a faster BB speed - we'll see how this works out.  I. likewise, don't fancy a return to the prices of the 80's, but again, that not an either sum game, I genuinely think there's room for a middle ground.  We don't have to pick between a glider and Concorde, there's surely a middle path.


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## Gordon Gekko (4 Dec 2020)

I don’t mean to be provocative, but why should a domestic service provider go out of its way facilitate contact from overseas?


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## horusd (4 Dec 2020)

Gordon Gekko said:


> I don’t mean to be provocative, but why should a domestic service provider go out of its way facilitate contact from overseas?


I don't live overseas, I just happen to be abroad at the moment.  In the modern world this isn't unusual (leaving aside the pandemic) and shouldn't normally cause a problem.  Any modern business I have dealings with have some level of access as they comprehend this. SKY no longer provide access via email, Twitter, the boards.ie SKY forum or webchat.   These aren't available to people at home or abroad, yet webchat is available to new customers.


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## Gordon Gekko (4 Dec 2020)

But the fact is we are almost 9 months into a global pandemic with most people still working from home.

I’d say the Sky subscriber calling from abroad about his or her service back in Ireland is pretty low on their list of priorities.


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## Cricketer (4 Dec 2020)

Gordon Gekko said:


> In Sky’s case, it’s particularly disappointing because in my view the product is superb.


But to shell out cash AND have to suffer a shedload of ads is a bit much in my opinion.


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## horusd (4 Dec 2020)

Gordon Gekko said:


> But the fact is we are almost 9 months into a global pandemic with most people still working from home.
> 
> I’d say the Sky subscriber calling from abroad about his or her service back in Ireland is pretty low on their list of priorities.



The inability to call from abroad is one thing, and fairly minor in the scheme of things.  The larger issue is a lack of availability with points of access. Not everyone wants or can use phones, they may, for a variety of reasons want to communicate in other ways.  A  fully functional service should accommodate this. Customer care is about communicating -many modern businesses use chat, and SKY  in fact do use chat - just not for existing customers. so in  this sense, existing customers are less well treated and served, which is part of my broader point that it makes more sense economically to favour existing clients above new ones.


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## MrEarl (5 Dec 2020)

Early Riser said:


> I don' think so - this would work with the older SKY dishes that go with the SkyHD system. The OP mentions Sky Q. This uses a different LNB and afaik it will not work with a free-to-air box, unless there was a specific request made for a hybrid LNB at installation.



Actually, I'm sorry, your point about the LNB for Sky Q is correct - if it's not a dual band/hybrid LNB, then it'll need to be replaced (although thankfully, they don't cost much these days, of it does and to be switched).


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## Hooverfish (5 Dec 2020)

I help other people with their technical issues. I think Sky's support service, once you get hold of them, is extremely professional. However I personally would never use them for one reason: I don't want to put money in Rupert Murdoch's pocket. I also don't read his newspapers. Same reason - no issue with the publication quality, but I'm not giving him my money, if I can avoid it, because I think he has been a malign influence on many lives.


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## MrEarl (5 Dec 2020)

Murdoch doesn't own Sky anymore, it's now owned by Comcast


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## Leo (7 Dec 2020)

MrEarl said:


> if it's not a dual band/hybrid LNB, then it'll need to be replaced (although thankfully, they don't cost much these days, of it does and to be switched).



If you are going to replace the LNB, and need to integrate an aerial for terrestrial take a look at these. Connect a terrestrial aerial to the 5th connector then at the box feed the existing connector into a splitter, and connect the outputs of that to the satellite and terrestrial inputs and you're set, no need to run an extra cable into the house!

You can use those splitter/ combiners at the LNB also if you want to use your existing LNB.


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## Steven Barrett (7 Dec 2020)

SBarrett said:


> I've been with Sky for over 15 years. We had our broadband with Eir and had no problems. I switched broadband to Sky to reduce the overall costs and got the Q box for €10.
> 
> Issues with Q box getting internet connection - they sent me a booster immediately.
> Internet was dropping, driving my son mad when he was playing games. They asked me to do a few things, none really worked. They then had a look and saw themselves the internet was dropping. They scheduled to call me back so I wouldn't have to wait on hold to speak to someone again. I told them the problems were still there. They stopped charging me for internet and said an engineer would look at the exchange and if needed, come to the house. The engineer called out yesterday (4 days after call) and did a few things. My son tells me the broadband is fine and I've haven't heard him giving out about the Sky broadband connection. I found their service to be very good. I may have had to wait 30 minutes to get through, but with earphones in, I can do other stuff while waiting. Compare it to Eir, I could be waiting 2 hours. They went through all the possible problems and solutions and eventually got it fixed.
> ...



Got my follow up phone call on Friday evening just to check that everything was resolved. 5 star service by Sky


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## horusd (8 Dec 2020)

SBarrett said:


> Got my follow up phone call on Friday evening just to check that everything was resolved. 5 star service by Sky


 I can only wish this was  my experience. An hour on hold last week - no  meaningful contact, I  simply had to hang up. Finally got a link to a webchat via Twitter. It felt like I was been given the third secret of Fatima. An hour and a half on hold all in yesterday, my text was basically ignored and then told they had to transfer me to someone else, who were closing in an hour and a half, and if they didn't pick up the message, they would be in touch after 9am this morning. You really wouldn't credit this. Needless to say, still waiting. SKY say the only way I can cancel my contract is if I speak to their 'Loyalty Team' (sic) but then make it next or near impossible to speak to them. Is this a coincidence?


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## horusd (9 Dec 2020)

*Update*: Just to mention, after several unsuccessful attempts to contact SKY and to get them to acknowledge messages, I have made a formal complaint. The crux of the complaint is the impossibility (bar giving up several hours of my life  waiting in the web chat vortex) of engaging meaningfully with SKY to resolve my problem and this is directly caused by an inability (contractual or otherwise) to simply switch providers without reference to the existing supplier, as can be done with a host of other services from banking to insurance. And, as a further point, a new customer may get the same service I have for almost 30 Euros cheaper. This dual pricing is in itself unfair.

In essence, I want to leave SKY to go to a competitor. SKY, having placed several obstacles in my way to communicating with them at all, finally told me that after waiting  1:30 mins and connecting to a REP, that he wouldn't be able to cancel my account, and that I must now speak to someone in their loyalty team. It wa then 4:15 pm, he  then informs me that he'll put me on hold for them, (via webchat), and to bear in mind that they close at 5:30pm (1:15 mins time) and if they don't get to me, they'll be in touch after 9am the following day. I did not succeed in getting through to anyone and no one called me back since.

I have now told SKY formally that I will be leaving and to take an email as notification (they require 31 days notice).  Also, that I have no intention of holding another minute trying to connect with them. I have informed them that I will cancel the DD and they may send a box to collect their equipment, and furthermore, that I would no stay with SKY if they offered their services for free.   I copied JD  Buckely the MD of SKY Ireland, COMREG and Eamon Ryan, Minister for Communications.

I further raised the fact that I can move my mobile phone, my insurances, my electricity or gas without needing to contact the existing provider, and it is high time this also applied to TV/Broadband,  I'm not sure what the legislation around this is, but  it seems that the 'hold' if there is one, for SKY or any other similar service, is the requirement on the customer to contact them first. I will not, under normal circumstances, break an obligation - it was why I went to the trouble to contact them in the first place, but this situation is totally unacceptable, If COMREG hasn't got powers to protect the customer, then they should have. I also raised the point that for people who for whatever reason like disability  cannot use the phone, then it seems SKY has trapped them in a catch 22 altogether.

  It will be interesting to see what comes out of this, and particularly, will the government act to protect the consumer.


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## horusd (9 Dec 2020)

Leo said:


> If you are going to replace the LNB, and need to integrate an aerial for terrestrial take a look at these. Connect a terrestrial aerial to the 5th connector then at the box feed the existing connector into a splitter, and connect the outputs of that to the satellite and terrestrial inputs and you're set, no need to run an extra cable into the house!
> 
> You can use those splitter/ combiners at the LNB also if you want to use your existing LNB.


Thanks for this Leo. I'm a complete newbie, would I be better getting someone to do this for me?  This looks complicated. I think I answered my own question!!


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## horusd (23 Dec 2020)

Update: SKY, in response to a formal complaint, replied partially and casually from someone using their first name and not title and ignoring some central points, including copying me with their complaints procedures.  COMREG, having said they would reply, didn't, but are now (on foot of a copy of an email I sent to SKY today), looking for more details on account numbers etc.  

In the meantime, SKY, without advising me, increased the monthly debit. I assume SKY are legally required to post increases in charges, but does anyone know if this is the case? I can't imagine they can do this willy-nilly.


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## RedOnion (23 Dec 2020)

horusd said:


> In the meantime, SKY, without advising me, increased the monthly debit. I assume SKY are legally required to post increases in charges, but does anyone know if this is the case? I can't imagine they can do this willy-nilly.


No, they can't do it willy-nilly. You have to be pre-notified of any changes to direct debit amounts.
Have the increased it more than the amount that they notified you at the start of the contract?


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## horusd (23 Dec 2020)

RedOnion said:


> No, they can't do it willy-nilly. You have to be pre-notified of any changes to direct debit amounts.
> Have the increased it more than the amount that they notified you at the start of the contract?


 I negotiated a cheaper rate last year and I suspect that that contract simply expired and they are reverting to the 'original price.' I accept this may be legal - I find it unpleasant they didn't tell me this would be the situation going forward. However, since then they have increased it again by a relatively nominal amount  again without notification. I certainly was never pre-notified of any changes to DD amounts in either instance.


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## RedOnion (23 Dec 2020)

horusd said:


> I accept this may be legal - I find it unpleasant they didn't tell me this would be the situation going forward.


Unfortunately it's common and perfectly legal across monthly priced utilities. E.g. '45 per month for 12 months, and 60 per month thereafter'. The 'follow on' price is notified up front, so no further communication is required for the DD.


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## horusd (23 Dec 2020)

thanks @RedOnion . I'll take the first one on the chin, I kinda get that. But the second increase might be a different matter. It's small, but as SKY have put me thru the wringer in terms of service I'll fight for it and then leave.  One thing is sure, I'll never be back to SKY.


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## RedOnion (23 Dec 2020)

horusd said:


> But the second increase might be a different matter.


Were the increases 2 months in a row?


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## horusd (23 Dec 2020)

RedOnion said:


> Were the increases 2 months in a row?


I got one in November and one in December. No notifications for either. I imagine the 1st one is coz contract was out, and second one I have no idea.


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## RedOnion (23 Dec 2020)

horusd said:


> I got one in November and one in December. No notifications for either. I imagine the 1st one is coz contract was out, and second one I have no idea.


I'd imagine your contract end date didn't line up with your billing cycle, so you got part of the increase in November, and December is your first 'full' month at new price.
Can you not see your bills online? I'm not a sky customer, but it's fairly standard practice.


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## horusd (23 Dec 2020)

@RedOnion   I can, from what I can see, the Nov bill had some odd amounts, ie 38.85 & 54.17 and Dec was 40.00 & 55.00. so it looks like some kind of rounding. It had gone for 65 to 93 and now 95, so all in a 30pm Euro/ 46%pm  increase.

I'm leaving SKY anyhow, but the whole experience has been poor. If they had simply emailed me to tell me I was out of contract, if they had answered in some manner, communications sent to them, and if they had kept me in the loop as to what was going on, this would have been a better experience. As it is, I can say for certainty I won't be back to SKY. As of now, they are saying I need to SPEAK to them (chance  of that would be a fine thing )- to cancel the TV aspect of the contract. I've asked to see where this is stipulated in the contract. They say they'll have someone phone me, again, my confidence in this isn't high.


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## horusd (2 Feb 2021)

Update:  I've informed SKY I'll be canceling.  They had agreed to phone me (they apparently cannot take cancellations by email for some reason) and I asked them to do this, particularly as I literally couldn't get in  touch with them  by phone or Messenger. You seem  to be transported into a cyber-vortex where, if you're lucky, you get a message about an hour into the hold time (yes, an hour) that they 'haven't forgotten about you.'

Anyhow, I was working online today, so I emailed them to cancel and decided to chance contacting them via Messenger. You are led thru hoops by SKY's 'virtual assistant' to make sure you are who you say you are, and why you are in touch, (I want to cancel), part or all of the package? (all), reason (terrible service).  The 'assistant then informs you you must speak to one of their 'billing experts'(indeed)  but they are quite busy  and will connect you 'as soon as possible.'  One hour later, 'we have not forgotten you' (could have fooled me), 'your query is important to us' (really?).  No info given on how long the holdtime is, no option to get a call back, literally the deathly sound of silence. I finally  left the chat after  two hours and fifteen minutes.

In all my years of dealing with companies and services, I don't think I've ever had such a negative experience. And when SKY do respond, they ignore parts of the queries, but always manage to inform me that I must speak to a rep before they will cancel.  That's the one thing that always gets mentioned.  I've raised the issue with COMREG asking they revoke the clause that stipulates a person must speak to SKY to cancel as it is a bar to competition. And, as a by the by, no response from them either.

Anyway, I've given them due notice in the only way I can, and they can ring me if they wish;  I'll cancel the direct debit, but the one thing this has ensured for me is that I'll never go back to SKY. What a bloody palava, and I'm none to impressed with regulation of this industry.


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## joer (2 Feb 2021)

Hi horusd, 
I cancelled my service with Sky a few weeks ago , I rang 0818 719819, Sky Ireland, and was surprised to get through so quickly, and gave them 30 days notice. 
They tried to get me to stay but I was not going to anyway. It was done pretty quickly. I will be finished in two days time and no regrets. 
I did"nt have any problems with them it was just too expensive for what we were looking at.


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## horusd (2 Feb 2021)

joer said:


> Hi horusd,
> I cancelled my service with Sky a few weeks ago , I rang 0818 719819, Sky Ireland, and was surprised to get through so quickly, and gave them 30 days notice.
> They tried to get me to stay but I was not going to anyway. It was done pretty quickly. I will be finished in two days time and no regrets.
> I did"nt have any problems with them it was just too expensive for what we were looking at.




HI Joer

long story, but basically I'm out of the country so cannot dial that number from overseas.  SKY seems to offer Messenger, but I've never actually chatted with anyone. Today's holdtime of 2:15 was the icing on the cake. I'll be gone no matter what,  and NEVER back to them but they have some neck charging people over 1100 Euro and not  picking up the phone.  It's utterly self-defeating and this is the irony. It seems they insist I speak to their 'Customer loyalty team,' who are presumably tasked with holding on to customers, yet this very insistence and lack of availability  of the self-same team is what has ensured I will leave no matter what.  I would have been happy to haggle the price down, but not now. Now I want out, and good riddence.


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## horusd (3 Feb 2021)

After probably about 16 hours of holding  and endless emails, I finally managed to cancel SKY services.  I will never darken their doorway again.


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## 24601 (3 Feb 2021)

Sky are next to impossible to cancel or downgrade. I ended up giving them the boot altogether because I couldn't suffer another 2 hours on the phone when trying to get risk of the Sports package after the discounted period was up. This was after trying to call them 4 or 5 times previously and giving up after being on hold for hours. I'd nearly seek compensation for the phone calls! Their online account section to amend your package has had some nonsense message about it being temporarily unavailable for at least 2 years.


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## PebbleBeach2020 (3 Feb 2021)

If you have sky broadband, and look to switch to either eir or Vodafone, what sort of downtime if any if there in loss of service?

Do I tell sky I'm leaving? Or is it like changing electricity provider and the new provider handles the switch? Thanks.


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## PebbleBeach2020 (4 Feb 2021)

Would love to hear others advice.


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## joer (4 Feb 2021)

My contract was just up with Sky and I gave the 30 days notice so I was given the 30 days. I switched to Eir  So I was never without service. I had my Eit TV service within three days.


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## mickeyg (4 Feb 2021)

I am with Sky and am in the process of moving house. Currently there are 3 of us Working From Home and obviously broadband is essential for that.
I have been told by Sky that there cannot be 2 locations open on the one account at the same time and that my current account at this location has to be terminated first and then the connection re-set up at the new location. Fair enough. However I have been told that it could take a week between the disconnecting and the re-connecting which is not really acceptable given the WFH situation. Any advice?


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## SparkRite (4 Feb 2021)

mickeyg said:


> However I have been told that it could take a week between the disconnecting and the re-connecting which is not really acceptable given the WFH situation. Any advice?


If you are out of contract, why don't one of the three WFH apply for service as a new customer using your new address before you actually move. 
Then when you have moved and hopefully service is up and running terminate the service at your old address.


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## PebbleBeach2020 (4 Feb 2021)

No movement out of sky re broadband. Contract up and they want 50. And new customers get TV and broadband for fifty. After 10 years, left sky and signed up for EIR. 30 euro for same internet for 12 months. No break in service either.


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## horusd (6 Mar 2021)

UPDATE:  I had agreed a switch to EIR in a contract around the 3/4th FEB with an installation  date agreed for 27th FEB. Got a text from EIR 26th to confirm engineer 8/3/21? Phoned, no record of agreed date, rescheduled 3/3/21. No show 3/3/21. Phoned, appoint cancelled. No reason why. Finally spoke to a senior EIR staff member, (after umpteen calls to OPEN EIR -the installers with apparently no connection to EIR and who can't do anything re appointments).  Open EIR  however can connect you to EIR (I'm calling from Spain) where you are put in the EIR hold system.

Anyhow, spoke to senior guy, he assures me the problem is sorted, I'll have an engineer doing full installation on FRI 5/3/21.   I then get a message from him to say that there's 'an order outstanding' from some other supplier which needs to be cleared and then I am to contact  EIR again to continue?    I message SKY the previous company, and they say they have cancelled the line in accordance with my instructions, and I need to get the new company to install a new line? It was patently obvious that I was switching (SKY in fact asked if I would stay if offer/price could be improved - I declined), I  even had a follow up call from SKY asking essentially the same thing - so why they cancelled the line is a mystery. 

I then had several more calls to EIR. I rebooked the package, I was assured all was in order, and then I was then told the engineer would only be installing a line, not the full BB/TV package.  I called EIR again, they said 'No full package install - guaranteed.'  Open EIR said 'nope, line only.'  A number of calls later, I was  finally informed by EIR only a line would be installed and it might take several days (up to10 workings days in fact) to see if BB would work and if another appointment would be needed to sort this out.   I could have wept. I had spent literally hours on the phone, passed from Billy to Jack, and this was the outcome.  I had planned this switch long in advance so there wouldn't be a problem. I thought I had covered every issue, but no.   I contacted Virgin Media and arranged a full install next week for 100 EUR set up and 20 EUR more than EIR a month, but still 33 EUR less than SKY.

Now here's the thing.   These problems could have been avoided with proper systems.  EIR simply needed to have the wherewithal to have all ducks in a row beforehand, to check no line problem, to identify that the problem was the line when the issue arose, and to have in hand a working booking system to make the installation seamless and finally to ensure that staff are knowledgeable enough to correctly answer and handle calls.   Because of inadequate systems, EIR have expended money on couriering equipment to me (twice) and incurred the staff costs associated with my multiple calls,  not to mention the reputational damage and the effective loss of the contract.

  SKY could have  simply asked (it was kind of obvious) whether I was switching and the line would not have been cancelled. They have a plethora of questions to establish identity, it would be a simple question to ask if a customer is switching to another provider. Had they done this, I would not feel so irked by their actions / response, and they too could have avoided me needing to contact them. In fact, my initial contact with SKY was to negotiate a reduced price and STAY with them, but their inadequate systems made staying impossible.  I have to add that my experience with SKY was undoubtedly the worst customer service experience of my life, and that's saying something. I would not return to them if they offered services for free.

So, the outcome of this saga was: 1. SKY lose a customer incur costs and reputational damage. 2. EIR lose a customer, incur costs and reputational damage. 3. The customer  has a week without broadband and TV. Not the end of the world, but all utterly avoidable. And finally, Virgin Media gain a customer having been able to respond very quickly to the customer, using WhatsApp and a slick enough online system with staff able to solve the problems the customer needed solving - i.e. proceeding with a connection without a landline.  There surely is a lesson in all of this.


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## Cervelo (6 Mar 2021)

I'm with sky 25+ years now and have to say I find there service very good and have had absolutely no problems with their service
My package last year was Sky Signature, box sets and HD all for €44 and was going up to €49
Mrs Cervelo rang them as our contract was up and they told us there was nothing they could offer us
So she rang the loyalty team who offered us the same package at €40 for six months then €44 for the next six months
The €4 increase is due to HD offer only been for six months but were advised to ring then for a further deal on HD
She asked about BB because our Eir contract is up as well but wouldn't match any of the deals other BB providers are offering
The best deal they offered to include BB and Netflix was €85 which is a good €10 more than I can get it for using a mix of suppliers

Have to say as a long term customer of Sky that I'm at the stage where I can now see ourselves leaving Sky because of their ever increasing prices and the simple fact that they are prioritizing new business over old long term customers.
One other thing that irks me is that fact that in 2021 you have to pay for HD, this at this stage should be the standard viewing quality


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## joer (6 Mar 2021)

I do not think that Eir or Sky care about losing customers. I cannot speak for Virgin Media as I never dealt with them.
When I cancelled my Sky contract in December I was asked why I was leaving , I said it was because of bad value for money , lots of channels but not much on any ( I just had the basic package) . I was offered Sky Sports for half price but declined . That was it really . There was an email to say they were sorry that I was leaving , Ill bet. I switched to Eir  as I had my phone, broadband and mobile with them. Adding TV was just 10 euro extra per month.
I was 20 euro better off and got Netflix free for three months and 9.99 per month after. I am still better off than having Sky.
I thought that Sky customer service was better than Eir , but it is not it seems


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## Susie2017 (17 Mar 2021)

Cancelled sky several years ago. Now have free tv via dish and combi box. Wish I had done it sooner. Father has Virgin. He has a problem and we have both been trying to contact them since before Christmas to no avail. Appalling NON EXISTENT customer service. Buyer beware. He would cancel but he cant do free tv as he is in an apartment. I'd recommend getting a combi box. To save a fortune.


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## keving1989 (17 Mar 2021)

Susie2017 said:


> Cancelled sky several years ago. Now have free tv via dish and combi box. Wish I had done it sooner. Father has Virgin. He has a problem and we have both been trying to contact them since before Christmas to no avail. Appalling NON EXISTENT customer service. Buyer beware. He would cancel but he cant do free tv as he is in an apartment. I'd recommend getting a combi box. To save a fortune.


I bought a small tv antenna off aliexpress which you can get all the saorview channels on, it may work for your Dad.
You can also use an old sky box with a UK Freesat card to get UK freeview channels such as bbc, itv, channel 4 etc
aliexpress.com/wholesale?SearchText=tv%20antenna
sat-planet.ie/FREESAT-VIEWING-CARD


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## RedOnion (17 Mar 2021)

Susie2017 said:


> He has a problem and we have both been trying to contact them since before Christmas to no avail. Appalling NON EXISTENT customer service. Buyer beware.


I'd recommend getting a number for their loyalty team in Limerick, and call during normal Irish working hours, midweek.  
061 272190 or 1890 940 251

You'll get sorted quickly enough if you tell them you'll cancel the contract otherwise.


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## Susie2017 (17 Mar 2021)

Thanks for the numbers. I have been leaving messages on an 061 number I had for Virgin customer care. It worked briefly before Christmas but no replies since to multiple messages left for a named customer service manager who I got in touch with by e mailing the CEO. A sky box would need a dish right ? He cant use a dish as it would not be allowed outside by the management co. Believe me if there was an alternative I would not hesitate to cancel them. Will try those numbers though. You never know i might get an answer tomorrow. I'll be surprised. It's taking 20 mins to get a clear picture everytime he turns the tv on.


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## Leo (18 Mar 2021)

keving1989 said:


> aliexpress.com/wholesale?SearchText=tv%20antenna


FYI - that's just a link to search results rather than a specific antenna.


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## RedOnion (18 Mar 2021)

Susie2017 said:


> Believe me if there was an alternative I would not hesitate to cancel them.


It might be the quickest way to get the problem sorted. Cancel it, and sign up as a new customer in your own name and get them to do the install.

I'm not certain that Limerick number I gave you still works, it could be 2 years since I called them to negotiate a discount.


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## keving1989 (18 Mar 2021)

Leo said:


> FYI - that's just a link to search results rather than a specific antenna.


AliExpress link   They are basically all the same as this, we use an amplifier too


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## Leo (18 Mar 2021)

keving1989 said:


> AliExpress link   They are basically all the same as this, we use an amplifier too



I edited that link to shorten it. Note they describe it as an 'active' aerial, but it isn't. 

You mentioned having satellite in an earlier post, if you want to lose the amp you could put up an external antenna and use a combiner to combine the UHF signals with one of the feeds from the dish, then use another combiner/splitter at the tv or set top box to separate the signals and feed the required inputs. 

Even though I'm in south Dublin I still needed to use an amplified indoor antenna that still struggled at times, but I recently put in the above setup and it works really well.


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## horusd (20 Sep 2021)

Sky calls in debt collectors after deep-sea diver attempts to close account
					

Company apologises for customer’s experience and refunds €58




					www.irishtimes.com
				




I had had a similar experience with SKY including  a communication from a debt collection agency. SKY insist they must speak directly with you to verify your account irrespective of the fact that you have given them written notice. I beleive they want to speak to you so as to change your mind. Immediately on speaking with someone I was asked if I would stay on taking a new deal. 

 It was single-handedly the worst customer service I have ever encountered bar none with endless delays and unpleasant encounters with their Loyalty team.  The lesson for me is well and truly learnt: I will never return to SKY.   I think I told them I wouldn't stay with them if they gave their service for free.


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## Cervelo (20 Sep 2021)

Since my last posted here I'm now an ex Sky customer and it was because of one petty little thing on their side(and mine if I'm honest)
I cant understand why they couldn't give me a years contract on the HD option to match my TV contract??
The disconnect went as smoothly as I could have expected but surprised there was no calls from the loyalty team for a 25+ year customer leaving

Now my TV viewing is done through Netflix and Prime @€17.99 a month, don't ever see myself going back to Sky
There is a few programmes I miss but feel I'm gaining more and better quality programmes on the streaming channels at a better price
And I can travel all over the world and still watch TV should the need arise!!


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## NoRegretsCoyote (20 Sep 2021)

I rang to cancel the children's TV option on our own Sky package recently. The website is as clear as mud. I ended up calling Edinburgh (I think) and being transferred to the Irish number. All far too complicated.

From the article:



> In a statement, Sky said that “attempts were made to contact the customer upon receiving the letter, in order to process the cancellation. As per our Sky TV contract, customers can write to us or email us to cancel their account, but notice given by these means will not be effective until we have spoken to the customer and verified their account”.



What exactly is the risk here? That people maliciously send letters to Sky under false names to cancel their neighbour's subscription? Far more likely that they put lots of little frictions in the system to prevent people from cancelling.


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## jpd (20 Sep 2021)

That is it exactly - make it as difficult as possible to cancel an unwanted service

I had a half-price offer on Sky Sports and got in contact to cancel it via their chat service
After a lot of toing and froing I said - "let's stop wasting your time and my time - either you contine the service at half-price or you cancel it"
It took about 10 seconds to get "OK, we will continue with the half-price offer for another 6 months"

I will have to do it all again next March -


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## peemac (20 Sep 2021)

horusd said:


> Sky calls in debt collectors after deep-sea diver attempts to close account
> 
> 
> Company apologises for customer’s experience and refunds €58
> ...


Whilst most utilities have dreadful customer service, I can't see the fault in sky above.

The customer said that they got the cancellation details online. The same paragraph states clearly that they will call you to confirm the cancellation.

But frankly I think that any and all services should allow you cancel in the exact same format as signing up.

The two best out there are Netflix and The Irish Times.

One of the worst is the Business Post where it's impossible to read the terms and conditions until AFTER you sign up.


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## horusd (20 Sep 2021)

peemac said:


> Whilst most utilities have dreadful customer service, I can't see the fault in sky above.
> 
> The customer said that they got the cancellation details online. The same paragraph states clearly that they will call you to confirm the cancellation.
> 
> ...


For  a crowd that, as you suggest, you can't see the  fault, they were pretty darn quick about going legal and then backing down very pronto when the IT got on the case.  They put me thru the wringer too with the worst hold times I ever experienced and lousy customer care.  I would not ever return to them.


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## peemac (20 Sep 2021)

horusd said:


> For  a crowd that, as you suggest, you can't see the  fault, they were pretty darn quick about going legal and then backing down very pronto when the IT got on the case.  They put me thru the wringer too with the worst hold times I ever experienced and lousy customer care.  I would not ever return to them.


I just said that their (quite unfair) terms and conditions very clearly state that if you write in to them that they will contact you to confirm the cancellation.

And the person in the article stated that they got the address details from the terms and conditions and therefore would have seen this sentence. 

So whilst sky put obstacles in your way, they do state these obstacles and you simply can't ignore them. And it's why I don't subscribe to them or any service that insists on a high pressure phone call to cancel.


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## horusd (20 Sep 2021)

@peemac .  Totally agree. As I said, I will never go back to SKY. I would add that  I like the processes for Netflix, Apple subscription and Amazon Prime.  I'm with   the Irish Times, but never had occasion to cancel.  All the others were a simple and easy process to cancel, and to join again.  This process, like switching gas and electricity, should be simple and hassle-free.


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## NoRegretsCoyote (21 Sep 2021)

peemac said:


> I just said that their (quite unfair) terms and conditions very clearly state that if you write in to them that they will contact you to confirm the cancellation.


If Sky demanded a litre of blood to cancel should people be obliged?

If you've gone to the trouble of writing a letter then it should be pretty clear you want to cancel.

Sure, Sky may want to follow up but the cancellation shouldn't be contingent on them getting through to you.


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