Sky are UNBELIEVEABLE!

Liam Byrne

Having been one of the existing customers that Sky stiffed for years, ignoring us completely in terms of free boxes and the like, I recently bought a Sky+ HD box for a few quid from a work colleague.

Obviously Sky had to find out about this in order to pair up the card, but as I've no interest in HD (I just wanted the recording because of there being so little decent on, plus the guide is better) it's under the current subscription.

I was astonished to get a letter from them today saying that they hoped I was enjoying the facilities of the "new" box, and that I could get more out of it by upgrading to HD.

I mean, in all fairness! I fork out money because they decide to treat existing customers like crap, and then they see it as an excuse to use the new info to try to get more money off me ?

Is this even legal re data protection, etc ? They've used the new info inappropriately in my eyes.

It's stunts like this that will have me looking for a freesat/saorview combo that has a sky-eye type option as soon as one becomes available.

teddy b123

oh im sure you'll get over it, we get monthly letters asking us if we'd like to upgrade to sky sports, they just go in the bin...

nxbyveromdwjpg

You can get more out of it by upgrading to HD. How are they supposed to know that despite upgrading to Sky+ HD box, you aren't actually interested in HD? Have you told them?
If not then thats the first thing you should do, let them know to take you off all future marketing campaigns.

If they still contact you to up-sell after that then maybe you will have something to complain about.

NIMAN

Liam Byrne wrote: »

It's stunts like this that will have me looking for a freesat/saorview combo that has a sky-eye type option as soon as one becomes available.

So if one never becomes available, which is likely, you will never leave them and continue to line Sky's pockets?:rolleyes:

You show them !!!

Liam Byrne

teddy b123 wrote: »

oh im sure you'll get over it, we get monthly letters asking us if we'd like to upgrade to sky sports, they just go in the bin...

That's the usual marketing, but the fact that they hoped that "I was enjoying my new Sky+ HD box" is what galled me!

nm wrote: »

How are they supposed to know that despite upgrading to Sky+ HD box, you aren't actually interested in HD?

The upgrade paying for the box was in order to get the + features.

If you upgrade to Sky+ HD, giving them the extra subscription, they give you the box for free. So it was pretty obvious that my paying for the second-hand box meant that I wasn't going to upgrade.

DjFlin

Liam Byrne wrote: »

That's the usual marketing, but the fact that they hoped that "I was enjoying my new Sky+ HD box" is what galled me!

A company that wants your business is being nice about it. What is this world coming to.

Sanity_Saviour

Our sky+ box broke there the other so were told by a specialist technician to ring them up and ask how much Chorus/NTL is and to cut off services..

A week later we now have 2 Sky HD boxes free of charge

Liam Byrne

DjFlin wrote: »

A company that wants your business is being nice about it. What is this world coming to.

A company that didn't want that business enough to give me the same offer as new customers, and only want to piggyback on me forking out my own money.

As I said, it was quite obvious that I wasn't going to subscribe to HD because otherwise I wouldn't have paid for a second-hand box!

DjFlin

Liam Byrne wrote: »

A company that didn't want that business enough to give me the same offer as new customers, and only want to piggyback on me forking out my own money.

As I said, it was quite obvious that I wasn't going to subscribe to HD because otherwise I wouldn't have paid for a second-hand box!

They're a business, they sell stuff to people, if people don't want their stuff, they make the stuff better. If you wanted a free box or whatever, you should have held out longer.

Its also worth noting that them asking you if you want to upgrade is an automated process. Your account signs in from a new +HD box, your not registered on HD, so they send it to you. Just like how Vodafone text me every time I get a new phone. The automated system has no way of knowing you got the box second hand, or that your only interested in the DVR function of the box.

Liam Byrne

DjFlin wrote: »

Its also worth noting that them asking you if you want to upgrade is an automated process. Your account signs in from a new +HD box, your not registered on HD, so they send it to you. Just like how Vodafone text me every time I get a new phone. The automated system has no way of knowing you got the box second hand, or that your only interested in the DVR function of the box.

Then it's a pretty crap system, because the "system" should know that they were too stingy to send me a box.

DjFlin

Liam Byrne wrote: »

Then it's a pretty crap system, because the "system" should know that they were too stingy to send me a box.

Its the way the world works. Why should they give you two apples when you gladly accepted one the first time around.

Liam Byrne

DjFlin wrote: »

Its the way the world works. Why should they give you two apples when you gladly accepted one the first time around.

Oh, I dunno - maybe to make existing customers not feel crapped on by all the offers that they give to new customers ?

TheDriver

if you feel that strongly about sky, then move.
"Sky stiffed for years" is more like sky gave us what we paid for. You are obviously upset about sky not landing freebies on you or giving you a bottle of whiskey for Christmas but hey, they don't have to.
You can get upc or freesat and not have to deal with them again

DjFlin

Liam Byrne wrote: »

Oh, I dunno - maybe to make existing customers not feel crapped on by all the offers that they give to new customers ?

Well then leave them. Simple. Learn to play the system. I change mobile network every 5 or 6 months, because every time I do, they offer you more stuff.


Also, I've been with Sky since 2003, and we're always getting offers. We got a free Sky+ box, a free Sky+HD box and a discount on HD channels for the first few months of our subscription. So its weird to me that you haven't been offered anything.

CoalBucket

Getting free stuff from sky is easy enough. Just ring up tell them that you are leaving and they will upgrade the box or add free channels. I have sky + hd and multi room for free for the year. At the end of the year I will be "leaving" again.

I know someone who does some work with sky and apparently they are under pressure from UPC hence the sales drive from sky.

kbell

DjFlin wrote: »

Liam Byrne wrote: »

Oh, I dunno - maybe to make existing customers not feel crapped on by all the offers that they give to new customers ?

Well then leave them. Simple. Learn to play the system. I change mobile network every 5 or 6 months, because every time I do, they offer you more stuff.


Also, I've been with Sky since 2003, and we're always getting offers. We got a free Sky+ box, a free Sky+HD box and a discount on HD channels for the first few months of our subscription. So its weird to me that you haven't been offered anything.

Maybe they read boards.ie

TouchingVirus

Liam Byrne wrote: »

A company that didn't want that business enough to give me the same offer as new customers, and only want to piggyback on me forking out my own money.

As I said, it was quite obvious that I wasn't going to subscribe to HD because otherwise I wouldn't have paid for a second-hand box!

The offer of a free HD box doesn't stand for existing customers, so you went and bought a second hand one for cheaper than they charge existing customers for one. So how was it obvious that you didn't want HD? All that's obvious from what you did is you weren't going to pay Sky full whack for a HD box. You could have also bought an old Sky+ box.

Liam Byrne wrote: »

Oh, I dunno - maybe to make existing customers not feel crapped on by all the offers that they give to new customers ?

Sky have been at this for at least 10 years now, it's old news. If you're not on contract, threaten to leave. Retentions will offer you discounts, free shít to stay. If you are on contract with them then it's a case of sucking it up; Sky are in the business to make money. They'll make even more money off new people, they already have you milked.

Sky isn't alone on this by the way, I'm on a Meteor phone contract that's charging me €35 per month, a friend of mine got a phone call to "come back to meteor" that offered him the same minutes/texts per month with 1GB extra internet usage, for €25 per month. I've tried getting my contract on the new package, but they have me by the nuts until December. You can bet as soon as I ring Meteor when I'm out of contract and tell them I'm leaving to go to Three or Vodafone they'll do all they can to keep me, like lowering my package to €25. If they don't, I will leave (and then maybe come back as a 'new customer').

Liam Byrne

Some fair points guys - I guess even though I'm only 40 I am someone who believes in looking after existing paying customers instead of pissing them off and making them "work the system".

Basically my issue is that Sky didn't want the business so much until I paid for a box myself, and it's damn cheeky of them (and possibly against the data protection act) to use my data re something they didn't even provide like this.

Digifriendly

CoalBucket wrote: »

Getting free stuff from sky is easy enough. Just ring up tell them that you are leaving and they will upgrade the box or add free channels. I have sky + hd and multi room for free for the year. At the end of the year I will be "leaving" again.

I know someone who does some work with sky and apparently they are under pressure from UPC hence the sales drive from sky.

A friend of mine told Sky he was cancelling sports so they have now given him full package for half price - c£19 a month and I'm paying £21.50 a month without the sports!

Interesting comment about UPC for I would have thought once ITV channels diasappeared from UPC there was little competition between it and e.g. Freesat (ITV channels on EPG) or Sky where these channels can be added.

TouchingVirus

Liam Byrne wrote: »

Some fair points guys - I guess even though I'm only 40 I am someone who believes in looking after existing paying customers instead of pissing them off and making them "work the system".

Oh if only we lived in such an ideal world You have to work the system for lots of things - car insurance, house insurance, mobile phone, landline carrier, cable TV, satellite

Basically my issue is that Sky didn't want the business so much until I paid for a box myself, and it's damn cheeky of them (and possibly against the data protection act) to use my data re something they didn't even provide like this.

Sky did want the business, but you didn't want to pay for it. Now that you've jumped the €50 for the sky-box hurdle, they still want you to pay the €15pm for the HD subscription It's not like you asked for Sky+ HD and they said "No way, you can't have it", only to come crawling back when you got a Sky+ HD box

You contacted Sky and notified them that you have a new box. I assume you opted in at some point to receive notice about offers? If not, then perhaps you do have a DP issue

Cantona's Collars

Liam Byrne wrote: »

Some fair points guys - I guess even though I'm only 40 I am someone who believes in looking after existing paying customers instead of pissing them off and making them "work the system".

Basically my issue is that Sky didn't want the business so much until I paid for a box myself, and it's damn cheeky of them (and possibly against the data protection act) to use my data re something they didn't even provide like this.

In your original post you stated that you contacted Sky to pair the card,in doing that you gave them the serial number etc. of the box.From this information Sky know exactly what kind of box you have so there's no issue with data protection.
They send me stuff all the time,the latest offer I was sent was to upgrade to a free HD box (I already have one)

The other posters are right about playing the system to get offers,all providers will do anything to retain business-be they Sky,UPC or the Telco's.

bryaner

I'm gone from Sky well over a year now, the first offer they sent me was half price sky for 3 months, then six months and the latest is half price for a year.

Still haven't taken up any offers, but play hard ball with them and ye will save..

flutered

bryaner wrote: »

I'm gone from Sky well over a year now, the first offer they sent me was half price sky for 3 months, then six months and the latest is half price for a year.

Still haven't taken up any offers, but play hard ball with them and ye will save..

i am gone from them for a year as well, on the 3rd week of each month i get a begging letter, no thanks $ly, i have an openbox s10 with a 32 gig pen drive.

muffler

TouchingVirus wrote: »

The offer of a free HD box doesn't stand for existing customers

Not actually true in one way. You can get a free HD box but the catch is the 12 month contract.

Liam Byrne

muffler wrote: »

Not actually true in one way. You can get a free HD box but the catch is the 12 month contract.

That's the one, but you it's not even an "ordinary" 12 month contract - it's the dearer HD contract, which is pointless for me.