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Topic: And then there's Sky - and a dilemma  (Read 9867 times)

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And then there's Sky - and a dilemma
« on: August 10, 2020, 09:12:01 AM »
Ok, so we started having a lot of problems with our internet Sunday. Finally phoned Sky. Note that you have to pretty much say you are one of those households that have been shielding to get through by phone - otherwise they refer you to the internet and/or tell you to hang up! Not much good if you have no internet!

Finally got through to a tech support guy, who said there was a problem with our router. Since our Sky router had been sent to us in 2017, it was out of warranty. They would send us another for £99. I told them I'd cancel the service first. Was sent to a customer (retention) specialist who said they could send one for free if we upgraded from "essentials" to "essentials boost" and opted in for an 18 month contract. I told her we were leaving in three weeks.  She said I had 31 days to cancel for any reason. So I went with it. Router is on the way, should arrive tomorrow.

Of course, we have had absolutely no trouble, since the call, with our current router. Got the confirmation email, and they put the cell phone on an 18 month contract as well. (That was not discussed.) The cell had previously not been under a contract as it had expired some time ago.

I smell something rotten in Denmark here.

In doing a further check, it appears that there was a rate hike due to come through in August that would have triggered an option to drop the contract at no early termination charge for us.

My plan:  do not open the new router when it arrives. Download the return label from their website.  I will then phone Sky (using the backdoor in again, I assume) and cancel the contract. The 31 day cooling off period should apply. I will then take the router to the post office, send it back and get proof of mailing. And if I am not happy with what I hear from Sky, I will promptly cancel the direct debit for Sky that comes out of my account, as it will have pre-paid for into September by that date (it bills tomorrow, I think).

As the only way you can cancel is by phone, as soon as the movers have contacted me with their time of arrival, I will give them the contact number for my emergency 02 cellphone. Actually, no, I think I'll send them that information now.

My USA Voip had been set to ring through here to my Sky landline phone, but I'll change that to forward to my 02 phone for the time being. I had wanted to keep my Sky cell service until we landed in the USA and were in the hotel, but that may not be possible. I have contacted my favorite USA cell phone service, Ting, and closer to the time we will arrive at the hotel they will have a sim card sent to me in care of the hotel. The hotel has indicated they will hold that package for me. I'll have two weeks in the hotel, cooling my heels, to get it to work.

That would leave us without a working  phone from the time we leave the UK until we arrive at the hotel. No way to call AAA if the car breaks down, etc., and that makes me nervous. I do not expect a lot of the shops at the arrival airport to be open due to Covid. Can anyone recommend a "burner" phone sim here that we could use in the USA that has no contract?

It may well be that we can still cancel only our landline and internet here and keep the Sky mobile (assuming they don't jerk us around with the contract/no contract issue), which would serve well enough. But just in case...
« Last Edit: August 10, 2020, 01:54:57 PM by Nan D. »


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Re: And then there's Sky - and a dilemma
« Reply #1 on: August 10, 2020, 01:41:53 PM »
Just in case it helps, the tldr is - "Can anyone recommend a "burner" phone sim here that we could use in the USA that has no contract?"


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Re: And then there's Sky - and a dilemma
« Reply #2 on: August 10, 2020, 01:57:05 PM »
Ah. Had to look it up:

Too Long. Didn't Read. Frequently used acronym by lazy, ignorant people in Internet Forums, where their urge to type something exceeds their ability to read ...

 ;)


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Re: And then there's Sky - and a dilemma
« Reply #3 on: August 10, 2020, 05:04:27 PM »
I'm fairly sure three PAYG works in the US. It always did for my husband when visiting!


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Re: And then there's Sky - and a dilemma
« Reply #4 on: August 10, 2020, 09:30:41 PM »
Thanks for the info. We hit another roadblock, though. Our old cell phones, the quad band ones that worked so well with our Sky sim when we went home for a visit last year? No longer will work apparently. 2G is deadski in the USA, it seems, now. So a sim won't save our bacon this time. We're going to have to "old school" it and do without a phone from the time we leave the UK until we get where we are going.

So I found a 4G VoLTE phone https://ting.com/shop/nuu-mobile-f4l_Black-4GB-new-lte_vz on Ting that isn't too painful, and it'll be at the hotel when we arrive. I do like Ting for our service in the USA - $6 a month per line, and you only pay for what you use. Since we rarely call out on a cell phone, it's dirt cheap. Their tech support is absolutely fantastic, too. Or maybe this one https://ting.com/shop/lg-k40_New-Platinum-Gray-16GB-new-lte_vz

The Daughter has just been railing about not being able to use her favorite old phone. Says she does not want to be forced to use a "tracker" phone.  Looks like she only has two options now - carry one (switched off, for emergencies only) or go without!
« Last Edit: August 10, 2020, 09:49:33 PM by Nan D. »


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Re: And then there's Sky - and a dilemma
« Reply #5 on: August 13, 2020, 03:26:06 PM »
So, about Sky. The internet still keeps dropping. Even with the new router. The phone works even when "the Internet" is down. It's plugged into the same pre-filter. The USA Voip phone still works - and it's running through the router - even when "the Internet" drops out. So, I believe our wiring is just fine and that it was never an issue with our router. Sky is having problems somewhere in their network. Looking at Down Detector seems to confirm that.

The new router is going back tomorrow.  ::) :(


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Re: And then there's Sky - and a dilemma
« Reply #6 on: August 22, 2020, 04:59:37 AM »
And somehow they still have the time to keep calling me trying to get me to go back to them (dropped them a couple years ago). Another call yesterday.
Fred


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Re: And then there's Sky - and a dilemma
« Reply #7 on: August 23, 2020, 08:51:57 AM »
Yeah, the internet here seems to have stabilized. I've actually packed all the ethernet cables so we're running strictly wireless now for a few days, which is something we've not been able to do before due to poor signal in the back of the house. Go figure?!

I have the new router boxed up to send back to them, but am actually afraid to send it right now. I have visions that when they get it it will be scanned and that will flip some switch in their system and automatically cut off our internet. Which I need for most of next week so I can get last-minute things done (and check in for our flights!). I guess I'll mail it the day before we leave and be sure to get a receipt showing I've mailed it back to them from the PO, and then hold onto that like it's gold.  ;D


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Re: And then there's Sky - and a dilemma
« Reply #8 on: September 12, 2020, 05:01:29 PM »
Hah.  This figures.

I cancelled my sky services with a last-day of service being 1 September. I was told I owed nothing. I have the email from their office confirming the account being terminated.

I have just received a notice from Sky saying we owe for 11 Sept to 11 October and that the account is in arrears.

Yeah, so get blood out of a rock, Sky.

But I am, of course, following up via twitter since I can't call them.


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Re: And then there's Sky - and a dilemma
« Reply #9 on: September 12, 2020, 07:09:02 PM »
Hah.  This figures.

I cancelled my sky services with a last-day of service being 1 September. I was told I owed nothing. I have the email from their office confirming the account being terminated.

I have just received a notice from Sky saying we owe for 11 Sept to 11 October and that the account is in arrears.

Yeah, so get blood out of a rock, Sky.

But I am, of course, following up via twitter since I can't call them.

Typical!



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Re: And then there's Sky - and a dilemma
« Reply #10 on: September 12, 2020, 07:15:46 PM »
They're not responding on Twitter, either.

Glad to be shed of them, really. Of course, now I'm going to have to deal with the much more expensive Time Warner....sigh.


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Re: And then there's Sky - and a dilemma
« Reply #11 on: September 12, 2020, 07:29:32 PM »
They're not responding on Twitter, either.

Glad to be shed of them, really. Of course, now I'm going to have to deal with the much more expensive Time Warner....sigh.

Get an Amazon Fire Stick.  I’ll never go back to non-free TV.


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Re: And then there's Sky - and a dilemma
« Reply #12 on: September 12, 2020, 07:38:15 PM »
No, we won't be buying cable tv. But we do have to pay for internet. Which probably means Time Warner, at about $65 a month....

I'm fond of antenna tv, and various streaming services, myself. 8)


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Re: And then there's Sky - and a dilemma
« Reply #13 on: September 12, 2020, 10:19:04 PM »
So they still haven't responded to the @help for sky. But I also posted on the public board and they came back with the final bill will show charges not available when the account was closed.

Final charges being for a months' service commencing 10 days after the account was closed. Seriously? These people are idiots. Or they think I am.  I have nothing else to do and am feeling particularly snarky today, so I do believe I shall raise as much hell as I possibly can about this.

Just because. 8)


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Re: And then there's Sky - and a dilemma
« Reply #14 on: September 12, 2020, 10:24:32 PM »
Get an Amazon Fire Stick.  I’ll never go back to non-free TV.

Our daughter in LA did something similar to this, but does miss the broadcast channels. With Firestick in the USA can you get the free over the air channels like you can in the UK? Does NBC, CBS etc have the equivalent of iPlayer and ITV Hub?
Dual USC/UKC living in the UK since May 2016


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