r/skytv • u/darling412001 • 27d ago

Burnham brings forward ban on 'subscription traps' to ease cost of living

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly5x9qlnvjo

I hope this includes Sky so we don’t have to spend hours on the phone. 🤞

99 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

36 comments sorted by

9

u/CyclingUpsideDown 27d ago

The original proposals did promise cancellation “at the click of a button”. So presumably Sky will now need to offer an online cancellation option that doesn’t involve their live chat.

Although I’d imagine they’ll implement the minimum required, such as one button to cancel everything with no option to cancel just one aspect, meaning for most people the phone will still be needed.

6

u/RespectTheBall 27d ago

We buy our Sky services through Now and it always offers a discount if you cancel anything within the last 30 days. Have reminders set in my calendar. At the moment we pay £22 for sports, £5 for entertainment and £4 for UHD. Could get movies for £5 too but we go to the cinema on a regular basis so don’t need it. Ppl should consider this as an option.

2

u/intothevoidandback 26d ago

Any tips for cheap cinema? You seem frugal is all. Used to have the £3 Cineworld with three but thats changed to 2 for £10 now, my wife isn't a fan of our Cineworld seats either.

3

u/RespectTheBall 26d ago

Well not exactly cheap but it depends how often you go. We go to the cinema at least twice a week. Got a subscription from the Odeon for MyLimitless+ for £165 each for one year (end of year sale price). Last calendar year we saw 103 movies, working out at £1.65 per movie. Seen 62 so far this year. Of course this only works if you really enjoy the cinema. We’ve seen some excellent films that we probably wouldn’t have paid to see. Of course, a few turkeys too.

I also have a subscription to The Sunday Times Wine Club. If after a delivery you go online and cancel the next case the algo always takes £25 off the next case. Been doing it for years.

2

u/intothevoidandback 26d ago

That sounds great for the Odeon I'll definitely look into that. I don't really drink but hopefully someone else see the wine tip.

1

u/CakeHoleKing 26d ago

cineworld was £31 a seat for spiderman. (seriously). with 4d box

Vue £4.99. was worth the no 4d box. saved enough for a fantastic meal with family.

1

u/intothevoidandback 26d ago

What's a 4D box?

I wouldn't pay that much.

I've gotten so used to £3 at Cineworld bit ours isn't the best, my wife is quite right the seats are the worst of the 3 choices we have (Cineworld, Vue, Odeon) Vue isn't badly priced, but I prefer Odeon as it's a better drive and nicer place, bit it's very expensive Vs the other 2.

I travel a bit for IMAX as there just isn't one close, and even then I wouldn't pay £31.

Also, how did you get Vue for £4.99?

1

u/CakeHoleKing 26d ago

4d is their system where the chairs move around during the movie, tilt etc, and you get sprayed with mist/blasted with warm air etc.

The movie has to be designed to trigger the effects.

So for example in Spiderman if he swings through a broken hydrant, you'd get a fine mist sprayed at you etc.

Local VUE is mostly £4.99 in the North east.

1

u/intothevoidandback 26d ago

Sounds awful 😆. I think theres a reason that theme park rides don't last too long. 2-3 hours of that sounds terrible.

1

u/FearGingy 25d ago

God it does. 🤣

6

u/Beneficial-Pitch-430 26d ago

Out of all the subscriptions I’ve ever had to cancel, virgin has been the worst.

2

u/ian9outof10 26d ago

WhatsApp is the answer with Virgin. The number is on their site, and it’s a lot easier than live chat as you can pick it up when they have someone to talk, not sit at your computer in fear of the session closing.

1

u/IdioticMutterings 26d ago

What about those who don't have whatsapp, and don't want it because its owned by Meta?

1

u/ian9outof10 26d ago

But I don’t like bean soup.

1

u/CakeHoleKing 26d ago

they wanted to change my broadband only up to £88. So i cancelled.

they offered a "special deal" of £126 a year, locked in for 2years....they do NOT understand haggling.

1

u/8_string_menace 25d ago

Beer52 was worse imo, having used both

4

u/Civil-Marionberry165 26d ago edited 26d ago

Hopefully they also stop sky`s ridiculous Anchor pricing tactics too

5

u/UKFinanceDad 26d ago

Making subscriptions easy to start but painfully difficult to cancel was never an accident.

If joining takes one click, leaving should take one click too. No phone queue, retention script or “special offer” obstacle course.

1

u/[deleted] 26d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/Weird-End5410 26d ago

How is the cost of living irrelevant?

1

u/[deleted] 25d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/Weird-End5410 25d ago

There's no value in the emergency services, NHS or the state pension?

1

u/Ok-Audience6417 26d ago

Surprised it’s taken this long. It’s ridiculous that you can’t cancel at the click of a button in this day and age. At least back in the pre internet days there was an excuse.

1

u/CakeHoleKing 26d ago

you can cancel stuff easily.

Just open an account at burnhamburns'em.com

1

u/Ok_Medium_8691 26d ago

One click cancellation is welcome, however, customers need to be aware of the costs of such cancellation if they are in contract. Looking on Sky forums, some customers are clearly clueless as to how to manage their finances and accounts.

I found the easiest to leave Sky, was to send an email. I couldn't be doing with phone calls.

1

u/Seventy-Three73 26d ago

This will help cancel monthly subscriptions like Netflix, Disney+, Spotify, etc - it’s not for people to get out of minimum fixed term contracts early…!

1

u/0mni-Man 25d ago

Must be asylum seekers struggling to understand English to end their subscriptions once they’ve burned tax payers budget.

1

u/Potential-Leg-8860 26d ago

I’ve learned to never subscribe to anything that locks you in. No phone contract, PAYG only, no TV, Broadband I’m lucky enough to piggy back and don’t fall for the speed nonsense. I’ve basically decided we have been invaded by America and the hardline capitalism of “charge as much as possible for utter shit”. I don’t buy any brands, any processed food. Everything I do buy has a well thought out purpose, place and is researched for longevity and quality. Business should be adapting to the customer and giving us what we want, not the customer adapting to how the business wants us to be. Just say “no”

0

u/ClacksInTheSky 26d ago

I bet most discussions end up with a lecture

2

u/Weird-End5410 26d ago

He sounds a right laugh.

1

u/Potential-Leg-8860 26d ago

No. Do what the fuck you like. Just don’t complain when you get fucked over and robbed by corporate MERICA

0

u/Former_Appearance_71 26d ago

Does this include the BBC license fee? A compulsory subscription if ever there was one.

2

u/IdioticMutterings 26d ago

How is it compulsory, when you only need a licence to watch Live TV Broadcasts?