Thousands of Customers to Be Affected by Sky Price Hikes
Starting in August, Sky has said it will be increasing prices on both Sky TV and broadband services. This is set to affect thousands of customers.
A Sky spokesperson has noted, “This is not an additional price increase – a small number of our customers did not receive notification of their price increase earlier this year and they are now being notified.
“We know price increases are never welcome, so we try to keep prices down while continuing to bring customers the best entertainment all in one place, leading customer service and even more flexibility to choose the package that best suits them.”
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Previous Price Hike
Sky previously raised TV and broadband prices back in April; this price hike affected millions of Sky customers. The company has said the upcoming price increase in August will only affect those whose bills did not go up back in April. In other words, if your bill did increase in April, you will not be affected by the price increase coming in August.
Sky said there are some reasons as to why some customers may not have received the April price hike. According to the company, it may depend on when you first took out your contract with them.
Upcoming price increases will be similar to those back in April:
1). Sky Broadband Essential, which is the basic broadband package, will increase by £2/month. The current price is £20/month for customers in the contract and will move to £22/month.
2). Sky Entertainment, which is the company’s basic TV package that most customers have, will increase by £2/month, for those customers who are in contract, raising their bill to £24/month.
3). Sky TV Multiscreen will increase by £1/month. The current price is £13 month for those in the contract but will go up to £14/month.
4). Sky HDTV will increase by £1/month. The current price is £5/month for customers in the contract and will increase to £6/month.
For customers who have multiple packages, prices will increase across each of their packages. This will mean a maximum total increase of £6/month, or £72/year. However, Sky has said the average increase will be lower at £3/month, or £36/year.
The sky is currently emailing those customers who will see the price increase on their services in August.
Can I Leave if I’m Mid-Contract?
Yes, if you’re not happy with your bill increasing, it may be possible to leave your contract penalty-free. However, it’s a good idea to see if the deal you have is still one of the best available. You can easily check by using an online comparison tool to check other providers’ prices compared to Sky’s. One more thing to keep in mind—don’t forget that other providers may also be increasing their prices at some point in the future.
It is possible to leave penalty-free at any time if you’re out of contract; you must give 30 days’ notice, too.
However, if you’re mid-contract, some may be able to leave penalty-free:
— If you’re affected by the Broadband Essential price increase, you can cancel your contract without paying an early termination fee.
However, keep in mind that you can only do so after receiving official notification of the price increase from Sky. After receiving the notice, you’ll need to call Sky within 30 days in order to leave penalty-free.
— If you’re affected by a TV deal price increase, you will not be able to leave penalty-free as a result of these price changes.
Sky has said this is due to TV contracts having different T&Cs that allow for the price increase. However, you could still try negotiating with Sky if you’re not happy with the price hikes. It’s also a good time to talk with them about removing unwanted monthly add-ons, which could reduce your bills.
If you’re at the end of your contract, it’s a good idea to use this time to try to negotiate with Sky.
Negotiate with Sky or Consider Switching
For those who are out of contract, it’s possible to leave penalty-fee. Now’s the time to comparison shop to see if it’s possible to find a better deal. It’s not necessary, in this case, to wait for Sky’s notification of the increase in prices.
Or, for those who would like to stay with Sky, this is also a great time to negotiate a better deal, even if you’re still in contract.
If you do manage to get a better deal, always check the length of the contract you’re getting. Some of Sky’s contracts go for as long as 18 months. Make sure you’re happy with the service before being stuck with it for that long.
