Sky Sports 5

Mines just gone off and I don't want to activate as I don't want the free broadband and even without looks like you start a new 12 month contract?

Any sky folks out there what have you done?

I play the sky cancel game every year to get it cheaper which happens in Dec so can't afford to be locked in for 12 months from now.

I think it's a 24 month lock-in, just to piss off BT. I'm not even going there, although I'm going to have to find a new provider in the near future.

24 months is if you take the free broadband, just take the channel and it looks like 12 months but still something I don't want.

I've no idea...I've got BT Broadband...I have 3 Sky boxes in 3 rooms and got rid of pretty much everything off 2 of them, as it was costing a bloody fortune...something in the region of £125 pm.

I'm now down to our 'main' living room with the sports package and the usual freebies.....now £46pm. Every time I've tried to negotiate, they done sweet FA for me and I've had Sky in this house for 9 years.

What pisses me off is all these '12 months free' offers, yet when a loyal customer ask for a reduction or a free Sky+ box for one room, they say I have to pay £145 for it!



Maybe I should just cancel the whole thing...start again and see what I can get out of them!

What's everyone else done to get a better deal...as I'm fed up with them not looking after an existing customer?

Also, I live in the country, so no Sky broadband etc here to negotiate with...we don't have fibre optic yet in the sticks of Tattenhall!

I've sky all channels with HD at 75% discount so about £22 a month. Starting a few years ago I give notice so it goes off and then wait for their retention to ring me back.

Have had it totally free (non HD) for 11 months and now on 12 months 75% off deal.

You have to let it go off and let them ring you never ring them to ask to get the best deals.

Note it can be a game of bluff though, 1st time had nothing for 3 months then got the free offer. 2nd time was only off for a week.

I think this method is still getting 50% off without much effort, trouble is I want more than that so shall see when my 75% finishes in Dec.

This is why I really can't afford Sky Sports 5 to put me on a new 12 month contract.

Ps while it's off I "borrow" my dads sky go so just watch footy via laptop onto main Tv. Ok it's a hassle setting up but can live with that while waiting for sky to ring. Certainly would not pay full price again.

Cheers BB....it's not that I can't afford it, I just hate being ripped off so cancelled it out of principle - and the fact that we had all the channels in 3 rooms, so my bloody lads would give me and the missus some peace, but they ended up coming into our living room then complaining what we were watching!! Sort of defeated the purpose, so got rid of the other 2 rooms with Movies, Sports etc etc...

Maybe I'll try and give it a miss...but not sure where my subscription is with regards to its contract...as I guess it's better not to renew than cancelling - right?

They have been royally screwing me for a couple of years. I cancelled today, not bothered if they want to offer me a discount.

I was the same paid over £100 a month for 10+ years with all we had, and wifey had been pestering me for months to get rid, so we did thinking it was gone forever and then the offers started. So we just do it out of principal now. Mother in law does same and is on 75% off too, so it does work.

Ps. Think I've got sky sports 5 without a contract. Went on online chat asking how I could do it and guy wanted me to click link to activate with the 12 months clause. I refused but he said honestly the 12 months was for new customers. Still refused and he went away, eventually accessed my account and said he had put it on for me without a change in contract. I've the transcript from the help session if they claim something different come cancelling time. Channel is back on anyway.

I've got a mate who plays this game every 12 months or so.  He calls to cancel when his contract expires and he asks them to put him straight through to "Cancellations" (which internally is known as "Customer Retentions") and he sees what they offer.  If it's good enough, he stays.  If not, he cancels and they invariably call him back within a week or two to get him back.

I tried that Leo before I cancelled the other two boxes.....they just said "OK"...i was gutted, here's me thinking as a customer for over 9 yrs they'd be trying to keep me....how wrong was I!

The key is for it to actually let it go off though. People think just because you've rung to cancel you get the offers, just not the case. Once it's off you are not paying them any money, so it passes to the win back team which is where the big discounts are. So be prepared to be without it. It was at this point we realised we can live without it so are happy to do this every year.