Until recently, BSkyB owned the sole UK rights to televise live
English Premiership and Heineken Cup Rugby matches. However, the
RFU have granted additional television rights to ESPN. Some
matches still appear on Sky, but many of them have moved to ESPN.
Consequently, Sky expect viewers to purchase an additional ESPN
subscription. I decided not to swallow the bait.

I suspect that ESPN have been disappointed by the lack of support
from viewers like myself because several days ago, I received a
personalised letter from Sky, which invited me to subscribe to
ESPN for an up front payment of £20 to cover the first three
months (with monthly payments of £9 thereafter). The letter
stated in bold blue print:

Hurry, special offer ends 31/10/10. Guarantee your saving now.

I was tempted - so I called the expensive 0844 telephone number.
After navigating the Sky telephone system, I spoke eventually to
someone in their Customer Service Department, who stated that the
offer had expired on 29/09/2010 and was no longer available. I
pointed out that his information must be incorrect, because the
letter quoted an expiry date of 31/10/2010 in bold print. I also
told him that I had only received the offer within the last few
days. Then, he claimed that there was a misprint in the offer
letter - and there was nothing he could do.

I expressed the view that by refusing to honour a written offer,
Sky were in breach of contract. If there really was a misprint
in the letter (which I doubted), then that was Sky's problem -
not mine. That got me nowhere, so I threatened to move to
Virgin. However, when I asked to speak to Sky's cancellations
department, Customer Services claimed that their computer systems
were down.

I pay £70 per month for my viewing subscriptions. Suffice to
say, Sky have succeeded in alienating a long-standing customer.
Consequently, they will have to make me a much better offer, if
they really do want me to subscribe to ESPN.

I wonder whether anyone else has had a similar experience.

"Mike Henry" wrote in message
...
In , "Bob Lucas"

wrote:

Virgin. However, when I asked to speak to Sky's cancellations
department, Customer Services claimed that their computer
systems
were down.

So the next thing to say should be "Have you got a pen? Please
write these
details down on a little piece of paper for now and cancel my
subscription
later".


I have little doubt that my message would have fallen into a
black hole, if I had asked them to "write these
details down on a little piece of paper for now and cancel my
subscription later".

I actually penned a strongly worded email and sent it to the
person who had signed the offer letter.

I sent the email at 5:30 pm on Saturday afternoon and within
three hours, I had received a telephone call from a senior member
of the Sky Executive Support Team She was very apologetic and
made an offer that, in monetary terms, was better than the offer
that had "expired" .

Incidentally, email addresses at Sky are usually in the form of
. Emails to a named executive are
likely to be more effective than a complaint to Customer Services
(via the website)