Daily Star: Punters to Drop Their Sky Contract

Mr E

Article in todays Daily Star, typed up for your enjoyment.... Some interesting talking points, methinks.....

- Dave.

Thousands of Irish Sky TV Subscribers are to pull the plug on their deals with the British Broadcaster following the latest price hike to hit punters.

A spokesman for the Rupert Murdoch-owned company told The Star that it expected around 25,000 subscriptions to be terminated at the end of their annual contracts.

The television network last week announced that its packages would be increased by up to €7 a month, causing outrage amongst its 245,000 irish customers.

Sky's all-inclusive movie and sports package will increase next month from €53 to €60. Various other packages will go up from around €2 to €4.

These price increases and complaints about the costs of call-out services once the initial first year guarantee has expired, is causing much anger amongst punters around the country.

In at least one case, the company failed to call to a customer's home twice in two weeks -- even though both days were pre-arranged with the customer in question to sort out a technical fault in the equipment.

There has also been problems in gaining access to pay-per-view services.

Those who don't renew their contracts are what is know as "churn".

"Our next figures won't be out until November so we can't tell you what way the price increase has affected the churn," said a Sky spokesman.

"But the last time there was a price increase in Ireland, 10.5% of customers didn't renew their contracts."

telecinesk

Lads,
Well spotted. If that isnt an incentive to drop sky and start "Logging" (thought police).
Good on the Star to point this out. Churn, I didnt know I was churn, usually its something rude..

JDxtra

Good for the Star to point it out, but it's nothing new.

Even a churn rate of 10% is average enough for a pay tv service, I think Skys churn rate in the UK is around that as well, and has always hovered around that figure.

...it would have been nice if they pointed out the serious lack of ITV and Channel 4 to us here in Ireland.

sergeant121

Today, the €53 which ROI subscribers have been paying for Sky World is equivalent to UK£33.96. UK subscribers are paying UK£37 - UK£3.04 (€4.74) more. How long have they been paying that much more each month?

After the (1/9/02?) increase, ROI subscribers will be paying €60 which, today, is the equivalent of UK£38.36½. AFAIAA, no increase has (yet) been announced for UK subscribers so they will continue to pay £37 (UK£1.36½ / €2.13) less.

It's called swings and roundabouts. Your turn, my turn.

Now let's see who's the first to bite .................

Kramer

Glad to be in the "churn" club

Have cable for free (payed for by someone else, not "stolen"), & FTV card & DVB PCI etc...

BTW, UK viewers have a far better service than us. Why should we pay more, or even the same?

Let's all see if we can get that "churn" figure over 25%. Hit Murdock where it hurts, it the pocket.

byte

The price only affects people like myself on Sky World and such like. Family Pack has went down 1c to €26.99.

Am not happy though having to pay an extra €7 but as I haven't access to any other means of digital tv, I will stay with Sky for another while, at least til DTT comes out!!!!:rolleyes:

IIRC, our subs went up last year at September too and went up in UK at the end of the year. Maybe they'll get a price rise at the end of this year too. I imagine they will.

If churn rate went up to over 25%, Murdoch would probably pull out of ROI. That'd make NTL and Chorus very happy! Can't see that happening though

John R

The increase was what was needed to get me to cancel the Sky world package, I had been considering it for a while. I don't miss them much at all. Does that make me churn? or just chu.

Kramer

Originally posted by irishbyte
If churn rate went up to over 25%, Murdoch would probably pull out of ROI

Maybe he'd ask "why is everybody leaving"?

Then we would get the same service as our UK counterparts!

Very unlikely someone as "clever" as Murdock would just pull out of such a lucrative, competion free market.

That'd make NTL and Chorus very happy![/QUOTE]

Yes, I guess they wouldn't feel so lonely then

I'd imagine Chorus would be more than pleased with a "churn" rate as low as 25%, seeing as their's must be closing on twice that

sceptre

New price increases annoy me a bit.

However, I currently have no TV at all as I've managed to get rid of Chorus (and I'm only getting around to ordering Sky today so it'll be rabbits ears for the next week).

I cheered and clapped (really) out the window yesterday when the nice Chorus man came to disconnect the cable under my window (the repeater box/whatever it is for the entire street seems to be under my window). I could just go out and get a ladder and reconnect it but why bother - it's taken me too long to get rid of them already

So the options in Limerick city are:


Chorus or Sky

Simple answer.

Prisoner6409

Funny thing is I rang Sky on Wednesday last and was quoted a price of €53 a month for the Sky World(1) package. Now as the system will not be installed until Sept by the time I have it in the monthly charge will have gone up by €7. Surely they should have quoted the newer price as the €53 price will never apply to me. Sharp practice methinks.

Tarabuses

Sky policy is to maintain your subscription for 12 months at the price ruling when you sign up. I have my Sky World package for a year now and will only start paying €53 from September. It will be another year before I pay €60.

The price quoted is the price you pay!!

byte

Tarabuses, are you sure? I would have thought that you will be brought up to the same rate as everyone else after your first year.

bkehoe

AFAIK, after 1 year you pay what everybody else is paying.

Mr E

We signed up for the full whack last November. We were informed that the price hike won't affect us until next November. So I believe that you will be frozen at the price you sign up at for 1 year.

- Dave.

MrPudding

Originally posted by Tarabuses
Sky policy is to maintain your subscription for 12 months at the price ruling when you sign up. I have my Sky World package for a year now and will only start paying €53 from September. It will be another year before I pay €60.

The price quoted is the price you pay!!

This is the case. I got a letter from them informing me of the price increase and also telling me that I won't have to pay it until next March. Nice

MrP

Unfortunately though probably almost two thirds of ROI Sky subscribers at this time are gone beyond the twelve month initial period , so an awfull lot of them will be paying up.
Most of them are family pack though and won't have to pay the extra....but soon though:rolleyes: (when they announce a rise for that)
mm

Mossy Monk

some of the posts here have confused my delicate mind. will i not have another price hike until next September? i'm paying €60 from this month

byte

I hope not, Mossy! I am paying €60 now too

The last time it went up was last September too so I guess it wont' go up til next Sept. I do think that the small print in the contract allows Sky to change the prices at any time. Maybe someone can verify?