Sky has come under fire after a sales call with a father who has dementia and Parkinson’s disease allegedly involved persistent attempts to sell costly packages, with the company seemingly not accepting “cancel” as an option. The incident, detailed in a letter to the Guardian, has prompted a response from regulator Ofcom and an apology from Sky.
Father's child describes distressing call
In the letter, the father's child explained they were helping the father reduce his £113.50 Sky TV bill. “We explained to the Sky call centre agent that, as his eyesight and attention span have deteriorated, he wanted the cheapest available TV package to free up money for his care,” the letter said. Despite repeatedly stating they did not want further offers, the agent insisted on offering Sky Cinema, two new televisions, another 24-month Sky Q package, and broadband.
The family asked to cancel. Eventually, they were offered an £18-a-month Sky Essential TV package. However, they were then asked to authorise a £77 monthly direct debit because Sports and Cinema had been automatically added. The adviser told them to disregard the amount and trust him to remove the unwanted packages after activation. The family refused and asked to cancel instead.
Six cancellation requests ignored
“What happened next was extraordinary. We asked six times to cancel, and each time the adviser continued trying to persuade us to stay. They finally allowed the cancellation,” the letter continued. The child said they were “appalled at how persistent the sales pressure was once Sky knew Dad had dementia.”
Ofcom, the UK communications regulator, issued a statement in response. “The conditions, or procedures, that providers have in place, must not act as a disincentive for vulnerable customers who wish to cancel their contract,” the statement said. “Where we see themes emerging, or evidence of widespread harm, we’ve shown we’ll take action where appropriate.”
Sky apologises for handling of request
After intervention from the national newspaper, Sky issued its own statement. “We are very sorry for how the customer’s request was handled,” it said. “His experience was not in line with the standards of care and support we expect customers with additional needs to receive, and our established process was not followed on this occasion.”
The case highlights ongoing concerns about how telecoms providers treat vulnerable customers during sales and retention calls. Ofcom has previously taken enforcement action against companies found to have inadequate procedures for vulnerable consumers, and this incident may fuel further scrutiny of industry practices.
