We’re in the middle of a cost of living crisis, and bill-payers are snowed under with expenses for food, petrol and heating and electricity. So, paying more for your TV package is the last thing anyone wants to think about.
Now, Martin Lewis has warned millioned of Sky TV customers to check their bills right away.
It turns out, that the broadcaster reportedly hasn't been telling their customers when their contract is coming to an end.
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Ofcom, the broadcasting regulations organisation in the UK, closed an investigation earlier this month into why they have not been notifying their customers of the end of their contract - meaning bill payers will not be aware of offers for new contracts, and could be paying more money for their TV package than necessary.
The regulatory board argued that the TV giant must tell its customers about this, but Sky disagreed.
The rules, which were introduced in February 2020, states that all broadband, phone and paid TV companies must tell their customers when they’re nearing the end of their contract.
However, Sky’s Pay TV service believes they are ‘not an electronic communication service’ and should not follow this rule.
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They told LADbible in a statement: “We continue to believe Sky’s Pay TV service is not an electronic communication service under the legal definition in the Communications Act 2003, but we note the outcome of Ofcom’s investigation.
“We look forward to working with Ofcom to seek a legal review.”
In 2021, Ofcom stated they had ‘reasonable grounds to believe’ Sky broke the imposed rules by not notifying TV-only customers when their contract was due to end.
The investigation into this issue was closed earlier this month, with Ofcom ruling that the brand must start providing these essential end-of-contract notifications within the next nine months.
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But in the meantime, customers for the TV-only subscription should check whether they are no longer in their contract, and could look for a cheaper deal elsewhere.
Martin Lewis suggests that customers could check on the online account portal, Sky Message Centre, and find the contract message.
Called ‘Confirming your Sky offer,’ the message should detail the date your contract started and the length of your contract.
Sky customers can also simply call up the company and ask when their contract ends.
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If you find out your contract has ended, you can try to negotiate a better deal with the brand, or switch to a cheaper TV package elsewhere.
Topics: UK News, TV and Film, Technology, Money
Gabriella Ferlita