Sky gave my father the hard sell even though he has dementia

I was helping my father, who has dementia and Parkinson’s disease, 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 agent insisted on offering Sky Cinema, two new televisions, another 24-month Sky Q package and broadband, despite us repeatedly stating that we did not want any further offers. We asked to cancel.

Eventually, we were offered £18-a-month Sky Essential TV. However, we were then asked to authorise a £77 monthly direct debit because Sports and Cinema had been automatically added.

The adviser told us to disregard the amount and trust him to remove the unwanted packages after activation. We refused and asked to cancel instead.

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.

I’m appalled at how persistent the sales pressure was once Sky knew Dad had dementia.

EH, Kent

The fact that customers who wish to cancel, or downgrade, a contract are passed to a “customer loyalty team” suggests what lies in store. That team regards loyalty as non-negotiable, judging by the transcript of your call to the company.

When, after a blizzard of unsuitable deals, you asked to cancel, the loyalty team told you that you would have to discuss the request with the “retention team”. This team, it admitted, would strive to retain your custom. Which, with ruthless tenacity, it did.

It is extremely concerning that you were pressured to sign up to a £77-a-month subscription after being quoted £18 a month.

Over and over again, the retention team adviser claimed he would remove the unwanted Sports and Cinema elements that had inflated the price once you had signed up. Repeatedly he implored you to trust him, and ignored your six requests to cancel.

This would be bad enough for a healthy customer. For an elderly man with dementia, it is deplorable. Telecoms firms have a duty to treat vulnerable customers fairly.

I reported Sky’s behaviour to the regulator Ofcom. It says: “The conditions, or procedures, that providers have in place, must not act as a disincentive for vulnerable customers who wish to cancel their contract.

“Where we see themes emerging, or evidence of widespread harm, we’ve shown we’ll take action where appropriate.”

Sky tells me that it does have procedures for supporting vulnerable customers and that these were not followed in your father’s case. Instead, it says, the agent followed “standard process”.

That suggests that customers who are not vulnerable are routinely exposed to this oppressive hard sell before they can escape.

The company admits that the unwanted Sports and Sinema elements should have been removed from the package before you were asked to sign, and claims that the agent did not have the system access to do so.

“We are very sorry for how the customer’s request was handled,” it adds. “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.”

Your father is finally free of the company, albeit minus his favourite TV channels. Other customers who feel they have been mis-sold or misled can complain to the Communication & Internet Services Adjudication Scheme, CISAS.

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