Sky first launched in 1989 and at the time was the sole satellite TV service provider in the UK. Since then it has grown into an absolute media powerhouse that offers dozens of plans and services for home entertainment.
Whilst Sky is a very popular service provider in the UK, it can be challenging to understand all the legal nonsense that comes when trying to cancel your Sky account to avoid unwanted charges.
With so many different payment plans, services, devices and options available it can be hard to know the correct steps on knowing how to cancel your Sky account.
There are sites that can help like DoNotPay but if you wish to try and close your account without outside assistance then this article will explain how you can.
What Are Sky’s Cancellation Policies?
In the United Kingdom, customers have a guaranteed cooling off period of 14 days by law for many online purchases with only a few exceptions. Sky offers a 31 day cooling off period (14 days for Republic of Ireland customers).
There are different steps and policies based on whether or not you cancel Sky within the cooling off period, or outside of it. There are also differences depending on which services you are cancelling.
Most Sky accounts come with a contract term that can span from 12 to 18 months long. Cancelling before your contract is up could result in early cancellation fees.
You can cancel your order for TV services and any of the related equipment at any time up to 31 days in the UK from the latter of:
- Delivery
- Installation or
- Confirmation in writing of the relevant terms and conditions for that product
You will need to return any of the equipment included in your Sky subscription which will vary depending on the service you purchased.
If you do not return the equipment within the 90 days of your cancellation then you will be required to pay a non return fee, this varies based on the equipment.
How To Cancel Sky On Your Own
Sky offers multiple services like, television, TV and Broadband, Broadband and also Mobile. Each of the packages can be enhanced with additional third party services such as Netflix.
Cancelling your account will heavily depend on which of the services you are cancelling and whether or not you are cancelling within the cooling off period.
You could also incur additional charges for cancelling your account before your contract is up and outside of the cooling off period.
You cannot cancel your Sky+ or Sky Q within the cooling off period if you requested TV services during this time.
If you only ordered TV services then you can cancel your order at any time before your viewing card has been used to receive the TV service that you requested.
You must also provide a 31 day notice before your Sky service is cancelled.
There are two ways to cancel your Sky account:
- Over the phone and
- Via Email
Over The Phone
Firstly, call the Sky contact centre. This is the most direct way to cancel your Sky subscription, simply call 03332 022 135 between the hours of 8:30 am and 7:55 pm GMT any day of the week.
Calls to the Sky contact centre are completely free for all Sky Talk customers, if you do not have a telephone package with Sky then you will be charged for the call.
If you are charged then calls to 03 numbers apply the same rate as calls to both 01 and 02 numbers.
For the majority of customers who have reached the end of their minimum term of the contract there is still the 31 day notice period so make sure to check your contract carefully before you call the contact centre.
Once you get on the phone with a representative you will need to follow some prompts as you cannot cancel over the phone without talking to someone.
When you are speaking to someone you must make it clear that you are cancelling your contract.
The representative will try to convince you to change your mind or move to a cheaper Sky package but stick to your guns and no matter what they offer you do not get frustrated and stick to the point.
Being polite and persistent is the best approach and making it as clear as possible that you are only interested in cancelling will get you off the phone as fast as possible.
Cancelling Via Email
Another way to cancel your account is by sending an email. This is a longer winded method than calling over the phone, this is due to Sky requiring clarification of your account and further information before they will close your account.
It can take a while for an email reply to be sent out to you so you should send your initial email as soon as you wish for your notice period to begin. Your notice period begins on the day your email was sent and not when you get a reply.
Make sure to include all the vital information needed in the email such as your name, account number, address, postcode, and telephone number. State clearly you are cancelling your account.
Send the email to Sky at mysky@sky.uk. Sky should reply within five days, keep note of all correspondence in case of any later issues.
After you have sent the email and received a reply you will still need to call up to get your cancellation request processed. Make sure you have a copy of your email and reply handy.
It is vital to remember that you have already cancelled in writing and you are only phoning up to confirm your request has been processed.
Your services should end 31 days after the date of your initial email saying that you were cancelling your account. The notice period is the same whichever method you use to cancel your account.
Once the services have ended return any equipment promptly to Sky.
Then check out the brilliant offerings on Freeview – you don’t even need an internet connection.