Cancel Sky at your peril: man spends 96 minutes in chat but fails to get rid of service

‘I suggest you seek some assistance NOW!’

(Getty Images)

A man has released the transcript of what appears to be an infuriating chat to cancel his Sky subscription, spending 96 minutes in sending messages and still not managing to get his subscription cancelled.

The full transcript, which was released by the Telegraph, shows the man getting increasingly irritated with Sky’s customer service as he attempts to cancel his subscription.

Sky’s agent, Rachael, tells the man that she is unable to cancel his subscription without going through “the process” first — which involves her repeatedly asking the man, Gavin Hackwood, if he would prefer to stay with Sky.

After that, Hackwood is forced to repeatedly argue with Sky’s customer services, including about whether he needs his internet connection. When Hackwood says that he doesn’t want to change his broadband provider because of the speed of his network, he is told that he probably doesn’t need such a fast connection unless he is doing something illegal with it.

“You do not have to have the broadband in with the package,” writes Rachael. “Although very few people in the UK actually need 152mb, unless you have over a dozen computers in your house all downloading illegally, streaming and online gaming on multiple devices all at the same time.”

After trying for over an hour to sell Sky’s packages to Hackwood, he discovers that Sky is unable to cancel his subscription anyway. Because he has already cancelled part of his subscription — Sky’s Movies package — he is unable to have two cancellations going at once, he is told.

At that point, Hackwood loses his patience and tells Sky that he will be forced to take legal proceedings against it.

“I have now been on this chat session for an hour and we are no further forward,” he writes. "I have made you aware I wish to cancel which is all I am obliged to do under the terms and conditions of the contract with Sky.

“I am starting to lose my patience and request that you place the cancellation request. If you refuse to do this once more I will be contacting the CEO Office and will cancel the Direct Debit and issue a County Court Claim against Sky. Please cancel the account and stop wasting my time with stupid long drawn out questions. I have had enough.”

But Rachael seems to tell Hackwood off for getting so irritated, telling him that the questions are not stupid and that he signed up for it himself.

"I am sorry you feel that way Gavin, I am not doing this to annoy you," she writes. "I made it very clear that I would need to go through this for you before I could make any changes to your account and these are not stupid questions."

Rachael also says that she is only asking him so many questions because she wants to help him out.

She writes: "I have to explain myself because you are accusing me of not doing my job and causing offence, when that is not my intention when all I have tried to do through out this whole conversation is help you get a better service from Sky, it is only through your reluctance to allow me to discuss this with you that has caused it to go on for so long."

She says that it was not her intention "to upset, annoy or offend you today, I was simply trying to do my Job". Rachael then blames Gavin for the delay, telling him that he is "the one who keeps going round in circles".

Soon after, Hackwood gives only one word answers, in capital letters and followed by exclamation marks.

“Because I am confirming your email address I need to ask 'we would like to use your information to contact you about products and services we think you would like, is that ok?’,” Rachael asks.

To which Hackwood replies only: “NO!”

He is then forced to tell Rachael that the chat will have to come to an end — after noting that “You are clearly not capable of doing your job! I suggest you seek some assistance NOW!” — and says that Sky is acting illegally.

Sky has said that it is reviewing its cancellation policy in the wake of a run of complaints from customers who were unable to get rid of their subscription. A spokesperson apologised for Hackwood’s experience and said that the company had already taken steps to make the cancellation process simpler.