Sky are being mean to me!

[SkyBillingIssue]

Sorry for the childish title but that's just how it feels right now! I didn't know which topic to pick either...
Anyway, I don't want to give the impression that I'm trying to get out of paying what I owe. I am not. At all. For context, I'm a disabled lone parent with (obviously) only one income.
So for the last 18 months, I've always thought what a great deal I get with my Sky package (set up over the phone - relevant) £35pm for Sky Q basic with kids tv, broadband & landline (though I don't have a phone plugged into it but either way, still a good deal! Wrong.
So on payday, I put the usual £35 in my bills account ready for the Direct Debit. Fails. Only I don't find out it's failed until I'm cut off next day. Turns out (after a LOT of messages on FB Messenger) that apparently, due to a 'system issue' they've been billing me incorrectly for the past 18 months or so & not actually been charging me for line rental! So instead of writing to me to tell me this and that my Direct Debit would be higher this month, they decided to just try take £72 instead of the usual £35. Not surprised it failed as I only put £36 into that particular account.
As there was an adjustment, they've apparently billed me for the previous month as usual, but also for following month. Apparently this is standard procedure if there's an adjustment.

Anyway, as Direct Debit failed, I've been cut off. Now, I could & WOULD have paid this £72 (then argued it after the fact) had I been able to get through to a human to speak to. Unfortunately, once your services have been cut off, Sky now will NOT allow you to speak to anybody in any department over the phone until your bill is paid. By the time I realised it'd failed - no email or anything, my services were cut off! Fair enough.. Bill isn't paid so you're cut off. I get it.
But before I pay it, I understandably want to know why it's so high. I don't have loads of money spare and Sky is my DD & my ONLY luxury besides the odd bit of chocolate!
So I'm trying to call them and the automated voice says that basically, the bill needs to be paid before I can speak to anyone on phone. The only contact you are 'permitted' is via Facebook Messenger or email. FB Messenger is a long process as it's designed to allow the conversation to stretch out through the day so you can respond when convenient. Good idea! But a pain in situations like this!
Well they don't give a hoot and won't reconnect me until I pay it all. I can't spare £72 right now, I really can't. I could perhaps stretched to £52 but they're having none of it, despite it being their fault.
Thankfully, they're not charging for the 18 months that I've had free line rental for, which I AM grateful for. I really am. I just feel that it's unjust that it's been thrown at me out of the blue with no warning. It was never my fault and I genuinely had no idea I was getting free anything!!!
If I'd known my bill was going to be so high I'd have found a way to pay it (then argued it) but as I couldn't speak to anyone before I was disconnected, I now have another 3 weeks with no tv or broadband and my autistic daughter is beside herself!! If only she wasn't obsessing over a programme that's so old there aren't any DVDs! 🤦🏼‍♀️
So yeah. Vicious circle. Can anyone please help me? Sorry this was so long. I'm so bored with only mobile data! Please someone help me! Can I plead the fact that this is all down to their mistake? I have ALWAYS paid my bill in full, on time via Direct Debit every month since day 1.... :(

PS, I just realised this looks like a sympathy plea/begging thread - Absolutely, categorically NOT!!!!! I have money. Just haven't budgeted for an amount that has been sprung on me. Even though I would have paid it with the right notice, it is a matter of principle, now that I know the reason why it's that much. Why charge for two billing periods? Nothing was outstanding - madness!!

Anyone? Anyone at all??

So instead of writing to me to tell me this and that my Direct Debit would be higher this month, they decided to just try take £72 instead of the usual £35.

This is a breach of the Direct Debit Guarantee and you may be able to complain to your bank. Not that that helps much with Sky. www.directdebit.co.uk/DirectDebitExplained/pages/directdebitguarantee.aspx

If I was out of contract, I would consider terminating my Sky service and going with a different provider, owing to Sky's obstructive and borderline-extortionate attitude towards billing disputes.

They won't let me cancel until I pay up!

Ask them if you can split the extra money over 2 months, it's their fault they haven't charged the right amount. Put in a strong complaint & tell them you are leaving once this is sorted, chances are they will make you a good offer to stay.

@Nat6999 That's what I thought of doing but they won't let me speak to anyone on phone and the people on messenger just don't care! All they're saying is that they cannot do anything until bill is paid! Just seems a disgraceful way to treat customers!

It's appalling customer service, especially as they won't let you speak to anyone. Have you tried contacting them via Twitter?

Sky have terrible customer service. My dad was diagnosed with dementia and was unable to care for himself, let alone deal with contracts. His phone line and internet developed a fault but they refused to even look at it as he was incapable of reporting it himself. They refused to speak to anyone except him. We tried cancelling the contract, but they refused unless Dad told them his customer ID details, password and signed a form. Even their access support department insisted on a doctors letter plus the above. Dad couldn't hold a pen or remember his name, let alone sign a form!

We have had to wait for him to die before they will speak to us. This has taken several years of him paying for zero service. We couldn't even cancel the direct debit as we didn't manage to get power of attorney so had no access to his bank account.

Hope you have better luck than we did.

fucking hell - how can this be legal?

They won't let me cancel until I pay up

You just cancel the DD at your bank. Sky can't 'not let you'.

Am I correct in thinking you owe Sky about £35 and due to their mistake, they're letting you off 18 months of landline charges?

If that's correct, I would cancel the direct debit, pay the £35 when I could afford it, ditch sky and sign up with someone else for TV/phone etc.

If you don't use a landline, I think you can internet/TV only packages from Virgin if you can get their service and they run the programme your DD likes. Sign up to an introductory new customer deal and it should be quite cheap. Or check if your DDs programme is on Prime, Netflix or Now TV, as they're all cheaper than Sky. Which programme is it?

helpforum.sky.com/t5/Talk/Cannot-speak-to-customer-services-regarding-my-overdue-bill/td-p/2918174

they said they spoke to someone on live chat?

I'd just tell them you're moving to Virgin and they'll soon be nice as pie.

You missed one payment and they cut you off the very next day?

You just cancel the DD at your bank

Terrible advice. Cancelling a direct debit does not cancel the service that direct debit was paying for. You can easily end up with large debts and penalty charges that way.

Sorry for delay. As I stated in my OP, I spoke to them via Facebook Messenger which is when they finally told me about the error. Wouldn't budge on the amounts and refused to cancel the service (OR tell me how much it would be to downgrade!?) until I pay up!
Finally got through to a human on the phone today by using a different phone(!!) and they've agreed to waive half of it. Thank goodness!