Why on Earth is it so hard to cancel a Sky account? Please help before I throw my box out of the window!

[RockStarMartini]

I took over the account after I got divorced but they’ve never let me change the account holder’s name from my ex’s to mine despite me paying it from MY bank account for the past 5 years. I can’t make any changes without his authority even though he has no ties to the account at all. How the hell can I just close it once and for all?!

Put it all in writing send it special delivery and cancel the direct debit?

My late father had this problem. When my brother emigrated he gave my parents his Sky box and my mum took over the payments. She died and dad took over but for some reason he couldn’t use it (can’t remember exactly what). I rang Sky to cancel the subscription but without the password to the account they wouldn’t cancel it. I just cancelled the direct debit and wished them good luck in finding my brother to chase the payments. I have warned him if he ever returns here he might get a big bill from Sky but that’s unlikely. If it’s in your ex’s name it’s his responsibility

I don’t want to land my ex in it but I don’t know what else to do. The contract ends in a month so if I just send everything back and cancel the D/D I can’t see how it would affect his credit history or anything, they don’t have anything other than his name.

Call them up. Ask to speak to the team that deal with bereavement cancellations, they deal with this type of thing all the time. Cancel the direct debit.

Or your ex husband could phone and do it straight away if you are on ok terms.

This seems like the most obvious solution

I’ve had a long conversation on their live chat and then one in person so I don’t think they’re going to believe ex is dead all of a sudden - wish I’d thought of that first 😳

Do you know his passwords etc? If so, just tell live chat you are him and answer the relevant security questions.

If you don’t know what he would have used then it’s quite tricky.

As your in contract I'm assuming you know the password for the account. Get another male to call and say they are him and cancel the account.

I know the password to get into the app but you can’t cancel on there. I don’t know the account password and when I asked ex years ago when this first came up he couldn’t remember it either 🙄 I tried several in the phone but they weren’t accepted so I’m making myself look dodgier all the time 🤦🏻

@RockStarMartini cancel the direct debit and get him to ring and give notice. It sounds like you have tried everything else.

When I last moved, I wanted to cancel Sky and get a new customer deal at my new address. A previous time I had cancelled had been a nightmare so I decided I would tell them I was emigrating.

Just my luck that got a lovely advisor who had travelled and asked where I was going. I picked a US I had visited briefly which it turned out they knew well and they spent five minutes telling me all the good places to visit when I got there. Still feel bad about it.

Anyway try that.

I would phone the bereavement department and say he has died. I know you think it's going to look suspicious but it's just going to have to look suspicious!

You have tried to do it the proper way and it hasn't worked.

If you and ex don't really hate each other then ask him to cancel it with Sky, otherwise stop the DD but that could affect him at some point especially if he tries to get another with them in a few years. Either that or get another male to call them pretending to be ex.

Don't put on the deep manly voice yourself though, you'll forget it halfway through or have a coughing fit 😂

I would mess that up so badly 😂

Get a friend to do it. If sky are saying it's not your account and you can't make any changes, then you don't need to be involved.

Close the live chat, reopen another one and pretend to be him.

Say DD will be cancelled from x date, will not be renewing contract.

Failing that try again and say this account belongs to previous occupier but they can continue to provide free Sky to the property if they wish.

I think when you close on behalf of someone dead they ask for death certificate anyway.

Can you ask ex to cancel! Apparently a new law was passed that they can't make it hard for you to cancel your accounts anymore (you know when they used to make you listen to their offers and keep asking why you want to go so you give up and stay) so it should be a quick call for him.

Isn't the app password the account password as it's the same thing if it's My Sky

I had this same problem. I rang them and pretended to be my ex on the phone. I think the lady was a bit surprised given how my voice sounded but in today's society she obviously couldn't question it and they then did the cancellation. Alternative is to get a male relative to phone for you again pretending to be your ex and be in the room
In case there are any questions they can't answer.

Sky are an absolute bunch of bastards and I explained the situation to them many times and they would not budge, as they want to find any excuse not to cancel. I realise that the above is probably illegal but, honestly, the most stressful part of my divorce was cancelling the sky contract. I will NEVER deal with them again.

You don't need to pretend he's dead, it's just that the department has more leeway in terms of getting around the security questions for account closures. The general line won't give the call handlers access unless you have them.
You can just be honest and explain the account is paid from your account at your address and just in the wrong name. I can't remember the actual name of the team but if you ask for whoever deals with bereavements they will sort it.

If you know things like his date of birth, mothers maiden name, and any other security/account questions you might be able to do it via live chat, pretending to be him? However, they will try very hard to keep him as a customer by offering him a new deal and generally do this on the phone. Although you could tell them a white lie about him being hard of hearing or having a speech impediment that makes phone calls impossible?

But I don't know what you mean by 'land him in it', you've not done anything wrong, you just need him to cancel. Are you still in contact and will he do this if you ask him to?

We’re in contact and get on ok but he used to get stressed about things like this when we were together and I know he would now 🙄 I asked him for the passwords ages ago but he says he doesn’t remember them.

My DP has offered to call and say he’s him but it all feels a bit wrong and I’m just so annoyed that they’re making it so hard. I actually want to stay with them (on a different package) but this is making me determined to leave.

I understand not wanting to rock the boat, but it's your ex's account, he needs to cancel it. Even if your partner rang he'd need the password so you'd need to go through security to do that. Even if you knew the password you wouldn't be allowed to cancel.

Just speak to your ex, say you've tried all you can to cancel it but Sky will only talk to the account holder. Give him the number, and just gently say that you need to cancel the DD and if he doesn't cancel it could impact his credit file.

No point babying a grown adult, it's his admin.

What can you get into online, are you logged into 'My Sky' app or use the Sky website, that will be the password for the Sky account unless you are logged in with what is a secondary users account which allows you to do a lot of things but not everything.

@BobnLen no there is a different password on a Sky account that you give verbally on the phone or through a special link on live chat, it's not the same (nor should it be the same) as the password for logging into your account online or on the app.