Sky TV has faced accusations of charging exit fees to a bereaved family attempting to cancel a deceased customer's television subscription. The family reportedly received a bill for £114.50 to close the account of their late father.
Joanna Montgomery, a user on social media platform X, shared an image of the bill, questioning Sky's policy on charging for cancellations due to death. "Is charging people for dying before their contract ends really your policy?" she posted. Typically, Sky requires 31 days' notice to cancel, and exit fees are calculated based on the remaining months of the plan, minus any discounts.
Sky, however, stated that it had not been notified of the customer's death in this specific instance. The company told This is Money that its policy is to waive all charges when a customer has passed away. In such situations, Sky said relatives should either transfer the account to another resident or cancel it immediately. Customers can initiate cancellations via phone or online web chat, and may be required to return equipment.
This incident has brought to light other customer grievances regarding Sky's contract cancellation policies. Other customers have reported difficulties when trying to exit or pause their television contracts. One individual stated that Sky refused to release them from a contract despite moving to a new flat where the service did not function. Another reported that Sky continued to bill them after a domestic incident forced them to move out of their home for several months, a situation where other utility companies had been able to pause their accounts. In both of these cases, Sky eventually agreed to cancel the contracts.
The UK government is reportedly in the process of introducing new regulations aimed at simplifying subscription cancellations. These plans, accelerated under Andy Burnham's administration, intend to make it easier for consumers to cancel unwanted subscriptions and will require companies to inform customers about automatic contract renewals at higher prices.
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