Sky issues 30-day warning to customers saying 'act now'

Mother and son watching a smart device together

Sky broadband users have been given a 30-day warning and urged to take action if they don’t want their bills to increase. Broadband charges from most providers are set to increase in April – even if you are locked into a contract – and Sky has announced its prices will go up by 6.7%.

Customers currently paying £60 a month will pay £64 a month instead. But Sky allows all customers to leave if they don’t like the price rise, even those in long-term deals. Other UK ISPs charge an exit fee to leave during a contract.

But customers have been warned they only have 30 days to switch once they’ve been alerted of the price increase.

Sky explained in an email seen by Express.co.uk: “We enable our broadband customers to leave penalty-free within 30 days of being notified of a price increase.” If you’ve received your notice explaining how much things are going up by, now is a good time to check your deal and shop around. It might also be a good idea to ring Sky and see if they’ll reduce your current bill, as the less you pay before April the smaller the hike you’ll face.

A spokesperson for Sky told the newspaper: “Our Sky broadband and TV products will see an average increase of 6.7% from April. We don’t take these decisions lightly – the change in price reflects the ongoing cost pressures we face, and our continued investment to bring the best experience for our customers.”

Rocio Concha, Which? Director of Policy and Advocacy, said: “It’s very disappointing to see Sky raising prices for customers in this unpredictable way. Consumers deserve pricing certainty rather than being blindsided with more above-inflation hikes.”

She added: “Unlike people trapped by their contract when prices rise, Sky customers can take action. Customers should send a message to Sky by voting with their feet and taking advantage of their right to exit within 30 days. Our recent research found, on average, Sky TV and broadband customers could save £152 by switching.”

Ms Concha also highlighted a loophole left by Ofcom’s regulation of the sector, adding: “Ofcom’s current proposals to ban inflation-linked price rises don’t extend to the ‘prices may vary’ terms that Sky is using for these ad-hoc hikes. The regulator should commit to closing this loophole and banning all forms of unpredictable price rises to protect millions of people.”