Prices seem to be rising absolutely everywhere right now. The food shop is not as cheap as it once was, council tax has increased for many of us and let's not get started on getting school clothes for the next academic year.
Like many families, our own finances have been squeezed in the last 12 months as the country continues to deal with an economic crisis. While looking around for ways to save a bit of cash, it was fairly obvious where the biggest drain on resources came from and where I could make changes - TV and broadband.
I've been with Sky for years now but with a busy family and work life, I've never picked up the phone and made the cancellation call, instead just watching the monthly price rise and rise, year on year. Being a lover of most sports, we took out the full package when we joined and it had slowly increased up to £150.
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But as much as I love to see England getting beat in the Ashes (eye roll), this week I came to the reluctant decision that Sky had to go. After finding a much cheaper deal with a rival firm, I called Sky armed with the package I was about ready to purchase.
I knew what to expect with the first person I spoke to, a very pleasant staff member who asked if he could call me by my first name. He enquired as to the package I had found and why I wanted to leave Sky.
After explaining how expensive my bill had become, he put me on hold for a short period to 'see what he could do' and came up with a new price of £117 per month. I mean, it was OK, but the rival package I'd found was far cheaper and I would still be going through with my cancellation, thank you very much.
I knew what to expect with the first call, what I didn't expect was to then be put through to a second individual - polite again, can I call you Matt? - who said her job was to keep me at Sky.
Again, I went through the reasons I wanted to leave and she went away again to see what could be done. She returned with a cheaper price - and a few options - with the lowest monthly price being £100.50.
A saving of £49.50 per month and a yearly saving of £594 - that could go towards so many things and make life just that little bit easier. While it wasn't as cheap as the other package I had found - by a couple of quid I should add - factoring in the set up cost and the hassle of changing providers, I decided to accept and consider it a job well done.
Not only that, I was given a couple of quid off my monthly phone bill as a nice little bonus at the end of the 40-minute phone call. Now locked in for 18 months, I will make a date in my diary and remember to call them at the end of my contract for a renewed negotiation.
