The Conclusion to the Trilogy...

6th April 2009

Sky Talk Customer Services

F.A.O. June Anderson and/or Donald Chalmers,Customer Relations Department/ Service Excellence Departments respectively.

Subject: Ongoing complaints unsatisfactorily dealt with or ignored.

With regard to above, I now write formally to register my disgust over how I have been treated (more correctly ignored) over recent complaints I have made over the month of March 2009, only to now find the email complaints themselves will, allegedly, "not have been received" according to the Auto Response SKY email received on 25th March 2009.

This auto reply was received some thirteen days since my last email (the one referred to where the auto reply states "Your original message will not have been received").
This is an extraordinary length of time for an Auto Reply which is usually generated immediately after any email is received by such an auto-service, or within a 24 or 48 hour timeframe.

Related to the reference my original message was not received, this is incorrect – it clearly has been received or it would not have generated a response (automated or otherwise). This response seems more like a convenient delay tactic to hopefully either allow for more time to react to the original email/s, deflect accordingly, or even hope the delay/ lack of response will mean the original sender or complainant gives up or does not pursue any further.
Not this complainant.

Further, I note the request on the Auto Reply to use the SKY enquiry form on the website. This is also convenient only for SKY and I note the "1000 character limit" still applies which is totally unacceptable for the occasions a complaint has to be made of some length or content.

And finally, on the subject of the Auto Reply email, I note that it clearly states:

**This is an automatic response. Please do not reply to this email as replies to this email will remain unanswered**

Interesting then on that very same Auto Reply the terms at the end of the email clearly include the statement: "If you have received it in error, please notify the sender by return email…"

Contradiction in ‘terms’ I’m sure you will agree, and not exactly inspiring confidence in the SKY email support or any part of the Customer Relations service (it has just occurred to me that ‘Customer’ and ‘Relations’ may well be another contradiction in terms when it comes to SKY).

The above (and previous) complaints, and others like them, are also now being posted on various sites who welcome such opinions (including one I personally contribute to) by like-minded individuals who present many such letters highlighting service providers who, ironically, are not actually providing a service. 

I look forward to hearing from you. 

Ross Muir


Afterword.
SKY did not contact me or acknowledge any of my complaints, yet shortly thereafter they removed the surcharge and reduced my monthly subscription fee.
Funny, that.