the break up

Dear Sky,

We’ve been in a relationship now for 10 years. I give you money, you give me TV.

But lately, I’ve just not felt as satisfied as I once did. Maybe we got too comfortable with one another?

I used to feel like we spent such a lot of time together. But now there are new relationships, and some of them are getting quite serious. I’ve been seeing Netflix for a while now, and I’ve developed some quite strong feelings for Apple TV. Basically, we’ve drifted apart and I feel like I want to see other people.

Last week I called you to see what we could work out. I wanted us to reconnect. I explained that it felt like I was giving you so much – £43 a month to be exact – and not really getting enough in return. I needed more.

Sadly, though, you didn’t feel able to take our relationship to the next level. You said we could see each other less… if we stopped watching movies together. That would save me £10 a month, you said. It felt like such an empty gesture.

Then you said that if I wanted the same sort of quality time as I get with the other TV providers I’ve been seeing, I’d have to pay you £200 for an HD box. You told me how much you wanted us to be together, how much you appreciate my loyalty and commitment, how the £200 was a small price to pay for all the documentaries we’d be able to enjoy together. I hate documentaries.

But here’s the thing. I’m sort of sick of being taken for granted. You’ve been happy to take and take from me, every month, for years on end, while you offer people you just met a better package than you do me, who’s given you around five thousand pounds over the last decade.

Actually, if we’d just met, then you’d offer me my current package for £15 a month less than I’m spending now. Not only that, but you’d give me a month’s service free and a free HD viewing box. You’d even give me a free Samsung Galaxy Tab. As a new customer, I’d save £380 over 12 months on what you expect me to pay, as your much *cough* “valued” loyal customer.

But it’s not just you, Sky. It’s my car insurance company, which this month offered me a renewal price that was around £350 more than a dozen other providers. And when I called the company to cancel the policy, I was immediately offered a “loyalty bonus” worth around £80 – still not enough to make it worth my while not to cancel the policy, but my question was – why is the loyalty bonus ONLY available to me when I complain? Why don’t you value me simply because I give you money every month and ask so little in return?

So I’m drawing a line. I’m cancelling my TV service and sticking with companies that value my time and money.

Oh and now I think about it? It’s not me. It’s you.

Love Sally

x

 

Pic: Shutterstock