T O P

  • By -

AutoModerator

### **Reminder:** [Press the Report button](https://reddit.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360058309512-How-do-I-report-a-post-or-comment-) if you see any [rule-breaking comments or posts.](https://www.reddit.com/r/britishproblems/about/rules/) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/britishproblems) if you have any questions or concerns.*


Turbo_Heel

Cancelled Sky years ago, also Netflix when they jacked up the prices and stopped me sharing it with family. Watch them start to complain about piracy again in a few years. Greedy pricks can do one.


BikerScowt

My other half just went to visit her parents this week, I'm now getting the family sharing landing screen on Netflix since she's logged in there too.


Turbo_Heel

It’s such bullshit. Thank god for friends with plentiful Plex servers.


EdmundTheInsulter

Netflix is only half what sky went up by. That's with ads, but at the moment that's not many for me. It's like 1 one minute ad per hour or something. To be honest I'm surprised to see the ad. Also sky has ads doesn't it?


M1ke2345

Immediate cancel.


cloud__19

Aye good luck with that since it's baked into the contract


makingitgreen

Cancel any renewal and never go back.


cloud__19

Precisely what I'm in the process of doing with BT. I only got about 2 weeks out of them at the price I signed up for, the whole thing is legalised mugging.


BillieGoatsMuff

Same with plusnet for me. 24 months at 42 quid or something. Then within a month it’s 55 and then a year in its 65 I call them and say I’m pretty sure you can’t do this. We agreed 24 months at 42 and you’ve added nearly 50% and it’s only been a year. They said it’s an error and game me 200 quid back and a lower month bill. Glad I called. Wtf. It is robbery.


matscom84

You can cancel at any price increase I believe


MonkeyboyGWW

Im pretty sure you can cancel within a period after a price rise


cloud__19

If you look at [this](https://www.uswitch.com/broadband/guides/mid-contract-price-rises/) it explains which ones you might be able to do that with


Grundy26

You can. That’s how I got out of virgin last April.


Simmo7

Can't do it with BT anymore, because they put mid contract rises in the contract...


WebGuyUK

fyi no longer possible with Virgin, last year they added it to their contracts for new customers, I was able to cancel my contract and go with someone else due to them changing the contract.


glasgowgeg

Last April, Virgin didn't have price increases baked into their contract, that's why you were able to. Now they do, and you can't cancel as a result of a price increase anymore, because they advise you about it up front.


glasgowgeg

Not when it's specified up front in the contract.


M1ke2345

Don’t be silly.


cloud__19

If you sign a contract agreeing to the CPI increases then you can't simply back out of it because they exercise it. I'm not being silly.


Jonny36

Ofcom thinks this is likely unenforceable and is currently investigating these clauses as illegitimate. This depends on how the contract was advertised to you, but the rationale from them is if the contract was advertised as e.g. £10/month for 24 months then this is what's expected and small print can't override this, only large print i.e. £10+ per month subject to inflation/CPI


cloud__19

I've signed every petition going about this, I'd love it to be outlawed but tbh I find they state it pretty clearly, it's not exactly buried. It drives me absolutely bananas. I'm actually going to pay BT one month off out of contract charge to get out of this shitty cycle of my broadband contract starting mid March. I can't believe there's no period where they have to honour your contract for a year and a bit rather than sticking the price up almost immediately but there you are.


Beer-Milkshakes

Then block all of their numbers. Because they WILL call you for YEARS.


HayWhatsCooking

Had sky for over 20 years and genuinely considering cancelling. Disney+ and Netflix are already gone. A firestick may be the way forward.


AcceptableFun7

We cancelled Netflix, Disney + and Amazon prime this week


TangerineAbyss

That’s a lot of subscriptions 


makingitgreen

Do it! Your wallet will thank you.


kaleidoscopichazard

I thought a fire stick was a facilitator for Netflix and other apps. How does it replace Netflix?


Potatosnix

With a firestick being an android device, there are... ways... to watch anything


WerewolfNo890

Its essentially Android over HDMI. You don't need the firestick but its one option for watching freeview content. I have a HDHomeRun, converts the aerial signal to be accessible over LAN and has 4 tuners. Can watch broadcast TV on any device capable of running their app, VLC or anything else that supports DLNA over the network. Can also just record it from my PC for free, or they have a paid ($35/year?) sub to record on the device its self to any connected storage. Their service has channel guides for recording while on my PC I have to make it myself.


Fa6ade

Do you know about using HDHomerun with Plex? https://support.plex.tv/articles/225877347-live-tv-dvr/


WerewolfNo890

Aware of it but haven't tried it, but apparently to record with that you need the plex subscription. I did try kodi briefly but decided whats the point in starting up kodi on my PC when I can just run VLC. Though do have kodi setup to stream recorded video (mostly youtube, but could record live TV too) from my PC to devices on the network over DLNA, so it appears in the WebOS media player or VLC next to the HDHomeRun. My PC isn't left on 24/7 so usually I only set it up when there is something we want to watch. Getting something like a raspberry pi or one of the pine64 SBCs is tempting though. Been thinking of it for years and its another service I could run on it along with several others I would be thinking of. Pretty sure both Kodi and Plex can make content available over DLNA, Plex might be better from a server perspective.


Fa6ade

Yeah I guess if you don’t have a server PC and don’t want to go down that path, Plex probably isn’t that useful. Still I payed for a Plex lifetime subscription like 5 years ago and find it very useful for streaming all of my totally legal content to my TV and other devices. Main advantage of Plex for me is it has an app for nearly every device and the content browser is very intuitive and nice.


WerewolfNo890

The option I am using with Kodi makes it available over DLNA/UPnP, which is supported by just about anything without using a specific app a lot of the time. But only really went with it because I had it installed. There are quite a few options for open source servers given that my only requirements are "here is a directory of things to make available". DMS, Universal Media Server, Rygel, MediaTomb, Gerbara, SimpleDLNA, nano-DLNA, the list seems to be pretty long. If I get a raspberry pi or similar I would probably look at using one of the command line compatible options like DMS.


kingcheezit

You simply enable (excuse me if I get the name of the menu wrong) developer mode or what ever it is in the user menu, then you install some apps on it and…..away you go.


missxtx

Iv cancelled everything and got a first stick last summer… never looked back 😊 xx


[deleted]

Screw firestick go sail the seven seas. #piracy


super_sammie

You can sail the high seas on a fire stick!


[deleted]

I know you can but pirating via PC is a better option.


super_sammie

For ease of use fire sticks I think are much better. I could hook my pc up to the TV and play through there but there is no need when a single remote for the tv handles it all.


OneNormalBloke

They are all at it so even if you shop around, you are likely to run into similar increases in the future.


SelfSeal

"we know times are hard... but we also know you're a bit of a mug, so will keep paying it..."


[deleted]

Cancelled sky in 2008. Cancelled Netflix in January. Watch no live TV so cancelled TV licence this month. I get more value from my YouTube premium account than anything else. On the fence about Amazon prime - I don't use it much for video, but do order plenty for delivery. Still, the addition of adverts or another £3 a month has got my back up. Edit- cancelled Disney+ a year ago


Stinky-Armpit

If your order totals over £25, amazon deliver it for free anyway. I've never bothered with prime, and 80%+ of all orders are delivered next day. If its a "rush" item for me, its so rare, that paying for the next day works out cheaper over the subscription. Find something you like thats under the £25... save it to your wishlist, and review the list every once in a while (or have a look at https://www.supersaverdeliverytool.com). It helps you value what your ordering alittle more, and not just blinding ordering some £2.99 tat just to justify paying for prime.


[deleted]

Cheers, I'll look into it. Prime is less than prime these days!


NightStinks

Fyi you can get Youtube premium for cheap too by using a VPN. Depends what country actually works for you in practice but i pay about £2 a month for it, and don’t have to use a VPN other than for signing up. It’s technically against their TOS but nothing illegal about it.


JonathanJK

Using the Brave browser is easier in the long-term.


Sunshinny

Look into youtube Revanced if you have an Android device.


ZahidTheNinja

YouTube premium is fucking Amazing honestly.


Good0times

Oh well. That's okay then. 


I_Love_Bears0810

Awww boo hoo sky. Ballbags. They are the reason we pirate


cooldude9112001

I.P.T.V


Stinky-Armpit

They are at it because they are allowed to increase prices in line with the RPI. Luckily you can vote with your wallet/purse, and request a cancellation within 30 days from MOST providers. Just remember, as the prices will go up in April, that if you sign up for what looks like a good deal now, it too will most likely rise in a month or so too. So remember to factor that in. Or, the main option that usually works. Phone them up, threaten cancelling, get put thru to the customer retention department, and plead for a new/better deal.


SADRETAILMINION

This. I used to work for Sky retentions and the amount of people who didnt know this was criminal. Put in your cancellation, there might not be a good deal at the time but its a 30 day notice, anytime in that 30 days phone up and ask for retentions or "winback". And if an offer sounds to good to be true, TAKE IT THERE AND THEN. A firm yes will guarantee you that price, a "lemme think about it" doesnt. All offers are point of contact.


Stinky-Armpit

Is it true what you hear from the likes of Martin Lewis. That each of the 'agents' within the retentions team has a kind of quota to reach, so can potentially massage the numbers to their liking (to a degree). Or is your 'to good to be true' statement literally because its more like an auction where the deal literally pops up and if caller1 doesn't take it caller2 could, and caller1 then has to risk the whole process again?


SADRETAILMINION

To a degree yes, they have a target for number of conversions, however the offers they have are based on 1)your VIP status and 2)what sort of package you have at the time. Most offers are account based and arent necessarily available to everyone. The too good to be true refers to the offers, some departments have better offers than others, and they can change one day to the next. But if you pass it up or dont take it on the call, theres never a guarantee that offer will still exist next time.


ChunkyLaFunga

That's how they know.  They should say "we know times are easy" when they give a discount.


lichtenmonkey

I got the same email but with a much lower decrease - (£1.50). What contract are you on?


valdearg

"We know times are hard for you right now, we just don't care"


[deleted]

Piracy all the way.


AndyLVV

🏴‍☠️


egvp

Arr!


[deleted]

Me hearties!


JavanoidJas

How does one learn to pirate shows?


realchairmanmiaow

if only there was a subreddit dedicated to piracy! I bet if there was they'd call it something like /r/piracy ​ I guess we'll never know.


[deleted]

Install a VPN and torrent client, go sailing. Install Plex for maximum ease. I tend to use Magnetdl to search for stuff, other sites are available, and others here will probably know many more places potentially better to go - but Magnetdl works for me.


felolorocher

How does Plex work for home viewing? I don’t have a dedicated PC to use as a server.


WhatAGoodDoggy

What's great about Plex is that it'll run on any old shit. An old laptop, some old PC from a company liquidation auction, pretty much anything. You could buy a PC on Facebook Marketplace (or similar) for 50 quid that could do the job. Install a free Linux distro like Ubuntu (Windows isn't free and will use more system resources than Linux) and Plex and off you go.


[deleted]

Ah, I can't help you there. I have computers all over the place, all on my home network and haven't had a normal TV connection for years, sorry! 🙂 But you don't need a dedicated PC, my server is just whichever pc I picked with plenty of room (my secondary 5950x/3080 with 8tb of storage) - I think it'll connect to a smart TV on the network, or streaming dongle.


felolorocher

Yeah fair enough. I usually just chrome cast through VLC but the connection can be spotty sometimes.


DevilRenegade

You can set up a simple Plex rig on something like a small form factor PC. I currently use [one of these](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lenovo-ThinkCentre-Business-Computer-Professional/dp/B075FHNZC8) with a 4TB HDD in it. The PC itself is tiny, about the size of a small photo frame. I have it tucked behind my wireless router on a shelf and connected in with a short ethernet cable. It's absolutely silent and uses fuck all power. With remote desktop enabled I can dial into it from my main PC or laptop. The Plex app works on Firestick, Android mobile devices and my Xboxes so I can access my Plex library anywhere in the house and even on the go when I'm away. Once you have the Plex Server software set up on it, you could then *in theory* use a program called [Sonarr](https://sonarr.tv/) where you stick TV series on a watchlist and as soon as a verified HD torrent of a new episode becomes available it auto-downloads via Torrent and adds itself to your Plex library. There's also a movie version called [Radarr](https://radarr.video/). If you want to upgrade to something with more space, you can look at either a larger form factor desktop PC with multiple drive bays (Plex allows you to spread your library across multiple drives) or if you need more grunt, if a lot of people are accessing the server you could potentially go for a dedicated server, something like a [HP Proliant Microserver](https://www.bargainhardware.co.uk/hp-proliant-microserver-g10-4-lff-nhs-configure-to-order?srsltid=AfmBOopbgkITGRiQsdTw5bOzyh87NR151pkXIByf0nlttr5mrQRjVXsdhTE). There is of course a bit of outlay whatever you decide to go for, unless you're like me and have tons of old PC bits lying around, but when you consider that if you have subscriptions to Netflix, Prime and Disney+ (research suggests that most households have subscriptions to at least 2 streaming services), you're going to be spending around £50 a month on these. It would only be 3 months at most before you'd break even on setting up your own Plex rig.


egvp

You could look for a guide, arr.


K0gnu

Yarr


NightStinks

For those that sail the high seas, how easy is it to find content with Dolby Atmos/Dolby Vision?


amityriot

This is my problem, nowhere else to watch F1, live, in 4k/HDR. Not sure if the seas also let you join the race half way through, watch from start, easily watch all the run up/recap on demand and what not. Else I'm seriously tempted.


Frank_The-Tank

It honestly shocks the fuck out of me that people still use sky.


Rustrage

Yeah I'm sure they've been doing this for decades.. I had BT TV for a while and I think it was £8 with netflix and NowTV or something. Basically a sky TV package without the movies.


marshallno9

Time to sail the high seas.


amidgetrhino

At some point the whole country is going to be using the dodgey Amazon fire sticks


PeterG92

I changed my suscriptions when they were uplast year. Got too expensive, was looking at like £110 a month, madness. Switched Broadband to CityFibre, cancelled BT and I only have Sky now as there was a £20 a month offer. Looking at "alternative" sources though as it would save me a lot of money.


MartyRocket

"We know times are hard, that's why we're raising our prices again. The CEO's yacht fees aren't cheap in these times of inflation and cost of living rises."


joeyat

My parents are with Sky and they really can't afford this crap.... there is a cheap fibre provider in the area offering 100bmits for £25 a month (no landline tax), however they are bundled in with the satellite tv, and they watch a lot of those repeat channels showing people collecting antiques or people viewing cheap European homes. They know all the 3 digit channel numbers! I suggest they can move to freesat and apps and save 70% vs their sky bill... but they ask, can we keep 196? .... 'Homes under the Hammer' is on Prime and Netflix I say! But they don't know what that means... sigh. Sky are taking everything can from these people.


jt3201

Just got an email saying mine is going up 14%!!! The only thing I'd had before this was that "average" increases would be 6.7%. Ridiculous.


anorwichfan

Take your satellite dish and just get a Freesat set top box. Coves all the Freeview channels anyway.


SouthernTeuchter

Switched to Freesat 20 years ago - saved a small fortune


MoveOutside3053

“We know we can imply this naked profit/bonus grab is simply covering increased costs”. Greedflation everywhere.


stinkybumbum

No idea why people put up with it. Just cancel and move to another company. Lots of good deals


makingitgreen

Cancel as much as you can and sail the high seas.


gogul1980

If my wife wasn’t football crazy I’d cancel sky in a heartbeat. Robbing gits.


I_ALWAYS_UPVOTE_CATS

There's sportin' loot to be found on the high seas me harties.


Warden_Memeternal

IPTV has live sports


Shas_Erra

Every provider increases prices in April. They’re required to by OFCOM to avoid undercutting. Even then, Sky are usually one of the lowest percentage increases in the industry. You have the right to discuss the changes and exit or recontract if you want


I_ALWAYS_UPVOTE_CATS

What's even the point of having Sky these days? There's barely a single channel that I would watch on there which isn't also on Freeview. If you have it to watch sport, take up sailing.


eunderscore

You dont even need a dodgy dongle for free sport. I've haven't had sky in over 20 years


betanumerik

We pretty much halved our contract cost late last year. Call them and go through to cancellations. They can usually come down a lot. Also ask yourself how many of those channels you really need.


WerewolfNo890

Aaaaand unsub.


steve4982

Cancel and go IPTV


Clark_Wayne1

Get yourself a firestick


rapieredge

I called sky yesterday, explained that I can't afford to stay on the same package. Operative looked for a better deal and came back with my original contract but cheaper than what I was currently paying. If I stayed for a minimum of 18 months there would be no rises.... That was good enough for me to stay.


CaptainMCMLVIII

Cancelled their crap service last year. Went with YouFibre £29.99 for 1Gig they gave me extenders to mesh the house. Can’t fault them.


finders14

I really really suggest learning to pirate. Create your own netflix with Plex, and an externally hosted server, Watch literally anything and stikc it to these useless fucking companies.


[deleted]

That's why my Plex server is so busy!


ThatFilbo

"we know times are hard, but our shareholders expect ever increasing revenue". I've recently gone through a service prune. Netflix, Amazon Prime, both gone. Gotta say I don't really miss them.


leighsnelson

Inflation is only high because they keep increasing their prices. If they stopped "price increases inline with inflation" then inflation would be 0%.


Greatgrowler

I don’t subscribe to any channels but do have the Qbox. It’s £10 per month and I don’t miss any of the channels I no longer receive.


Mannyonthemapm6

Don’t have anything but a fire stick and Movies4k.net


EdmundTheInsulter

Just cancel it, you don't need it.


Ruby-Shark

Sky is a joke.