A Guardian Money reader described how Sky subjected her father, who has dementia and Parkinson's disease, to relentless sales pressure when the family tried to reduce his £113.50-a-month TV bill. Despite explaining his declining health and repeatedly asking to cancel, the family was pushed towards costlier packages, extra televisions and broadband, before being asked to authorise a £77 monthly direct debit for an £18-a-month deal that had unwanted Sports and Cinema add-ons included by default. The case highlights concerns about how telecoms firms treat vulnerable customers who wish to leave or downgrade, prompting a complaint to the regulator Ofcom.

The family had to ask to cancel six times before the adviser relented, having been passed from a "customer loyalty team" to a "retention team" that admitted its role was to keep customers rather than help them leave. Sky told the Guardian it has procedures for supporting vulnerable customers but that these were not followed in this case, blaming "standard process" and a lack of system access to remove the unwanted extras before signup. Ofcom said providers' procedures "must not act as a disincentive" for vulnerable customers seeking to cancel, and that it would act if evidence of widespread harm emerged. Sky apologised, and the father's contract has now been cancelled, though he has lost access to his favourite channels.