How do we stop Sky sales people calling an elderly family member with dementia in a rest home?

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geek4me

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#119523 4-Jun-2013 17:09

We have a family member with dementia in a rest home whom Sky sales people are phoning to offer Sky deals. Sky know his daughter has enduring power of attorney for him and that all contact should be through her. Today Sky sales people called him about a Soho channel special offer. The Sky sales person did call his daughter afterwards when he asked her to. Meanwhile he has been signed up when he did not want to be. Now we have to call Sky again to reverse this (the Sky phone system says they're too busy to take calls right now). The Sky sales person could not see or put a note of the file not to call him.

Sky have called us once before to apologise for taking cash from him in the rest home that we were upset about. After that we hoped that he would not be called again. Please Sky, you need a system in place to stop sales people calling dementia patients in rest homes when family have EPOA and all contact should be through them.

Have others had the same problem?

mattwnz

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#830590 4-Jun-2013 17:12

Are sky a member of the NZ direct marketing organisation, as they have a do not call register. Being the size they are and doing telemarketing, they should be.
I detest cold calling.

ajobbins

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#830593 4-Jun-2013 17:16

Perhaps the Sky accounts needs to be changed into the name of the person with EPOA.

Or at least the contact phone number updated on the account.

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1080p

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#830594 4-Jun-2013 17:18

http://www.marketing.org.nz/maDNC?Action=New

geek4me

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#830595 4-Jun-2013 17:20

I have already put his phone number on the marketing do not call database and we have changed contact details for him with Sky. It does not seem to help. We have just sent another email to Sky complaining again.

ObidiahSlope

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#830620 4-Jun-2013 18:27

Dear Sky

I am writing to inform you of the situation with my relative with whom I have an enduring power of attorney.

My relative does not have the capacity to enter into a contract.

Any sales, unsanctioned by me, of additional services by you to my relative after you being notified of this situation will be treated by me, as his representative, as a gift by Sky to my relative.

Yours etc.

Obsequious hypocrite

JimmyH

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#830621 4-Jun-2013 18:28

You could always drop a line to Fair Go. It's an interesting little story that they might be happy to anonymise, given your family member's situation.

I would imagine that after being contacted by Fair Go, Sky would find a way to put him on their "don't call" list pretty darn fast!

mattwnz

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#830627 4-Jun-2013 18:39

geek4me: I have already put his phone number on the marketing do not call database and we have changed contact details for him with Sky. It does not seem to help. We have just sent another email to Sky complaining again.

Perhaps contact that organsiation, to complain about them. If they are a member, they would have to abide by their terms of membership. If they aren't then they will be able to tell you that they aren't. Anyone who participates in that sort of marketing should really be a member.

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Kyanar

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#831003 5-Jun-2013 15:10

mattwnz:
geek4me: I have already put his phone number on the marketing do not call database and we have changed contact details for him with Sky. It does not seem to help. We have just sent another email to Sky complaining again.

Perhaps contact that organsiation, to complain about them. If they are a member, they would have to abide by their terms of membership. If they aren't then they will be able to tell you that they aren't. Anyone who participates in that sort of marketing should really be a member.

Sky is not a DMA member, according to the association's member directory.

mattwnz

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#831008 5-Jun-2013 15:17

Kyanar:

Sky is not a DMA member, according to the association's member directory.

That is surprising considering the size of them. Makes you wonder why they aren't a member, if they participate in direct marketing. Perhaps it is time they were.

mattbush

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#831517 6-Jun-2013 11:16

Call FairGo

Wheelbarrow01

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#831554 6-Jun-2013 12:56

My mum and dad used to get Sky calling them all the time offering their services and my parents were getting utterly sick of it as they were not interested and had advised them of this a number of times.
The last time it happened was about 2005, so I called Sky and informed them that I had a really old Toyota Hilux for sale.
I didn't let the rep interrupt me, but just kept listing off the most basic features of the car that I could think of for about 4 or 5 minutes.
When the rep finally stopped me and interrupted, he asked me why I was telling him all this. I asked if he was interested in buying my Hilux and he said no.
To which I replied "Right, so it must be annoying for you that I keep going on about what a great car it is even though you are not interested in buying it" and he agreed that it was.
I continued "Yes, and we are not interested in purchasing your f*ing services either, so stop calling us!!!"
They have never ever called back since.

geek4me

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#831573 6-Jun-2013 13:09

I like your approach of selling an old car perhaps I should try something similar. Meanwhile we're still awaiting a reply from Sky to the email sent. I feel sorry for our relative who can't cope with these calls. The last one was from someone trying to sell an HRV system which his house already has. He understood that the person wanted to buy his house which is on the market since he went into the rest home - it took awhile to sort that one out too!

c3rn

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#834330 11-Jun-2013 17:09

Wheelbarrow01: My mum and dad used to get Sky calling them all the time offering their services and my parents were getting utterly sick of it as they were not interested and had advised them of this a number of times.
The last time it happened was about 2005, so I called Sky and informed them that I had a really old Toyota Hilux for sale.
I didn't let the rep interrupt me, but just kept listing off the most basic features of the car that I could think of for about 4 or 5 minutes.
When the rep finally stopped me and interrupted, he asked me why I was telling him all this. I asked if he was interested in buying my Hilux and he said no.
To which I replied "Right, so it must be annoying for you that I keep going on about what a great car it is even though you are not interested in buying it" and he agreed that it was.
I continued "Yes, and we are not interested in purchasing your f*ing services either, so stop calling us!!!"
They have never ever called back since.

Now that's a mature approach isn't it?

Do you really think the CSR at the end of that phone call was responsible for the sales calls or has any sway over marketing campaigns?

Wheelbarrow01

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#836139 13-Jun-2013 08:21

c3rn:
Wheelbarrow01: My mum and dad used to get Sky calling them all the time offering their services and my parents were getting utterly sick of it as they were not interested and had advised them of this a number of times.
The last time it happened was about 2005, so I called Sky and informed them that I had a really old Toyota Hilux for sale.
I didn't let the rep interrupt me, but just kept listing off the most basic features of the car that I could think of for about 4 or 5 minutes.
When the rep finally stopped me and interrupted, he asked me why I was telling him all this. I asked if he was interested in buying my Hilux and he said no.
To which I replied "Right, so it must be annoying for you that I keep going on about what a great car it is even though you are not interested in buying it" and he agreed that it was.
I continued "Yes, and we are not interested in purchasing your f*ing services either, so stop calling us!!!"
They have never ever called back since.

Now that's a mature approach isn't it?

Do you really think the CSR at the end of that phone call was responsible for the sales calls or has any sway over marketing campaigns?

No I don't think that, but we had asked to be removed from their cold call data base on numerous occasions with no success and after several further calls from them in reasonably quick succession we were just over it. When maturity fails, one must revert to ridiculousness to get the attention of those blind to their own actions.

The non orthodox approach of just wasting their time instead of reasoning with them appears to have had the desired outcome, and I make no apology for that.