Sky TV won't give my mum access to the account she pays for

My mum is a long time customer of Sky TV but despite paying the bill for over a decade she found she had no control over the account because it's in the name of my long-gone dad.

When she sold her house to be closer to her family, she tried to change the address on the account Sky, but was told she couldn't without my dad's permission or even cancellation.

My parents had this account for over 20 years, but separated 14 years ago, are now divorced and we have no contact with my father.

She found herself in the bizarre situation of being able to pay for Sky (she's actually changed banks three times since taking over payments) but not to own the account.

Sky's advice is simply d cancel the direct debit and walk away ler, but she fears it will leave a mark on her credit report.

We intended to get Sky Gl ass in her new property as she didn isn't entitled to a dish, but it got us wondering if she shouldn't just stick with Freeview.JP, Ramsbottom

Sky has confirmed that any address changes or cancellations will require your father's permission.

It says: "As stated in our terms and conditions, we require the the account holder's permission to cancel or move an account to avoid unsolicited cancellation. In this case, we would encourage the customer to create a new Sky account at their new address and cancel their previous direct debit."

It states that this will ensure that the new account reflects your mum is over 20 with Sky.

Whatever she decides on TV packages she should go ahead and cancel direct debit. won't affect his credit report since the account is not in his name. However, this of course creates a risk for your father, which seems unsatisfactory.

And finally…

This column is usually filled with stories of poor service, but sometimes we get examples of businesses going the extra mile.

Thanks to the Homes for Ukraine, a Ukrainian family is moving in next week, our building and contents insurance is with Saga and when I informed them Hey, she told me she should check with the policy underwriter.

The underwriter refused to provide continuous coverage, so Saga found one that would, offering a new 12-month policy with the same cover at no additional cost - thus giving us almost six months of free cover.

Saga was clear that he wanted support the program. What a refreshing change from the "computer says no" answer we so often encounter.AN, Deal

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