Sky shows door-to-door salesmen the door
Sky is to pull the plug on its door-to-door sales initiative amidst allegations that its agents lied about broadband speeds and download limits in the pursuit of commissions.
The operation has been suspended with immediate effect with all 550 ‘Sky Walkers’ facing redundancy – although Sky insists its decision is unrelated to any mis-selling.
Agents were summoned to a series of regional meetings on Monday to learn of their fate and have now been suspended from their roles whilst the wind down operation runs its course.
A Sky Spokeswoman said: “We've been reviewing the way we sell our products to better suit customer demands. The way customers like to shop is changing, with online becoming more important. In addition, as well as new customers joining Sky, a significant part of our growth now comes from selling additional products to existing customers with whom we already have a relationship.
"As customers choose other ways to buy our products, door-to-door sales are becoming less viable and we're proposing to withdraw from this activity. We'll consult with employees before taking a final decision and will work to find alternative roles for those affected should the proposal go ahead."
Sky now intends to focus on a combination of web marketing and telesales boost subscriptions.