SKY CALL HANDLER DISMISSED AFTER REPEATEDLY HANGING UP ON CUSTOMERS

Lorraine Hunter was dismissed from her role as a customer priority specialist at Sky Subscriber Services Limited after she repeatedly told callers to wait for "just a second" and then ended their calls. An employment tribunal ruled against her claim for unfair dismissal, finding that the company's rulebook explicitly lists "hanging up on a customer" as potential gross misconduct. Ms Hunter had worked in the role since 1995, assisting high-value and high-profile customers with complaint resolution and contract adjustments.

An investigation began in November 2024 after managers suspected Ms Hunter of disconnecting customer calls. Seven phone calls were identified in recorded evidence that appeared to have been prematurely disconnected by her. One call from 25 July 2024 lasted 13 seconds before Ms Hunter ended it; she subsequently claimed she had dialled the wrong number, though she successfully reached the customer two hours later. The tribunal heard that disconnecting a call requires deliberate two-step physical action and is unlikely to occur by accident.

Ms Hunter attributed the disconnections to technical issues when confronted. She possessed a 30-year career in customer service before her dismissal at Sky. The tribunal's decision established that Ms Hunter's repeated disconnections of customer calls constituted grounds for dismissal under the company's disciplinary procedures.