A long-term employee at Sky, who managed customer complaints for thirty years, was terminated for repeatedly disconnecting calls and falsely claiming they were accidental hang-ups.
Lorraine Hunter, a call center worker from Edinburgh, Scotland, was fired for instructing subscribers to hold momentarily before abruptly ending the calls, citing technical issues. This led to customers having to redial and wait in queues again.
The dismissal came after an investigation in November 2024 revealed that Ms. Hunter was purposely terminating customer calls. Recordings of conversations exposed seven instances where she prematurely ended calls, a deliberate action requiring a two-step process.
Despite claiming she dialed the wrong number, Ms. Hunter was confronted in a conduct meeting where the suspicious calls were played back to her. Following the meeting, she was formally dismissed for breaching policies by disconnecting calls and failing to follow up with customers, posing a significant risk for the company.
Ms. Hunter contested the decision, attributing the disconnections to technical glitches, but her appeal was denied. Subsequently, she brought her case to an employment tribunal in Edinburgh, where Employment Judge Michelle Sutherland ruled in favor of Sky. The judge deemed Sky’s decision to dismiss Ms. Hunter fair and reasonable, as the company had sufficient grounds to believe she intentionally disconnected customer calls. The tribunal concluded that Sky’s actions were justified, considering the thorough investigation and adherence to disciplinary procedures.