A long-serving woman at Sky, who handled customer complaints for 30 years, was terminated for repeatedly disconnecting calls by hanging up on customers and then pretending the disconnection was accidental.
Lorraine Hunter, a call center employee, was fired after instructing subscribers to wait briefly before abruptly ending the calls, as revealed in an employment tribunal. She attributed these incidents to technical glitches, leading callers to redial and wait in the queue again.
Ms. Hunter, residing in Edinburgh, Scotland, lost her case for unfair dismissal following an investigation in November 2024. Management became suspicious of her deliberate call disconnections, prompting the recording of conversations.
Being responsible for handling esteemed and valuable customers, Ms. Hunter was tasked with resolving their issues and updating their contracts. Seven calls were identified as prematurely terminated by her, as disconnecting a call required a deliberate two-step action.
Following an incident, Ms. Hunter initially claimed dialing the wrong number prevented her from immediately reconnecting with the customer. Subsequently, during a conduct meeting on May 28 of the previous year, she was confronted with the suspicious calls recordings.
The subsequent week, she was officially discharged, with the explanation that she breached policies by disconnecting calls and failing to follow up with customers, posing a significant risk for the company.
Despite appealing and attributing the disconnections to technical issues, the decision was upheld. Ms. Hunter then pursued a claim of unfair dismissal at an employment tribunal in Edinburgh.
Employment Judge Michelle Sutherland supported Sky’s decision, stating that the company was justified in dismissing her. In a written statement, the judge affirmed that Sky had valid grounds to believe that Ms. Hunter intentionally disconnected customer calls.
The judge further emphasized that Sky conducted a thorough investigation and acted reasonably in dismissing Ms. Hunter, despite her extended service, without prior warnings. Consequently, the dismissal was deemed fair, and the unfair dismissal claim was dismissed.
Select Daily Mirror as a ‘Preferred Source’ on Google News for easy access to valued news.
At Reach and across our entities , we and our partners utilize data collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to enhance site experience, analyze usage patterns, and display personalized ads. You can opt out of data sale or sharing at any time by clicking the “Do Not Sell or Share my Data” button at the bottom of the page. Please note that preferences are specific to each browser. Using our site and services indicates acceptance of cookies and consent to the practices outlined in our Privacy Notice and <a data-testid="cipa-terms-and-conditions-notice-link" href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/terms-conditions/" rel="noreferrer" target