It’s Now Easier to Cancel Poor Broadband Service
If you’ve been frustrated by the speed of your Broadband service you’ll be pleased to know that the rules have been changed so you can now cancel your contract under certain conditions.
Ofcom, the broadcasting and telecommunications regulator, has recently announced rules to help consumers cancel their contracts if their broadband speeds are too slow.
Common difficulties
Previously it was very difficult to get out of a contract once the initial three month period had passed without being liable to pay a penalty fee. Under the new rules announced you will be able to cancel at any time under certain circumstances.
If you have ever tried to cancel a broadband service you know your chances of success are slim at best and you often find yourself going round in circles talking to the customer services department of your chosen provider.
The days of being happy with internet access of any kind are long gone and people now need a fast and reliable service for a variety of reasons from work to gaming to streaming films and television programmes.
Broadband problems: common annoyances and how to fix them
Ofcom Explain the Changes
Ofcom’s new chief, Sharon White, told a conference hosted by the consumers association Which:
“When Ofcom was established, access to a reliable internet connection and a mobile phone was a ‘nice to have’. “Now it is essential to the functioning of the economy, to the way people work and live their lives.”
Now Ofcom wants users receiving the slowest speeds to be able to cancel their contracts with no penalties. The new rules will apply to service providers using digital subscriber line (DSL) technology.
This includes BT, EE, Sky and TalkTalk, but not Virgin Media, which uses a cable-based system.
Could this be about to change everything? Click here to find out what.
Current speeds
At the moment when a customer signs a contract, the provider gives a range of speeds the user can expect, e.g. 20 to 40 megabits per second.
What is less well known is that there is a second measurement company are less willing to share which is the minimum guaranteed access line speed (MGALS).
The new rules will allow customers who are receiving the slowest speeds in their price tier to cancel their contract at any time if their service fell below the MGALS for their home. Previously it had to be within the first 90 days.
You would have to give your service provider the opportunity to fix the problem which would hopefully solve the problem without the need to cancel.
Click here to see the average speed for UK based users.
If you need broadband for work but are struggling with your bills we can help. Hopefully, it’s just a temporary situation and you can visit this page to find out more about our short term loans to help you get back on track. The key to our loans is the presence of a loan guarantor to help keep the APR down. For more information on being a loan guarantor, please click here.
Clare McDonald
As a mother of two, Clare knows the importance of being careful with money, so writes posts from personal experience. Clare also loves to find great deals, so shares her finding here.
