This month, millions of Britons will see a huge increase in their broadband bills, as many of the major providers like BT, Sky broadband, TalkTalk, and Plusnet have hiked prices by as much as 14.4 percent. Despite the extra cost, customers will not see any changes to download speeds, the service, or a new Wi-Fi router. To evade these surging bills, many people are tempted to switch providers but are afraid of being hit with an early termination fee if their contract hasn’t finished.
But there are still ways you can swerve broadband price rises without paying these fees, and experts at Utility Switchboard have described the different scenarios where this is possible.
If you’re out of contract
If you’ve been with your current broadband company for a few years, it’s highly likely that you’re free to negotiate a new deal with the same supplier, or even better, switch to a different company to unlock exclusive deals for new customers.
According to the most recent figures from regulator Ofcom, as many as 20 million UK broadband customers are currently outside of the initial contract period.
Broadband contracts typically last 12, 18, or 24 months, and if you’re not sure when your contract ends, you can find that out through your account.
Once your contract has ended, you’re free to cancel your service with extra charges.
After this, you can switch to a different provider or even a different deal with the same provider, which could offer you a better service or lower price.
If you are still in your cooling-off period
When you sign up for a new broadband deal, you get at least a 14-day “cooling-off period”, during which time you can cancel it with no penalties.
However, if you have used any data during this period, you will still have to pay for what you have used.
If your broadband is too slow
If your internet is slower than what was advertised, then you may be able to cancel your contract without paying any fees.
Companies including BT, EE, Plusnet, Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin Media have signed up to the Ofcom broadband speed code of practice.
If your issue has been going on for a while and your provider has not resolved it, Ofcom’s code allows you to cancel without facing early termination charges.
There are a few other ways which allow you to cancel for free. For example, if you are moving house and your current provider can’t connect to your new house.
If your broadband provider raises their prices higher than inflation levels, you may also be allowed to cancel for free. However, both of these scenarios depend on the finer details in your contract.
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