Problems quitting pay TV/ broadband/ phone

Former_MSE_Will · 29 October 2015 at 12:00PM

The communications regulator Ofcom wants to know what problems people have cancelling their pay TV, broadband and phone contracts.

It says that cancelling should be quick, easy and stress-free - but it knows that's often not the case. Ofcom says it get a lot of complaints from people trying to cancel.

Have you recently cancelled a contract - or tried to? Did it go smoothly or was it a nightmare?

Take Ofcom's online survey to tell it about your experience, and feel free to tell us below.

effie39 · 4 November 2015 at 12:44PM

I have not yet discovered if leaving TalkTalk will be as nightmarish as trying to join EE, but the whole experience was woeful. Don't believe a word EE say about it being a seamless experience. It was not. Their blurb suggest 8 - 10 working days, but mine was 5 weeks and I spoke to 9 different people who claimed to want to help. I cancelled the TalkTalk direct debit after informing them I was leaving, as I had every right to do as I was by then outside the contract, but I have a horrible feeling TalkTalk will try and take money from my account, find it blocked and send it to a debt recovery agent, which is my biggest fear. What bugs me most of all is government officials telling me to change supplier, but each supplier is just as bad as the other. All we are doing is moving from one problematic supplier to another. Until employees of any organisation do their job right first time, then this fiasco will continue.

Flier24 · 4 November 2015 at 8:56PM

The problem I had was caused by BT OpenReach. The transfer was arranged between TalkTalk and Sky. The transfer as far as I am aware was agreed between the 2 companies on an agreed date. TalkTalk pulled the plug just minutes after the start of the agreed day. Sky had communicated that I would be connected to them by midnight of that day. Result was no connection that day or a further 8 days. Only by repeated calls to Sky (and much expense) did it become apparent that the problem lay with BT OpenReach. They told Sky and claimed that they couldn't reestablish the connection at the exchange until what became a 10 day disconnection in effect. As BT had disconnected in the first instance I couldn't go back to TalkTalk temporarily. If TalkTalk had liased with BT in the first instance the connection could have been co-ordinated to provide an almost seamless service. Instead it was 10 days of frustration, without phone or broadband.

Lpg · 5 November 2015 at 10:39AM

When I left Plusnet I had to pay £35 exit fee although I had been a cusomer for 2+ years.

This was not a change of supplier but because I was moving.

Would have been good to know about it on my bill like N power do.

It was a shame because up to then I was very pleased with their service.

teddysmum · 5 November 2015 at 3:40PM

Lpg wrote: »

When I left Plusnet I had to pay £35 exit fee although I had been a cusomer for 2+ years.

This was not a change of supplier but because I was moving.

Would have been good to know about it on my bill like N power do.

It was a shame because up to then I was very pleased with their service.

Did you give the correct notice ?

Tinathurgood · 6 November 2015 at 7:47AM

Movie to a new provider can always be a pain especially with the cancellation fees involved. Always be sure to read the fine print in the contracts.

jem16 · 6 November 2015 at 10:17AM

Lpg wrote: »

When I left Plusnet I had to pay £35 exit fee although I had been a cusomer for 2+ years.

This was not a change of supplier but because I was moving.
.

Sounds like a cease charge for terminating broadband which BT Openreach make and pass onto your supplier. The supplier then passes this on to you. If you had switched there would have been no cease fee.

kbotlive · 6 November 2015 at 1:38PM

Just filled in the survey as have had a shocking experience with Sky today.

A few months ago I cancelled our TV packages with Sky, then a month ago switched our line and broadband.
Today I logged in to check my final bill status with Sky and spot they have done something really underhand, other switchers may want to watch out for this too.

Totally unauthorised Sky have reactivated my Sky+ subscription for ten pound a month and at the same time have applied a ten pound discount to my line rental. So for the bill total there was no change however as I am switching, this has totally complicated things with my final bill and refunds on the final part month for my line rental. Further to this and what I think is the most sneaky part of it is that if this had gone unnoticed I would have still have been paying Sky ten pound a money for the Sky+ service I never asked to be reactivated.

This seems to me like a very shady way of retaining custom and payment when you think you have switched all your services from them. Can't really believe they think it is justified to add a subscription charge to your account just because they have added a discount else where and with out authorisation and information. Can only think this is a tactic to complicate switching, the speed and ease of getting a refund over this only adds to suspicion they know they are doing wrong, normally getting money back out of Sky has always been a task.

I would advise anyone switching to be vigilant over your account and bill to ensure things like this are picked up.

psanders · 6 November 2015 at 10:09PM

What a mess. Contract is coming to an end and never used the TV service and the price is going up, so tried to give 30days notice of stopping it one month before contract end. But apparently the TV service was free and I'd have to pay more for BB + phone alone. Called back to cancel the lot and got the upsell talk - more for the same money for the first 12 months, but then an increase for the rest of the term - but I'm trying to cut costs. Third call and we went straight into cancelling. But my contract wasn't ended yet, so I'd incur an early termination charge if I started my 30 days notice then. Apparently, I have to give notice of ending the contract ON its expiry date! How is that notice? So do I have to pay a further month on non-contract rates while I serve my notice? No, I'm informed - I won't have to pay. What? Something for nothing? Can't believe it. Had to ask for clarification several times, with same result. So I give notice on the last day (not a day before or day after) and then get a further 30 days' service. Maybe this is something to do with having paid in advance from the start? Then comes The Reading Of The Terms - I will lose my phone number and line reactivation could cost £120 with new provider or if I rejoin TalkTalk :eek: - well that bit's not going to be a problem (possibly that's only if I don't transfer the line while it's still live). Left it at that but can't believe I won't be charged (Sky did the opposite to me several years ago - chopped the service off the day I phoned to cancel, and still took another month's subscription). Couldn't check the terms and conditions of the contract because the website's down, but when I tried, I found a new front page offering a deal the same as I had before all this started and for the full 18months.
OK, rant over - sorry folks, but perhaps I'll sleep better now and perhaps I'll update this thread when I get the last bills.

EHC · 8 November 2015 at 12:56PM

What a complete nightmare they are!

Mum placed an order to join, over the phone. Never had any terms & conditions issued.

Wanted service (broadband) for when she came out of hospital from a life saving operation.

Cutting long story short internet never worked! After a few weeks of trying wrote to cancel, due to failure to provide the service. Plusnet abusive and threatening (she is also a pensioner).

I tried, all ways, and was polite to them. Got nothing but blocks, arrogance and abuse!

Told - you will "like this one": no guarantee of getting a quality of service (understand that one), but also no guarantee of getting any service at all - for the money you pay!!!

No way out of contract.

Withdrew the cancellation, which they accepted. Then cut of whole service anyway!!

Expect, now, they will want paying the full amount for rest of 18 months - for providing nothing!

Ofcom no help as have to have a 'deadlock code' - which Plusnet refuse to provide.

Just don't go to them!!!

jimjimjimjim · 13 November 2015 at 2:48PM

Hi,

My 70 year old mother in law was with Talk Talk. She moved to a house close to us where we can look after her. She was out of contract at her old house so signed up for a new TT contract to start the day she moved in. Instead of visiting to set everything up when she moved in as they said they would, TT did a "remote visit" = nothing. So nothing worked no TV, broadband etc, We phoned to complain and they agreed to send an engineer. 4 days later a BT engineer arrived but said any work done would be charged to us via TT so we sent him away.
TT refused to send a TT engineer to get their services up and running. A 70 year old lady is surely not expected to lay new wiring?. We cancelled the contract and Virgin came in 3 days later and got everything installed and working , free of charge.
TT wanted 30 days notice to cancel the contract which we refused as no service had been provided.
That was 5 months ago. Their demand is up to £600.They have notified that court action and credit rating marks will be applied. They will not discuss the case as they have passed it to an agency.The agency have been waiting for over a month for TT to respond.
I have complained to OFCOM but they do not get involved with specific cases.
I cannot believe they can be allowed to behave like this. Help !

Problems quitting pay TV/ broadband/ phone

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