BT Broadband cessation fee?

vbt

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone had experience of BT trying to make them pay a £25 cessation charge for their broadband?

I am emigrating shortly and before then will be moving back to my mum's for a few weeks. I rang BT a few weeks ago to check on my contract dates. I was told that my phone is in contract until 28 October and that I will have to pay £7.50 a month charges until then, giving a total of £45 to pay off the duration of the contract.

I was also told my broadband contract expires on 4 May so there will be no charges to pay.

I asked them to confirm what the total charges for cancelling everything would be and I was told it was £45.

I rang back today to action the cancellations and was told they charge a £25 "cessation fee" becasue I'm not moving my broadband to another provider (pretty impossible if you're emigrating) and this is because an engineer has to visit the exchange and 'turn the broadband off'.

This wasn't mentioned at the time I signed up, and I've never had any notification of a change in the T&Cs, and they confirmed to me on the phone a few weeks ago that the total fees would be £45, so I'm a bit angry they're moving the goalposts! :mad:

I can't move the contract to my mum's either, as she already has broadband and has only just signed a new contract.

Has anyone had any luck having this fee waivered? BT have said even if someone gave me the wrong information the other week, and even though they have a record of who I spoke to, nothing changes, but they will speak to that person to avoid it happening in the future., which hardly helps me.

Thanks

Rufus_348

The £25 cessation charge is hidden deep in your terms and conditions - see here http://www.productsandservices.bt.com/consumer/consumerProducts/pdf/UKInternationalprices.pdf (page 28 no 6).

Since you signed up for these I don't know how easy it'll be to wriggle out of but it does say that you won't be subject to the charge if you're moving and BT can't supply your new address so I don't see why you couldn't just lie or request a MAC code to change provider and never use it. I'm sure someone'll be along to tell me why that's a silly idea though...

kwikbreaks

Requesting a MAC and not using it is an interesting idea but I think it won't work....

Requesting a MAC doesn't terminate your contract it just serves as notice that you intend to go. If if just sit on one then it expires and nothing happens your BB continues. If you use the MAC then BTw are supposed to notify the ISP you are leaving that you have gone and it is (or at least should be) that which terminates the contract although the standard advice is to always call the ISP you've left after the transfer in case the work docket accidentally gets filed in the round cabinet and the notification doesn't happen.

I think if you just ask for a MAC and leave it at that you'll not have cancelled the contract and continue getting charged.

Saying that you are moving to Tibet and asking if they can reconnect you over there sounds like a plan but I suspect they'll still charge anyway.

vvalles

Hi, I'm in a similar situation here but with Orange Broadband. I'm moving abroad and don't want to pay the 'disconnection fee'. I have also thought of telling them something like: "I'd like to move my BB service to Mexico, please. Oh, you cannot provide me with BB there? Then I don't pay the fee!". Has anyone succeeded in having the fee waived?
Cheers!

mrJ_5

vbt wrote:

This wasn't mentioned at the time I signed up, and I've never had any notification of a change in the T&Cs

Rufus_348 wrote: »

The £25 cessation charge is hidden deep in your terms and conditions - see here http://www.productsandservices.bt.com/consumer/consumerProducts/pdf/UKInternationalprices.pdf (page 28 no 6).

And has existed for several years - if your contract will end on 4th May, then you would have agreed to them when you signed up/renewed a previous contract. Not fully reading the terms doesn't mean it wasn't there before - besides, who can rememeber if it were there or not 12/18 months ago... maybe you saw it and thought it wouldn't matter as you would stay here (or switch if needed be) and hadn't thought about emigrating

CrabPaste

vvalles wrote: »

Hi, I'm in a similar situation here but with Orange Broadband. I'm moving abroad and don't want to pay the 'disconnection fee'. I have also thought of telling them something like: "I'd like to move my BB service to Mexico, please. Oh, you cannot provide me with BB there? Then I don't pay the fee!". Has anyone succeeded in having the fee waived?
Cheers!

That wont work, believe me.