Madasafish/IC24 "No Minimum Contract" small print

kingbullit

I signed up for an IC24 (now Madasafish) Broadband connection 14 months ago. I moved into a rented property and wasn't sure how long I'd be there so I wanted an ISP with no minimum contract. As it happens I've been there over a year, now I want to upgrade my account to one with a higher download limit, I shopped around, found a cheaper provider and requested my MAC code. Today I get a call to say that in the small print of my contract there's a cancellation fee of £80 if you cancel in the first 24 months!

How does this make it a "No Minimum Contract" package? Is inserting small print of this type even legal?

Quentin

If it is in the contract terms and conditions it will be legal.

They have been quite clever if they advertised it as "no minimum contract" - as this £80 cancellation fee is a separate thing altogether than a minimum contract, but it seems is still levied if you want to leave before 24 months are up.

Ask for a copy of the contract - it has been reported in the madasafish forum that when MSE members have asked to leave they have been given different advice by different customer service people on what the conditions say about leaving - and some have been given wrong advice.

Patr100

Quentin wrote:

If it is in the contract terms and conditions it will be legal.

Not necessarily - an unreasonable or misleading contract can be deemed non enforceable regardless even if stated in t & cs. It might however require a judge eg small claims court to decide if there were a dispute.

kingbullit

Thanks for the advice. This does seem very underhanded and devious and from a company I would have expected better of. What is the point of a "No Minimum Contract" when you tie a customer in for 2 years with the small print?