Student House, Contract Cancellation

bpbpbp

Hi,

I am hoping to find advice on a contract cancellation payment I have been asked to pay by BT. I am unfamiliar with BT Services, and moved into a student house with 3 others in September. We called BT to ask about having an internet connection. They told us we had to have a home phone and landline as well as internet. So we ordered this along with an internet package, and because they would only have one name on the account I volunteered mine.

Everyone has moved out and the tenancy ends on 31st July. I called to cancel the account and they said I have an 18 month contract and have to pay £185 to cancel! Even though the new tenants want our package, BT won't allow them to take over my account. This is very unfair, to allow a contract to continue until Feb 2013 whilst receiving payment from the new tenants as well? I will not be able to split the cancellation charge between the 4 of us, as I know the others have left the country and would be unlikely to pay.

Is there anything I can do? We (I) have never missed a payment. I could understand if it were an outstanding charge for something, but BT are getting a new service from the new tenants at the same address so they have nothing to do except a bit of paperwork, yet they still want money for nothing

Regards,
BP

BigAunty

Unless I have misunderstood your post, they aren't taking over the contract from you, they are taking out a new one in their own name after you have left. They can choose any telecoms supplier or package they like, they don't have to stick with BT but seemingly have decided to.

The money you pay is because you seemingly and obliviously took out a contract much longer than your tenancy and this is the charge to release you from your contract.

The incoming tenants will have a new contract in their own name, perhaps even different tariffs and services if they so choose, they don't simply finish off your contract even if the services are similar.

The fee you pay is to end the contract, not to continue it under someone else's name - there is no duplication or overlap in the way these two separate accounts operate.

Your best bet, I think, is to review what you originally signed up for to see if you did in fact order an 18 month contract, look at the Terms and Conditions of the contract to find evidence whether a cancellation fee is payable etc, in other words, focus on the challenging if you have the contract they state or if you can dispute it.

What does your original contract say - dig out your order, the Ts and Cs, etc.

macman

As above, you appear to have agreed an 18 contract without checking the minimum term, and that is what they will hold you to. Any arrangement by the incoming tenant is completely irrelevant to your own contract.
Since you volunteered your name as the sole account holder (big mistake), you are unfortunately liable for the entire ETC owing.
Unfair? Maybe. But contractually, you haven't a leg to stand on. Hopefully you can persuade your ex-housemates to contribute-but I wouldn't count on it.

Buzby

You've received a very valuable lesson early on. You committed to the 18 month term, and as the organised of it, should have worked out in advance the termination cost and shared this out with the user - as it stands, you'll be left with the residual amount to pay. Yes, they are due this money, is it fair? Well, you agreed to it - if this was a problem, then you could have found someone else to take the risk. We all get tied to minimum terms, you just have to be aware and work with them as best you can!

DVardysShadow

It seems rather bizarre to me that BT continue with the 18 month contract. Most house rents have a term of 6 months, students generally stay for a year [or 2 and get stung with a new 18 month term].

It seems to me that BT are setting themselves up to set debt collectors on half the students in the land and half the renters. Yes, it does in the short term bring them extra money. But in the long term would anyone stung by this nonsense ever want to do business with them again? It is one of the reasons besides the Indian call centres why I won't go back to BT.

macman

The OP required a landline install, not just a broadband connection, and this was presumably done at the reduced rate from the standard £130 in return for an 18m contract.

Buzby

The solution would be to arrange for a minimum term that suited everyone, and then pay the increased charge for the service required. You can have a landline with BB for as little as a month if you want - it's expensive in comparison, but it can be done.

Accepting the standard duration and then expecting it to waived on demand is unrealistic!