Can I Get Out of an 18 Month BT Contract Early?

matm00

I've recently had a change of circumstances where I've had to relocate to another part of the country and need to cancel the BT line and broadband in my house. Canceling the line is fine, but I have to 'buy myself out' of the 18 month broadband contract (about £160). I can't 'take the broadband with me' so I'm thinking I will have to pay, but it's a lot of money. Is there any way of getting out of the contract without paying this? I could of course just cancel the direct debit, but this will probably get me into trouble and cause me or future owners/tenants at the property problems.

hurrah

Be careful on the line rental if your still within contract on it. As
after the Ist may 2007 you cant pay an £18 cancellation fee,you have to pay the balance of your remaining contract.

Quentin

There's no legal way you can cancel without paying up the remaining months. BT gave you a cheaper deal in return for you contracting to stay the 18 months - you will have to bite the bullet and add it to the cost of relocation.

Just stopping the dd will only be a temporary respite as they will chase you through the courts if necessary for the money - unless you can become untraceable, but I guess they have too many of your details to let you disappear from them indefinitely.

MercilessKiller

I was aware that if you move house and you cant receive BT then THEY are responsible not you

With NTL/Virgin Media i'm moving to an uncovered area. Due to that I am allowed to cancel my 12 month contract early (and have done so). This could be something nice their doing, but I thought it would have been law? You still want the service but they can't deliver!

matm00

Thanks for the advice guys. I think I'm just going to have to pay up, even though it really bugs me I'm having to pay for a service I will no longer be using. It wouldn't be so bad, but this isn't the only thing I've had to pay out on recently because of the relocation. It just seems like the big corporations can do what they like and the average guy on the street is helpless to do anything about it.

Here's some of the things I've been stung by in the past month:

1. Missed train due to engineering works on tube. Had to buy new ticket because original was booked for a specific time. Cost of old ticket £20, cost of new ticket - £59.

2. Had consultation with a solicitor. No mention was made of any charge, I didn't sign anything or instruct them to do anything for me, then I received an invoice for £180.

3. Currently trying to sell my house. If I do the Halifax will charge me an early redemption fee, currently at about £5000.

4. While I'm on the subject; estate agents... what can I say... 1.5% + VAT of the sale price for what? I took all the pictures because theirs were very poor and they've been most uncommunicative as well - what exactly am I paying them for?

5. Taken car off the road due to relocation and tried to cancel the insurance. After a cancellation fee had been taken into account and some other equation which meant nothing to me I was due to receive £30 back - what's the point?

6. More train ticket woes. I purchased a monthly season ticket recently for £640. I canceled it after 10 days and expected to receive about £425 back, that's 20 days worth, right? Wrong! Apparently even thought the season ticket was for a month I was only really being charged for 20 days (says who?), so after taking my 10 days off I only received 10 days worth of my money back, about £215.

I'm sure there is more, but I think you get my point. It's fair to say that I feel a bit picked on right now