Billed by previous supplier after changing

getoffgrid

I changed phone and broadband suppliers late last year. When I've done so previously the new supplier's activation seems to have triggered cessation of the outgoing supplier's contract. On this occasion it did not and I've been billed twice. I'm out of any binding contract terms with the previous supplier. Did I overlook something and what is the best way to resolve the matter?

kwikbreaks

This is a pretty common question.

It's up to you to terminate your old contract as asking for a MAC doesn't do that. Once you have a changeover date you need to let your old ISP know you are terminating. Most require 30 days notice and will charge for 30 days past your call to terminate. You need to make clear that you have used the MAC and are moving ISP or there is a chance they might tell BT to cease the BB which will be a problem.

You must have been lucky before.

You need to call them now. I wouldn't expect you to get any refund so if you can it's a bonus.

JJ_Egan

Did you use a MAC code .

MataNui

kwikbreaks wrote: »

This is a pretty common question.

It's up to you to terminate your old contract as asking for a MAC doesn't do that. Once you have a changeover date you need to let your old ISP know you are terminating. Most require 30 days notice and will charge for 30 days past your call to terminate. You need to make clear that you have used the MAC and are moving ISP or there is a chance they might tell BT to cease the BB which will be a problem.

You must have been lucky before.

You need to call them now. I wouldn't expect you to get any refund so if you can it's a bonus.

Not totally true. It depends on a few things. When i left TalkTalk to transfer to BT 18 months ago the email that contained my MAC from TalkTalk specifically said that i DIDNT need to do anything and my service would stop when the MAC was used. As my connection wasnt on TalkTalk equipment (It was a legacy broadband connection on BT equipment and a BT line, TalkTalk had bought my old broadband provider) BT informed me that it would be impossible to do a transfer without the MAC. TalkTalk continue to bill me for a couple of months after i left. When i contacted them about it they just lied. They told me i was still with them (obviously i wasnt), They told me i never requested a MAC (I forwarded them the email they sent me with my MAC), They told me BT never used the MAC (It would have been impossible to have the transfer unless they used it).

kwikbreaks

I guess there will be some exceptions but there are many ISPs that do continue billing after a MAC has been used. Just search this forum for examples. The ISP T&C will almost certainly say they must be notified if you want to leave. Leaving it to chance just leaves you open to the issue here.

brewerdave

The problem here is that there are two different issues intertwined.
As I understand it, a move to or from an LLU supplier (such as Sky or TalkTalk) does not require the gaining supplier to use a MAC even if supplied. So the losing supplier don't actually know the move has taken place until the customer tells them.
Even with transfers between ISPs using BT Wholesale connections,where a MAC is supplied and used, the transfer of supply is notified by the third party,BTW themselves, to the losing ISP,and speaking from personal experience, this bit of the process either fails totally or gets delayed.:(
So,belt and braces,ignore the "advice" from the ISPs -directly you know your service has moved,telephone the losing ISP, and make sure that your account is closed.