Cancelling Infinity

Yesideez

Hi,

A while back we subscribed to BT Infinity. Paid the money to have the services installed (already been a BT customer for some time) and now we've got to move through no choice of our own as the landlady needs to sell due to financial problems.

Where we're going is only temporary (4 months?) then we're hopefully off to a new build area.

BT want to charge us £250 for cancelling early.

First, our temporary place of residence will be the in-laws who although have a BT line and basic broadband, cannot have Infinity as they are in the middle of nowhere. Even basic broadband is slow.

Second, our next place to live will be a new build where BT are not allowed for quite some time as the contract for telephone/broadband has been given to another company called See The Light.

As it stands, there's no way we can get their services even if we wanted to.

Any chance we can get this £250 bill squashed please? We're completely out of money having had to borrow to buy a replacement car after the old one had a catastrophic MOT failure and are spending the last of our cash having the cambelt replaced.

Any advice on this will be really appreciated as stress levels are starting to cause disruption to sleep and work.

lee111s

Unlikely. How would you feel if BT decided to just revoke your service part way through a contract? I bet you'd expect financial recompense. Sorry to have to agree with the company and I know it's not MSE however you signed up for a contract so should be expected to honor your side of the bargain just as BT have done so thus far.

Yesideez

On their website...

If you are moving home and taking all your BT products with you, there will be no charges. If BT is unable to provide any of your existing products at your new address, you will not be held to term for these products. If you want to cancel one or more of your BT products when you move home, you will need to give us 30 days' notice, otherwise early termination charges will apply."

We cannot have BT Infinity where we're going. If we could, we would but we can't. I don't want to get out of paying just because I want to, I want to get out of paying because we cannot have the service that we're supposedly being charged for.

Sparx

From BT's perspective it's not their fault you are moving to an area where they don't have Infinity coverage.

Can you not move your existing BT package but downgrade to ADSL broadband at your in-laws? Then when you move let your in-laws take the line back again in their name?

All you can do is ask BT the questions. Try haggle with them to lower the fee and/or ask to set-up a payment plan to pay in monthly instalments maybe over 3-6 months I doubt they will agree but worth asking.

BT are perfectly entitled to charge their cancellation fee due to early termination, as you are moving home and not continuing with their services.

Yesideez

you are moving home and not continuing with their services.

Maybe, but moving is not our choice and not continuing but not out of choice. We've been very happy with Infinity and if we could take it with us we could but we cannot.

All I can do is re-iterate from BT's own website...

If BT is unable to provide any of your existing products at your new address, you will not be held to term for these products.

We cannot have Infinity which is what we're being charged for therefore under that text surely that means we should not be held to term for something we cannot access?

Sparx

It might not be "your choice" from your perspective to move, but it isn't BT's choice or fault either you are moving. So from a commercial perspective they are now going to lose revenue, you signed up to an 18 month contract so they are now enforcing the early termination clause.

The snippet quoted from BT's T&Cs you have taken out of context by quoting by itself. The paragraph goes on to say...

"If you want to cancel one or more of your BT products when you move home, early termination charges may apply if you are within the minimum contract period"

Sorry! Not very MSE at all but for once I am actually defending BT in these circumstances.

Yesideez

So, what's the point of having that sentence on their own website about not having to be held to term if any services cannot be taken with us?

Seems they're contradicting themselves.

Sparx

Yesideez wrote: »

So, what's the point of having that sentence on their own website about not having to be held to term if any services cannot be taken with us?

Seems they're contradicting themselves.

Because it would apply if you was out of contract.

Yesideez

Erm, I'm sure "held to term" means the rest of the contract.

Sparx

Sorry but you are getting nowhere debating what you want to hear on a discussion board.

You obviously don't like what I have to say (the truth) so go argue it with BT and let us know how it goes.

Buzby

Infinity is simply marketing - they will supply BB at the fastest speed possible, and you would then be recommitted for a fresh minimum term.

It does appear that the developer has been paid well to restrict your telecoms choice, so that's not BT's fault either. In your shoes, I'd suggest your LL by terminating your tenancy early is responsible for your additional costs.