Can I get out of my contract if they are not providing me with internet.

nomywell

Sorry for the long title.

So I have Vodafone's Gigacube which is a home broadband using 4G. I have recently moved house and after checking the coverage here on their online coverage checker it was full service indoors and out. Sine I've been here the service is ridiculous. We get anything from 0.1mbps to 50mbps. Mostly it's around 2mbps and is totally unusable and unstable. We have been asked to work from home by our companies but are unable to do so due to this issue. I have been in touch with Vodafone constantly for the last 10 days with absolutely no progress on the matter. They have promised to look into it claiming it to be an issue with the mast, but I can't wait any longer. I'm trying hard in these times of crisis to do what the government and my company are asking, but as Vodafone are not providing me with any support or resolution I need broadband and I need it now. Our new address does have standard fibre available. I have asked Vodafone if I can honour my contract (12 months remaining) and simply swap over to their fibre option. I have offered to pay the full price which is £50 per month, but I simply cannot wait any longer otherwise I may well loose my job. They have said I cannot do this. I would have to pay £450 to get out of my Gigacube contract. 
As these are exceptional times, I now have no option but to go to another provider and cancel this contract. Under such extreme and extraordinary times, what are my chances of claiming back this money? I have tried everything I can but they are simply not providing a service that I can use. Surely they are in breach of contract? I am only trying to do what the government has asked.

Thanks for any advice! 

JJ_Egan

Dont know about claiming money back but you will be breaking the contract .Any disengage of contract needs to be agreed and reasonable chance to fix the problem given .

Cancel this valid contract  then probability is debt handed to a debt recovery and your credit record trashed for  6 years .

nomywell

I wouldn't cancel and not pay. I would buy our the contract and then somehow claim back. My point is surely, under this current crisis, things are not normal and if they can't provide a service that allows me to do what the government asks me to do I have more chance at a successful outcome. I guess rather than just spouting off, my question is how would I go about claiming back the money? Bottom line is I am paying for a service that is not being provided nor addressed. Surely there are processes in place to handle this situation and that Covid-19 and the governments own advice reinforces this case? 

JJ_Egan

The process would be via the Small Claims Court .

See the OFCOM web site as well .

The_Fat_Controller

What DO Vodafone guarantee for their Gigatube service ?
This is nothing to do with the Covid-19 situation.

nomywell

I think it reasonable to assume that they DO at least guarantee that it works. I bring up Covid-19 because as I explained, their service either doesn't work, or is unstable at best so preventing me from working from home. I would consider that during times when the government asks us to work from home there is the connection with Covid-19

phillw

nomywell said:

I think it reasonable to assume that they DO at least guarantee that it works.

The last time I was bored enough to look through T&C of phone/broadband providers they explicitly state they don't guarantee it will ever work. I think you just have to complain and go through the ombudsman and hope they get bored.

I would probably just get the cheapest fibre (avoiding vodafone, especially if they have given you their rejection of their offer to convert to fibre in writing) and hope that in future you can cancel this contract without penalty and as long as you turn it off so it cannot be used, then hope you will be able to get the money back for the money that they take for the time being.

In the meantime can you tether from your mobile phone?
Or is there anyone in range with BT that you can buy a pass for?
https://btfonpurchases.com/en/products
(there may be other similar schemes with providers, but I'm not really up on that right now...)

cranford

If it was me and it was a choice of loosing my job I would just continue paying Vodafone and look for an alternative 4g solution which you can have up and running within a day or two.. You indicate that there are two of you so loosing about £400 would be better than loosing two pay packets.