Cancelling broadband: do I really have to phone?!

peadar

My PlusNet contract is coming to an end: I gave 14 days' notice of cancellation via a message on their Help Assistant two weeks ago, but they responded by telling me I need to contact their Customer Operations Team to cancel my contract. Phone waiting times are very lengthy at present, and I have zero interest in any sales pitch or special offer: I have already switched to Virgin and disconnected PlusNet equipment.

Do I really have to waste time on the phone so I can hear their spiel? Their cancellation policy says 'notice can be provided either by notifying us directly via phone or in writing'.

iniltous

You may find with your new provider , should you ever need to cease their service , you have to call them to serve your notice to quit ( I certainly had to ) , obviously if you write to them using snail mail then it probably needs to be registered mail otherwise there is no proof they got it, it’s quite a common policy, they let you sign up on line , but have to call to quit...if you had ported your phone number to VM then that would have in effect served your notice 

peadar

iniltous said:

obviously if you write to them using snail mail then it probably needs to be registered mail otherwise there is no proof they got it, it’s quite a common policy, they let you sign up on line , but have to call to quit... 

My message via a ticket on their Help Assistant that gave notice, was 'in writing': it is timestamped and remains present online.
I know it's a common policy, driven by marketing; but being common doesn't make it compliant with consumer law. It seems particularly unreasonable given their covid-related staff shortages: I gather from TrustPilot reviews that this can currently mean staying on the phone forever and then not getting through.

Chino

iniltous said:

obviously if you write to them using snail mail then it probably needs to be registered mail otherwise there is no proof they got it

Even then, that's no proof. The most if might prove is that an envelope reached the recipient.

In any case, I understand that organisations that receive any quantity of Signed For mail sign for it in bulk and not for individual packets. Posting with anything more than a (free) Certificate of Posting is a waste of money.

anonymous12124

Send an email to them using their contact form or preferably email address. Keep the email. Then simply cancel your direct debit after the final payment and then good luck to them chasing you.

giraffe69

Completely agree you should be able to cancel without a protracted selling call however cancelling the direct debit is not without risk and may give you more aggro in the medium term than a call would do.

iniltous

Sending an email and cancelled direct debit not necessarily a good idea , you even provided a link to the cancellation policy , it sets out how to proceed, no one likes to have to call , and in these Covid time’s company’s have an excuse for taking forever to answer calls, but if it goes wrong and your credit history is trashed as a result, it will probably take longer to sort that than waiting on the phone for an answer

dogfonos

This comes as news to me. I change broadband + 'phone provider most years, for both myself and a friend, and I've never given notice to a current supplier that I intend to switch provider at the end of a contract. To date, the new provider has dealt with that side of things. I check that no untoward direct debits have been taken from my bank account after end of service - and they never have. Maybe it works because I have always request 'phone number to be carried over to new provider?

peadar

..I should add that my one year contract is due to expire next month anyway.
So there is no need to cancel, just wait for it to lapse??

dogfonos

Should have added that I changed provider, for a friend, from PlusNet two years ago and didn't give them any cancellation notice.

peadar

dogfonos said:

Should have added that I changed provider, for a friend, from PlusNet two years ago and didn't give them any cancellation notice.

I think switches are automatic if you move to another phone-based provider - but they have to be told if the switch is to Virgin.