Breaking a contract for ethical reasoons?

MaybeAnA

Hi,
We currently get our internet through the Post Office. But they're selling out to Shell and so we're being asked to either pay a £100 exit fee, or sign up to a new 18 month contract with them.
I wondered if anyone has any advice on where I stand as consumer, if I don't want to sign up to Shell, due to their appalling ethics/environmental standards, but we're effectively being forced to by having our service provider changed without our choice.
Thanks in advance.

Neil_Jones

Realistically ethics don't come into it.  You agreed to the T&Cs in the first place which allow Post Office to transfer the service away if they decide to sell it on, and that's what they're doing, by transferring it to Shell.

If you don't want to go to Shell, pick somebody else.

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2021/02/post-office-broadband-to-join-shell-energy---what-it-means-for-4/ suggests you've been a Shell customer for best part of the last month.

JJ_Egan

OP if i had your ethics i would pay £100 to get out of the contract .Or just wait until present contract expires .

elsien

If you're being transferred you don't need to sign up to a new 18 month contract with Shell, your existing one carries on unless you choose to pay to break it. 

From their website:
We’ll start moving Post Office customers over to Shell Energy in August. In the meantime, their service will continue without any changes or interruptions. This includes pricing, how they pay their bills and access to customer services.
Your agreement is now with Shell Energy Retail Limited, but your terms and conditions will stay the same.


If once Shell have taken over, your contract materially changes then you should be able to leave penalty free. I would guess however that that does not include your ethical stance. 

How much longer does your contract have to run?

[Deleted User]

MaybeAnA said:

Hi,
We currently get our internet through the Post Office. But they're selling out to Shell and so we're being asked to either pay a £100 exit fee, or sign up to a new 18 month contract with them.
I wondered if anyone has any advice on where I stand as consumer, if I don't want to sign up to Shell, due to their appalling ethics/environmental standards, but we're effectively being forced to by having our service provider changed without our choice.
Thanks in advance.

It is quite difficult to avoid Shell products so I'm wondering how do you go about avoiding the usage of Shell products?

If you use gas to heat your house - shell supply around 10% of the gas that comes into your home regardless of what supplier you are with.

If you use electricity about 40% of electricity you use is generated by gas, again a chunk of that will be supplied by Shell. If you use a so called 'green tariff' for renewable electricity, you'll find Shell lubricants used in wind farms and hydroelectric power stations.

If you use any form of transport it is impossible to know if they have used Shell fuels and lubricants or used Shell petrochemicals in the manufacture of tyres / plastics used in the car / train / bus.

Even a bicycle could use Shell products in their tyres, lubricants, paint and plastic fittings.

Your groceries may have been farmed and transported using Shell fuels / lubricants - impossible to identify which ones.

The bitumen used to make roads in the UK could be supplied by Shell.

Shell supply nearly half of the world consumption of ethylene oxide which is used in the manufacture paints, anti-freeze, polyester, plastics, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, soaps, detergents, textiles etc etc - really hard to avoid this one as you won't find a Shell label on the product using it but you are almost certainly using it.

Examples of a few other products using petrochemicals that can come from Shell can include:

• PVC used for pipes and too many other products to mention
• Foam in your sofa / chairs 
• Bath tubs
• Sports equipment / shoes
• Any electronic device

Your broadband is probably the most environmentally friendly product they sell.

pallyman

[Deleted User] said:

MaybeAnA said:

Hi,
We currently get our internet through the Post Office. But they're selling out to Shell and so we're being asked to either pay a £100 exit fee, or sign up to a new 18 month contract with them.
I wondered if anyone has any advice on where I stand as consumer, if I don't want to sign up to Shell, due to their appalling ethics/environmental standards, but we're effectively being forced to by having our service provider changed without our choice.
Thanks in advance.

It is quite difficult to avoid Shell products so I'm wondering how do you go about avoiding the usage of Shell products?

If you use gas to heat your house - shell supply around 10% of the gas that comes into your home regardless of what supplier you are with.

If you use electricity about 40% of electricity you use is generated by gas, again a chunk of that will be supplied by Shell. If you use a so called 'green tariff' for renewable electricity, you'll find Shell lubricants used in wind farms and hydroelectric power stations.

If you use any form of transport it is impossible to know if they have used Shell fuels and lubricants or used Shell petrochemicals in the manufacture of tyres / plastics used in the car / train / bus.

Even a bicycle could use Shell products in their tyres, lubricants, paint and plastic fittings.

Your groceries may have been farmed and transported using Shell fuels / lubricants - impossible to identify which ones.

The bitumen used to make roads in the UK could be supplied by Shell.

Shell supply nearly half of the world consumption of ethylene oxide which is used in the manufacture paints, anti-freeze, polyester, plastics, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, soaps, detergents, textiles etc etc - really hard to avoid this one as you won't find a Shell label on the product using it but you are almost certainly using it.

Examples of a few other products using petrochemicals that can come from Shell can include:

• PVC used for pipes and too many other products to mention
• Foam in your sofa / chairs 
• Bath tubs
• Sports equipment / shoes
• Any electronic device

Your broadband is probably the most environmentally friendly product they sell.

Plus the broadband is from Talk Talk .

[Deleted User]

Your position doesn't make sense.

Why would you need to sign anything if they are simply taking over your existing Post Office service?