Which providers charge if the router is not returned at end of contract ?

dillydilly1

Switched from Shell to Vodafone today, received email saying I must return the router or face a £36 charge "per T&Cs". Just checked sales pitch on Shell website - "All our products include the cost of your line rental and a wifi router at no extra cost", with buried in the T&Cs "we may ask you to return your router at the end of the agreement"
Never had to return one before - is this now the norm with all broadband providers, or just another "Sludge" tactic by Shell similar to their "oh sorry we shouldn't have charged you a cessation charge by default". If so it must be highlighted clearly at the point of purchase decision

incidentally the 'free postage label' in the link provided to return the router was not accepted by the Post Office today - "out of date, must bear a barcode"

QrizB

Complain to Shell. It seems their system sends automated emails even when the policy has been discontinued. If they do say you musdt return it, ask for a new pre-paid label.

Edit: I see from your other post that you've spoken to Shell and they're posting you out a pre-paid bag. I guess I'll be having the same conversation with them when I leave tomorrow!

matelodave

BT started charging when they introduced their Smart Hubs a couple of years ago - £50 if you dont return it.

JSmithy45AD

Does it matter if you return it?

phillw

JSmithy45AD said:

Does it matter if you return it?

To be honest I think I'd prefer it if all companies pushed me to send them back. I wouldn't have a dozen boxed adsl routers of various vintages.

It wouldn't be so bad if they were all supported by openwrt, as they would have some use as wifi extenders. There probably should be a mandate that they all are made usable in some form after you switch, as now they are basically just ewaste.

[Deleted User]

I was with BT a long time and they asked for their kit back. I was outside the new sign ups required to return but really didn't want the clutter. I wasn't using the BT router anyway as it was pants. Now we seem to have a few options locally for fibre I will be playing the game each renewal and the kit form one ISP will not really be useful for the next. When I had copper to the house I kept an old BT router as a just in case.
Might look up a decent router to plug on the O/E part of the fibre into the house and just stash future shifts anyway.

matelodave

I've got a cupboard full of old routers which are destined for the tip - I'd much rather send them back rather than keep storing them.

BT will be more than welcome to have their old one back when I change suppliers, however the power units can be quite useful for other stuff (LED strips and other hobby's  )

[Deleted User]

matelodave said:

I've got a cupboard full of old routers which are destined for the tip - I'd much rather send them back rather than keep storing them.

BT will be more than welcome to have their old one back when I change suppliers, however the power units can be quite useful for other stuff (LED strips and other hobby's  )

I had to "rationalise" my PSU's (and years of cables) but many were not much use anyway. eg. the PSU may have been the same connector size as my hard drive therefore handy as a spare but not kicking out enough juice to power it. Phone PSU's often barely putting any juice out and some old format connector not wirth cutting off cos the power output. I kept a few that were over a certain amount.

wild666

When I was with BT 2011 to 2016 I bought one of their up to date routers off ebay for £47 that replaced the two boxes from the old hardware. They never asked for the old stuff back, possibly because it was so outdated that it wasn't of any use. but the PlusNet router I got when I joined them they sent a prepaid package to put the router into for me to send back to them when I left them.