Broadband Switch Query 30 July 2022 at 10:08AM edited 30 July 2022 at 10:10AM in Phones & TV 3 replies 90 views

Nardge

Dear Forumites,

I'm currently coming to the end of a 12-month Broadband contract with Shell Energy (SE) on the 19th of August.

It takes around 14 days for a switch to occur, so it seems the right moment to take advantage of the NOW Broadband deal, if I can't haggle the price down with SE.

SE's most recent e-mail closed with: "Thinking of switching? If you’re thinking about switching, you’ll need to contact another provider and they’ll manage your switch. Or if you’d like to cancel your service, call us on 0330 094 9181. Please note that your cancellation is subject to a 30 day notice period. If you’re switching to Virgin Media, please let us know so we can cancel your service”.

I don't remember ever phoning a broadband company to notify of cancellation, only of switching out at the end of a contract if they weren't able to price match.

Furthermore, I've already paid up until the 19th of August (Direct Debit).

Can I just go ahead with the above plan, or must I notify SE of cancellation first, then wait out the 30 days (which would take me past my contract end date) before switching?

Thanking you for your help,

Best Wishes

400ixl

They are saying if you are switching you do that with the new provider who engage with Shell on your behalf. If you just want to cancel and not switch you have to do it with them as there is no new supplier, and if going to Virgin you need to cancel as Virgin are not an Openreach supplier and therefore will not deal with your current supplier.

So if you are switching to another Openreach based supplier you only need deal with them. But do check you get a switch notification from the current supplier once you have instigated the process.

Cornucopia

If you are switching to Now, you don't need to tell Shell Energy.   

iniltous

Its fairly simple ( if the phone service or keeping the phone number isn’t important) , if the switch is to another provider that uses Openreach infrastructure, you don’t contact the currency supplier, it’s gaining provider led , in other words you contact the new provider , sign up with them , and they serve notice to the company you are going to be leaving …..if trying to get the switch done on a particular date ( like the end of a minimum term ) this should be done 10-14 days before the end of the minimum date…..if you are switching to a provider that doesn’t use Openreach , then they can provide service without Openreach being involved, so unless you want your existing service to continue alongside the new providers service, you need to give notice yourself, that should be 30 days before you want the existing Openreach based service to end….if you want to keep the phone number l in some cases , the new provider asking for the number to be ported to themselves by default serves notice that you are leaving , but if the phone number and broadband are separate, it may only be the phone service that is ceased .
As the OP is with Shell and wants to use Now , both are Openreach based, so advising Now to take over 14 days before the switch is required is the correct thing to do, and don’t contact Shell at all, once the decision to switch has been made , don’t ask Now to takeover, then start negotiations with Shell , if you try to get a deal out of Shell , do it before contacting Now , and if the deal offered is not acceptable only then get onto Now