Onestream Broadband - Switching Beware

captainautocad

I am currently with Onestream on a 12 month contract which is due for renewal on 12th July 24
I found a good deal elsewhere with Shell Energy (Octopus) and applied to switch to them 6 weels before Onestream was due to end thinking that in the process they would ask when my existing contract ended and arrange the switch for the same day.
Unfortunately they just set a Go Live date for 16 days after I applied which will mean that I will be terminating my Onestream account 26 days early and they have told me that this will incurrt a charge of £239.00 !!
Shell Energy are trying to reshedule but it is in Open reach's hands and they are not very quick and I am within 3 days of it switching so its sqeaky bum time!!!

So beware if you switch to not do it too early as it seems its not easy to stipulate the exac=t day you want the switch to go ahead................Shell Energy's help line has been first class and UK based...so far....just hope they come up with the goods, I could cancel with them as in the cooling off period but they say they can get it changed (fingers crossed)

wild666

They should only charge for the months remaining on the minimum contract period. If you're paying in advance for the BB then they will have taken their final contract payment and the next payment will mean you're out of contract with them. 
They are obviously trying it on as you can return their router and should do this by recorded signed for delivery. 
Are they trying to claim that you signed up for a longer minimum contract, 24 months, I think their recent minimum contracts are 24 months.  If you can prove the minimum contract period was 12 months and not 24 months then put in a complaint to OFCOM as they are trying to charge you £240 which is 12 months payments for early termination 
Looking at their site it says £20 per month for up to 62Mb but the full price is £40.95.

When I sign up for any deal I take regular screenshots of all the screens especially one's that say the minimum contract payment as this is the concrete proof that the contract was 12 months and not 24 months that they are obviously trying to claim was the minimum contract period. 

Jakg

wild666 said:

They should only charge for the months remaining on the minimum contract period. If you're paying in advance for the BB then they will have taken their final contract payment and the next payment will mean you're out of contract with them. 

Onestream charge a £99 early termination fee - or more specifically they claim there's a £99 activation fee, waived if you stay for the full contract, but due otherwise.

There's more discussion here.

Personally, I doubt this is legal - the financial ombudsman (yes, I know, not under their jurisdiction) have said:

The FSA statement specifically refers to terms that charge policyholders a disproportionately large sum if they do not fulfil their obligations under a contract, or if they cancel it. We share the view that giving consumers the right to cancel – and then penalising them financially for exercising that right – is likely to be unenforceable in law, as well as unfair and unreasonable.

wild666 said:

They are obviously trying it on as you can return their router and should do this by recorded signed for delivery. 

The charge is separate from the router.

wild666 said:

When I sign up for any deal I take regular screenshots of all the screens especially one's that say the minimum contract payment as this is the concrete proof that the contract was 12 months and not 24 months that they are obviously trying to claim was the minimum contract period. 

That won't help when it's a mid contact "update" to T&Cs.