Changing provider, current provider contract ends in 5 days. How to mimise issues/ avoid downtime?

erik85

Hi all

Our broadband contract with the current provider which is ending its two years in a week time or less. 

I would like to change provider however I'm wondering what is the best process to follow to avoid no downtime at all? 

Cancel the existing up for a new one with a new provider with a stop date on the same date as the constellation the current provider?
Or when signing up with the new provider I instruct them to switch on my current provider? 

Really worried about timelines, having to pay double amounts, down times, not being able to follow the most optimal process for this situation.

Any help would be greatly appreciated

la531983

My new provider at the sign up stage let me pick the start date, i picked a date 4 weeks in advance, no issues. The new one starting automatically cancelled the old one.

Mark_d

I had my cable broadband installed a week before my fibre broadband contract ended, allowing a week for me to test the cable broadband before becoming reliant on it.

littleboo

First question is, who are you with and who do plan to change to? This will dictate the process which is different depending on the providers involved

jbrassy

Firstly, you should ring your current provider and give notice that you want to leave. They should then give you a final date for when the broadband will be cut off. Normally this will be 30 days later.

Then, when you sign up for a new provider, they should give you an option for which date you would like the new broadband to start. You can set this for the day after your previous contract ends. 

If you do this, you should get minimal disruption. 

la531983

jbrassy said:

Firstly, you should ring your current provider and give notice that you want to leave. They should then give you a final date for when the broadband will be cut off. Normally this will be 30 days later.

Then, when you sign up for a new provider, they should give you an option for which date you would like the new broadband to start. You can set this for the day after your previous contract ends. 

If you do this, you should get minimal disruption. 

My experience was vastly different to this, I rang my old provider and they said I didnt need to tell them, the service would just end when the NEW provider kicked in. This was a Sky to Vodafone switch.

So may be no need whatsoever to contact his current provider if he is out of contract with them.

littleboo

jbrassy said:

Firstly, you should ring your current provider and give notice that you want to leave. They should then give you a final date for when the broadband will be cut off. Normally this will be 30 days later.

Then, when you sign up for a new provider, they should give you an option for which date you would like the new broadband to start. You can set this for the day after your previous contract ends. 

If you do this, you should get minimal disruption. 

If moving between Openreach providers, this is completely wrong. Migrations between Openreach are gaining provider led, you don't contact the existing provider at all. 

400ixl

jbrassy said:

Firstly, you should ring your current provider and give notice that you want to leave. They should then give you a final date for when the broadband will be cut off. Normally this will be 30 days later.

No, this is not the correct way and hasn't been for years unless changing backbone supplier (e.g. OpenReach to Virgin)

When you are around 14 days or less from the end of your minimum term, you go to your new provider and sign up with them.

They then inform your current provider and agree a date.

You may end up paying for an additional month with the current provider, but once switched, they will refund and additional days in that month that you didn't use and the new provider charges from that date.

You con't need to do anything then about optimising anything, it is all done for you, may just take a months for bills and credit to equalise.

jbrassy

I have never been with an Openreach provider. I only ever go with Virgin and just change the name on the contract. 

iniltous

You have potentially been given some terrible advice if maintaining service ( no breaks ) is important but it depends on who you are with currently and who you intend to join.

Simple things first , if you are on Openreach ( so BT , Sky , etc ) and are joining someone else using Openreach, you don’t contact your current provider yourself, you contact the new provider and leave it up to them , you get a ‘sorry you are leaving’ communication from the old provider, you do not tell them to stop/cease your service yourself.

If you are leaving one network for another , so Virgin to Sky ( for example ) unless you are porting a phone number there is no ‘connection’ between leaving one and joining the other , you could ( should ) get the new Sky service in and working , and then tell the old provider to cease ( a bit more expensive but no downtime )  , and if you arrange the new network to be in before your minimum term expires with the old company, it’s no big expense anyway )

If your phone number is important and needs to be moved to the new network , then  it’s the same as the Openreach scenario, you tell the new company ( including the importance of porting the number ) and leave it to them , getting involved yourself risks losing the number forever .

FWIW , I wouldn’t be too concerned about leaving a day or two early or late , a good monthly price is about a £1 a day , a bad price is £.150 a day  ( £30 a month compared to £45 ) if you leave outside the minimum term by ( for example ) 3 days after the minimum ( so not on the exact date you woukd like ) , it’s an extra £1.50 ( 50p a day ) and if it’s a few days early , it’s about the same with early termination charges , it not worth stressing about