Cancel BT contract

RomfordNavy

Is there any way to get out of a BT contract without paying the very unreasonable penalty charges?

At the moment we are about two years into a five year contract for Broadband and Cloud Voice but BT want over £2.5k to let us out of the contract.

QrizB

From your previous thread, I think this is a business contract?

Businesses get far fewer "unfair contract" protections than consumers do, so (unless BT are in breach of the contract) you're probably stuck with them.

Hoenir

With business contracts you need to read carefully before signing. There's no question of fairness. 

iniltous

Unless your  reason for trying to get out of your contractual obligation is honourable , then you entered freely into a minimum term of which the penalties for early termination were known from the start  , if you never intended to renege on the contract then the penalties are relatively unimportant, if you always intended to leave early then early termination should have been something more seriously considered…..
if your reason for trying to get out of your ‘deal’ is ‘grubby’ , and it’s simply another provider has offered the same or more services for less cost , then obviously to consider that offer you need to factor in the termination charges , if you are facing early termination charges of around £800 per year for the remaining 3 years , if the alternative provider is more than £800 per year cheaper then it’s still worthwhile, if the savings they offer are more modest, then financially it doesn’t make sense .

Unless you were forced at gunpoint to sign initially , you really have no case , morally or legally, and as far as loopholes I dare say BT Business contracts are pretty tight , you could employ a solicitor to look for ways out , but their advice/council would not be free 

RomfordNavy

Yes it is a business contract.  The business in question, despite having good turnover, is almost bankrupt and talking about closing.  Recent tax increases have pushed them to the brink.

I am trying to help them out by reviewing their business and where possible reducing their overheads.  Seems to me we could arrange their broadband and telephones for about £500 a year rather than the £5k they are currently tied into paying to BT.

Neil_Jones

RomfordNavy said:

Yes it is a business contract.  The business in question, despite having good turnover, is almost bankrupt and talking about closing.  Recent tax increases have pushed them to the brink.

I am trying to help them out by reviewing their business and where possible reducing their overheads.  Seems to me we could arrange their broadband and telephones for about £500 a year rather than the £5k they are currently tied into paying to BT.

Perhaps it might have been more prudent for business owner not to enter into a five year contract in the first place, because that's just asking for trouble.

I'd have probably suggested to go with a two, three at the most for business contracts - I always remember when I worked somewhere (about 15 years or so ago) e we fixed energy prices for like three years or so and as things panned out energy prices rose spectacularly a few months later but because it was fixed we saved an absolute fortune and the provider was practically paying us!

But ultimately as alluded to, you get basically naff all in the way of protection because as a business customer you're supposed to do your due diligence and know what you're committing to because you're doing it on behalf of the business.  If you find out two days later its not what you thought... well tough basically.