Broadband provider withdraws providing service after my complaint - Consumer & Legal Rights

buildingbee

Hi everyone.

Apologies for the long message.  I am looking for some urgent advice regarding unfair treatment from a broadband provider.  I'm afraid I cannot reveal the company name as yet because I'm still hoping that we can come to some form of mutual resolution.  Otherwise I'm even thinking of possible legal action against the company (although unsure of my rights).

So I'm currently with a different broadband provider and I recently signed up for a new broadband provider.  The new provider gave an installation & switch date. However shockingly on the installation date, the installer that turned up seemed to be drunk.  At first I assumed that it's maybe me being melodramatic as I am not a drinker, hence I thought I may have been mistaken, so I let him continue.  I also told him that I had a disability and couldn't hear clearly and needed him to take a little more time to explain to me how he was going to proceed.  However he subsequently started to become rude, not willing to listen to anything and when I told him to be careful whilst working and take his time to avoid damaging the wall and my personal equipment underneath it, he became aggressive. My wife and young child got really scared to the point that I had to insist he stop the job and leave.

I subsequently made an email & phone complaint on the same day and after submitting my complaint, I spoke with a number of people from the company to resolve the issue.  They even sent around a senior install team manager who attended our house on that same day to reassure and discuss with me who they would send in his place.  I was happy that the senior manager seemed to be listening to me.  However since I had raised a formal complaint on the phone, I was told by the installer that the installation could not go ahead immediately as I still had to get the company to resolve the issue and arrange a new install date.  

So after a number of discussions on the phone, I eventually spoke to a representative who told me that the only way they would proceed with a new installation date was if I agreed that my complaint was “resolved.”  In return they would offer me a small incentive/discount on the package.

This felt a bit like I was being pressured into closing a legitimate complaint just to receive a service I had already signed up for. I reluctantly agreed just so the installation could move forward. I was also assured the matter would be dealt with internally and that things would move forward.  A new installation date was arranged and screenshots of the install date logs were also emailed to me as proof.

I was relieved that I could move forward with the matter without any further stress.  However to my disbelieve, the opposite happened:

A day later, I received an email from a Complaints Manager that the installation was suddenly cancelled again, without any explanation. No clear valid reason was given — only that they found the installer's conduct was fine and that given the circumstances and after a discussion with the internal team, they decided not to proceed with the installation.  

Since that email there have been further email discussions between myself and the Complaints Manager.  I clearly raised that there either must be mistake as I thought the issue had been resolved and that this was now an internal matter or if that was not the case then I believed this was retaliation and that as a disabled customer this would negatively affect me.

I received another reply, advising it was based on a clause XX in section XX in their Terms and Conditions which states that they reserve the right to cancel an order received without reason and since the installation did not take place and no service was activated, this clause applied to my order.  He also stated that the decision to not go ahead with my order was not related to my complaint, my disability status, or the fact that concerns were raised.

I have since then emailed back challenging the T&C clause used and that I still felt it appeared retaliatory.  I have asked them to reconsider their unfair decision as otherwise this would leave me no choice but to take further action against the company and that this included legal action too.  They were given 7 working days to respond, but have not responded as yet.

It feels as though the cancellation happened purely because I had made a complaint in the first place. The complete lack of communication, transparency, and consideration — especially after I had already been pressured/deceived into closing a complaint — has been extremely distressing.

To summarise:

1. The installer turned up drunk
2. I raised a formal complaint via email and on the phone about the installer.
3. I was told installation would only go ahead if I said the complaint was resolved and was offered an incentive to do this.
4. I agreed just to get an install date and get connected.
5. I was reassured the matter would be handled internally.
6. A new installation date was given and screenshots of the booked date were emailed to me.
7. A day later, the installation was cancelled again with no proper explanation other than it was an internal decision.
8. I challenged the internal decision and said that as a disabled customer this would negatively affect me.
9. The complaints manager replied with another email advising the cancellation was based on their T&C and not a retaliation.
10. I have emailed back challenging their T&C and warning them of legal action - I'm still waiting for their response.

At this point, I’m not just frustrated—I’m genuinely concerned about how acceptable it is for a company to treat a customer like this, pressure them into closing complaints, and then cancel service anyway.

I am now actively looking for legal advice about whether I can take further action against this company for the way this situation has been handled, particularly around:

• Unfair treatment after making a legitimate complaint
• Possible breach of consumer rights
• Potential discrimination
• Failure to make reasonable adjustments

If anyone has experience with cases like this, or knows the best way to escalate matters through consumer protection channels, legal routes, or regulatory bodies, I’d appreciate any guidance.

Thank you in advance

Looking4advice

eskbanker

buildingbee said:

I received another reply, advising it was based on a clause XX in section XX in their Terms and Conditions which states that they reserve the right to cancel an order received without reason and since the installation did not take place and no service was activated, this clause applied to my order.  He also stated that the decision to not go ahead with my order was not related to my complaint, my disability status, or the fact that concerns were raised.

I have since then emailed back challenging the T&C clause used and that I still felt it appeared retaliatory.

What do you mean by 'challenging' it - are you asserting that they're factually misquoting it or just that you feel it shouldn't apply?

Markdavid1962

I would send the above directly to the CEO by email and ask him to look into this before posting your story on a social media, . If you google "CEO email" you should see a website called !!!!!! and go to the website and search for the company name and use the ceo email address

MattMattMattUK

buildingbee said:

Hi everyone.

Apologies for the long message.  I am looking for some urgent advice regarding unfair treatment from a broadband provider.  I'm afraid I cannot reveal the company name as yet because I'm still hoping that we can come to some form of mutual resolution.  Otherwise I'm even thinking of possible legal action against the company (although unsure of my rights).

So I'm currently with a different broadband provider and I recently signed up for a new broadband provider.  The new provider gave an installation & switch date. However shockingly on the installation date, the installer that turned up seemed to be drunk.  At first I assumed that it's maybe me being melodramatic as I am not a drinker, hence I thought I may have been mistaken, so I let him continue.  I also told him that I had a disability and couldn't hear clearly and needed him to take a little more time to explain to me how he was going to proceed.  However he subsequently started to become rude, not willing to listen to anything and when I told him to be careful whilst working and take his time to avoid damaging the wall and my personal equipment underneath it, he became aggressive. My wife and young child got really scared to the point that I had to insist he stop the job and leave.

I subsequently made an email & phone complaint on the same day and after submitting my complaint, I spoke with a number of people from the company to resolve the issue.  They even sent around a senior install team manager who attended our house on that same day to reassure and discuss with me who they would send in his place.  I was happy that the senior manager seemed to be listening to me.  However since I had raised a formal complaint on the phone, I was told by the installer that the installation could not go ahead immediately as I still had to get the company to resolve the issue and arrange a new install date.  

So after a number of discussions on the phone, I eventually spoke to a representative who told me that the only way they would proceed with a new installation date was if I agreed that my complaint was “resolved.”  In return they would offer me a small incentive/discount on the package.

This felt a bit like I was being pressured into closing a legitimate complaint just to receive a service I had already signed up for. I reluctantly agreed just so the installation could move forward. I was also assured the matter would be dealt with internally and that things would move forward.  A new installation date was arranged and screenshots of the install date logs were also emailed to me as proof.

I was relieved that I could move forward with the matter without any further stress.  However to my disbelieve, the opposite happened:

A day later, I received an email from a Complaints Manager that the installation was suddenly cancelled again, without any explanation. No clear valid reason was given — only that they found the installer's conduct was fine and that given the circumstances and after a discussion with the internal team, they decided not to proceed with the installation.  

Since that email there have been further email discussions between myself and the Complaints Manager.  I clearly raised that there either must be mistake as I thought the issue had been resolved and that this was now an internal matter or if that was not the case then I believed this was retaliation and that as a disabled customer this would negatively affect me.

I received another reply, advising it was based on a clause XX in section XX in their Terms and Conditions which states that they reserve the right to cancel an order received without reason and since the installation did not take place and no service was activated, this clause applied to my order.  He also stated that the decision to not go ahead with my order was not related to my complaint, my disability status, or the fact that concerns were raised.

I have since then emailed back challenging the T&C clause used and that I still felt it appeared retaliatory.  I have asked them to reconsider their unfair decision as otherwise this would leave me no choice but to take further action against the company and that this included legal action too.  They were given 7 working days to respond, but have not responded as yet.

It feels as though the cancellation happened purely because I had made a complaint in the first place. The complete lack of communication, transparency, and consideration — especially after I had already been pressured/deceived into closing a complaint — has been extremely distressing.

To summarise:

1. The installer turned up drunk
2. I raised a formal complaint via email and on the phone about the installer.
3. I was told installation would only go ahead if I said the complaint was resolved and was offered an incentive to do this.
4. I agreed just to get an install date and get connected.
5. I was reassured the matter would be handled internally.
6. A new installation date was given and screenshots of the booked date were emailed to me.
7. A day later, the installation was cancelled again with no proper explanation other than it was an internal decision.
8. I challenged the internal decision and said that as a disabled customer this would negatively affect me.
9. The complaints manager replied with another email advising the cancellation was based on their T&C and not a retaliation.
10. I have emailed back challenging their T&C and warning them of legal action - I'm still waiting for their response.

At this point, I’m not just frustrated—I’m genuinely concerned about how acceptable it is for a company to treat a customer like this, pressure them into closing complaints, and then cancel service anyway.

I am now actively looking for legal advice about whether I can take further action against this company for the way this situation has been handled, particularly around:

• Unfair treatment after making a legitimate complaint
• Possible breach of consumer rights
• Potential discrimination
• Failure to make reasonable adjustments

If anyone has experience with cases like this, or knows the best way to escalate matters through consumer protection channels, legal routes, or regulatory bodies, I’d appreciate any guidance.

Thank you in advance

Looking4advice

I really cannot see you have any possibility of successful legal action against them. They will likely just ignore you now and only respond if you begin a legal process.

In relation to your four bullet points, "Unfair treatment" is irrelevant legally even if you could prove it, which I am not sure you can. There is no breach pf consumer rights that I can see, the same with discrimination and claimed failure to make reasonable adjustments. 

For whatever reason thy have decided that they do not wish to have you as a customer, because the installation was not done they can cancel the commencement of the contract.

Chalk it up to whatever makes you feel better, but it is not worth wasting any more time on it, especially as I can see zero chance of success.

eskbanker

buildingbee said:

However shockingly on the installation date, the installer that turned up seemed to be drunk.  At first I assumed that it's maybe me being melodramatic as I am not a drinker, hence I thought I may have been mistaken, so I let him continue.  I also told him that I had a disability and couldn't hear clearly and needed him to take a little more time to explain to me how he was going to proceed.  However he subsequently started to become rude, not willing to listen to anything and when I told him to be careful whilst working and take his time to avoid damaging the wall and my personal equipment underneath it, he became aggressive.

It's clear from your description that there'll be (at least) two sides to the story of how things turned sour on the day - you are legally entitled to a copy of all the data they hold about you so it might be worth submitting a subject access request to request everything to do with the installation and, in particular, their decision not to proceed....

Ayr_Rage

It sounds like one of those situations where the two versions of the installation day are never going to be reconciled and your accusations of him being drunk cannot be proven.

Telling an engineer how to do their job never goes down well, it sounds like a personality clash rather than any discrimination.

Now you have complained and they have both versions it sounds like the company have probably decided that they do not want you as a customer and advised you accordingly.

It's a business decision and covered by their Ts and Cs as they have stated.

My advice, walk away.

Aylesbury_Duck

What outcome are you after?  Surely you don't want to force them to supply to you after what's happened?

What legal action would you take, and for what desired outcome?

buildingbee

Thank you for all your replies and advice which is much appreciated. 

@eskbanker

• By “challenging it”, I meant that even though they quoted the right section, all they really said was that some internal team reviewed it. They still haven’t explained why the provider decided to use this clause in my case. From what I understand, the T&Cs give a company the right to act, but that doesn’t mean they get a free pass to skip explaining themselves — especially when their actions come across as retaliatory.  Surely if this was the case, then a company could hypothetically cancel orders if they didn't want them from customers of a certain race, creed or colour?
• I agree that there are two sides to a story, but if they had said that the reason they have cancelled my order was because my complaint was found to be possibly malicious, then that's totally understable, hence they could use their clause to not provide me with services, but they've not said anything other than it's an internal decision only after I closed my complaint and after I was given a new installation date.
• I have already requested a SAR, so waiting for a reply.

@Markdavid1962

• I could forward everything I've sent to complaints, but I don't have the CEO's direct email address.

@MattMattMattUK

• You might be right.  I'm just concerned that they have blacklisted my address, hence in the near future if someone else from my family wants to get broadband service they won't be able to do it and it would be banned.

@Ayr_Rage

• Yes I agree.  I've learnt that the hard way.  Although as I said to Matt, I'm concerned that they have banned my address and it would mean if anyone wants to get the broadband, they will be banned.

@Aylesbury_Duck

• That's a great question - Since I was advised that the matter would be dealt with internally, I just want them honour the installation and the matter would then be closed.  I appreciate it sounds desperate, but in my location where it's difficult to get fast broadband this was something I could really do with.  If that is not currently possible because of what has happened, then at least they need to confirm that they haven't blacklisted my address, hence that my family members can apply as new customers in the near future.

Aylesbury_Duck

Are there other options to get fast connectivity?  Do you really need really fast speeds?  I have 264Mbps but I don't need anything that fast - Virgin just kept on increasing the speed - and even with a couple of devices streaming, 30Mbps has been fine before.

I can't imagine tying myself into a contract with a supplier who I perceive to have treated me badly.  Would you trust them to sort things out when they go wrong?

buildingbee

Aylesbury_Duck said:

Are there other options to get fast connectivity?  Do you really need really fast speeds?  I have 264Mbps but I don't need anything that fast - Virgin just kept on increasing the speed - and even with a couple of devices streaming, 30Mbps has been fine before.

I can't imagine tying myself into a contract with a supplier who I perceive to have treated me badly.  Would you trust them to sort things out when they go wrong?

You have a very valid point, but a number of family members work from home including myself so fast broadband has now become a necessity.  I totally appreciate what you've said about the fact why bother joining a provider after the perceived mistreatment, but in my opinion if everyone did that then many companies would just walk all over the customers, getting rid of those they felt were problematic, knowing that customers would just move on, so for me it's also a matter of standing your ground and sticking with your principles.  I don't know....maybe I'm getting too old 😆

user1977

buildingbee said:

• From what I understand, the T&Cs give a company the right to act, but that doesn’t mean they get a free pass to skip explaining themselves — especially when their actions come across as retaliatory.  Surely if this was the case, then a company could hypothetically cancel orders if they didn't want them from customers of a certain race, creed or colour?

What makes you think they have a legal obligation to "explain themselves"?

If you think they have discriminated against you on the basis of a protected characteristic, it's up to you to evidence that they have - the onus is not on them to prove that they haven't.