Switching Broadband: Avoid Early Termination Fee of £239

SilveryTay1314

Situation: For various reasons, I wish to move from Onestream to another supplier. My 2 year contract ends on 27th March 2026. What is the best approach?

a) Do a switch now (03/03/26) with an activation after 27/03/26? Onestream say I will incur the fee as I'm still under contract.

b) Let the contract expire. On 28/03/26 do the switch to another supplier with an activation as soon as possible, probably during April with the new supplier sorting out the billing.

I'm thinking option b) is the best way.

Any thoughts, downside to this? Thank you.

littleboo

Any early termination charge can't be more than what you would have paid if the contract has run to its conclusion of the minimum term, have they told you it would be £239? If so, I'd be asking them to explain that- Onestream dont have the best reputation.

Option a) should be fine.

iniltous

a worked example from their T&Cs
Example

You are a Onestream Fibre 80 customer and you end your contract 4 months before the end of your minimum term. Your monthly

termination fee would be £17.00, multiplied by 4 months remaining = £68.00

You didn’t pay an activation fee when joining which means £99.00 is added as well as a charge for your Superstream router of

£125.00, making your total early termination fee is £292.00

iniltous

They seem to be unique in that they offer ‘free’ connections that turn out not to be free , simply delayed and charged for if you have the temerity to leave them , and they charge for a ‘free’ router (way more that its actual value) supposedly they do refund this fee once the router is returned (what’s the betting they often claim the router never was received back by them , even if you can prove it were sent back ) , so in most respects cancelling after the minimum term or just before makes little difference in the ETC anyway .

flaneurs_lobster

Make sure that your new supplier is not about to slap an annual increase on top of your new quoted price.

Just kippered myself with BT/EE by taking a new contract a month before the April price rise (although the overall package has cut my price by 40% and now 10x the speed).