Stuck with Utility Warehouse?

barney_fastblast

Hi

Like a few people over the last few years my broadband has gone from Shell to Talktalk and as of December 1st, Utility Warehouse.

I'm not finding UW any good - my broadband is very up and down and their phone lines close at 5.30 which seems pretty early for a utility co; and when I do get hold of them they are more interested in whether i want a sim card/electricity contract than the issues with the service.

Anyway, I've tried to switch and they are telling me it's £150 - but I don't think this is right/fair? I've never actually signed up with them - just been passed over by TT. Whilst I know I had until 30th November to leave, surely it's not unreasonable to have given them a go and then decide they are rubbish?

Wouldn't mind but the contract runs for another 12 months…

Any advice/ideas on this would be appreciated.

Brie

See if there's another company that you like that will pay your exit fee. Or even a portion of it.

flaneurs_lobster

Was your broadband service OK before the switch to UW? If there's a problem with your local inhouse setup or your local cabling then it's unlikely that a change of supplier will make any difference.

What kind of connection do you have now? is there an upgrade path (ADSL/FTTC —> FTTP)?

barney_fastblast

thanks flaneurs - it was fine before the switch.
And tbh, its not awful now - nothing a few reboots of the router doesn't fix - but the complete lack of support if there is an issue outside of 9-5 isn't good enough. I wfh and have 2 kids who meltdown without internet access…

littleboo

The service shouldn't change. UW are not a "real" ISP - they re-sell TT services and provide the end user interface and branding. If you put https://www.whatismyip.com/ in your browser, it will show which network you are using.

QrizB

Anyway, I've tried to switch and they are telling me it's £150 - but I don't think this is right/fair?

Before you were moved to UW, were you in contract with TT? If you were, the same contract terms will still be in place, including any early termination fees.

JSmithy45AD

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6660491/stuck-with-utility-warehouse

Unfortunately if they gave yountil 30/11/2025 to leave, then that was your opportunity. As above find a company that's willing to credit your account with the ETC's (you'll need to pay it first and it will be as credit on the new account once confirmed by you, so factor that in if it's relevant).

Your other option may be to see if you can replace the router with your own if that's the issue rather than the signal to the router. Never had UW or the others mentioned so couldn't help with that bit.