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Signing up for a broadband contract is simple, but as many are finding out, it’s increasingly difficult to exit a contract from a broadband provider.
During the pandemic, charges are surging, but customers who want out of their contracts are hitting a wall when trying to contact broadband providers. Many providers have seemingly silenced themselves, making it hard for customers stuck in lockdown to leave their contracts.
Suzanne Padisetti, a customer of TalkTalk, had attempted to discuss a new deal with the provider when her 18-month broadband contract ended and her monthly cost spiked from £20 to £29 without warning, according to a story in The Guardian. When she was unable to engage in contact with the broadband provider, Padisetti tried to terminate her contract.
With no option to cancel a contract online, she called to initiate termination but was hit with an automated message that the lines are only open to vulnerable customers during the pandemic.
In one last attempt to reach a customer service person, she said, she tried to live chat but was cut off twice.
“We just cannot find a way to communicate with anybody to start the process of leaving,” Padisetti told The Guardian. “It appears that they are using the pandemic as an excuse to make it so hard for people to leave that they will stay, paying a much higher price than they need to.”
Another fellow TalkTalk customer, Bella Huang, was confronted with lofty bills following the end of her broadband contract, according to The Guardian article. Her attempt to cancel the contract and move to another provider was blockaded by the broadband provider when she too was told the phone lines were being held for vulnerable customers only. Her Facebook and Twitter messages also went unanswered.
“I feel like they are holding us to ransom,” Huang told The Guardian. “They have said our monthly tariff will rise from £17 to £30 when our fixed-term contract ends, unless we sign up for another 18-month contract. I really don’t want to do this because we’ve had years of poor service, but if they don’t let us switch to another supplier, I don’t have a choice.”
Due to the pandemic, telecom companies have closed call centres and restricted phone lines. While customers can easily enter into broadband contracts or upgrade online, there is not currently an online option for getting out of contracts.
After 12 to 18 months, many broadband contracts rise in price unless customers negotiate a new deal or terminate the contract, both of which are virtually impossible to do at the moment.
According to a survey cited by Which? News, half of the 4,000 people surveyed are struggling to contact their broadband providers.
During the pandemic, broadband providers are the second most difficult to reach, conquered only by travel insurance providers. The biggest problems customers are facing when contacting broadband providers are long call waiting times, unavailable online chats and providers being unable to solve issues.
Other customers say it is impossible to switch providers.
Besides termination or negotiating a better rate, one other option for customers is to switch providers.
Switching providers is an inexpensive and secure way to leave a contract, but one in seven surveyed have said they’ve been unable to switch.
The coronavirus outbreak has made it more difficult to switch. Many broadband providers in the Openreach network, such as BT, Sky or TalkTalk, have restricted home visits to only those who are without a connection, leaving others unable to take control of their broadband contract.
Which? News contacted BT and TalkTalk to learn what customers can do if faced with this conundrum.
BT says customers don’t need to negotiate for better deals because they are already given the best rates via an end-of-contract notification.
TalkTalk states their customers have been sent a one-click email when contracts are near ending. The emails allow for the easy continuance of the contracts, often at the rates available to new customers.
Have you had trouble reaching your broadband provider in order to cancel or negotiate your contract? We’d like to hear from you. Tell us your story in the comments below.
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