BT Broadand

[Jase1982]

Hi,

 

Does anyone know how long the contract is for with BT broadband? i.e. if I want to end the contract after 12 months, can I? I think I'm into the 3rd year now. Is it a rolling contract? I can't seem to find anything in the Terms & Conditions about coverage after the first 12 months.

[blitz]

Ending this agreement

 

14 Once we have provided the service, you may end this agreement at any time by giving us eight days' notice. Or, we can end the agreement by giving you one month's notice in writing.

 

15 This agreement is intended to last for at least the minimum period and this will start from the date we provide the service. However, if you end the agreement during the minimum period, you must pay a termination charge for ending the agreement early, unless paragraphs 16 or 34 apply. This termination charge is equal to the total of the monthly rental fees left in the minimum period.

 

16 If you move to another UK address during the minimum period and we cannot provide the service at your new address, we will not charge you any monthly rental fees left in the minimum period.

 

17 Before we have provided the service, you may cancel this agreement. We will not charge you for the service and we will refund any payment you have made to us for equipment described in paragraph 4. You agree to return any equipment you have bought from us in the prepaid packaging we send to you.

 

BT Broadband

[meagain]

15 This agreement is intended to last for at least the minimum period and this will start from the date we provide the service. However, if you end the agreement during the minimum period, you must pay a termination charge for ending the agreement early, unless paragraphs 16 or 34 apply. This termination charge is equal to the total of the monthly rental fees left in the minimum period.

 

PENALTY ALERT! Unless they can justify their loss on this, you should (i.e. in theory) be able to get away with this. It is a condition imposed on you, it does not reflect any loss they might sustain, it deprives you of choice to switch (i.e. it's anti-competitive), and you are not in a position to change it (you can write to them mandating the change, in the same way that they write to you, just to see what they say).

 

16 If you move to another UK address during the minimum period and we cannot provide the service at your new address, we will not charge you any monthly rental fees left in the minimum period.

 

This is what I tell any provider when I move out. This, or that where I'm going it's not my phone line to change. It always helps if (as in my case) this is actually true (if it isn't, this might be fraud - though they make no mention of how long you need live at the "new address")

[blitz]

if I want to end the contract after 12 months, can I? I think I'm into the 3rd year now

 

Hence 8 days notice, no penalty as there is no remaining time left on the enforced contract.

[Jase1982]

Hello,

 

I currently live in Portsmouth. Apparently in our area we can only receive up to about 6.5mb Broadband. I have been paying for the last 2 years for 20mb broadband!

 

Is that legal? To my mind I should have been paying nearer £15 a month, rather than £30 per month!

 

How can they sign me up for a service, knowing full well I will not enjoy total benefit?

[buzby]

Yes, it's 'legal' - it's not their fault you'ree so far from the exchange. The qualified 'up to' is always present, as local factors will come into play. However 20Mb...? I've never seen that advertised as a possibility unless IU was sitting next to BT's gateway at the exchange. 8Mb is about right for a good connection - unless in a trial area. I'm currently on 'up to' 10Mb from NTL but seldom get more than 4Mb at peak times - then there's the traffic shaping software that knocks out VOIP. Is that legal? Probably, is it fair? No!

[Jase1982]

I may have been mistaken on the 20mb thing. I'll have to check that. thanks for the input.

[buzby]

It might be 2Mb for that price.... so if you've got X3 that, i'd keep quiet! ;D

[Mark_Blackpool]

As others have said it depends on how far you live from your phone exchange. Broadband is notorious for being advertised as e.g. "8MB broadband" when it really means "up to 8MB broadband", or "Unlimited" when in fact it actually has a usage cap and so forth.

 

In this case if you have what BT calls "DSL Max" - which you would have if you get more than about 2MB - then it is tuned to operate as fast as the quality of your line supports.

 

For instance we're about 200 yards from the phone exchange on "up to 8MB" and the fastest it ever actually achieves in practise is about 6MB.