This blog is an attempt at explaining the importance of the right to exit your telecom contract without charge. It looks at what is considered a fixed term contract and why that is so important. It explains the importance of knowing your rights and how you can exit with no charge using OFCOM rules.

If you signed up to a broadband contract, you might have been suckered into a long-term deal if the company didn’t tell you about your rights to exit. They may have even used tricky wording to make sure you don’t realise you have the right to change your mind.

Luckily for you, Ofcom are on hand to solve these issues. If you haven’t heard of Ofcom:

Ofcom is the regulator for the communications services that we use and rely on each day. We make sure people get the best from their broadband, home phone and mobile services, as well as keeping an eye on TV and radio.

What is Ofcom? – Ofcomhttps://www.ofcom.org.uk

It’s time to change the way you think about broadband.

There are various regulations set out by Ofcom to stop you being stuck in an unfair contracts.

Will I be charged for leaving my broadband contract early?

In alot of cases, yes. If you decide to cancel your broadband before your contract is up, you’ll usually need to pay an exit fee.

What you’ll pay depends on the provider. But it’ll typically involve paying off the remaining months of your contract, plus the cost of any equipment provided, such as a router. Although some providers do allow you to send these back to avoid charges, and also send you a returns bag free of charge.

So how can you leave your contract free of charge?

Your minimum contract term has expired

Broadband contracts vary with every provider, 30 day rolling, 12, 18 or 24 months. If you can wait until your contract is up, you’re free to switch without having to pay a penny.

Most contracts increase in price after the minimum term ends, so keep an eye on your end date. You don’t want to have to pay Out-of-Contract Rates (OOC) especially when you can get the cheapest deals and tempting rewards as a new customer somewhere else.

30 day rolling contracts by nature a little bit more expensive than 12,18 or 24 month contracts. But if gives you the flexibility you need with no penalty fees to pay.

You’re in your 14-day cooling off period

When you subscribe to a new broadband package, you’ll get a 14-day cooling off period before anything changes. If you decide it’s not for you, you have the right to cancel your contract without penalty during that time.

If you’ve been subject to a Price Rise

Sometimes, your provider may increase the cost of your monthly bill – even if you’re mid-contract. They should let you know about any price hikes in writing.

The majority of providers, especially the big 5 have regularly price rises, some of them more than others. There used to be a time when it was a minor increase, 2/3% but over the last few years most providers are sitting around 10-15%.

Picture this, you’ve just sign up to a new contract, thinking you’ve got an amazing deal, £45 per month phone, internet, tv on a 24 month deal. 3 months later you are subject to a price rise, 10%. It’s not too bad only another £4.50…

3 months later, “We are writing to let you know we are improving our TV service because of this we need to increase the price again for TV only, £3 more pound a month”. That’s not too bad, only another £3. 3 more months pass, another 3… 12 months in your £45 bill is now over £60. You pick up the phone, call your provider “I’m not happy with this, I’ve been loyal, I want you to reduce my price” to find that the only way you can reduce your price is if you threaten to leave, next thing a letter comes through the post £900 termination fee. We’ve all found ourselves in this situation.

So why the long explanation of a price rise?

Because this is exactly what your provider does to you. It’s really frustrating too. Luckily enough, Ofcom are protecting you by having conditions set out that allow you to leave your contract penalty free in the event of a price rises in your contract.

Broadband Speeds

If you’re experiencing broadband speeds that are slower than your provider’s minimum broadband speed, Ofcom states that you have the right to cancel your contract early without facing a charge.

If your broadband speed falls below the promised minimum broadband speed, the provider has one month to fix this for you – if it fails to do so, you’re allowed to leave your contract, penalty-free.

Plus, you can also cancel any landline or TV packages bought at the same time as your broadband.

All the major providers, like Sky, BT, Virgin Media, TalkTalk, EE and Plusnet, are part of Ofcom’s broadband speed code of practice. Which again Ofcom introduce to stop unfair practices.

Your new provider will pay your exit fees

If you’re a new customer with a different provider, it may reimburse you for any exit fees incurred. Depending on the provider and the cost of your old broadband package, you may get enough money to cover leaving your contract a few months early.

So what can YOU do about this?

For too long, we’ve been told that superfast broadband is expensive and out of reach. But with Inspire Telecom, you can get it for a fraction of the price—and without in-contract price rises!

No longer will you have to wait for slow downloads or endure buffering when watching your favorite shows. With speeds up to 1000mbps, Inspire Telecom offers a solution that will meet even the most demanding needs.

And if you need even more speed? Boost your wifi with an Inspire mesh box, which will help make sure no one gets left behind when it comes to connectivity.

Our ALL IN package also includes Inspire TV with over 200 live channels including BT sport, Rakuten, Prime video and many more! So if you love sports or movies, there’s nothing stopping you from getting all the content you could ever want with just one subscription service.

Can I get Inspire in my area?

Head over to our website & arrange a call back with our team. They will check our coverage, pricing & see how we can save you up to 50% on your bill.