Contracts, and Changes to Terms and Conditions
Mid-Contract Price Rises
Phone and broadband providers are allowed to change the terms of a contract, including pricing, as long as they give you notice.
If your provider increases your regular monthly price beyond what you agreed when you signed up, they should:
- give you at least one month's notice of the price rise; and
- allow you to exit your contract without penalty if you choose to.
If your provider does not allow you to exit and you think that the price increase will disadvantage you because of your circumstances, or there is some other reason you think you should have the right to cancel, speak to your provider and give evidence to support your claim.
Exceptions
Some services, may be classed as being outside of your regular monthly amount. These could include:
- roaming charges
- international calls
- calls to Directory Enquiries
- calls to premium rate numbers; or
- other services where you’re charged on a ‘pay-per-use’ basis.
If this happens, your provider should still let you know about the changes but you might not have the right to exit your contract. If you regularly called the numbers or used the services that were being made more expensive, you may have a case to able to exit without being penalised.
Some providers have contracts which set out that the monthly prices you pay will increase at certain times during the contract, for example increasing by inflation each year. This should have been made clear to you when you signed the contract but check your contract terms if you’re not sure.
Fair and Transparent Contract Terms
Providers must make sure their contract terms are fair and transparent. Ofcom have rules about the type of contract information that you should have before you sign the contract, such as charges, the length of the contract and the process for cancelling.
If you believe your provider hasn't properly notified you of changes to your terms and conditions, or if you believe any of the terms and conditions in your contract are unfair or weren't made clear to you, contact your provider's customer service department and make a complaint.
If your provider doesn't resolve the problem, ask them for a deadlock letter. This will allow you to take your complaint to an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) scheme.
There are two ADR schemes: Ombudsman Services: Communications, and the Communications and Internet Services Adjudication Scheme (CISAS).
Every provider must belong to one of the schemes.
Tell Ofcom
If you have had problems with the terms and conditions of your phone or broadband contract (if they have changed, or you believe they are unfair), please let Ofcom know by filling out a short monitoring form.
Although Ofcom does not investigate individual complaints, your help in highlighting problems plays a vital part in their work and they may investigate a company if monitoring data reveals a particular problem.
If you require any additional information, or have any questions please don't hesitate to contact Team Sirius
info@teamsirius.co.uk
01914198181
