Penalty for cancelling vodafone broadband

[TheSphinx]

I got a 18month contract with broadband last year in August, paying €29.99, I have recently received a deal, with O2, getting the same package for €13 a month for 12months. I wanted to end the contract with vodafone but was told I had to pay €33 a month up until February to end it :-(

The girl in Vodafone wasn't very helpful, she said they had no deals when i asked could they do it at a reduced payment. I asked for a supervisor, she siad they don't have supervisors on the floor, she said she would transfer me to the data section, she left me on hold for 20mins, and came back saying that all the supervisors where in a meeting and she would arrange a call back, I asked when would the call back be, she said before end of business, I am still waiting.

2 questions, can i peanlised for ending the contract? and why can these companies treat customers like this.

 

[Sn@kebite]

I understand that most bb have a right to claim the payment for the rest of the contract. Not 100% sure though.

 

[demoivre]

I got a 18month contract with broadband last year in August, paying €29.99, I have recently received a deal, with O2, getting the same package for €13 a month for 12months. I wanted to end the contract with vodafone but was told I had to pay €33 a month up until February to end it :-(

You agreed an 18 month contract with Vodafone and they want you to fulfill your part of the deal and you're in some way surprised at that? And in 6 months time if you can go,for example, with Meteor for a tenner a month do you think that o2 should allow you to breach their 12 month contract without penalty ? What am I missing?

 

[TheSphinx]

You agreed an 18 month contract with Vodafone and they want you to fulfill your part of the deal and you're in some way surprised at that? And in 6 months time if you can go,for example, with Meteor for a tenner a month do you think that o2 should allow you to breach their 12 month contract without penalty ? What am I missing?

What you are missing here demoivre is that i was never asked if I wanted a 12month or an 18month contract, they automatically gave me an 18month contract, If i had a 12month contract it would have been up in August. I don't know why we have to have a minimum contract, to be tied to one vendor, thats silly... You can change landline vendors at the drop of a hat, you can stop your gas, ESb witout being penalised, it is taking the competiveness away IMO. Anyway Vodafone has decided to change my contract to a 12month one.

On another note has anyone got any experiance of 02 broadband, what is it like over Vodafone. Need to know before I make the change.

 

[briancbyrne]

a little off the initial topic...but i know of someone who has a vodafone broadband mobile package on thier home PC (not laptop)...they signed the contract, brought the package home,set it up, and there was next to no coverage in thier area - with the result the connection speed is apalling at best.
in other posters opinions where would this person stand if he wanted to cancel the contract?

 

[Satanta]

in other posters opinions where would this person stand if he wanted to cancel the contract?

Check the Ts&Cs of the contract. In most, there is an initial cooling off period (2 weeks or so) in which the contract can be cancelled for this exact reason.

 

[TheSphinx]

in other posters opinions where would this person stand if he wanted to cancel the contract?

You get a months grace to ensure that it is working in your area, if you find there is no signal or not working in your area you can return device with full refund within the period specified, each vendor is different, some has 15day, some has one month.

 

[briancbyrne]

You get a months grace to ensure that it is working in your area, if you find there is no signal or not working in your area you can return device with full refund within the period specified, each vendor is different, some has 15day, some has one month.

thanks for your replys - unfortunately, the person in question assumed that because he had signed the contract there was nothing he could do about it and did not return during cooling off period. He was telling me just recently the money he was paying every month for a service which just isint being provided and it hit me as totally ridiculous.

 

[TheSphinx]

He was telling me just recently the money he was paying every month for a service which just isint being provided and it hit me as totally ridiculous.

I agree, I have heard of devices that quit working after the cooling off period, and some that went very slow, hop everything in a box and bring it back, tell them it worked during the cooling off period but since then it hasn't. You can't pay for something that isn't working, you would not pay for electricity if you weren't getting the service so why would you do the same to broadband, worth a go...

 

[JoeB]

a little off the initial topic...but i know of someone who has a vodafone broadband mobile package on thier home PC (not laptop)...they signed the contract, brought the package home,set it up, and there was next to no coverage in thier area - with the result the connection speed is apalling at best.
in other posters opinions where would this person stand if he wanted to cancel the contract?

Ok, so it's correct to say that Vodafone are not providing the service they are contracted to provide?.. if not, then ask Vodafone to rip up the contract. For free obviously.


Check is your contract legal... check in particular if it complies with compulsory legislation as regards certain features... the likelyhood is that it will not, and if not ask COMREG to insist that it is ripped up and that you're refunded in full.

In particular you should be entitled to a refund or compensation if the 'sevice levels' are not met... yours are clearly not being met and so a refund or compensation is due... just ask for it.

See Comreg report 07/49 for more info. Comreg state within that report that Vodafone are breaking the law (not in so many words but still...)... despite that though COMREG do nothing about it.. you really have to insist with Comeg that they do something.

Good luck though... COMREG have a terrible reputation, pretty well deserved in my opinion.