Duped into a twelve month contract.

[Levanna]

We feel like it anyway! We started getting our broadband and phone with one company. Due to absolutely shoddy service (mis charges on bill, no refunds of mis charges when they've been agreed, awful broadband- very buggy) we rang to cancel our agreement only to find that unbeknownst to us we'd 'signed up' for a 12 month contract. We didn't, (no mention on signed paperwork of 12 month contract, no verbal mention). Apparently, when we first used broadband, hidden in the 'terms' window was a sentence telling us to refer to a many paged booklet, and hidden in there somewhere is reference to a 12 month contract. The thing is, we took the terms window to be specific to software agreements, and clicked yes without thinking anything of it. Now, they are arguing the fact that the broadband is unreliable (me "it is" them: "it isn't") when it quite obviously is, and still haven't refunded agreed refunds. (AAaaargh!) What can we do!

go to cab. They are very good at advice like this.

I'd write to them listing all the problems, including their failure to refund agreed overcharges and state that they are in breach of their contract to provide a reliable and reasonably administered service. The fact that you are signing up for 12 months is a pretty important clause in a contract and, as such, should be made very clear, not buried somewhere in the midst of a mass of indecipherable small print. I'd state that I am rescinding the contract forthwith in view of their failures. Cancel the direct debit and set up with another provider. They would then have to sue to you to recover the remainder of the alleged 12 months and I suspect, in light of all the failings on their part, that they either won't do this or you would be successful in defending a claim. You might have to kiss goodbye to the refunds you've been promised though.

I don't think it is possinle to get broadband anywhere without signing into a long term contract, it is pretty standard. If they haven't kept to their side of the contract tho, you can sue.

YEs you can get Broadband without contract. Virgin do it and we're on it. Starts from £17.99 per month.

I have finally managed to get out of my AOL contract. I first started it in November 03 so it had run for loinger than the twelve mionths and i had never signed anything anyway.

I rang them and explained i wanted to cancel etc etc and they said i couldn't, gave me a load of waffle, so my vbrother rang them yesterday and sai if they didn't terminate the contract due to failiure to provide a good service he would be speaking to the family lawyer LOL, and they agreed.

Thanks so much for your advice. Freckle, I'll write to them, as you've suggested. It seems like the best course of action . What is most infuriating is that they have admitted "Yes, a lot of people complain about that." regarding the way in which people are caught out by the contract length, and have also admitted a lot of people have trouble with their broadband service! All the more reason to put an immediate end to it.
Thanks again.