Three must-know insights when it comes to buying your broadband online

In addition to your statutory rights, customers within the UK are entitled to make a return for any reason – regardless of the type of goods purchased.

Whenever you shop online, you are protected under consumer law, so you don’t need to worry if things go wrong.

You’re probably wondering how this works if you’re looking to switch to a better broadband provider, especially if you’ve received poor service from other suppliers in the past.

How are broadband customers protected? 

In 2021, there were an estimated 62.86 million broadband users in the UK alone. And with many people needing access to the internet on a daily basis, it’s important to be aware of the list of rights you have available to protect you. These include but are not limited to:

• Your broadband connection should work at the agreed speed you are paying for
• The terms and conditions of the contract with your chosen provider should be fair
• If your router is faulty, your internet service provider (ISP) must replace this (If your provider does not take steps to fix this, this is a breach of your consumer rights)
• You have the right to cancel your contract at any point, regardless of when your cooling off period ends (although a fee may apply).

What if your broadband ends up being too slow?

There are multiple factors that can make complaining about your broadband speed a little trickier, such as the wiring in your home, the location of your router, and the software on your devices.

However, your broadband provider must provide a service that is of satisfactory quality and fit for purpose. If you suspect your broadband is too slow, you should let your provider know in the first instance to see if they can help. If the speed continues to be

unsatisfactory, you may be eligible to claim compensation, or cancel your contract with no extra charges.

What if you want to cancel your broadband contract outside of the 14-day cooling off period?

Under Consumer Contracts Regulations, you have the right to cancel your broadband contract for free within a minimum period of 14 days. If you decide to cancel outside of this timeframe (which you have the right to), you may have to pay a fee.

However, there are some situations where you may be able to cancel without being penalised:

• If your broadband is too slow or your home has constant bad service, this is a breach of contract
• If you move home, your ISP may not be able to service the area you are moving to, in which case you have the right to cancel your broadband contract free of charge
• If your ISP lets you know that your bill is increasing, they must give you 30 days to ‘opt out’ and let you end your contract free of charge.

Here at BeFibre we will always ensure your contract is fair — which means no in-contract price hikes.  If you’re looking to switch your broadband provider for game-changing speeds, enter your postcode to check if BeFibre is available in your area, here.

All references to how many times faster our broadband service is, depend on you being able to access ‘superfast’ type broadband services of 70Mbps (or less) and selecting one of our packages at the advertised speed. Speeds shown may be affected based on the placement of the router in your property or the device you are using.