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So you have discovered you can save a significant amount of money by switching your broadband provider, but just how simple is the switching process?
Well James Parker, who is a broadband expert at moneysupermarket.com is with me to talk you through the steps that you need to go through to change from one provider to another.
Q1: So James, can you just explain - if I'm the customer and I want to change my provider, a lot of people perhaps are worried that it is a really complicated process. Talk us through it step by step, what is the first thing I need to do?
James Parker: Ok, well initially the first thing you need to do is contact your existing provider and find out how long you have left on your existing contract. It's not a case that you can just leave your contract at any point, it might be the case that you may have to pay a cancellation fee or you have to pay up the rest of existing contract.
Q2: So if I am in a 12 month contract and I am 9 months into it, I might have to pay the three months that I have got left?
JP: Exactly, and you need to then work out whether it is more cost effective to a) pay up the rest of your contract and switch now or b) stay with your exciting provider for the three months and then switch at that point.
Q3: Okay, so I have decided that I am free to switch, I'm not tied up into a contract - what do I do?
JP: What you need to do is gain a MAC code from your existing provider - this stands for a Migration Authorisation Code, and what this in effect holds is the details of your phone line and the internet provider who currently provides your broadband. You simply then need to get this code and phone up your new provider who you want to go with, pass this information on to them and really that is the only thing that you should need to do. Your new provider then should manage the process from back to front. So literally they will then contact your old provider remove the marker which they have on your phone line and they will then take over that phone line and they will contact you and manage your through that process.
Q4: How easy is it to get that MAC code though, because I have read articles that some providers are really trying to do everything they can not to give you the MAC code?
JP: Yes, certainly over the last couple of years it's been a hot topic for Ofcom because ISP's have been very hesitant to give the MAC codes out, because ultimately if they don't provide a MAC code the customer cannot switch. So Ofcom back in February 2007 introduced a regulation which stated that the internet provider must pass the MAC code onto the customer within 5 days.
CF: 5 working days?
JP: 5 working days, yes.
Q5: So once you have got the MAC code, and you have passed your details onto your new provider, how long will the transfer process take?
JP: In reality it should take no more then 10 days - the average is between 7 and 10 days. So what will happen at this point is - and I must stress that certainly when you contact your old provider don't cancel your broadband with them there and then because they will literally shut your service off if you are out of contract, and obviously you will then have a period where you will have no internet at all. So what you need to do is explain to your existing provider that you are switching, they will give you the code, pass this to your new provider and they will then actually contact your old provider, inform them when your new service is going live and at that point your old provider will then cut off. So it means you have no down time at all.
Q6: So it should be a smooth transition and you are not going to be stuck without internet access?
JP: Exactly, and if that is going to be a concern to people who constantly need to be on the internet at home, make sure you don't cancel your existing, because as I say you will have down time.
Q7: So if we recap the main points - your existing provider should provide you with a MAC code within 5 days, the transfer process once you have contacted your new provider should take about 10 days, and the transfer should be seamless in that you aren't left without internet access at anytime?
JP: Exactly.
Q8: What happens if something goes wrong?
JP: Well, as I say, Ofcom have put this regulation in place that your existing provider must provide this code within 5 days, now usually they can provide this a lot quicker, so really you need to get tough with your existing provider and get on the phone to them and say 'I need this MAC code now'.
What you can also do, is if you do have issues with your exciting provider is go to your new provider and say 'they wont actually provide me with this MAC code in a timely fashion' - the new provider can get in touch with the old provider and request this information for them.
Q9: What if you have problems with your new provider, for example the connection doesn't go through, so you are stuck without broadband or you're not getting the sort of level of service that you were getting with your old provider - its slow, its not as fast as it was advertised. Is there a cooling off period within which you can cancel that new contract?
JP: With certain internet providers there will be a cooling off period, so whether that is a 14 day period or a 30 day cancellation period. Its really imperative that you check all your terms and conditions before obviously you commit to any contract to make sure that you know exactly where you stand should you have these problems.
Obviously if you do experience these problems, it really is a case of getting straight onto your provider and making them aware at the earliest opportunity, stating the issues you have got, stating that you need somebody to come out and maybe look at your equipment, look at the new router or modem they have sent out to you, maybe have somebody come out to look at the phone line etc. So really get tough with your provider and make sure that they are fully aware of the issue you are experiencing.
Q10: Is there a certain length of time within which the new provider - or any provider really - if you have got a complaint and you have registered it, that they have to resolve that complaint before you can then escalate it and take it on somewhere else?
JP: There is no standard timeframe to this, certainly you, at any point can contact Ofcom and make them aware of the problems that you have got.
So my advice would be, obviously turn to the new provider first and make them aware of the problems, get them to tell you and give you timescales of what they are going to do to resolve this. If obviously this is going to be an ongoing issue, at that point you need to escalate that towards Ofcom, because going back to what I said Ofcom have - this has been a hot topic for Ofcom over the last two years - so they are extremely focused on making sure that people can switch easily, they don't have down time, they don't have these problems with people have experienced over the last couple of years.
Q11: And the other thing I suppose is moneysupermarket.com, our site has got a lot on there, we have got the forums where you can talk to other people and ask about a provider before you switch and also the customer reviews on the broadband channel.
JP: Exactly, its always worth while looking at customer reviews, looking at forums, speaking to friends and family, asking them the experiences they have had with their providers, because its always a good indication of the level of service you're going to receive.
So yes, as well as price and speed might be your key factors for switching, it's always good to know that you have a reliant customer service with the new provider that if you do experience problems you can turn to them and they get resolved pretty quickly.
CF: Thank you James.
JP: Thank you.
