Broadband Contracts Explained

The Check Small Print Guide is to help you understand the importance of checking the small print in your broadband contract so that you are aware of the potential pitfalls and at the same time a better understanding of the broadband providers commitment to you in terms of services they should deliver.

Not only should this help to avoid the pitfalls or hidden charges that exist in almost every broadband contract, it should also better prepare you if you have any problems with your provider that you are in dispute with.

Part 1 runs through the basics of what a broadband contract is and what it contains
Part 2 covers the small print hazards when you sign up to a contract
Part 3 offers some advice on what to do if you want to leave or move home
Part 4 contains our contact details if you want some impartial advice or further information from a range of official sources on what to do next.

A downloadable version in PDF of the Broadband Contracts Explained Guide is available here.

Broadband Contracts Explained

In recent years, broadband has quickly become the preferred way of going online for the UK’s internet users. More than two thirds of net users have broadband connections, according to recent figures from the UK's Office of National Statistics.

Even more significant, 57% of broadband internet users go online every day, with the average time spent in front of a computer running to almost half an hour a day.

But as broadband use continues to grow sharply, so does the level of dissatisfaction with the service received by many users. Surveys regularly show that anything up to 25% of all broadband users are unhappy with the service they receive – and that percentage is growing.

The problem for many users is that when they sign up for a deal, they often don’t realise that they are entering into a legal contract with their broadband provider.

A contract works both ways: on the one hand, a user’s obligation is to pay his or her bills on time and not default on payments. Failure to do so can lead to penalties being imposed.

On the other hand, a broadband provider also has obligations as well: it must provide a service to you at an acceptable level, (i.e. a service level agreement) and meet its own side of any contract with customers.

So if the position is so clear, why is there still so much dissatisfaction?

Part of the reason is that most broadband contracts have a wide range of quirks contained in the small print, ranging from the charges you may face for exceeding your download capacity, to levying contract "cancellation fees" – even where a provider says there is no minimum contract.

Yet most users fail to spot these quirks in their contracts before they sign up. A survey by moneysupermarket.com recently found that the majority of people signing up for broadband (55%) fail to look for extra charges and catches contained within contract small print and many fall foul of them.

This guide will take you some of the various quirks and show you how to spot them. This will then allow you to steer clear of those providers whose contracts you don’t like.

It will also give you guidance on what to do if you are unhappy with any aspect of the contract you have signed – including who to complain to.