Stuck in a contract with slow internet speeds? No more! – Grasp 15’
Stuck in a contract with slow internet speeds? No more! – Grasp 15’
Ofcom have decided that UK Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have an unfair hold on customers that experience poor internet speeds and that the law around ISP contracts needs addressing.
The majority of households and businesses that experience insufferably slow internet speeds have had very little in the way options for cancelling their contracts or seeking compensation with their service providers should they be more than three months into their contracts. The overwhelming message has very much been one of “you had your chance to cancel and you didn’t take it”. However under new Ofcom rules you will be able to cancel your contract should you be able to demonstrate how slow your internet speed is. More on that below.
Unfortunately this new Ofcom rule isn’t all encompassing. The rules only apply to Digital Subscriber Line type internet connections. This includes BT, EE, Sky and TalkTalk. The big glaring omission from this list is Virgin, who unfortunately due to their cable based internet service these new rules do not apply.
ISPs are notorious for providing an expected speed “range” that a customer can expect to get and to a lesser extent the MGALS – or minimum guaranteed access line speed. You could only look to exit your contract within a 90 day period if you fell below the MGALS threshold, however this is where the change is centred. Now you can legally cancel your contract with no costs associated on the proviso that the ISP has been given “reasonable” opportunity to rectify the issue.
Exit Strategy
Step 1: Source your MGALS details for your area from your internet service provider.
Step 2: Quantify your internet speed! Ofcom themselves recommend the following easy to use site:
Step 3: Take a series of readings across different times of the day and over the course of a few days. Ensure that there is only one device running this test and that no other household device is accessing internet and downloading, uploading etc for a true measurement. The standard measurement for internet speed is Mbps (megabytes per second)
Step 4: Get a feel for your average internet speed and the range of speed you are getting. Compare this to the MGALS speed your ISP has provided you. Simply put, if your speed is less than that of the MGALS then you can look towards cancelling your service with your ISP.
For more information on minimum guaranteed access line speed (MGALS) please click here:
For information on how Grasp Support can help you assess and weigh up your broadband contract options and cancellations please contact via the contact page of this site.
