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How you can switch broadband mid-contract with no fees as providers including BT and TalkTalk set to hike prices
BROADBAND bills are going up for millions, but hard-up customers are usually tied in to their pricey contracts for the long-run, no matter the hikes.
BT, EE and Vodafone are increasing bills by up to £74 a year in a further blow for families struggling with the rising cost of living.
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And while the cost of plenty of household essentials rocket, TalkTalk is hiking its prices by up to £30 for millions too.
But one TikToker has revealed how you can switch broadband mid-contract with no fees.
Switching can mean you enter a new, cheaper contract that'll save you in the long-run - but you can face a penalty for leaving your existing one early.
In a , uploaded to the viral video platform, personal finance enthusiast Aasha Thapa explained how customers can get out early - without paying a price.
The video was liked by over 476k TikTok users, as others looked to avoid the pricey exit fee too.
Usually when you enter a broadband term you'll be obliged to keep paying the agreed amount for the services you've opted for, for a set amount of time.
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That could be 12 months, 18 months or even more.
If you try to leave any earlier you could face a penalty which means forking out extra money that you just might not have to spare at the moment.
But Ofcom’s Voluntary code means customers have means to get-out of contracts if the service isn’t up to scratch.
In the video Aasha played out a conversation between a customer and supplier as he said: "Because my speed has been below your guarantee, you have to let me leave for free or reduce my prices."
Aasha mistakenly attributes the Automatic Compensation in his advisory video, which is a scheme that allows customers to get money back for time spent off-grid because of an internet outage.
Unhappy broadband customers can get up to £8 a day when their internet goes down as a result - but an almost similar scheme is in place with the Ofcom rules.
The Ofcom code means that if your speeds aren't the same as what you were advertised you could opt out of the contract.
Broadband experts at say: "Remember, your broadband service must be of satisfactory quality, as described, and fit for purpose.
"This means that if your broadband speed is much slower than it should be, you may be able to claim compensation or cancel the contract without penalty."
The code states that providers must give accurate estimates and provide a minimum guaranteed speed, but if they are unable to deliver, you have a right to exit your contract penalty-free.
How can I leave penalty free?
First you'll need to check your contract to see what your minimum speeds should be.
If your broadband is too slow then you'll have to contact your provider and ask if they can help.
They then have 30 days to fix the issue from the time you reported it before you can leave without penalty.
If you don't want to take quite such a drastic move, and would rather stay with your provider, you can try to haggle down the cost of your current contract instead.
That way you'll still be able to pay a cheaper price.
But there are other ways you'll be able to terminate your contract early without being charged, too.
A price increase alone can be cause for leave, but you have to get moving quickly.
You'll only get 30 days to decide to switch after you've been told there's a price hike - after that you could still have to pay the termination fee.
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If you move home you could be able to cancel a contract early too - that's usually the case if your current provider can't provide the same services at your new address.
There's also a "cooling off" period that means once you start a new contract, you'll get around two weeks to decide if it's right for you before leaving.
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