U.K. consumers will be able to walk away from their broadband contract if service providers fail to live up to their promises on speed, under a new code of practice from Ofcom.
The U.K. regulator on Thursday shared details of its updated code of practice that requires broadband operators to provide clearer information to customers on what speed they can realistically expect to get from their service, and gives consumers the right to cancel their contract without penalty if the service fails to meet the minimum speed promised.
Customers who suffer broadband speed problems that cannot be rectified by the service provider will be permitted to leave their contract at any time. Under the previous code, customers had a cooling-off period of three months after signing up for their broadband service.
"The speeds code has been around since 2008 and, like the sector, it has to move on," said Ofcom’s new CEO Sharon White, according to the text of a speech she was due to deliver at a conference organised by consumer group Which on Thursday. The speech is White’s first since taking on the chief executive role in March.
"The new version of the code gives consumers the opportunity to walk away from contracts when speeds fall below acceptable levels, giving real power to the elbow of consumers," White said.
BT, EE, Hull’s KC, Plusnet, Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin Media have signed up to the code.
Ofcom has published a detailed document outlining the measures Internet service providers should take to make sure customers and would-be customers have access to accurate information regarding the speeds they can expect from their broadband services, and the steps they should take to assist dissatisfied customers.
Operators could allow customers with slow broadband speeds to pay less for their service, by reducing the price to match that of a lower-tier package, for example.
"Regardless of whether the ISPs offer this option or any other remedy to customers, they must always offer the customer the opportunity to leave their contract immediately, and without penalty," Ofcom’s code of conduct states.
