Consumeractive

Can Virgin charge a cancellation fee if I move house?

QI had to cancel my Virgin TV and broadband in July 2020 because it wasn’t available at my new home. Virgin said I’d have to pay a £250 cancellation fee, which in my opinion is unfair because it can’t provide the service. I thought I had cancelled, but I’m now being harassed by a debt-collection agency, and the price I now owe has risen to £289.50. Can you help? Donald Macleod

AAfter clarifying details with Donald, we think that he wasn’t actually on a contract with Virgin, and therefore was free to leave without an early-cancellation fee. We’re therefore going to try to get a full refund, not simply reduce the fee Virgin thinks he owes. The fact that he’s moving home is irrelevant. Even if he had stayed put, he’d have been able to leave without a charge. After all, if you’re not on a contract, and taking it month by month, how can you cancel it early?

However, if he had been on a contract, he would not have been able to use Virgin’s inability to provide a service at his new address as a reason to cancel without paying a fee. There’s no legal requirement for companies to be able to offer you a service at your new home.

Just to remind you, there are three conditions for ending your broadband contract early without a fee. First, you can cancel within 14 days of signing up under the Consumer Contract Regulations – though you’ll have to pay for any usage during that time. You can also cancel if the service is slower than was advertised, or if the provider increases your monthly fee during your contract above the RPI rate of inflation (you can check what this currently is by visiting www. snipca.com/37268). CASE ONGOING