Cancelling a phone, TV, internet or mobile contract?

YOU’LL probably have to pay a fee to cancel a contract if you’ve decided you don’t want it anymore. However, you might be legally entitled to cancel the contract without a fee if either:

You signed up less than 14 days ago (i.e. you’re within a ‘cooling off period’)

The price of the contract has gone up If neither of these applies, you probably can’t cancel the contract without having to pay a fee – contact the company or check your terms and conditions for details.

If you signed up less than 14 days ago your legal right to cancel the contract for free depends on whether you signed up over the phone, in person, or online.

You can cancel the contract for free if you signed up less than 14 days ago over the phone or online. This is called a ‘cooling-off’ period. If you’ve already used the service (e.g. you made calls on a phone), you’re likely to be charged for what you’ve used. Contact the business and say you want to cancel the contract because you’re still in the cooling-off period. You’ll probably need to give them details such as your account reference number - check any documents or emails you have from the company.

If you post a letter or send an email asking to cancel within the cooling-off period, the contract will be cancelled from the date you post the letter.

You don’t have the legal right to a 14-day cooling-off period if you signed up in person (i.e. you met someone from the company in person and signed a contract). It’s worth asking anyway – they might let you cancel if you’re confident and ask for a ‘goodwill gesture’.

Your provider has to give you 30 days’ notice if they’re putting up the price of your contract. You have the legal right to cancel the contract within those 30 days without having to pay a fee. Contact the company and say you’re cancelling within the allowed 30 days’ notice of a price increase.

You won’t be able to cancel without a fee if either:

You signed up to the contract before 23 January 2014, or

You were told at the start of the contract that the price would be going up, for example if you signed up for an 18 month contract but the first three months were at a discounted rate

You might have unknowingly entered into a contract and are being charged regularly. This can sometimes happen with promotions or games you sign up for through text messages or mobile apps. This is called a ‘continuous payment authority’ and can also happen when you sign up for a free trial of something that then starts to cost you money.

The best thing to do is contact your bank to cancel the direct debit or credit card payments.

You can get help, information and advice from your local Citizens Advice or visit www.citizensadvicewokingham. org.uk or contact Citizens Advice Wokingham at Second Floor, Waterford House, Erfstadt Court, Wokingham RG40 2YF. Tel: 0300 330 1189. email: public@ citizensadvicewokingham.org.uk