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Broadband Account Cancelled / Closed Without Being Requested

TrentJones — Tue, 07 May 2024 09:02:33 GMT

Hi,

On the 30th April '24 my mum received an email informing her:

We're sorry you want to stop your services with us. Here are some things you need to know.

that her account was being closed, something she didn't request. She only saw the email on the 6th May. My mum is far from tech savvy and as she gets older finds things like this quite confusing.

I'm wondering if anyone else has had a similar issue? Seems odd that this process was triggered without her input. Is it common?

Thanks in advance.

Re: Broadband Account Cancelled / Closed Without Being Requested

iniltous — Tue, 07 May 2024 10:28:12 GMT

Switching providers is GPL , gaining provider led , in other words the new company starts the migration of the ‘line’ , without any reference to the old company , the only notification the customer gets from their current provider is this ‘sorry to see you leave ‘ letter/ email .

This process is open to ‘slamming’ where an unscrupulous company simply starts the migration to get a new customer regardless of the customer actually agreeing to it , so for example, customer calls to enquire with new ISP , or the ISP cold calls someone, an they are offered a deal , customer says ‘let me think about it for a few days ‘ but the ISP submits the migration anyway , or it could be an error like a unrelated random customer gives their new ISP the wrong address for service , or the ISP by mistake selects the wrong address , and starts the migration of the someone else’s line , or could even someone with a malicious intent, making the problem deliberately , by claiming to be someone they are not .

This is the way the regulator Ofcom has designed this GPL process , not BT , there is no check or confirmation with the old provider before the migration instruction is acted on , the automatically raised ‘sorry to see you go’ letter/ email to the customer may be the only way they know something is happening.

Obviously, in genuine wanted migration cases this is fine , it’s when a migration to a new provider was never asked for , or is unwanted , GPL is a problem , if that ‘sorry to see you go’ email or letter isn’t responded to within the stated timeframe, then the migration takes place and is a nightmare to reverse after the migration is completed

Re: Broadband Account Cancelled / Closed Without Being Requested

TrentJones — Tue, 07 May 2024 10:49:15 GMT

Thank you for your thorough reply iniltous, that's very interesting. I can see how making the migration process simple for genuine customers can be abused or simply messed up with the absence of a double-check.

In recent years this kind of thing has rattled my mother – news of online scammers, her aging memory is zapping her confidence and just generally feeling these matters are rather opaque.

Thanks for your help, it will help me reassure her that she's not at fault.

Re: Broadband Account Cancelled / Closed Without Being Requested

orozz — Tue, 07 May 2024 17:27:07 GMT

Without submitting direct debit details, how can orders go through?