due to change to bt on 4th april but my existing provider is saying my switch will be blocked

[matthewwright980]

im due to change to bt on 4th april , however my existing provider is saying unless i pay the £60 exit fee for leaving early they will auto reject any switch requests .

what can i do so my switch is not affected by there actions ?

my current provider is cuckoo broadband 

thanks

[licquorice]

Pay the exit fee

[matthewwright980]

i cant pay the fee untill the 1st as i dont get paid until then but they are only giving me until 28th march

[Keith_Beddoe]

@matthewwright980 

That is something you will need to sort out with your current provider, as you must still be in a contract with them.

[licquorice]

You can try asking BT if they will pay the exit charges if you switch.

[matthewwright980]

im wondering how do i do that please ?

[Keith_Beddoe]

You would still have to pay the exit charges first, even if BT offered to refund them over your contract period. They only do that by invitation only anyway.

It may be easier to change your activation date until you have paid the exit charge.

[iniltous]

I thought the losing provider couldn’t simply stop you leaving ( they could use the ‘anti slamming’ procedure, but that’s against the spirit of the thing ) , if you leave owing the old company money , they can use the normal debt recovery tools to get that , and TBH, the final invoice normally arrives from the losing company after you have joined the new company anyway…..there is no reason for you to speak to the old provider , so why were you having this conversation anyway,  the new provider arranges the migration including advising the losing company ( they serve your notice to quit )  you then normally settle your bill with the old provider after the switch, the only ‘contact’ with the old provider is a letter , email or text saying sorry to see you leave and if the migration is  a mistake, to contact them to cancel it.

You could always ask the new provider to provide a ‘new’ line instead of migrating the existing one , but you would still need the old provider to cancel your account with them otherwise you would pay for two lines

[-Richie-]

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@matthewwright980wrote:

my existing provider is saying unless i pay the £60 exit fee for leaving early they will auto reject any switch requests .

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If you're retaining the same phone number then they are refusing your porting request, you might want to remind them of the rules they must follow set by the regulator Ofcom, have a read of Ofcom - Changing Provider at the bottom where it states :

Refused number porting

Phone providers must allow you to take their telephone number with you to a new provider when you switch. This is known as ‘number porting’.

If you think your provider is preventing or delaying you from porting your number, contact your new provider.

You may be asked to give them an Ofcom complaint reference number to start a short investigation. You can get this number by submitting a complaint via the Ofcom website.

An independent industry panel will then assess your case, and can override your old provider to complete the porting of your number.

Compensation

Phone providers must offer compensation if they block or delay you from porting your number when switching.

They must also explain clearly how you can claim this compensation. Ask your provider for details.

From 15 February 2020, broadband, phone and pay-TV customers must be told about their provider’s best deals when their initial contract is coming to an end, and every year after that if they remain out of contract.

For more information on these notifications, see our latest update.