The broadband experts at Go.Compare have explained consumers’ rights and shared the steps they can take to leave their contract following the news that Ofcom is fining Virgin Media for preventing contract cancellations.

The industry regulator Ofcom announced earlier in the week that it has fined Virgin Media £28 million for breaching its consumer protection rules, following an investigation.* It cited that millions of calls made by customers between January 2022 and September 2024 were likely mishandled to delay or prevent a cancellation.

In response to the news, Catherine Hiley, broadband expert at Go.Compare, said: “We all have the right to leave a broadband provider at any time, even if you’re mid-contract – although this will likely incur an early termination fee. Providers also can’t try to delay or prevent a cancellation to get you to stay, as this goes against Ofcom’s rules, which state that cancellation procedures must not act as a disincentive to customers who wish to leave. If you believe this has happened to you, you can make a complaint.

“Start by following your provider’s complaints process and gathering as much evidence as possible to support your claim, including records of previous communications and details of when you contacted them. If your complaint hasn’t been resolved after eight weeks, or if your provider issues a deadlock letter before then, you can escalate it to an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) scheme. They can investigate the complaint independently and may award compensation where appropriate.

“You can also report your experience to Ofcom. While it doesn’t investigate individual cases, consumer complaints can help it identify wider issues and may lead to enforcement action, as we’ve seen with Virgin Media this week.

“It’s also worth remembering that, while leaving a contract early will usually come with a charge, you may be able to leave without paying an early termination fee if your provider isn’t delivering the minimum level of service it promised and the issue can’t be resolved.”

This follows the news that 43% of UK households now feel broadband is the connected expense that has increased the most over the past five years, according to Go.Compare’s latest research.** It also found that the average UK household now spends £774 a year on broadband, mobile and digital subscriptions combined.

In addition to this, Catherine Hiley shared the following steps customers can take to cancel their broadband contract:

• • “Check if you’re mid-contract: You may have to pay an early termination fee to cancel if you’re mid-contract, so be sure to check this and consider if you’re willing to pay it before cancelling. You might prefer to wait until the end of your contract, when you can leave for free. You can also leave for free if you’re still within the provider’s cooling off period.
  • “Check your provider has been delivering the service promised: You can leave for free if they haven’t, even if you’re mid-contract, but you will need to attempt to resolve the issue with them first. Use a broadband speed checker to get proof that the speed promised isn’t being delivered, taking screenshots of the results. Use this to complain to your provider about their service, keeping a record of each time you contacted them. If the issue still isn’t resolved, you can then use all of this as evidence to leave penalty-free.
  • “Compare deals to switch providers: If you decide you’re cancelling after this, your next step should be to compare other providers so that you can find a deal to replace them. Ofcom’s One Touch Switch policy means you no longer have to tell your current provider about a switch – your new provider does this for you. Once you’ve found a deal you prefer you can simply agree to switch with your new provider. You might even be able to find a deal that will give you some money towards any early cancellation fees. So it’s well worth shopping around, even if you’re not out of contract yet.
  • “Cancelling without switching: If you’re not switching providers and just want to cancel your contract, you will need to get in touch with your provider directly. Each provider has a different process for this, so you’ll need to check the process for yours.”

More information on cancelling broadband contracts, including details on how to cancel deals with the major providers, can be found on Go.Compare’s website: https://www.gocompare.com/broadband/broadband-cancellation-rights/