How Can I Cancel My Contract?
Contracts are easy to start and unbelievably complicated to cancel. We want to cancel and it is an uphill struggle.
Mobile phones, broadband contracts, credit cards, memberships Skye and BT TV etc. etc. these are all typical contracts we get tangled up in.
When companies want to change terms or raise prices they often just email or send a letter, however, if we want to cancel, they place so many hurdles in the way that we often give up and keep paying.
Getting started with Stopping
We often have to trawl through email addresses, telephone numbers etc. just to find the one we must contact, and that is only the start.
We get passed from one person to another and even if we use a chat support online they often want to talk to us on the phone. In frustration and hoping to get a result at last we often give in and talk on the phone. Then the game begins.
Retention Department
Have you ever tried to cancel a contract and been talked into a different/ cheaper option? When you eventually get through to “retention department,” they can be most helpful. Their job is to keep you as a customer and they have much more leeway in what they can offer you. The first call centre people you speak to are almost powerless to offer you anything different at all.
If you want to renegotiate your contract, this is where you need to be, talking to the retention department.
When you eventually get hold of someone who can take action, they pass you over to retention department and you are so exhausted from trying to get to the right person that you will agree to almost anything.
I have had insurance on cars, electricity bills, water bills, telephone and internet bills reduced by getting through to the “retention Department,” and insisting I have a better offer and want to leave.
Sometimes it can be difficult if there is no alternative competitor offering something better.
It is easy to feel manipulated and deceived.
How to Get on Top
Can you win? Can you get what you want?
Here are a few points to consider which may help you get what you want and feel better about it:
Write down on a piece of paper exactly what you want to achieve. When you have spent hours or even days of attempting to get in touch with the appropriate person, sheer frustration may let you be persuaded to accept something that is a compromise on what you wanted. Stick to your guns and simply repeat what you want.
If you are getting frustrated and feel you are not being treated properly, repeat what you want and tell them you are not being treated fairly. They have a duty to treat you fairly and it is a powerful phrase to use. Say you feel that you are not being treated fairly and they will escalate the case to a more powerful person.
If you are attempting to improve the deal you have, not to cancel it, call in good time before the end of the contract. A month or two before the end of the contract is reasonable. Always check to hear if there is an early exit fee. This also gives you time to appeal or change your mind. Refer to your piece of paper and remind yourself of your goal.
Always shop around and ensure you have written down a few offers of better deals. If you are online, open a text document and copy and paste the links to other deals into the document.
Ensure your reason for leaving is clear and solid. You do not have to explain your reasons. It can be obvious if you are closing a gym membership because you are moving, write it down: “I want to close my membership because…..”
Whenever you call or they call you, ask for a name and where they are calling from, which company, not which country. Write it down with time and date. If you struggle to understand the name they give, ask them to spell it slowly. Do not be bullied, you have a right to know. Persist, repeat, “I need to know your name, please. Can you spell it slowly?”
If your mobile, broadband or landline provider raises their prices mid-contract, you can usually cancel without paying a penalty. Be aware of small print that allows them to do this. If you feel trapped in the contract, get hold of “retentions” and state your problem with the increase.
Be careful of using mobile phones for 087.. or 09.. These may be charged at a much higher rate. Some mobile providers include them in minutes now, but check first. They can be very expensive. Most companies offer alternative land line numbers these days. If you are struggling, go to click this website, they often have alternative numbers you can call.
Direct Debits. It can be tempting to just go into a bank and cancel a direct debit. Be careful. You must inform the recipient of the money in advance, You may end up with additional fees for not paying on time. If there is any money due back to you, cancelling the direct debit may make it difficult for the company to do.
Finally, when you get hold of a real decision making person, and they really can’t help you on your current situation, ask this question: “I need to reduce my outgoings, how do you suggest it can be done with this contract? How can you help me?”
Putting the onus on them to find a solution can sometimes produce remarkable results.
People can get very creative when asked the right questions.
I hope this helps you in some small way and I wish you sincerely, the best of luck.
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