Contracts following company buyouts

Sully

Quick question.

With o2 being bought out by Three and with UTV Connect (Broadband) now handing over their customers to Vodafone - do these type of buy-outs give any rights to consumers to be free from contract and shop around?

skelligs

No, unless your contract has changed.

Parent companies change ownership quite a lot - mostly you would never know. Terms of contract are to provide a service and once this is provided as per ther terms, you can't opt out

heartofarebel

I have phone and internet with UTV at the moment but just been informed that they have sold on their telecommunications end off to Vodafone. Since Im under contract with UTV do I have to stay with Vodafone until that contract runs out or since I didn't enter the contract with Vodafone can I cancel it when they take control.

Teagwee

While I accept that technically the contract hasn't changed, people may have made a decision to choose their ISP based on other things, like customer service. If I were still with UTV under contract (luckily I've recently changed) I would not wish to have Vodafone as my ISP, as I deliberately ruled them out of my options for CS reasons. It's a shame that this would not be considered a valid material change as a get-out clause under the circumstances.

Beano

what is stopping a customer from just switching to another provider?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Beano wrote: »

what is stopping a customer from just switching to another provider?

Being committed to a 12 or 18 month contract, perhaps?

TheDriver

Where is this utv news?

INFODAD

Funny we find out today from vodaphone that they are taking over utv glad I'm out of contract with them. They were sneaky though I've been having some problems with my bb lately which has never happened before and their answer right away was my modem and if I signed another contract they would send me a free one.

dudara

Posters -let's keep this thread on topic in relation to changing contracts. No general comments please. That's what the Best/Worst Customer Service thread is for.

dudara

Sully

TheDriver wrote: »

Where is this utv news?

Didn't make the news, oddly. But customers got told by email today from UTV and by post via Vodafone.

Whopper75

heartofarebel wrote: »

I have phone and internet with UTV at the moment but just been informed that they have sold on their telecommunications end off to Vodafone. Since Im under contract with UTV do I have to stay with Vodafone until that contract runs out or since I didn't enter the contract with Vodafone can I cancel it when they take control.

I don't think it's clear in the E-mail UTV sent out today if you got that, but the corresponding snail mail letter from Vodaphone states: "As a result of the above changes, you can excercise your statutory right to withdraw from your contract without penalty."

So basically you can shop around if you want and sign up for a totally new/different provider than Vodaphone when they take control around July 1st regardless of how long is left on your contract with no cancellation fee.

Cabaal

Even if you can cancel will you have to pay the 30e cancellation charge?

UTV to date has been the only provider to pass on the Eircom wholesale DSL cease charge of 30e onto customers,