Broadband and landline customers will find it easier than ever to change provider and secure a better deal, under a new ‘One Touch Switch’ process announced by Ofcom.
The change means all consumers - including cable and full fibre customers - will only have to contact their new company to switch, not their current provider. This means it will be easier to change to a cheaper deal - without your current provider trying to persuade you to stay. But you’ll have to wait until April 2023 to use it.
People can already easily switch between providers on Openreach’s copper network, such as BT, Sky and TalkTalk by following a process where their new provider manages the switch. But the new rules mean customers moving between different networks (e.g from Openreach to a cable provider such as Virgin Media or Hyperoptic) will be covered by the simpler process.
Currently, these customers need to contact both their existing and new provider to co-ordinate the switch, which includes trying to bridge the gap between the old service ending and the new one starting.
Previous Ofcom research showed that four in ten people (41%) who decide against switching were put off by the hassle of having to contact more than one provider. A similar number (43%) were put off switching as they think it will be too time-consuming. And of those who do switch, nearly a quarter (24%) who contact their current provider face unwanted attempts to persuade them to stay.
Ofcom has asked all broadband providers to prepare for the new switching process by April 2023 and believes it will make the market more competitive.
How it will work?
The new ‘one touch’ process will make it easier to get a faster package, cheaper deal or better customer service when you switch provider. It will also make it quicker – just one day where this is technically possible. From April 2023 Ofcom say the process will work like this:
- A customer will contact their chosen new provider and give their details.
- The customer then automatically receives important information from their current provider. This includes any early contract termination charges they may have to pay, and how the switch may affect other services the customer has with the company.
- If the customer wants to go ahead, the new provider will then manage the switch.
Under the new rules, providers will also have to compensate customers if things go wrong and they are left without a service for more than one working day.
Household finances are strained at the moment, so switching broadband provider could help keep your bills down. We’re making it as easy as possible for you to break up with your broadband provider and take advantage of the deals on offer.
All providers must have the ‘One Touch Switch’ process in place by April 2023. This will involve making significant changes to their systems and will require a wide range of companies to work together.
This new process is for residential customers only, which Ofcom states is because “business and residential customers can sometimes have different needs when switching and that there is diversity among business which means it may not be appropriate to specify certain rules that would apply to all business customers in the same way as to residential customers.”
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