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If you phone Australia for an hour long chat with Aunty Doris, you know that you will be paying for the privilege. On the other hand, if you’re blithely using the internet to download the next episode of ‘Lost’, you may be in for a nasty surprise when your next bill plumps onto the door mat (or in tray as the case may be).
We may all like surprises, but not when it comes to paying our bills. The essence of keeping customers happy is to ensure that they clearly understand what they are spending on the service they subscribe to. Broadband providers who fail to learn this lesson will quickly lose their market share to providers more attuned to the needs of their consumers.
There is going to be a huge slice of the population whose use of broadband will not extend beyond sending the odd photo by email attachment and who will never exceed their monthly data cap. Others (and you know who you are) are in the fast line on the information superhighway. You wouldn’t expect a turbo-charged Reliant Robin, and the same goes for your choice of broadband. In other words you pay for what you get. If you want a service that’s sleek and mean, that’s what you should go out and find.
That being said, if you shop around you can expect to pick some good broadband deals. We should be prepared to change our internet provider regularly. If providers do have to apply data caps, then arguably they should at least warn you when you exceed your cap. If the cap doesn’t fit, don’t wear it.
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This article was written by Simon Halberstam, head of the IT and E-Commerce Law at Sprecher Grier Halberstam LLP, Solicitors. For further information, contact Simon on
020 7544 5595 or by email to simonh@sghlaw.com.
This article is copyright of the authors and should not be construed as legal advice or opinion in any specific facts or circumstances. The contents are intended for general information purposes only. You are urged to contact a suitably qualified lawyer for specific advice.
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