What you say is correct and normaly I make a point of reading the one star reviews first but somehow Onestream escaped the net.

In reply to a post by Nervous:

They didn't confirm if the router would or wouldn't be charged for after the contract expires but for the first time I am going to advise him to cancel his DD once the switch is done because I don't trust this company.

Don't do that.

If the provider tries to collect money and fail, they will treat this as a debt and may pass it onto a debt collection agency, causing massive aggrevation and rapidly spiralling costs, not to mention a black mark on the credit file.

* Ride out the contract to the end
* Return the router, if that's what the contract says you have to do. Send it signed-for so there is proof of delivery. Do this at your own expense - it's worth it.
* Pay the final bill.
* Once this is completed and they've confirmed nothing more is due, cancel the DD
* If you are in dispute about the final bill (e.g. you disagree with a charge they have raised, like charging for the router even though it has been returned) then pay it and raise a formal dispute. Take it to a small claims court if necessary. These often side with the consumer.
* Keep written records of all correspondence and phone calls to back up your case.

Note that some providers do charge an exit fee if you cease the line without transferring it to another provider. It will be in the T&Cs.

In reply to a post by Nervous:

I am going to advise him to cancel his DD once the switch is done because I don't trust this company.

One downside about cancelling a Direct Debit is that if you end up getting a refund from the company for any reason, if the DD is cancelled the refund will not go through.

I would definitely wait until certain that all the financials were definitely completed before cancelling the DD.

In reply to a post by candlerb:

* If you are in dispute about the final bill (e.g. you disagree with a charge they have raised, like charging for the router even though it has been returned) then pay it and raise a formal dispute. Take it to a small claims court if necessary. These often side with the consumer.

I disagree with this point. Either pay the £125 and keep the router or return the router and don't pay £125. Either way, check the T&Cs to be sure of your position

If you return the router, leave Onestream to sue for the £125, don't pay the £125 if you don't believe you owe it. Let Onestream sue. You are going to look a bit daft in front of the judge paying £125 and suing to get it back.

In reply to a post by DFScale:

If you return the router, leave Onestream to sue for the £125, don't pay the £125 if you don't believe you owe it. Let Onestream sue.

They won't sue. They will bill you, then they will pass the bill to a debt collection agency, who in turn will add their own huge fees at each stage, and will use statutory powers to recover the debt.

Even if you are in the right, you really don't want to go down this path.

In reply to a post by candlerb:

They won't sue. They will bill you, then they will pass the bill to a debt collection agency, who in turn will add their own huge fees at each stage, and will use statutory powers to recover the debt.

Even if you are in the right, you really don't want to go down this path.

Come off it.

No ISP has Statutory Powers to recover an alleged debt. The have to go to court and prove their case. As for the debt collectors, if there is no debt to recover, they can add all the fees they like, but they are powerless to collect. Really, return the router, get proof, be sure that you are in the right according to the T&Cs and sit tight. The only bit you are right on is that they won't sue.

Don't give in to bullying by companies and ignore advice to give in to bullying. Take the question to Moneysavingexpert.com - they will say the same. They will probably advise making a complaint and following through with the ombudsman complaint. But not paying.

The one path you do not want to go down is paying money which is not due and then suing for recovery.

When I read these type of threads on MSE usually the advice given (from the more trusted posters) is to actually pay to avoid carnage on your credit file.

I would be returning the router, tracked postage, verifying if the fees are owed, and pay them as due, many ISPs charge early termination these days?

You might get away by playing hard ball and getting a waiver from a big name, like BT or VM, but with a smaller company who may not have the cashflow to just be waiving fee's, I think its a case of eating it up, and be careful what contracts you sign up for.

Thanks to everyone for their advice.

I will let the contract run to its conclusion and return the router, what happens from there I will let you know by updating this thread after the 25 February.

It still remains that Onestream is not a company you want to be dealing with.

A review on Trustpilot about Onestream Broadband posted 15hrs ago:

"I am in tears as I write this...a 40yr old grown man"

"I am in tears as I write this...a 40yr old grown man. This company have charged a £462 early termination fee to close my recently deceased fathers account. Not to mention the months of intermittent service and billing issues prior to his passing. OneStream, you really should be ashamed of yourselves."

Edited by Nervous (Fri 06-Dec-24 09:28:19)

Based on price, I was considering Onestream but checked out their 1 star reviews....
Something that cropped up a few times was if you don't cancel exactly 30 days before renewal, they roll you onto a new 24 month contract with the termination fees to match.
I am posting this message on 30 Jan, and I suppose you will have had to cancel some 4 days prior.

Are auto-extending contracts legal in the consumer space?