How to avoid breach of contract fees at the end of your BEV contract

**SteveT** · 08-02-2010, 03:47 AM

I'm hoping to get some straight answers here because I can't seem to get them from Bell.

My father is an elderly gentlemen living in New Brunswick. Two years ago, after a Rogers fee increase, he got angry and called a BEV dealer who signed him up for a two-year BEV rental contract. He's hated it ever since the installation but was bound by the contract. Thus, at the end of the contract in late August, he's definitely switching back to Rogers.

I'm vacationing at his place in mid-July and we've decided to have Rogers install cable again while I'm there. In preparation for doing this, I've called BEV to find out exactly how we go about cancelling his service at the end of the contract, returning his receiver, etc. He plans to pay BEV to the end of his contract but just unhook the receiver in July when Rogers hooks up the cable.

I can't seem to get a clear answer about when to call to cancel. First one call-centre rep said to do nothing beforehand, just call BEV in August and tell them to cancel. Another said to call at least 30 days before the end of the contract. Yet, a third said that calling before the day the contract ends would cause a breech of contract. In all three cases, these reps seem to be unaware of the proper procedure and always have to put me on hold while they consult someone.

Unfortunately, I don't have a copy of the contract or I'd check the fine print myself. I just don't have any confidence in these folks at all. My dad called earlier this week himself to find out about this and he told the BEV rep that his son from Quebec was coming down in July to hook up his cable for him, yet the rep put on his file that he was moving to Quebec and told him he wouldn't have to pay anything after his current bill! When I called BEV that evening after my dad told me this, the rep said he would have to pay until August but didn't mention that the rep who talked to my Dad has put a "move order" on his account. I found that out the next day when I called again. This one suggested I leave the move order on the account as it would reduce my dad's fees by removing his programming. Then a third rep I spoke with later that day told me to remove the move order because it would extend his contract until October!

I find this confusing even as I try to explain it in writing. Perhaps I'm too mistrusting, but why do I get the feeling, they're just trying to engineer this so that they'll have some way of charging a hefty breech of contract fee?

Anyway, sorry for the length of this. I'm just wondering if anyone here has experience with ending their contract and how they handled it without extra costs.

Thanks,
Steve.

08-02-2010, 10:19 AM

to make matters easier, have your father add you to the account, then you can call and make changes/cancel on his behalf
give 30 days notice, that you are going to cancel your service, and then prepare to be asked why, offered deals to stay, etc...
i was about to cancel (i had 1 month left of our contract) and was told that all i had to do was give 30 days notice
good luck

08-02-2010, 10:53 AM

I take it that your Father is Renting.?

ihatetv makes a very good point in having you added to the account so YOU can deal on your Fathers behalf.

I also believe that if your contract ends July 31st then you can call July 1st and inform them of your intention to cancel at contracts end. You will have given them the 30 day notice you are required to.

It is of course possible that there is a clause that says you cannot cancel until July 31st but that would seem to me that you signed a contract for 25 Months not 24 but this is Express Vu so it is entirely possible.

After cancellation your Father will be sent an empty box for each receiver, they need to be shipped back promptly. Keep a record of the Shipping Waybill Numbers, normal carrier is Purolator.

08-02-2010, 03:00 PM

Even if your father add you to the account only him could make the call to close it...

If the contract expires in August you need to call in July (30 days before or more). Many agents will tell you to wait until the end of the contract to avoid a downgrade, but that's not true!

Also verify if your father has ever been on Temporary Programming Suspension...if he was, then the number of months he used in TPS are adding at the end of the contract

08-02-2010, 05:07 PM

All you really need to call on your father's behalf are his pin # and phone number. Call at least 30 days in advance and tell the CSR when you want the service canceled (end of contract.) That will avoid any breach of contract. Also call the day after the contract expires and make sure that it actually was canceled. Keep a detailed note when you call the first time to help prove that it was done. (Date, time, CSR, etc.)

08-03-2010, 02:09 AM

When dealing with ExpressVu, you need to be careful, write everything down and be well informed. My contract ended on June 6, I called on May 1 (the day I had *C installed) and was told that I could not ask for the disconnect until May 6. I called back on May 6 and the CSR I got clearly didn't have a clue how to do anything correctly and demanded a detailed explanation of why I was canceling. The CSR then told me that the service would be disconnected that day. I said no, I don't want to pay the termination fee. The rep did understand that So, on June 6 the service was disconnected, though it was brutal.

08-03-2010, 08:20 AM

It should have been done on May 1st...an open order to disconnect for June 6th

The agent when you call back just did his job...when we have a client that wants to disconnect we need to ask why, then explain the 30 days policy, explain the 50$ reconnection charge and if applicable the early termination fee THEN we trasnfer to retention and THEY make the order

30 days later boxes are shipped out to return rental units

08-03-2010, 02:16 PM

my cell phone has the option to record calls, which i now do when calling in for matters like this
just tell rep that you are recording the call for quality assurance, and training purposes, and make sure to ask for their Rep ID
its nice to offer csr's a wave file, of the last conversation you had with their reps, and it definately backs your case up, when it comes to a he said, she said

**Notsure** · 08-03-2010, 09:09 PM

This is an absolutely wonderful idea! Only thing is my cell phone has a monthly limit of 200 minutes - I'd use up all my available cell phone time in one or two calls with them.

I think it may be time to invest is a digital recorder that plugs into the phone.

08-04-2010, 05:26 AM

Each call centers do record each of their calls, but it's not something CSR's acces to. Only supervisor or quality analyst could go and listen a recording... Also the systm only allows us to records calls received in OUR CALL CENTER, It is, at the time impossibleo listen to a call taken another call center. Unless you get lucky and your call is transferred twice to the same call center, which ot likely, that recording could help you

When they sou call may be recorded for quality assurance, that's all it is. They record the calls and we have a quality evaluation group. They listen one call per agent per week to give us a quality grade, which rating influence whether we get our bonus or not