The customer signed up for a 12-month contract with his provider. Three months in, he was told that the price was going up. The customer believed that this was in breach of the agreed terms of his fixed-term contract. 

He raised this with the provider, who offered him a one-off payment for the difference between the original pricing and increased price. However, the customer was concerned about other customers who may be obligated to pay the increased price, so he contacted TDR. 

Next steps

TDR informed the provider of the complaint. In an attempt to resolve it, the provider offered to grant either a month’s credit, or a waiver of an early termination fee to the customer. The provider also directed the customer to the terms and conditions that he had agreed to upon signing up to the plan, which outlined that the provider could increase pricing at any point. 

The customer declined the offer and maintained that there had been a breach of contract. As they had reached an impasse, TDR progressed the complaint while continuing to assist them with communicating.  

The provider made another offer to settle the dispute. The provider offered to refund all of the customer’s payments towards the plan, on the condition that the customer read the terms and conditions for continuation of the provider’s services. 

TDR shared the offer with the customer, who advised they would accept if they also received an apology. The customer’s counteroffer was passed back to the provider, who accepted.

Outcome

As a result of TDR’s intervention, the customer was satisfied with their refund and apology, and the provider received confirmation that the customer would continue their service having reviewed their terms and conditions. 

Lessons learned

By keeping communication open and reaching a mutual agreement early in the TDR process, both the parties saved themselves the time and effort of continuing the dispute further. 

This case acts as a reminder that customers should be sure to read terms and conditions and that providers should ensure that these are accessible to avoid misunderstandings. You can read TDR’s short guide on Terms and Conditions and Contracts for more information.