1. Broadband
2. Providers
3. SSE
4. Cancel

Perhaps you’ve decided you want to get a cheaper broadband deal, or maybe you want a new provider because you are moving home. Whatever your reason, switching broadband is happily a stress-free affair these days and you can easily arrange your move online with no need to speak to SSE at all.

Like the vast majority of other mainstream broadband providers, SSE runs on the Openreach network. This means that if you switch to another provider on Openreach, the switch is remarkably simple. In this guide, we talk you through the straightforward process of bidding farewell to SSE broadband and hello to your shiny new broadband provider.

Checklist: Things to do before you cancel SSE Broadband

Before you go ahead and cancel your SSE Broadband package, there are a few things worth getting straight first.

• Check your contract – SSE Broadband contracts run for 18 months, so before you decide to leave you should check that you are past that initial contract period. If you’re not sure at what point you are at in your contract, you can refer back to your original contract, which will have been sent to you by email, or you can get in touch with SSE directly
• Note down SSE Broadband’s contact details – if you want to get in touch with SSE you can send an email to talk.cancellations@sseenergyservices.com or call on 0345 071 9886
• Find a new provider – Before you tell SSE you intend to leave, it’s a good idea to start looking for a new deal. This serves the dual purpose of finding out whether you can get more for your money elsewhere and also gives you some bargaining tools to possibly negotiate a better price for your current package with SSE

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Cancelling SSE Broadband if you’re still in contract

As with all broadband contracts, if you cancel with SSE before your initial 18-month term is up, you will have to pay early termination fees. Broadband providers make their money by locking customers into a contract, thereby guaranteeing a minimum charge for a stipulated period of time; 18 months in the case of SSE. We would always recommend waiting until you have reached the end of your contract before cancelling, but we appreciate this isn’t always possible.

The fees are calculated according to how many months you have left to run on your contract. If you still have 12 months left, for example, you will have 12 lots of monthly repayments to make. To find out exactly how much you will be charged, you should get in touch with SSE broadband directly and they will let you know.

When you can cancel SSE Broadband for free

There are certain occasions whereby you are entitled to cancel your SSE Broadband contract without being charged any early termination fees.

• Within the initial cooling-off period – It is a legal requirement for all broadband providers to offer a two-week period in which customers can change their mind about a purchase and cancel without being penalised. Although you won’t be charged for the rest of your contract, you may still be billed for connection fees, installation charges and equipment, plus any phone calls you may have made that are not included in your package
• If SSE Broadband increases prices mid-contract – If SSE decides to increase prices while you are still mid contract, you are permitted to leave within 30 days of receiving the notification
• If your speed is slower than expected – You will have been given an average download speed to expect from your SSE connection when you signed up. If you regularly receive a much slower speed you may have grounds for cancellation. Note that this only applies to devices connected to the router with a cable, not to those connected by WiFi
• If the connection is unreliable – If you frequently experience interruptions to your service and SSE are unable to resolve the problem within a reasonable time frame, then you may be entitled to leave without penalty

Cancelling SSE Broadband if you’re out of contract

If you have passed your 18-month minimum term contract period, you are free to cancel your SSE Broadband service and leave without having to pay any termination fees. The ideal time to start looking for a new broadband deal is once you receive your end-of-contract notification letter from SSE. You should receive this between 10 and 40 days before your contract expires.

This letter should tell you what new deals SSE can offer you as an existing customer. However, it is unlikely that anything you will be offered will be cheaper than moving to a new provider. This is because all broadband providers save their best – and cheapest – deals for new customers. Whether you want to find a cheaper deal or you want a faster download speed, you can use our broadband comparison tool to find a package that suits your requirements.

Once you have found a new deal, you can simply sign up with your new provider and they will do all the work of cancelling your SSE Broadband service for you. The only exception to this is if you decide to move to Virgin Media, in which case you will have to let SSE know the bad news yourself.

Cancelling SSE Broadband if you’re moving home

If you want to cancel your SSE broadband because you are moving home, you are free to do so if you are out of contract. You should give SSE Broadband 28 days’ notice of your intention to leave, during which time you can look for a new deal at your new address.

If, on the other hand, you are still mid-contract with SSE, it is worth considering delaying switching broadband until you have completed the 18-month term. If you don’t, you will be liable for early termination fees; unfortunately moving house is not a good enough excuse to break your contract. Plus, since SSE Broadband operates on the Openreach network of cables used by BT and most other providers, there is every chance it is also available at your new address. SImply give SSE Broadband one month’s notice of your intention to move and it will arrange the transfer of service ready for when you move in.

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