Can I cancel cell phone contract with PCCW?

[alter_ego]

Hi All,

I have 2 year contract with PCCW, cell phone and internet. Can I cancel it after 10 months? What's the best way to do it? I had problem with the phone 4 times already, SMS does not work, and it's not the phone, it's the service.

Thanks in advance for any tips.
AE

[PDLM]

I had similar problems with PCCW Mobile - SMS is extremely unreliable with them. I was able to demonstrate this to the satisfaction of the staff in one of their shops, and they were unable to fix it. However, they wouldn't simply release the contract, saying that SMS is a "best efforts" service, not guaranteed.

Eventually I paid whatever was written into my contract as the early cancellation penalty HK$300 I think) in order simply to get out and move back to CSL/One2Free which has worked flawlessly ever since.

Your contract will have a clause telling you what the penalty for early cancellation is.

[alter_ego]

Thanks! I guess I can say I'll be making payments on "best effort" basis too

I had similar problems with PCCW Mobile - SMS is extremely unreliable with them. I was able to demonstrate this to the satisfaction of the staff in one of their shops, and they were unable to fix it. However, they wouldn't simply release the contract, saying that SMS is a "best efforts" service, not guaranteed.

Eventually I paid whatever was written into my contract as the early cancellation penalty HK$300 I think) in order simply to get out and move back to CSL/One2Free which has worked flawlessly ever since.

Your contract will have a clause telling you what the penalty for early cancellation is.

[alter_ego]

They quoted me 6K HKD for penalty. What is the worst that can happen if I just stop paying?

I had similar problems with PCCW Mobile - SMS is extremely unreliable with them. I was able to demonstrate this to the satisfaction of the staff in one of their shops, and they were unable to fix it. However, they wouldn't simply release the contract, saying that SMS is a "best efforts" service, not guaranteed.

Eventually I paid whatever was written into my contract as the early cancellation penalty HK$300 I think) in order simply to get out and move back to CSL/One2Free which has worked flawlessly ever since.

Your contract will have a clause telling you what the penalty for early cancellation is.

[drumbrake]

They quoted me 6K HKD for penalty. What is the worst that can happen if I just stop paying?

if you signed a contract, I suppose they can send debt collectors after you if you don't pay.

[Scorpio01]

is there any law under which you can take them to court for lack of service?
i also have same problem with PCCW, i took a contract of broadband with 8 MBPS line but all i get is speed of a dialup, and they keep telling me that all is OK

WBR
Syed

[alter_ego]

Based on my experience, if you make enough complaints (they have a record of your complaints), then you can cancel the service if you agree to pay penalty, which is usually 400-600 HKD. That's what I will do with my phone. However, in my case, I was not receiving the service, so it's pretty straight forward.

In your case, the problem is that you do receive the service, and you would have to prove that it is not the speed you're paying for, which is harder. Whenever your access is interrupted, make sure you make a phone call, and after 3 times you can demand to cancel the service. It should work.

is there any law under which you can take them to court for lack of service?
i also have same problem with PCCW, i took a contract of broadband with 8 MBPS line but all i get is speed of a dialup, and they keep telling me that all is OK

WBR
Syed

[Football16]

They quoted me 6K HKD for penalty. What is the worst that can happen if I just stop paying?

They can and likely will take you to the Small Claims Tribunal (after exhausting other means) where the court will rule against the individual as the contract is valid and despite the quality of service, the services were rendered/provided and there is nothing much that would be done in such a case to make the poor consumer whole or happy.

I'd keep negotiating the amount down by climbing the ladder with the complaints as the post above suggests. That is good advice. A lot of these companies don't give a rats arse about customer complaints so it can be tough.

Syedagha raises a good question that I am not sure about. It is not like an auto repair claim where you allege that the shop did inferior body repair work on your car after a crash where you can possibly get an expert to produce a written statement demonstrating his expertise and providing photos, analysis etc that you can present to the tribunal.
It 'd be tough to do in my view and in the end it might not be worth the time to do the filings and present the case. With the computer and speed they can deny and blame your equipment, the lack of enough samples on the speed (unless computer logs are ready). A real tough one especially as there may not be experts like in auto body repairs. And a biggie is that they don't understand computer geek talk.