Reduction in the Internet contract: consumer center issues online tool

The new version of the Telecommunications Act has been in force for a few months now. And it is primarily characterized by stronger consumer rights. The new version gives customers of a provider the right to demand a reduction in price if the Internet is slower than contractually agreed. The providers, for their part, have already complied with the reduction demands that have been issued in the meantime. However, this will not have been difficult for them. As it has now turned out, many contract holders of an Internet connection seem to reduce their monthly costs far too little. A new tool of the consumer center is to help now with the decrease of the contract costs.

Customers waive their right to reduce

Unlike, for example, the reduction of the monthly rent of an apartment, the reduction of the Internet contract does not present itself as a major challenge. After all, the calculation of the reduction amount is not really witchcraft – at least one would think so. Not as many factors play a role here as in the case of rental agreements, for example. Nevertheless, many consumers apparently reduce their Internet contract premiums too low. What this has to do with can only be speculated. Perhaps they are afraid of being terminated from the contract?

Or perhaps it is simply due to the comparatively low monthly charge that comes with an Internet contract. What is certain is that many customers do not effectively exercise their right to reduce the contract price, which is now enshrined in law. Since the “reduction storm” on the providers has failed to materialize and the monies withheld are now at a rather low level, many Internet providers are likely to breathe a sigh of relief. This could have a negative impact on the entire industry and ultimately on consumers. After all, there is now no longer any leverage on the part of consumer protection to get providers to actually provide the contractually owed service.

Online tool for calculating the reduction claim

The consumer center no longer wants to accept that providers profit from the ignorance of many customers. After all, there will also be a large percentage of users who simply do not know what reduction amount is appropriate and ultimately do not reduce at all. In order to clear up the grievances once and for all and to help consumers assert their rights, the consumer advice center has now put a practical online tool on the web. Here, it is child’s play to calculate which reduction amount is appropriate. The NRW consumer center is responsible for this commendable tool. It was also it, which expressed itself as the first country wide consumer center to the problem of the too low reductions by consumers. The discrepancies between appropriate reduction height and actually issued reduction are partly frightening.

Reduction only enforced to a fraction

An example, which the consumer center North-Rhine/Westphalia published, clarifies the problem. They are aware of a case from Lüdenscheid, for example, in which a claim for a reduction of 13 euros per month would have existed. In fact, however, the provider only reduced the charge by 2.50 euros. To prevent this from happening in the first place, those affected should rely completely on the online tool that has been issued. This tool asks the Internet customer questions in order to determine the appropriate reduction amount. Of course, facts such as contractually guaranteed bandwidth and monthly costs are taken into account. Apart from the contractual data, however, the actual speeds play an even more important role. In order to be able to reduce the price, the customer must be able to present 30 measurements taken on three different days as proof. The appropriate tool for measuring this data can be downloaded from the Federal Network Agency as a desktop app.

Support with bureaucracy

But the consumer center does not only support customers in calculating the reduction amount. After all, this is not the end of the matter. In order to actually be able to assert one’s right to a reduction, one must of course also contact one’s provider. To make things as easy as possible for Internet customers, the tool creates a suitable letter with the correct reduction amount. It’s nice to see that consumer protection has finally arrived in the area of Internet providers.