Shaw unfairly charged us attempting to cancel

[thaya258]

Hello, We recently bought a home in Delta BC and were trying to call in to move services. When we initially called the agent we spoke to on the phone said Shaw does not service Delta and informed us we would be able to cancel without any fees since its not our fault. Since we wanted to port our home number withe the ISP that does service Delta we did not cancel that day, we waited until we were moved and services were hooked up with the other ISP.

Then became the frustrating effort to cancel the service. Every day for 3 days I would call in and be waiting on the phone for over 3hrs. Finally I got a hold of someone who said according to the contract you signed you have to pay the cancellation fee, even though we explained what the previous agent said and that Shaw was not able to provide service in our new address.

I come to find out that Shaw has actually charged us the full cancellation fee when I canceled the service. 

I am honestly going to write a complaint to the CCTS and CRTC as contractually Shaw was unfit to perform their end of the service. I am very frustrated and upset and I honestly cannot ever recommend Shaw to anyone that I know nor consider them in the future. Buyer Beware - Shaw is not afraid to rip off loyal customers who have been with Shaw for many years.

[Techjunkie · Accepted solution]

I can't comment on what Shaw promised you (it's your word against theirs if you do not have it in writing/voice recording).

However, a two year term is a two year term. Unfortunately, cancellation fees apply when breaking the term...for any reason. Yes, Shaw does not serve the area you moved to, but that's not Shaw's fault you moved there. Frustrating yes, but it's the same as if you sign up for a cell phone and plan with Rogers (for example) for two years, then move somewhere that Rogers doesn't cover. Guess what? You still need to pay if you cancel early.

If someone did indeed tell you that they would waive the early cancellation fees, AND YOU HAVE PROOF, then definitely escalate it. If not, there's not much you can do, I am afraid.

[zbroad]

I had the exact same conversation with a Shaw representative, was promised the same thing and had the same result. 

During our time with Shaw, we did receive good service, how  my situation was handled was and is truly disappointing. 

Yes I agreed to the terms and conditions, but if I didn't agree, I would not have received service from Shaw either, so how is this fair????? They wanted my business and now what??? Good way to not have repeat clients.

[g-idk]

Hi @zbroad , Yes they are a stickler for the contract.  Unless  you have it in writing, you can't really just go on what some Shaw Rep told you when it involves a contract, always, always read the fine print on any contract before you sign.  Yes you still would have received Shaw services if you chose to not sign a 2 year contract, you would have been reverted to a month to month service with no long term contract, the caveat being you would pay regular price for the services.  Don't get me wrong I do understand your anger and frustration of the whole situation and a Shaw Rep should not be telling people that sort of stuff without backing it up in writing.  I hope at least your happy in your new place.