Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis urged broadband customers to check if they can make their Wi-Fi faster – or they can leave the firm they’re with within 30 days.
Speaking on the latest episode of The Martin Lewis Money Show Live on ITV1 and ITVX, Martin Lewis revealed that the major broadband providers are all signed up to a “voluntary code”, which means that they must provide the estimated speeds they quote you when you sign up, or you can break contract and freely leave within 30 days.
But Martin warned that it might not be your internet service provider’s fault if your Wi-Fi speed is sluggish, and urged his viewers to check ‘is it me or is it you’ and test if you can make your Wi-Fi faster at home first.
Martin explained to his ITV1 viewers: “The voluntary code says before you get a price they’ll give you an estimated speed range, then, if your speed drops below that range consistently, and they can’t fix it within 30 days, you should be able to leave.
“One tiny note: is it me, is it you? That’s what you have to ask. It may be that the signal coming to you in your house is fast but your wi-fi in the house isn’t.”
He urged people to run speed tests, and then to speed up your Wi-Fi by moving your router to somewhere “high up and not in a cupboard”.
He said: “So the first thing I’d check: do a speed test when you’re on Wi-Fi, then go and plug a device, if you’ve got one, that can plug into the router and do a speed test then. If it’s a lot faster the issue’s with your Wi-Fi not the connection to your house.
“A couple of tips: put your Wi-Fi box up high, make sure there are no obstacles in the way, don’t put it in a cupboard, all those things will speed up your Wi-Fi.
“But if you’re finding it’s the connection to your house that’s the problem, get in touch with the firm, as long as it’s one of the big ones signed up to that voluntary code, if they can’t make it faster you should be able to leave within 30 days and that depends on what they said you would get when you first signed up.”
Regulator Ofcom explains the rule on its website. It says: “If your broadband speed is slowing you down, it’s never been simpler to switch to someone else who will guarantee your internet speed. You might even save money too.
“Ofcom’s Broadband Speeds Code of Practice means you should get clear information about speeds when you buy a broadband service.
“If your service doesn’t deliver the speeds you were promised by your provider, get in touch with them. If the problem is on their network and they can’t fix it within 30 days, they must let you leave your contract without having to pay an early exit fee.”
