AN urgent warning has been issued for 70,000 households to not ignore a key letter ahead of a big broadband firm closing.
Origin Broadband, a subsidiary of Talk Talk, is exiting the telecoms market on June 1.
As part of the move, all existing customers will have their broadband and homephone services switched to Utility Warehouse (UW).
UW already provides broadband services via TalkTalk’s network.
Origin has a total of 95,000 customers, 25,000 of which have already been moved over to Utility Warehouse.
That leaves a remainder of 70,000 customers, who will be contacted by their new service provider in the weeks leading up to the switch.
When they are contacted customers do not need to take any action as the switch will happen automatically and without disruption to their service.
Once the switch has been completed, Utility Warehouse will contact you again to inform you that your service has been successfully migrated.
Customers also do not need to order a new router and you should not expect any disruption to the service.
Utility Warehouse provides other services such as energy, but only your broadband service will be transferred across.
If you are with Origin and you want to change providers ahead of the switch, then you’ll need to tell your new provider that your current service is with Origin.
You will not need to contact Origin directly, your new provider will do that for you.
If you are expecting an update from Origin and have not received one before the start of June, you can contact the team by visiting /help.uw.co.uk/contact-us.
Origin Broadband was once an independent company, but after experiencing financial difficulties, TalkTalk took over ownership in 2021.
Since then, Origin has been relatively quiet and stopped accepting new customers.
Although they briefly trialled taking on new subscribers late last year, this was short-lived, leaving the future of the brand uncertain, according to ISPreview.
A TalkTalk spokesperson previously told The Sun said: “TalkTalk and Utility Warehouse (UW) have enjoyed a long-standing partnership.
“As announced by UW recently, TalkTalk has agreed a partnership under which approximately 95,000 Origin customers will be transferred to UW.
“Impacted customers will be contacted ahead of migration. No decision has been taken on the future of the Origin brand.”
How do I switch providers?
More than nine million Brits are out of contract on their broadband package, according to Uswitch.
While customers can leave their contract at any time, those still locked in will likely need to pay a penalty for leaving early, which varies from provider to provider.
In the weeks before your contract is up, use comparison sites to familiarise yourself with the deals that are available.
It’s a known fact that new customers always get the best deals.
Sites including MoneySuperMarket and Uswitch all help you customise your search based on price, speed and provider.
This should make it easier to decide whether to renew your contract or move to another provider.
However, if you do not want to switch and are happy with the service you’re getting under your current provider – haggle for a better deal.
You can still make significant savings by renewing your contract rather than rolling on to the tariff you’re given after your deal.
TIPS BEFORE YOU SWITCH
By Laura McGuire, Consumer Reporter
If you’re struggling to pay for your phone or internet, talk to your provider.
Citizens Advice recommends the following:
Ask if they can offer you a cheaper deal. You can find their contact details on their website or on a letter from them.
You could tell your provider you’re thinking of switching to a cheaper deal with a different provider.
Your provider might offer you a cheaper deal to get you to stay with them.
If you don’t want to stay with your current provider, find out if you’ll be charged an ‘exit fee’ to leave – check your contract or contact your provider.
You’ll usually be charged an exit fee if you want to leave before the end of a fixed-term contract.
This can be expensive, so it might be better to wait until your current contract ends.
You can check if you’ll be charged an exit fee to leave your mobile contract by texting the word ‘INFO’ to 85075. It’s free to text this number.
If you’re near the end of your contract, your provider should contact you to remind you. They’ll also let you know about their best available deals.