Getting out of a support contract

[titch]

Hi All

 

Hoping for some advice

 

We have a support contract with our phones which we have been paying for since 2013. I inherited the school 3 years ago and have never used the support. I planned on scrapping it this year and paying on an ad hoc basis should we have a problem. It turns out I have missed the cut off period for canceling the support this year by a week which is really annoying.

 

I had discussed it with my account manager who wasn't budging one bit in terms of either being flexible and allowing us not to pay for support or paying for 3-month support rather than the whole year. Bearing in mind we have other contracts I assume he would like to keep with us I was really annoyed with his attitude and inflexibility on this.

 

 

Does anyone have any advice on this bearing in mind:

 

I have never seen a copy of the rolling contract

 

I have never been informed about the 42days written notice as I wasn't the one that signed the original contract they are long gone

 

Is there any "coolin off clause" I should know about?

 

Would it be childish of me to make a nuisance of myself should we have to pay the contract?

 

Thanks for any advice

[john]

You need to find the contract and read the T&Cs I'm afraid. Its something that has caught me out before when inheriting things and its very annoying.

 

If you have services you want to retain with them a good account manager maybe willing to come to an arrangement EG future longer tie in on the other services / extension of agreement etc but they don't have to if that is what the agreement says.

 

Its worrying how many folk don't read / note these things and get caught, we don't allow auto long term renewals on any contract where I work (or have worked in the past) we remove that clause and state beyond minimum term its X months (a number that is usually enough for us to contract a new firm if we want to change) or its non-auto renewing to ensure you don't get your rear bitten. Most firms are accepting of this if more do that it will get firm to change. Its the same related to SLAs and payments I will flag and challenge them on contracts to make them beneficial to us if you want my business you will either agree or compromise with us so we get a balance of power between both us and the other party. Does take some challenging at times but has brought dividends

[titch]

You need to find the contract and read the T&Cs I'm afraid. Its something that has caught me out before when inheriting things and its very annoying.

 

If you have services you want to retain with them a good account manager maybe willing to come to an arrangement EG future longer tie in on the other services / extension of agreement etc but they don't have to if that is what the agreement says.

 

Its worrying how many folk don't read / note these things and get caught, we don't allow auto long term renewals on any contract where I work (or have worked in the past) we remove that clause and state beyond minimum term its X months (a number that is usually enough for us to contract a new firm if we want to change) or its non-auto renewing to ensure you don't get your rear bitten. Most firms are accepting of this if more do that it will get firm to change. Its the same related to SLAs and payments I will flag and challenge them on contracts to make them beneficial to us if you want my business you will either agree or compromise with us so we get a balance of power between both us and the other party. Does take some challenging at times but has brought dividends

Thanks. Have asked them to send the contract and have now read. No get out.

 

Just wondering the legality of having the contracts signed by our old bursar and old network manager over ten years ago.

 

Would those signatures still be acceptable in the contract now the initial contract time is up and is rolling on?

[3s-gtech]

I believe they will be, as they were signed on behalf of the entity.

 

Give them super advanced notice (and keep the evidence) now, and you may just have to suck it up for the year. I did exactly this with one supplier, they can’t argue it at all then.