Telecoms contract "cooling-off period" - oh yes?

[Noah]

Just had a very nice man visit; I don't sign anything with the saleman in front of me, so he phones home and says "Would you like to speak to my boss?" - on the phone :

Boss : "Do you know about the cooling-off period?"
Noah : "Not between businesses."
Boss (misconstruing my response : "Well you have 14 to 28 days and you don't have to commit until we have a recorded telephone call of you saying Yes; we'll leave you with a copy of the contract you've signed now and I'll call you in a week and you can say Yes or No then."
Noah : "No".

I'm sure he's making this up, but I can't quite believe the gall of it, so maybe there is a very special legislative clause specifically for business contracts with telecomms companies - with an oddly ambiguous "14 to 28 days" term...

There isn't, is there?

 

[Martin Patfield]

Don't believe so.

Was sold to us as there would be a cooling off period if we go away and delve into the pros and cons deeper then decide 100% but get us signed up today so he can have his commission.

We've just had this same issue with a salesman over a new phone system.

You're right to say no.

 

[Mr D]

No reason a company could not have a cooling off period in the terms and conditions to offer to customers. Would not be standard though.

Have multiple times come across the 'you must sign today' issue.
Something that must be signed now can wait until tomorrow or later in the week. If offer withdrawn then so be it - walk away.

And the 'recording of you saying yes' idea has been around a while. Have had businesses chasing money tell me I have been recorded on the phone saying yes more than once - I sweetly ask for a copy of the recording which of course they are unable to give. Because I said no and ended the call.

Hmmm... wonder if in the end I should wire the phone to the laptop and log calls that way.

 

[obscure]

Did you read all the T&C? Was there a cooling off period in there?

 

[JEREMY HAWKE]

How big a contract Noah ?
As time is at a premium for me nobody ever gets a visit only a phone call

 

[Noah]

Did you read all the T&C? Was there a cooling off period in there?

No need - I'm not signing anything, and the implication of the reason for the cooling-off period was "we're so heavily regulated" not "we respect our customers".

 

[Noah]

How big a contract Noah ?
As time is at a premium for me nobody ever gets a visit only a phone call

Annual, relatively insignificant cost, but I wanted to check that we have a reasonable proposition from our current supplier so I let him in. All sorts of red flags though :

. salesman couldn't answer basic technical questions

. "we're better / cheaper than anyone else because we have [pseudo-technical jargon]" (I used to work for telecomms so that was a little embarrassing for them)

. I pointed out their service would require me to buy new hardware - "Oh, but you can get that stuff cheap"

. salesman had to "phone home" twice, ostensibly to ask for a line speed check (after asking for our telephone number - which he could have known and speed-checked before!), and then to "report to say he had finished"

. second call home lead to the "Do you want to speak to my boss?" - another embarrassingly transparent ploy

. during both calls he was wincingly flattering, in plain hearing, about my supposed business acumen to his boss / colleague

. the "cooling off period" bullshit

. and to wrap it all up, "If you sign today we'll give you 50% off the first year!".

. Allow me to show you the door.

. On Trustpilot (which he specifically asked me to look at) reviews are all over the place - with a lot of suspect flannel; on reviews.co.uk they are universally slated - ALL 1/5 star!

. I'm sorry I've wasted my time and yours. Not theirs though.