1. They insisted I had a 24 month contract, with a substantial
penalty being incurred in the event of leaving prematurely. But suppose they
prove troublesome and I want to leave on perfectly reasonable grounds? I can’t
do so without wasting a lot of money. This is, of course, one way in which the
corporate world controls its customers.
2. It occurred to me that if you have several products
through one company it’s all the more difficult to leave anyway, since you have
to re-arrange not one facility, but several. That discourages people from
leaving, and is another way in which the corporate world controls and traps its
customers.
3. They insisted I accept a variable direct debit to pay for
variable items like call charges. I don’t like that because it means I’m giving
a company the right to walk into my bank account when they want to and take whatever
they say I owe them. I’m not the sort to default on my bills, but I do like to
pay them how and when I want to. It’s simply a matter of being in control of my
bank account, and not allowing a company to have even a small measure of
control over it. I have no option but to accept a standing direct debit for my
broadband, but I don’t want to relinquish any more control than I absolutely
have to.
The whole thing strikes me as a symptom of how society is
increasingly being operated for the benefit of the corporate world, and not in
the primary interest of the people who make up society. Given due
consideration, I’m taking the view that there are times when principles are more
important than saving money, so I think the ISP is going to have to go whistle.
I’ll continue the search for a more acceptable alternative.
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