Broadband provider closing as 70,000 customers told to look for letter | Personal Finance | Finance

Thousands of broadband customers are set to receive notification about a major change set to take place next month. Origin Broadband is preparing to shut down and terminate its services from June 1.

The company, a subsidiary of TalkTalk with a customer base of 95,000, has already transitioned 25,000 customers to Utility Warehouse. The remaining 70,000 customers will be approached by Utility Warehouse, which provides broadband via TalkTalk’s network, as they prepare for the switch in June.

Many of the former Origin customers will receive a letter detailing their transfer to Utility Warehouse and specifying the date of the changeover. A spokesperson for TalkTalk told The Sun: “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.”

Customers do not have to do anything during the broadband provider switch as it will occur automatically. Additionally, there’s no need for new equipment, and customers can expect their broadband speed to stay the same.

Contracts initiated with Origin will continue as agreed, which means that customers may face early termination fees if they opt to switch to an entirely different provider. However, this also means the monthly price agreed upon with Origin should remain unchanged.

Despite this, Utility Warehouse has indicated that some other charges, such as call charges and administrative fees linked to its networks, could vary. However, it assured that most of these prices would be lower

What to do if you don’t want to switch to Utility Warehouse

Customers are still bound by the contract they signed with Origin. This implies they’ll incur early termination charges if they wish to switch before their contract’s end date.

However, if a customer’s contract has expired, they can leave Origin without any charges and explore other deals that better meet their needs.

Customers can verify their contract status with Origin by logging into their online Origin account or by calling 0345 071 9886. Customers who have already transitioned to Utility Warehouse can log into their website or call 0333 777 0777 to review their contract terms or check if their contract has ended.