Broadband ESSENTIAL to life, titsup ISPs must cough up - court
Aber nur in Deutschland, ha ha. Entschuldigung Engländer!
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Home broadband isn't yet deemed a vital utility in Europe, but that hasn't stopped a German court ruling that ISPs should compensate customers who suffer from network service disruptions.
The decision in the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe was made after it described the internet as an "essential" part of life, Reuters reported.
It came following the court hearing a case of a bloke who couldn't access his DSL connection at home - which included a telephone and fax line - for two months at the end of 2008.
The man was recompensed for having to use a mobile phone during the time his access to the internet was cut off. But he successfully argued that, as a matter of principle, the internet was an essential material item - which means under German law that compensation for loss of that service should be provided.
In the UK, telcos have service level agreements in place for business customers, but there is no rigid case for compensation on the consumer side.
The onus is on the subscribers to complain about a loss of service and Ofcom has guidelines - such as the Alternative Dispute Resolution programme that puts middlemen between internet providers and peeved customers - which are meant to encourage companies to play fair. ®
COMMENTS
Any service should pay you back (if paid in advance, or lower your next bill if not) if they are not providing the service you are paying them for.
If the service is not being provided then money should be returned, and it is a pain in the rear to get them to do this even if they admit fault.
Small outages are not bad but I anything more than a few hours should warrant a refund.
The second you can argue that there is no other way to do something official than to do it online...
...then the same applies in the UK and I look forward to BT showering me with cash.
Tax Returns are getting close to this stage.
Because for example...
I am a small business and I cant afford an expensive 24/7 circuit.
I am a non business user and I need the internet to pay bills, transfer money from / to my bank and I live a long way from the town.
I am disabled.
I am paying my ISP for this service and therefore I am paying for your wages.
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