Hello everyone,
I need to have a telephone connection installed in my new house by Deutsche Telekom. I requested and returned the necessary documents for the building connection from Telekom’s home builder consultation service. So far, so good.
Today, someone from the home builder consultation called me and said that the documents are fine but will only be processed further if I also sign a telephone/DSL/TV contract. They asked me to call a specific phone number in sales for this.
I find it quite surprising that you can only get a building connection if you also take out a telephone contract! Is that allowed? This is not mentioned anywhere in the contract documents for applying for the building connection.
Of course, Telekom wants to earn money from me after the installation, but they would do that anyway since every other telephone provider has to pay rent for the line.
Is there any regulation that says Telekom can force me to sign a telephone contract?
Does anyone know the details and can provide relevant regulations or laws that I can use in discussions with the home builder service?
Thanks and best regards,
klblb
Addendum:
In the flyer from Telekom’s home builder consultation (which can be found online using these terms), there is no mention of mandatory contracts. It only states that after the building connection is completed, a sales representative will contact you and you may sign a telephone contract if interested.
I need to have a telephone connection installed in my new house by Deutsche Telekom. I requested and returned the necessary documents for the building connection from Telekom’s home builder consultation service. So far, so good.
Today, someone from the home builder consultation called me and said that the documents are fine but will only be processed further if I also sign a telephone/DSL/TV contract. They asked me to call a specific phone number in sales for this.
I find it quite surprising that you can only get a building connection if you also take out a telephone contract! Is that allowed? This is not mentioned anywhere in the contract documents for applying for the building connection.
Of course, Telekom wants to earn money from me after the installation, but they would do that anyway since every other telephone provider has to pay rent for the line.
Is there any regulation that says Telekom can force me to sign a telephone contract?
Does anyone know the details and can provide relevant regulations or laws that I can use in discussions with the home builder service?
Thanks and best regards,
klblb
Addendum:
In the flyer from Telekom’s home builder consultation (which can be found online using these terms), there is no mention of mandatory contracts. It only states that after the building connection is completed, a sales representative will contact you and you may sign a telephone contract if interested.
Bauexperte schrieb:
Hello,
So far, you give me a sober and factual impression – don’t let yourself be intimidated
Thanks for the compliment
Don’t worry, I won’t be intimidated. I was just not 100% sure about the legal situation, but my suspicion has been confirmed by your and others' responses.
There apparently was no recording of the call; I was contacted by the DTE, not the other way around. So the usual questions you get in call center calls didn’t occur.
I could now follow your good advice and write a nice letter to the person at the home builder consultation, engage in back-and-forth discussions, etc., but I will take ChristianF’s good tip instead. I will call the sales guy and sign up for the basic phone plan "Call Plus." It costs 18.95 EUR (analog) or 26.95 EUR (ISDN) and has a 6-day cancellation notice. When I move, I will of course keep my current phone/internet provider, which is easily possible thanks to the 6-day cancellation period. The special appeal of this solution is that you beat Telekom at their own game.
Regardless, I have contacted the Federal Network Agency to ask for their opinion on this.
And since we are on the topic of telecom providers: Cable Germany charges a ridiculous 999 EUR to pull a cable through a conduit (that I will install myself) and to mount the connection point on the wall inside the house. The “main cable” from KD even runs on my property, so no costly excavation work on public roadways would be required. Still, they insist on the 999 EUR because it is a flat rate that generally covers excavation work.
That is too outrageous for me, and I won’t be a customer there.
Two years ago, KD still had a tiered pricing model, and in my case, I would have only paid 200 EUR. Connections that required excavation work or similar were correspondingly more expensive.
Best regards
klblb
schubert7910 Jan 2014 18:31See... Telekom isn’t actually that bad or expensive when it comes to house connections!
D
donaldinho21 Jan 2014 16:41Yes, yes, Telekom and their phone customer service. I've had quite a few calls where things were promised to me over the phone, which then suddenly weren't included in the written confirmation I had requested... Here, it seems to be the other way around. In the end, I would handle it the same way! If it's not in writing, it is non-binding, nothing more!
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