Is your internet connection too slow? A new free tool from consumer advocates calculates the exact reduction amount and even creates the letter to your provider.
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Consumer advocates have now published an online tool for calculating claims if the Internet bandwidth falls short.
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Since December 2021, Internet users have been able to reduce their payments to the Internet provider if Internet access is slower than contractually guaranteed. But in practice, according to the North Rhine-Westphalia consumer advice center, it is difficult to actually get the statutory reduction. The Internet providers would often reduce the payments less than is actually the legal situation.
Users can already determine the actual speed of their Internet connection with the Federal Network Agency’s measuring tool. But the Federal Network Agency’s tool does not calculate the resulting reduction amount. The Internet providers then try to fob off the users with amounts that are far too low, as the consumer advocates write. The consumer center cites the following example: “In Lüdenscheid, for example, a consumer contacted his Internet provider with the official measurement protocol, who offered him a reduction of 2.50 euros per month. The check by the consumer center, however, resulted in a reduction claim of 13 euros per month. ” And further: “Providers try to reduce the reduction claims through idiosyncratic interpretations, but in many cases the amounts set are not justified at all.”
That is why the NRW consumer advice center has published an online calculator that gives a concrete reduction amount based on your measurement data and your contract details.
Click here for this free online tool from the NRW consumer advice center for calculating reduction claims.
The consumer advocates describe their approach as follows: “With the help of the online calculator from the NRW consumer advice center, consumers now receive a letter that states a specific reduction amount based on their measurement data and their contract details. They can use the letter to either request a reduction in the monthly amount or the provider set a deadline for the provision of the contractually agreed service. If the provider does not meet this even after setting a deadline, consumers can terminate their contract extraordinarily.”
Important:
A prerequisite for using the online calculator is a signed PDF measurement report from the program mentioned above under “Step 1”, which you can download from the Federal Network Agency at www.breitbandmessung.de/desktop-app. So you first need the broadband measurement desktop app from the Federal Network Agency and then feed the consumer advocates’ online calculator with its data. He then creates the cover letter that you can send to your Internet provider.
However, be sure to observe the “Instructions for use” that the consumer advocates provide for the tool.
