UK ISP TalkTalk (The Carphone Warehouse) has warned that thousands of BT's customers could find themselves being unwittingly and unfairly automatically tied into another full term contract.

BT's rolling contracts mean that, unless a customer notifies the operator of an intent to leave, they will automatically be signed up to a new contract and forced to pay up to £180 if they then want to leave:


Typically most ISPs operate off a different policy, where once at the end of a contract the customer essentially becomes a free agent. This makes it easier to change providers as you don't have to worry about paying for any remaining months of service when you want to leave:


We've never liked the idea of contracts like this because it's hard for an ordinary consumer to tell the difference, which is usually hidden away deep within the services Terms and Conditions.

UPDATE - 4th March 2009:
http://www.ispreview.co.uk/news/EkFyEVyZZAWhYsbAyr.html