Pete was affected by the earthquake in Kaikoura. He was still living in temporary accommodation when he contacted TDR.

When the earthquake occurred, Pete was renting and he was part-way through a two-year internet contract at the property. Immediately after the earthquake, Pete’s rental was deemed uninhabitable and he had to move out.

He gave his landlord information to transfer the service into their name. However, the landlord decided to cancel the internet connection for the uninhabitable property rather than transfer it into their name.

Pete was billed $199 by his internet provider for early termination of his services. His provider said he could avoid the charge by reconnecting at his new accommodation. As Pete was staying in temporary accommodation following the earthquake, he was unable to transfer his service.

Pete was upset and did not believe being charged an early termination fee was fair as he had no control over the situation or his choice of accommodation after the earthquake. He got in touch TDR.

TDR gathered all the details from Pete and contacted his internet provider. After further enquiry from TDR’s facilitator, the internet provider agreed to waive the early termination fee.