Networking Should you pay less if you have bad internet? This is what Germany does

Payless if your internet connection is slow

When we buy a product, we all want it to be as we have paid for it. We want it to work well, to have the characteristics indicated in the specifications, to have no factory errors ... Shouldn't it be the same when buying an Internet connection? What happens if we pay for 300 Mbps, for example, and we get 50?

The truth is that this problem happens to many users. Although connections have improved dramatically in recent years, in certain circumstances there may be significant limitations. For example, if we live in an area where the coverage does not reach well or there are problems with the installation and we do not reach anywhere near what we have contracted.

Germany wants to start regulating this, at least in part. They have released a new regulation that could change the rules of the game. According to the draft, users who have contracted Internet can perform a speed test and, if they receive an amount that is much less than what they have contracted, they could claim to pay less.

It is not about having 300 Mbps contracted and 295 arriving, but that there really is an important difference. In addition, it could not be if this specific problem only appears, for example at a certain time, when the speed is lower.

To be able to claim, the user would have to use an official application and perform 20 tests during two consecutive days. It would be 10 tests on each of those days. This is to ensure that it is an ongoing problem and not a one-off issue.

Speeds that do not reach 90%

But the question they ask themselves is: How much does this loss of speed have to be to be able to file a complaint? The draft indicates that it has to be less than 90% contracted. For example, a rate of 100 Mbps would have to receive at least 90; one of 500 would have to reach at least 450.

It should be mentioned that this includes both the rise and fall. This is something that, according to the German consumer protection authorities, more than 50% receive less than that minimum 90%. Therefore, there could be many who would have the possibility of requesting a discount.

The objective of this law, beyond protecting the consumer, is that Internet operators work to offer a better service and that they really comply with what was promised and are not just empty marketing campaigns.

This new law is scheduled to go into effect next month. It could mark a before and after in Europe. Do you think that a user who receives less speed than the contracted one should have a discount on the invoice?