Switching
The cease that came early
The losing line is supposed to die when the new one lives. When the order swaps, you have an incident, not a personality test.
12 min read · Switching
One Touch Switch is supposed to feel like a tap: old off as new on. When the old off arrives on Thursday and the engineer is booked for Tuesday, the house is not ‘in a switch’. The house is offline. The industry has language for this — restoration, expedite, failed provision — that does not appear on the comparison table. Your job is to use that language early, and to keep a kettle and a 4G router in the same sentence.
Who owns the gap
Gaining-provider-led means they triggered the cease. They own the restore-or-complete problem. Email them dates, account numbers, and the sentence ‘we have had no service since’.
The losing provider may be able to flick a pair back. Ask the gainer to ask them, and ask them yourself once. Then keep a single timeline.
Work Tuesday anyway
This is why a backup path exists. Do not wait for the moral argument to resolve before you invoice.
If you have no radio spare, a phone hotspot and a neighbour’s guest SSID are undignified and valid. Dignity can return with the ONT.
Do not triple the order book
A third provider will file another match against a situation that is already on fire. Finish or unwind the one you started.
If you do unwind, get written confirmation that the old service is live before you delete the gainer’s app in rage.
| Hour | Do | Do not |
|---|---|---|
| 0–2 | Written incident to gainer; turn on backup | Tweet-only |
| 2–24 | Ask for restore or dated install; log compensation | Order a third ISP |
| 24+ | Escalate, ombudsman clock if needed | Pretend it is still ‘normal switching’ |
A gap in a switch is an outage. Call it one.
Early ceases are why people fear switching. They are also why you keep a 4G box and a paper trail. Use both.
Questions
- Can I make the old provider switch me back?
- The gaining provider should request restoration. You can also ask the loser, but do not run two contradictory tickets as a hobby.
- Am I due compensation?
- Delayed provision and delayed repair have schemes. An early cease is a provision/repair hybrid. Log it, ask, do not invent a daily rate.
- Should I cool off the new order?
- Only if you want out of the new contract. Cooling-off does not automatically rebuild the old line. See the cooling-off piece.
- The engineer ‘couldn’t find the ONT’.
- That is a failed visit, not a reason the old line should have died. Keep the notes.
- Is a third provider faster?
- It is how you end up with two ceases and no lines. Fix one path first.
Sources
- Ofcom switching General Conditions on gaining-provider-led process
- TOTSCo incident / restoration practice
- Automatic compensation scheme notes
Figures move. Prices, coverage and eligibility must be confirmed with the provider. OneTouchSwitch is not Ofcom, TOTSCo or a broadband network. Last fact-checked 10 September 2026.
Continue in this issue
Switching
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