Understanding Cox Early Termination Fees

If you are trying to leave Cox, your final bill might include an early termination fee. Many people are taken by surprise because they don’t know that their account or contract has an early termination fee let alone whether it’s legal. We explain. 

Why does Cox charge early termination fees?

An early termination fee is a fee companies charge when a contract is cancelled prematurely. Cox is not the only company that does this. Plenty of companies that require one or two-year contracts right in an early termination fee section under the terms and conditions. If you look at the terms and conditions, the original paperwork you signed, from a gym or a health center, you might see the same items listed.

Early termination fees serve the same purpose no matter what the company: to help companies recuperate money they lose when customers leave prematurely. No company can force you to stick with their services so if you don’t like what Cox is offering, or you found a better price somewhere else, you have every right to leave. 

Under the terms and conditions or the contract you have with Cox you will see a whole section that explains your right to leave the company and cancel your contract whenever you want. It is that same section that stipulates Cox is allowed to charge you an early termination fee if you do so.

Is it legal for Cox to charge me early termination fees?

Yes. In theory termination fees are meant to help the company recuperate some of their losses especially when individuals take advantage of discounted equipment or promotional deals and then leave their contract early. 

The FCC recommends that you ask what that fee will be and how it gets prorated. Companies that have long-term contracts of one or two years will typically prorate the amount you owe based on how long you have stayed with your contract.

How do I know if my contract with Cox has an early termination fee?

You can know if your contract with Cox has an early termination fee by reading over the customer service agreement or looking at the business policies for those who have a business contract.

Can I negotiate with Cox or avoid the early termination fee?

You can contact customer service and try to negotiate by explaining your circumstances and why you are leaving their service. This might be something like moving, a new job, or job loss. Other options include:

14 Day Cancellation

Every carrier and service provider has to give you 14 days to cancel when you take out a new service. With Suddenlink that means you have to return all of the equipment they send you as well unopened. This is a way to completely avoid the early cancellation fee if you have to close your account immediately.

Misleading Information

Similarly, if, within the span of the first few months of your contract, you realize that Suddenlink misled you about the true cost of your account or the service you were receiving, you can try to cancel your account and fight the early termination fee because of this misleading information.

No Contracts

Using services with no contract or providing your own equipment can go a long way toward avoiding or at least reducing the early termination fee.

Does Cox always charge an early termination fee?

Cox has different services some of which have no annual contract and that means there are no early termination fees. But others are 24-month service contracts and those do you have early termination fees up to $120, prorated for the months remaining on your contract. 

Unfortunately, they get many complaints lodged against them for situations where people are charged fees like the early termination fee when they shouldn’t be. In fact, the Better Business Bureau page for Cox says the following:

“BBB files indicate that this business has a pattern of complaints concerning Billing and Collection issues as well as Service issues. On March 29, 2021, BBB submitted a written request to the company encouraging them to address the pattern of complaints. As of April 14, 2021, BBB has had no response.”

I’m being charged an early termination fee but I shouldn’t be, what can I do?

There are plenty of times when you might abide by the 14 day window, or you were given misleading information and now you see charges that you don’t deserve. 

At FairShake, we can help you get money back when you have been incorrectly charged an early termination fee. We’ve helped thousands of people with complaints against big telecom companies.

Start your claim now…