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German company " cancellation procedure"?
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German company " cancellation procedure"?

I have read some horror stories of how German company work with cancellation procedure...Question:

Do I need to send faxes or written paper-mails to cancel service from German company?

Comments

  • HaendlerITHaendlerIT Member, Host Rep

    No. You can also use email.

  • most of the use billing system like whmcs ,blesta in this billing there option to cancel server.

  • bacloudbacloud Member, Patron Provider

    Please read TOS or contact sales before ordering, some of them asking to inform one month before you cancel services.

  • NeoonNeoon Community Contributor, Veteran

    Read the TOS, some still want a FAX or a letter.
    But most of them are fine with an email.

    Thanked by 1eol
  • ChuckChuck Member
    edited February 2019

    @bacloud said:
    Please read TOS or contact sales before ordering, some of them asking to inform one month before you cancel services.

    Is this a joke? what about the monthly plan? I don't want to pay for another month because of their crappy TOS.

    Thanked by 1hostdare
  • @Chuck said:

    @bacloud said:
    Please read TOS or contact sales before ordering, some of them asking to inform one month before you cancel services.

    Is this a joke? what about the monthly plan?

    Monthly plan with Netcup is actually bi-monthly.

  • @imok said:

    @Chuck said:

    @bacloud said:
    Please read TOS or contact sales before ordering, some of them asking to inform one month before you cancel services.

    Is this a joke? what about the monthly plan?

    Monthly plan with Netcup is actually bi-monthly.

    I don't use Netcup.

  • @Chuck said:

    @imok said:

    @Chuck said:

    @bacloud said:
    Please read TOS or contact sales before ordering, some of them asking to inform one month before you cancel services.

    Is this a joke? what about the monthly plan?

    Monthly plan with Netcup is actually bi-monthly.

    I don't use Netcup.

    Ok.

    Thanked by 1Chuck
  • ClouviderClouvider Member, Patron Provider

    @Neoon said:
    Read the TOS, some still want a FAX or a letter.
    But most of them are fine with an email.

    +1.

    With every country, read TOS, that’s the process you’re agreeing with the provider. That’s worldwide, not only in Germany.

    Thanked by 1eol
  • First-RootFirst-Root Member, Host Rep
    edited February 2019

    There was a judgement in germany that you cannot request fax/letter if you created the contract through a website. https://www.anwalt.de/rechtstipps/bgh-vom-schriftform-zwang-fuer-kuendigung-unwirksam-bei-online-vertrag_086388.html

    Thanked by 2Clouvider eol
  • jsgjsg Member, Resident Benchmarker
    edited February 2019

    @FR_Michael said:
    There was a judgement in germany that you cannot request fax/letter if you created the contract through a website. https://www.anwalt.de/rechtstipps/bgh-vom-schriftform-zwang-fuer-kuendigung-unwirksam-bei-online-vertrag_086388.html

    That's correct and matches the priciple of parity: If online was good enough to make the contract then online must also be good enough to end it.

    It should be noted, however, that 99+% of customers won't like to go to court; all they want is to simply and properly end the contract. Therefore in my opinion one would probably be best advised to simply act according to the hosters whishes and, for example, send a fax or a letter if the hoster wants that.

    Also the burden of going to court is certainly very considerably higher than the burden of sending a fax. IMO the burden of going to court is only justified when the hoster has very disadvantageous and unbalanced demands.

    Finally another point: While I have no doubt that usually the driver behind such unbalanced conditions is "make it easy to come in but hard to get out", it should be noted that with the internet, e.g. a web presence, being an important factor the "make it hard to get out" might, at least in part, also be driven by a desire to avoid someone to cancel his web hosting accidentially.

    The summary is and stays anyway "carefully read the TOS!"

    Thanked by 2First-Root eol
  • cybertechcybertech Member
    edited February 2019

    Just read carefully and not proceed if not confident.

    No problems with first root, contabo, hetzner

    Can't even cancel with avoro. Just prepay for the month or let it lapse

    Thanked by 1First-Root
  • @FR_Michael said:
    There was a judgement in germany that you cannot request fax/letter if you created the contract through a website. https://www.anwalt.de/rechtstipps/bgh-vom-schriftform-zwang-fuer-kuendigung-unwirksam-bei-online-vertrag_086388.html

    Second this. On this link https://www.frag-einen-anwalt.de/Kuendigung-eines-Mobilfunkvertrages-per-E-Mail--f306120.html a german lawyer also states that the E-Mail adress in the imprint of the website you ordered from should be valid for sending contract termination e-mail to. Even if the provider (in this case O2/Telefonica) doesn't allow this in their ToS.

  • @chuck what company are you looking at? there are quite some german speaking people around here, who can help in explaining the specific ToS before you buy ;-)

  • randvegetarandvegeta Member, Host Rep

    German companies/organizations are surprisingly aggressive and entitled.

    Not that I've had particularly BAD experiences buying from Germans. But I've had some odd experiences. Must be cultural.

    Couple of examples.

    1.) Ordered some 2U chassis that were supposed to fit mATX boards, but it only fit ATX and larger. I could adapt with some small expenses, and the seller gave me a choice between returning the goods at my own expense, or keeping them. I kept them since the adapters cost less than shipping. I left them a NEUTRAL (not even negative) review online. They contacted me angrily saying I was BANNED from buying from them again. Apparently anything but a positive review is just not acceptable to them?

    2.) Had a German guy take issue with some definitions over some English words/terms in a contract written in English. Apparently he thinks his legal English is better than mine, because I'm from HK? True story!

    3.) German organization sometimes contact us to report some sort of legal infringement and demand we take action. What was reported was not a crime under HK law, but they were quite insistent that German law applied... German law apparently is above HK law to some of these people... Why? Because the website/service is targeting German clients. And by not taking action, we as the host, are aiding and abetting (or something to that effect).

    Yeah, so nothing major, but far more aggressive than what I see from other countries. On the other hand, Germans tend to be good customers, as they tend to follow the TOS more strictly than others... Double edged sword!

  • First-RootFirst-Root Member, Host Rep

    None of your examples are a special german thing and they happen with people around the world all the time.

    Thanked by 2Clouvider eol
  • randvegetarandvegeta Member, Host Rep

    @FR_Michael said:
    None of your examples are a special german thing and they happen with people around the world all the time.

    No they are not specifically German. Just like chargebacks and paypal disputes are not exclusively a Chinese thing. Just certain behaviors seem to be more common from some places than others. As I said, I assume it is a cultural thing.

    This seems quite appropriate:

  • ClouviderClouvider Member, Patron Provider

    Nah, nonsense.

  • If you are unsure of how to cancel why not just email their admin, billing or support team? Surely, that would have been quicker than asking here.

  • deankdeank Member, Troll

    Slave mentality dictates that they ask strangers instead of daring asking their superiors directly.

    Thanked by 1eol
  • Should i using a thing like upload_filter ? :smiley:

    Thanked by 2eol hostdare
  • @Chuck said:

    @bacloud said:
    Please read TOS or contact sales before ordering, some of them asking to inform one month before you cancel services.

    Is this a joke? what about the monthly plan? I don't want to pay for another month because of their crappy TOS.

    Man, you open a thread asking an almost useless question about "German company" (which German company?) and then give an indignant reaction when someone nevertheless tries to give some helpful advice.

    Wow, just wow.

    Thanked by 3Clouvider Tr33n eol
  • kerouackerouac Member
    edited February 2019

    I would say always think twice before getting into business with German companies online. What you might expect as common practice for online transactions does not apply, which would be probably be the American way of business or something. They come up with asinine terms and stick them in the fine print, and the motto is that the customer is always wrong. They would pass your bill to a collection agency for 1 month bill of a 3€ VPS. Avoid like the plague or stay pseudonymous, don't give out your address and use untracable payments. The collection agency (printed, snail) mails will reach you accross jurisdictions, even in Mars. Even if they're wrong, you'll be on the hook because you have no recourse as it will be under their local courts, good luck travelling to nowheretown, Germany and hiring a lawyer to fight the that 3€ bill which has risen to 103€ with bullshit collection agency charges.

    Thanked by 1AlwaysSkint
  • ClouviderClouvider Member, Patron Provider
    edited February 2019

    To are crazy. If I order mobile phone plan online in the UK and it’s a pay monthly rolling contract, it will keep rolling until minimum term is achieved and sufficient notice provided.

    Same thing applies if I go to Equinix and ask for a rack

    Same thing applies if I buy satellite TV

    Same thing applies if I buy Internet access at home

    Same thing applies (...) I can keep going.

    All they ask basically is for you to go and tell them that you want to cancel and to fulfil your minimum term. They simply don’t want you to run away leaving unpaid bills. Simple...

  • @kerouac said:
    I would say always think twice before getting into business with German companies online. What you might expect as common practice for online transactions does not apply, which would be probably be the American way of business or something. They come up with asinine terms and stick them in the fine print, and the motto is that the customer is always wrong. They would pass your bill to a collection agency for 1 month bill of a 3€ VPS. Avoid like the plague or stay pseudonymous, don't give out your address and use untracable payments. The collection agency (printed, snail) mails will reach you accross jurisdictions, even in Mars. Even if they're wrong, you'll be on the hook because you have no recourse as it will be under their local courts, good luck travelling to nowheretown, Germany and hiring a lawyer to fight the that 3€ bill which has risen to 103€ with bullshit collection agency charges.

    Good luck with your paranoia.

    Thanked by 2eol Ole_Juul
  • @Neoon said:
    Read the TOS, some still want a FAX or a letter.
    But most of them are fine with an email.

    This is no longer the case and illegal. German providers need to accept online cancelation, email at least, if the contract was done entirely online.
    My personal suggestion: Check the hosters billing panel if you can cancel there. If you cant find anything send your provider an email with the service ID you wish to cancel and state that you wish to cancel the server before the next billing period and ask for a confirmation with the exact termination date.

    Thats the clean way of canceling a german server which you rented entirely through the internet. Works every time unless it's a dubious one man shop with the provider not replying to email and being in the process of deadpooling.

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