Internet provider problem in Portugal and ways to avoid them

Getting connected to the internet in a new environment expats find themselves has always been one of the major priority of many expats.

Internet provider problem in Portugal and ways to avoid them

In this modern day era, we know that your internet provider is quite important. We all become very frustrated whenever they’re experiencing bad internet connection. Portugal being a popular country in Europe has a lot of internet users who subscribe to different network providers. It is clear that you can’t subscribe to any internet package in Portugal without being a resident. Internet package or subscription in Portugal is more of a contract and this is giving many expats serious issue and frustration.

Problem in Portugal

Internet connection in Portugal can be a problem and at times it really sucks. It depends on the area you’re living in. For those living in major cities like Lisbon or Porto, you might experience a little bit better internet connection, which can, of course, be terrible probably when you need it the most.

Speaking with an expat in Lisbon, this is what he said

“I signed a year contract with an internet provider in the Algarve but the internet sucks, I’ve not been able to enjoy what I paid for. I contacted the service provider to help me check my connection, all I got in reply was that I have the highest subscription and there is assurance that a better connection (fiber) is coming on soon. But one year later, the story hasn't changed.” He really clamored for a legal backing to know if he can switch internet provider companies, even after signing a contract with one. If you are also in the same shoes as this expat, this next paragraph is for you.

Internet connection in Portugal

Internet connection in Portugal is done in linkage with your bank account. This means that network providers have access to their charges if the contract is still on. If it happens that you insist on subscribing to another, better, network provider. Contact your network provider by putting it in writing. Say you don’t want to continue with their subscription, because it simply doesn't work. Follow the appropriate way to do this or ask Miss Legal for help. We can then complain about not getting what you paid for, which of course you’ll have a legal backing even up to the point of getting a refund, though this happens on a very rare occasion. The simplest way to go about it is forfeiting the charges you remitted to the network provider, cancel the contract & connection, then you can think of moving on with another better network provider. But you do not always have to lose what you paid for. Most Portuguese banks, with a simple phone call to the bank's support line, can cancel the direct debits of the last three months and thus the money is no longer lost. The bank credits the money in your account in no time. It will be up to the operator to react against the customer who withdrew the money. We can send a letter to the provider saying that the internet connection did not work. How do you know another network provider can provide you with a better internet connection? Ask people for the perfect internet package for that particular environment. Do a survey and go for the internet provider that has the highest people’s recommendation for your location - before canceling your current subscription ;-)