Shell Energy broadband customer? You'll soon be moved to TalkTalk – here's what you need to know

Octopus Energy bought Shell Energy UK, including its broadband and home phone customers, in December 2023. As Octopus doesn't provide these services, earlier this year it agreed to sell this set of approximately 500,000 customers to TalkTalk, and the transfer process has now started. Octopus is, however, keeping hold of Shell's gas and electricity users.

What the sale means for Shell Energy broadband and home phone customers

Here's what you need to know:

• TalkTalk will contact you when your account is ready to be moved. This should happen over the coming weeks and months and all Shell customers should be moved over to TalkTalk by autumn this year.

• The move will happen automatically. Octopus says Shell already uses some of TalkTalk's technology behind the scenes, so transferring customers should be a smooth process.

  Until you're moved across to TalkTalk, you can still get help and manage your account in the same way you always have, through Shell.

• There shouldn't be any downtime during the move (when it happens). If you do lose service for whatever reason, and the outage lasts longer than one working day, you'll be entitled to compensation under telecom regulator Ofcom's rules.

• You won't need any new equipment. This means you can keep using your existing Wi-Fi router.

• You'll stay on the same contract. This means you will have been subject to Shell's April price rises. However, TalkTalk told us it isn't currently planning any further increases.

• In the meantime, you should keep paying your bills in full and on time. Don't cancel your direct debit if you have one set up – it should be transferred to TalkTalk automatically when your account is moved over.

Unhappy about the move? Check if you can switch and save

If you're out of contract, you can leave Shell penalty-free, so it's worth taking a few minutes to check whether you can cut costs and boost your speed by switching – use our Broadband Unbundled tool to see what deals are available in your area. You can also read our broadband switching top tips.

TalkTalk has confirmed that as your contract terms and conditions will remain the same, you'll have to pay early termination fees if you choose to switch before the end of your minimum contract period. If you're unhappy about this, you can try complaining directly to TalkTalk. If you don't get a satisfactory resolution, you can take your complaint to the free, independent Communication & Internet Services Adjudication Scheme.

Not sure if you're in contract? Here's how to check

You should have received details about your contract when you joined Shell, so first try checking your emails for a contract end date (make sure to check your junk folder, too).

Alternatively:

• If you're still with Shell,log in to your account on Shell's website. Or you can call Shell on 0330 094 5801 or email broadband.support@shellenergy.co.uk.

• If you've already been moved to TalkTalk, check your online TalkTalk account or call TalkTalk on 0345 172 0088.