Hihi Contract Problems: Lease, Lock-In & Price Surprises

The Contract Is Where the Trouble Is

The Hihi phone itself is, by many accounts, an attractive piece of hardware. Trustpilot reviewers on uk.trustpilot.com/review/hihi.co.uk rarely complain about the phone being ugly. They complain about the contract. Specifically: the 7-year finance lease, the two-contracts-stapled-together structure, the price rises, and the lock-in that makes leaving painful or expensive.

We are Compare The Networks, an independent, OFCOM-regulated business telecoms comparison service. We have been helping UK businesses compare mobile, VoIP and broadband deals since 2008. This article breaks down the contract problems Trustpilot reviewers describe and what your options are if you are already signed up.

Problem 1: Two Contracts, Not One

Most business phone deals are a single service contract. A Hihi deal is usually two separate agreements:

The Service Agreement

Provided by Hihi (or the reseller — typically 4Com). This covers the VoIP platform, call minutes, features, support.

The Equipment Finance Lease

Provided by a third-party finance house. Trustpilot reviewers commonly name Propel or BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions. This covers the hardware (the Hihi desk phones). It is usually a commercial hire or finance lease — legally distinct from the service agreement.

Why This Matters

They have different termination mechanics. Cancelling the service does not cancel the lease. The finance company will still want the remaining rentals.
The finance company is a separate legal entity. They do not care if your phones work — they want the money for the equipment.
Complaints are split. CISAS can adjudicate the service. The finance lease is a separate civil matter.
Total monthly cost adds up. Two monthly charges (plus line rental, call charges, support fees) make up the headline spend.

See our Hihi 7-year lease article for the full architecture.

Problem 2: The 7-Year Term

A Hihi lease is commonly 60 or 84 months. Seven years is well outside the UK business VoIP industry norm of 24 to 36 months. It outlasts most mobile phone contracts, most company cars and most office moves.

Reviewers describe being "stuck 8 years" once you count the sales-to-install lead time and any end-of-term notice period. That is a full business cycle. A business that signed Hihi in 2019 is still under contract in 2026.

Problem 3: Price Increases During the Contract

Trustpilot reviewers describe annual price rises applied during the term. Some report the rises being above what they expected, or not clearly flagged at the point of sale. From January 2025, Ofcom banned CPI/RPI-linked mid-contract price rises on consumer contracts — the rise must be stated in £ and pence upfront. That rule is technically consumer-side. B2B contracts can still use percentage-based rises unless the reseller voluntarily matches the consumer rule.

Hihi/4Com customers should check:

Does your contract specify the rise in £ and pence, or as a percentage?
Does it apply to the service, the lease, or both?
Is it capped?

See our Hihi price increases article for more.

Problem 4: Hidden and Creeping Fees

Reviewers describe charges appearing that were not quoted at the point of sale:

Line rental charges separate from the service monthly
Support or maintenance fees
Call charges outside the bundled minutes
Number porting fees
Early upgrade fees
End-of-term residual lease payments
Software/feature fees

The "paying almost 10 times the monthly price quoted" Trustpilot quote we repeat in several of our Hihi articles comes from this stacking effect. The quoted monthly number is not the total monthly number.

Problem 5: Equipment Quality Issues

The Hihi desk phone is a large-screen Android device mounted on a stand. It is physically distinctive but, according to reviewers, physically fragile. Trustpilot reviewers report cracked screens, failed screens, phones that stop working and slow replacement processes.

When equipment fails mid-contract, the question is who pays. If the fault is within warranty, the manufacturer or Hihi should cover it. If the warranty has expired, the customer may be asked to fund replacement — while still paying the original lease for the broken equipment. See our Hihi equipment problems article.

Problem 6: Downtime and Unreliable Service

One recurring pattern in 1-star reviews is prolonged downtime. One Trustpilot reviewer states the phones were "down for a month." Phones down for business users means lost calls, lost sales, angry customers. Reviewers describe difficulty getting status updates, engineers that did not arrive on the promised day, and a lack of compensation.

Service credits in business VoIP contracts vary widely. Check:

What SLA is stated in the contract?
What are the service credits if it is breached?
How do you claim them?

Problem 7: Unresponsive Support and Stonewalling

Customers describe calling support and being told someone will ring back, and the callback never comes. Tickets closed without resolution. Escalation discouraged. Complaints procedure not clearly explained.

If this is happening to you, the fix is always the same: put it in writing. A paper trail of unanswered emails is far stronger evidence than a log of unreturned phone calls. If you ever need CISAS, the paper trail is your case.

Problem 8: Auto-Renewal and Notice Periods

Some Hihi service agreements include auto-renewal clauses requiring 3 or 6 months' written notice to terminate at end of term. Miss the notice window and you roll into another fixed term.

What to do:

Find the exact end date of both the service agreement and the lease.
Find the notice period in the contract (usually in the termination clause).
Put a diary reminder 30 days before the notice window opens.
Serve notice in writing by recorded delivery and email. Keep proof.

See our Leave Hihi guide for step-by-step instructions.

Problem 9: Mid-Contract "Upgrade" That Resets the Term

A pattern in 1-star Trustpilot reviews: at year 3 or 4 of a 7-year term, a Hihi/4Com salesperson visits or calls and proposes an upgrade — new handsets, new features, a better package. The customer agrees. The new agreement is a fresh 7-year lease, which resets the clock.

This is how some customers end up 10+ years in. Each upgrade looks small in isolation but extends the total commitment enormously.

Rule: Do not sign any variation, upgrade or add-on without getting the new end date and the new total contract value in writing. If the new deal resets your term, the salesperson must tell you so.

Problem 10: Stonewalling at Exit

Customers approaching end-of-term describe difficulty getting settlement figures, unclear porting processes, and a lack of responsiveness when they mention leaving. The opposite of the attentive sales experience.

Your leverage is:

Written notice served within the contractual window
Ofcom's porting rules (numbers are portable; the provider cannot hold the number hostage)
Threat of CISAS if they make it deliberately difficult
The next provider can port-in on your behalf if you are switching

What To Do If You Are Already in a Hihi Contract

Path 1: Understand What You Have

Dig out every signed document. The service agreement, the lease agreement, any variations, upgrade paperwork and the finance company's schedule. Identify:

Contract start dates
End dates
Notice periods
Monthly charges on each line
Price rise clauses
Early termination mechanics

Path 2: Dispute If Appropriate

If you believe the sale was misleading, complain in writing to Hihi and the reseller. Wait 8 weeks or get a deadlock letter, then file at CISAS. See our Hihi misselling article and CISAS process article.

Path 3: Plan to Leave at End of Term

Diary the notice window. Six months before the end, get comparison quotes for what the mainstream VoIP market offers. Give written notice inside the window. Port your numbers. Our Leave Hihi guide walks through the process.

Path 4: Pay to Exit

If the early termination cost is less than the combined cost of staying + switching at the right time, exit now. Request a settlement figure from the finance company in writing. See our Hihi early termination fees article.

Keep Everything in Writing

Every dispute that succeeds in UK telecoms has one thing in common: a clear written record. Every dispute that fails has one thing in common: a verbal conversation the customer cannot prove.

Complain in writing (email is fine).
Ask for every response in writing.
If someone calls, say: "Please put that in writing and email it to me. I want to review it properly before responding."
Never accept a verbal resolution.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are Hihi contracts so long?

The hardware is financed over 60-84 months via a third-party finance company, which creates the 7-year lease. The service agreement is usually matched to it. See our Hihi 7-year lease article.

Can I just cancel the service and keep using the phones?

No. The lease is a separate agreement with a finance company. You owe the remaining rentals whether you use the phones or not. You would still need to route the handsets onto a different VoIP platform, which is usually not supported by the hardware.

Does my Hihi contract auto-renew?

Many service agreements include auto-renewal with a 3-month notice period. Check your contract. Diary the notice window.

Can Hihi raise my prices mid-contract?

Many contracts include annual price increase clauses. Check how the clause is worded — in £ and pence, or as a percentage. Ofcom's 2025 rules on £ and pence disclosure apply to consumer contracts; B2B contracts can still use percentage rises unless the provider matches the consumer rule.

What if the phones break during the contract?

Warranty should cover manufacturing faults. If equipment fails after the warranty, replacement costs may fall to you while you continue paying the original lease. See our Hihi equipment problems article.

Explore Your Options

Get a free VoIP quote and see what an honest, one-contract, 24-month business phone deal looks like.

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About this article. Claims reported here are attributed to public reviews on Trustpilot and similar platforms. They represent the opinions of the reviewers cited, not statements of fact by Compare The Networks. Brands named may dispute these claims. If you are a brand representative who believes any content requires correction, please contact us.

Hihi Contract Problems: Lease, Lock-In & Price Surprises (2026)