Read more.Citizens Advice warns that 4 of the big 5 ISPs will charge you more if you stay loyal.
Read more.Citizens Advice warns that 4 of the big 5 ISPs will charge you more if you stay loyal.
it's the same with mobile phone and cable/satellite tv packages too. possibly other things. it's a joke that different customers pay different prices for the same thing depending on how much they blag a retention deal. you can get 75% off sky plus £100 credit for example
This is an issue in the US as well and with most services that require a monthly access. They offer a lower access cost to get the person into their service. The hope is once they have them they will not want the hassle of switching.
If we could switch, we would....
In BT's Defence if you login to MyBT they have offers close to the end of your agreement that are very good. I have just renewed with them and saved £12 month off my already discounted package. Total savings of £18.50 month
Every time my contract is coming to an end I just simply ring up talktalk and they just adjust it to a better price ! I did this six weeks ago as they were going to increase from £34 to £42. I now pay £32 for my unlimited 38mb fibre with free anytime phone calls not just weekend and and small upgrade for my mobile .
I just ask nicely
However the official stats are compiled for that table Virgin Media do exactly the same thing. Every year they send a letter saying the bill is going up by a few quid due to 'increased costs' so I'm now paying £41.47/month for slower speeds than their current basic deal. I would phone up and threaten to leave but they'd no doubt offer a better deal on the basis that I sign up for a further 12 months minimum contract. I'm moving house in a few months so not really worth it.
Presumably Citizens Advice are also investigating which religion the Pope belongs to and where bears go to the toilet?
This is standard in many fields, the answer is to have no loyalty and to either move to the cheapest provider (that offers everything you want, or doesn't offer what you don't,) or renegotiate with your current one every time the deal runs out.
Just remember to make sure you're replacing like with like, cheaper != better for everything.
When I rang up three to ask how come my bills are going up and can I get anything cheaper they told me either to pay 5£ more and keep my current package, sign up to worse deal for same price or leave. I signed up to the worse deal, but regret it now, since I would be better off using their pay as you go.
Personally I find it is worse that they are allowed to change your contract and ask for more money mid contract by saying - dont like it, leave us.
I would never signed up if I would have known they will ask for more money after 4 months. And give excuses like "you didnt actually sign up to contract even though we said it is 12 months it actually wasnt because you came to us and this time its us asking for money". Even though now im "contracted" without any difference since i havnt signed anything.
At least with Virgin they give online contracts to sign and you can see what you are signing up for. Not with three, its just what ever they feel like doing.
Last edited by aniilv; 11-04-2017 at 05:16 PM.
I am with plusnet and i am now on year 3 and i have had no issues with the quality of service as well as costs. Apart from a few pence increase, i still pay the same as when i joined up.
Happy to pay what i pay as long as i am nothing throttled and the service stays the same.
And that's why I've stuck with Virgin, been with them for 5 years and except for active changing my subscription to include TV and an upgrade to 200mbps for an extra £7 a month they've done me a solid. Contract started at £38/month at 60mbps, they upped it to 100mbps after the first year because of infrastructure issues which i suffered quite badly (when they fixed and an engineer came over to confirm he asked if I wanted 100mbps, of course I said yes, he made one phone call and a minute later I had a 65% speed increase). Then 2 years later they upped me to 120mbps free of charge.
Frankly, apart from their Customer Services during the daytime being a wet towel at the best of times (call late in the evening for the scottish call centre, amazing guys and speak the lingo). They have been consistent and a pleasure to deal with!
This is hardly a 'revelation', as many have already said it happens in many industries with contracts.
At ground level its essentially the consumers own fault if they get stung however this is the sort of things Governments should tackle and could so effectively, however they will not.
Its small issues (at least small in Governmental terms) like this that need tackling first before Governments become to embroiled in bigger problems (such as Syria).
The other way of looking at it is that the initial price is a discount to induce new customers to switch from competitors.
Then, when you ring and threaten to cancel, the new 'offer' is an inducement to get you to stay.
So you could look at it as those prepared to actively pursue changing receiving a discount, subsidised by those too stupid or lazy or with excess inertia.
In other words, just play the game.
And, overall, if not happy with either the service or the cost, go elsewhere.
That's odd, I'm with 3 and my contract states that prices won't go up. A couple of months after my previous contract expired they did message me to tell me that prices were going up, but that was after the 12 month period of guaranteed fixed prices and I had no trouble getting onto a cheaper contract with them
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