They shouldn't be allowed to change the amount while in contract because it makes a nonsense of the word 'contract, They can penalise you for leaving mid contract so the same should apply for them.
Whilst I agree with you, at least now with the changes consumers are fully aware of what and when the price hikes will be. At the start of a contract, if consumers don’t like how much it goes up by, then business will be taken elsewhere. I’m glad that this leads to greater transparency across the market. Hopefully leads to providers needing to be more competitive.
Exactly I have a BB contract overseas, the price has remained the same for 5 years now. The only changes have they have increased the tier I am on twice so I started on 100/100 and it is now 600/1000.
When I was in Hong Kong few years ago, the BB contract set for 2 years, the company can't change the price during the term. It is an exact the "contract " meaning !
Mid contract price rises should be banned. What I agree to pay at the start should be what I pay at the end. No moving the goalposts in the middle. The extra transparency now is good, but when it isn't linked with inflation it is just legalised price-gouging. Ban mid-contract price rises, and if companies don't like it, they can normalise shorter contract periods. Simple.
But surely if you agree at the start "£25 a month, with the price increasing by £1.50 every April you're under contract" that's what you agreed to? Why do people think "contact" now means "price never increases" instead of "both sides agree to the terms as stated"? 🤷🏻♂️
personally i think they should just do away with contracts all together. But i see your point. you signed the dotted line at a given price, so then you keep paying it. i get that. banning mid rises would keep you at the dotted line price. great. but inflation is still real. so all that will happen is, instead of increasing it as inflation rises. then they will just start the contract off with a massive hike. if they predict x percent inflation over the next say 4 years, Then instead of increasing it gradually each year. the contract starting price will just be X amount more from the start, and for the first several years. they will be making much larger margins, until inflation catches up. So either way, you still pay. unless there was no contract at all
I am grateful to Lord Jesus for the gift of life and blessings extended to me and my family, which warms my heart. It's wonderful to hear about my monthly profit of $324K. May the blessings continue to thrive in my life! Amen
Most people remain poor only because friends and relatives stopped and advised them against Investing and trading Bitcoin, forex trading while the wise ones kept Investing and growing financially
My friend took 3 job because she was assumed to work at home, haha I lough, I only make my money here at home without stress just few steps with Alina Davis, and withdraw my profit at every weekend investing is the best option in the state now
Thanks for the informative comments... I think BTC and ETH are more likely to retest resistance and then drop. But as always, the situation changes every day and all we can do is act responsibly, monitor the markets and frequently reevaluate our strategies. I would like to thank you, because Davis,* for giving me my crypto education while comfortably earning 9.7 BTC.......
know Mrs Alina Davis as a popular crypto expert's people talk about, her transparency in the crypto community speaks for her , I attended her seminar in Brisbane last year
I have just changed my mobile to a SIM only deal…. I am now on a £5 SIM only instead of paying £22 per month as I was out of contract. I did not realise this until I followed Martin Lewis suggestion. Am sorry happy I did this. 🎉
That's great, though it is worth nothing for those using an older handset (4-5 years or more) you might find by switching to a smaller network (GiffGaff, SMARTY, VOXI, ASDA Mobile, Tesco Mobile, etc.) that some features, like calls, short-code SMS and Wi-Fi Calling, might then not be supported. Worth checking with a network before joining if you can
My wife just renewed her phone contract and was surprised when her credit check failed. Turns out not having a credit card worked against her even though she's been with the same phone company for years, jointly owns our £240,000 mortgage free flat, has her own bank account, debit card etc and plenty if cash in savings. Worked out better as she had to pay £60 upfront with a cheaper deal over two years. Probably comes out of the salesman's commission...... I'm quite happy as I get her "old" phone, stick my £10 Pay As You Go sim in and it lasts up to three months as I'm not a phone person!
I know you're changing the name intentionally to make a point, but as "Ofgom" sounds most like "Ofcom" worth remembering Ofcom deal with telephone and broadband, and Ofgem for energy. Though really why not get rid of these agencies and just have a Minister accountable? Isn't that what we elect MPs to do?
@dftfire Sorry to disappoint. But that is what I actually thought it was spelt. Regardless at the end of the day, misspelling or not. I thought they worked for our benefit so we don't get screwed by these companies. Did they forget there Job.
My phone bill with O2 is currently £9.79 per month. This year I've been told it's going up by £1.80. That's an increase of 18.4%! Ridiculous. When my contract ends I'll be looking for a cheap SIM only deal. We seem to be heading back to the bad old days, when mobile phone companies charged an arm and a leg for calls and texts.
Tescomobile is with O2, and they have declared zero increase during the contract. The same (zero increase) applies until the following April, and you can always choose a new deal anytime before then. I have the "unlimited data SIM ONLY, 24 months £17.50 contract" from the Black Friday deal, (Currently £20 with Clubcard).
GiffGaff is also on the 02 network (and owned by them), and you can get 2GB of data a month for £6, 5GB for £8 or 20GB for £10. That's on their "monthly rolling" plans where you can leave anytime. Contracts are 18 months and start at £8 a month for 6GB of data. They state no price increases will apply to any contract started before 31 Dec this year
@tommiller1315 17.50 is still alot i have unlimited £14 or could of got 150gb for £12 aslo now on uswitch u can get £15 for unlimited id mobile rolling contract or £14 for 250gb rolling cor if 100gb good for you even 100gb sometimes 120gb for £10
utterly baffling incompetence from the regulator so now it's even more of a mess. i shouldn't be surprised. it would have been so simple to just ban any rise. level playing field so they could just charge a bit more right from the start to get the same amount adjusting for the time value of money. the companies should have been happy with that too. so simple for everyone involved.
Still not good enough by the regulator. A contract is a contract and the price should be fixed for the term of the contract. My current ISP (Truespeed) are able to do this why aren't everyone else!?
"Contact" means "both parties agree to the terms" not "price can never go up". Surely if you agree to pay £1.50 more each month from each April you're with them, that's what you agreed to? 🤔
@dftfire I'm not disputing that. My point is that these big ISP companies should be able to fix the price of your broadband for 12, 18, 24 months and guarantee that for the term of the contract. These allowed in term, April price rises are just pure greed and are still unfair for the consumer.
@@bgarston Okay, that's fair enough. It's just from reading the comments on here, many seem to get the impression the word "contract" means "fixed price guaranteed", and I thought you were also one of them
then the start prices of said contracts will just be much higher. instead of gradually increasing with inflation. they will just start with all the inflation from day one.
O2 have been the worst company for me, up to £67 ppm from 47ppm the previous year, this is my 14th year with them, i won't be renewing my contract and i'm about to pay off the phone and cancel the airtime.
So still no ban then. Im sick to death of these price hikes. Its literally on everything and there's no chance of any pay rises now that companies have to pay more taxes for employees. We are all getting poorer and poorer 😡
These companies shouldn't be allowed to advertise their 12+ month "deals" based on a price that might only be valid for 3 months. Any advertised price should have to be in effect for at least 12 months from the date the contract is taken out.
Ofcom should never allow mid contract price increases in the first place . The provider should consider the beverage inflation before setting the prices in the contract. What a mess !
Virgin media customer here. Perhaps I'm being a bit dim and someone can explain this to me, but they haven't actually banned mid contract price hikes - they're just stating the amount at the start of the contract. My new contract is still going up £3.50 annually which is above inflation anyway. So, what's the point in making this video, nothing has been banned. EDIT: For comparison I pay £22p/month for 250 mbps fibre. Don't settle for their first offer, keep threatening to cancel until they bring it down.
I was living in Ireland and a new supplier came to the market and the offered all domestic calls, all texts, all data for life for euro 9.99 My only extra is if I call overseas For life it’s at least 3 years in and no increase 10 GB uk roaming too 15 Gb EU roaming.
Align your contract renewals to every April. I have a yearly subscription on my mobile contract that was up for renewal in December, I let the contract continue and renewed in April, that way I do not see any price increases mid year going forward. Do the same for Broadband, though they are usually 2 year deals but at least you’ll only have one price increase during your contract and not 2.
Even GiffGaff - a provider I've used for years, and whose business model I once respected as a low volume (retired) user. Not only has my my penalty-free monthly renewal increased by 30%, (£6 to £8 - did I get the maths right?) but they now insist it's an 18 month contract. Not, as it happens, a deal-breaker - other than they've now become just one more provider among many. How to push an originally-great business model right down the tube. Some management nerds with breast-pockets full of pens think they're being clever? And - given I'm 80 and in poor health - bloody good luck enforcing a contract with a brass-handled box!
What did work with the old system was that you could move without penalty if the price changed in April. Now if at the start of the contract they tell you what it will increase to in April you cannot leave without penalty. Personally I would always like the choice to leave if the price increases. Although Having the April increases shown before you enter into a contract should enable you to make a more informed decision as to whether the contract is a good one or not 🤔
The title is an outright lie. Come on MSE you're better than that! Based on what was said throughout the video, companies can (and therefore will) still increase the price beyond inflation mid-contract. They'll just tell you in advance. Or give you an option to leave, knowing full-well the vast majority of people won't leave.
At least stating it in pounds and pence is clearer, so more can understand it. What's better: £30 a month Each April, increases by RPI + 7.3% Or £30 a month Each April, your price will go up by £2 Example: Year 1: £30 a month Year 2: £32 a month Year 3: £34 a month Once contact ends, you'll pay the final amount until you switch or pick a new contract
@dftfire Oh I'm not disputing that this is a step in the right direction. Nor am I blaming MSE for the lack of further movement away from mid-contract price rises. I'm simply saying that the title of the video is misleading. The title reads as follows: "BANNED! Mobile and broadband mid-contract inflation+ hikes" Based on what Martin stated in the video. Mid-contract, inflation+ hikes can, and will still happen. Meaning inflation+ hikes are not, in fact, banned. The companies will just have to either be a bit more upfront about it, or give you an opt-out. I just expected better from a company who's entire purpose is to essentially call out, and draw attention to other companys' misleading consumer business practices.
And what is being done to ban these companies from having call centres outside of the U.K. when they are serving a U.K. customer base? This is exposing U.K. customers to all manner of online scams and fraud - I simply refuse to deal with nor engage with non-U.K. call centres now with any of these companies
At least now people can clearly see how much the increases are. "£30 a month with an increase of £2 a month from every April" is clearer than "£30 a month and every April your monthly amount will increase by RPI + 6.8%"
It really annoys me, not just in the telecoms industry but everywhere else that companies seem to celebrate and we accept annual “price rise day”. If only it were guaranteed for all workers, on the same day we had, annual “pay rise day” which matched all of our prices rises. Too many companies think they’re entitled to record breaking profits each year.
Broadband solution; 5G router and a Talkmobile 30 day rolling unlimited SIM £16pm (blagged via MSE). Cheap as chips, very reliable and price hasn't changed in two years.
I started with iD Mobile at £50 pm a month, but by the end, I was being charged £70 pm in 2 years Contract . I understood inflation might affect the SIM card cost, as it’s a service, but they also charged me for the handset too . Paying the inflation contract amount for a phone that just depreciates in value never made sense to me. It felt like they were robbing me. I do not recommend id mobile.
I hate these mid-contract price hikes and I was really excited when I saw the title of this vide saying they are banned, except they're not - they just have to tell you in advance how much they will increase the price by, - and you know every company will do it so again you have no choice. If I agree a monthly fee prior to signing a 12/18 or 24 month contract, I expect that price to be honoured for the duration of the contract. Feel free to increase the price at the end of the contract but not midway through the contract.
Thank you for the information, but mid contact price rises should still be totally banned. If inflation rises and my wages don’t, then I have less money, can I then reduce my payments to my mobile company? No I can’t! If both parties agree a price for a period of time in a contract then that should be honoured by both parties!
This has backfired. Instead now if you are on a cheap sim only deal the fixed cost increase is way more than the inflation linked 5% or so! ALL in contract prices rises need to be banned.
Stop the silly 'cheap' at the start deals, just to put unreasonable increases the following April. Meanwhile, they still offer the same cheap deals to new customers. I understand inflation drives costs up, that's fine and they should push the base prices up as needed. However, the practice being adopted is blatent robbery, with £3+/m increase on a £25/m (or less) deal. They are also adopting a 24m contract term, with very little choice to avoid such terms. As consumers, we are getting very little protection. Well done Sky - who I am with, and happy they have not changed their broadband pricing on me mid-contract so far (several years).
It started on 17 January this year. Only applies to any contract taken-out on that day or later. If you've any existing mobile or broadband contacts you began before that date, these rules don't apply until you switch, or come to renew it. TV subscriptions, energy and insurance also aren't changing, as Ofcom doesn't control those areas. Mobile and home Internet only
Ofcom, Sky, Virgin, BT etc with these inflation based contracts better pay their staff with inflation based salary increases. Fixed price contracts that change is ridiculous.
Early last year O2 noticed my tariff was + RPI only, and said they would be changing it this April to RPI + 3.9% - probably adding about 65p to my monthly bill. Courtesy of the lazy way they are implementing Ofcom's directive I'm looking at an increase almost three times that. It would of course have been much too difficult for them actually to work out what the percentage increase equated to in monetary terms...
mid-contract price rises are still a thing. Most broadband providers are now putting their prices up by a fixed amount of £3 per year.. For most people that will be a 10%+ increase in the middle of their contract.... Crazy how Ofcom are positioning as a win for consumers....
@@JivanPalSMARTY requires phones to have VoLTE enabled, so be sure to check with any older handset it'll work or you'll get no phone-calls with them. They also don't support short-code messages, so you cannot send things like meter-readings, or reply to messages from your GP or council, by SMS while on them.
@ Who cares. It's not £32.99 a month on a 12 month contract you can't get out of with hidden fees and random price increases. Pay monthly, no contract, £10 with 30gb data, works for me.
So they've not been banned at all then. Also, Ofcom have basically just made it easier for companies to hide any price increases, so you can't really make an informed decision at the beginning. The above inflation hikes "because reasons" should be completely banned as it's basically just profiteering. At the very least they should be compelled to explain why the price has increased above inflation. Not retrospectively applying it to current contracts is a bit off as well. Something else I think should happen is that companies should be legally required to offer a 12 month version of the same 24 month deal, at the same price, then it's up to the consumer whether they take the longer deal. 12-month deals used to be the norm but are virtually non-existent now unless you want to pay a lot more. All 24 month contracts have done is allow companies to put their prices up without you really being able to do anything about it; I guess the 30-day thing will help with that a bit but I'd rather know at the beginning.
I have an e-sim for my watch. Not every supplier offers those, so I cannot take advantage of the cheapest offers. It would be great if the team could evaluate mobile contract providers that do offer watch sims.
Quite why anyone would take out a contact is beyond me. Buy a secondhand phone and a sim only deal for £5 month. Oh, you want the latest phone? - then get ripped off.
So, my new fixed price rise works out about 8%. For 2 years. So 16%. Is my pay going to increase by that amount? Of course not. So it's still a rip off!!
If anything - prices should be DECREASING during the life of the contract, as they buy or provision data in greater bulks, making cost savings per unit. They are automating service desks more, again, saving more as the customer base increase.
As a contract is deemed as CREDIT - should they not start saying how much the contract is as a whole - that you are paying off monthly? Rather than just 12 months at a random number they make up as they go....?
yep & we the uk public will take contract mid changes .uk firms always "shacking down"their customers. E u had rules against these predatory companies (IMO) taking piss out of their customers. no roaming charges and other protections against uk companies taking piss out of their customers financially.IMo
They going around it! It's disgusting! Everyone paid hundreds of pounds extra throughout the years...and it will carry on! EE keep raising prices! I have now only 90gb/ month contract 4 years ago I have paid less for 200GB...... Just checked they offered 35£ unlimited or.. 25 GB for 25£ Nothing they offered actually I need.....💔💩
My mum has just switched to Sky. The contract starts Feb 6th but they haven't told her how much her bill could go up in £s, only that there could be price hikes. so if they do decide to put it up in April she'll have 30days to leave penalty free? Hope I understood that right
No, she won't be able to leave penalty-free, because these April increases are covered by the provisions of the contract, and aren't forbidden by any regulations.
Depends if the contract says anywhere there will be price-increases or not. If it does, you can't leave as that's what you agreed to. If it doesn't, complain to Sky that nothing was said about any increases.
@@dftfire @JivanPal I just watched it again and Martin says Sky isn't telling customers about price hikes when they sign up. Sky didn't tell my mum so if they do raise prices my mum will have the option to leave within 30 days
@@RampinRabit Assuming you mean Sky Broadband (not their mobile-phone service) then if it does go up, cancel, and maybe look at NOW Broadband, which is owned by Sky and ran as a no-frills option. Or Vodafone Broadband is also fairly cheap. If you did mean Sky Mobile, they use the 02 network so look at GiffGaff or Tesco Mobile. They both also use that network.
So now that infation has been reduced they’re allowed to carry on charging another 10% each year by de-linking. This is not a win for the consumer. If it was still linked to inflation we’d be seeing 2.5%.
* take them to a Small Claims Court, at least Yes, if no price-rises are mentioned in your contract, you're right not to expect any. So challenge them if you see any.
Wont make much difference. Just had the letter....£3.50 a year increase every April . Issue is not just the timing of the increase,but more importantly the fact that there is an increase at all and the amount. Companies not doing this willingly, and wont be losing out by any means.
So the firms got the benefit of big rises of inflation + 3.9% when inflation was high. Now inflation is lower it is a set price in a lot of cases is inflation plus 3.9%. For me it is 7.9%. Well done regulators. Why can’t it be CPI? Isn’t this inflationary l?
Better than it was, but they need banning altogether imo. Not even inflation based rises. If they cant lock the price in, then don’t offer the contract. Some will start adding more and more. Only takes 1 and the rest will follow.
They are robbing. Give me a higher upfront monthly and fix it... They won't as they can lie to the customer ... It's £10.99pm and in smaller print you will pay £3pm more... It's wrong. They should be told they are only allowed to show the average price or something as it's crafty
Like everything in this county. Designed to milk as much money out of the customer as possible, and facilitated by a regulator who acts in the interest of the businesses and not the consumer.
Why do people seem to think "contact" means "guarantee of no price-rises"? If you sign up for broadband and it says "£30 a month, with the price increasing by £2 every April you're in it", that's what you agreed to. Why do people think it means otherwise? 🤔
The title of the video is wrong. I clicked on it because I thought it was legit. I don't really understand why they need to increase the price. Are they not getting enough money from us anyway.
Never understood why this guy never tells people they don't need a tv licence to own a tv . It would save them £170 a year . If you dont watch live tv or player you can still watch 99% of tv as long as its not broadcast live . Chillijoncarnie for more in depth details .😊
Subtitles on UA-cam are AI generated and often wrong. For people who rely on them, I'm sure you can cope with them being there. This isn't a movie or something when they may spoil the experience 😂
They shouldn't be allowed to change the amount while in contract because it makes a nonsense of the word 'contract, They can penalise you for leaving mid contract so the same should apply for them.
Whilst I agree with you, at least now with the changes consumers are fully aware of what and when the price hikes will be. At the start of a contract, if consumers don’t like how much it goes up by, then business will be taken elsewhere. I’m glad that this leads to greater transparency across the market. Hopefully leads to providers needing to be more competitive.
Exactly I have a BB contract overseas, the price has remained the same for 5 years now. The only changes have they have increased the tier I am on twice so I started on 100/100 and it is now 600/1000.
When I was in Hong Kong few years ago, the BB contract set for 2 years, the company can't change the price during the term. It is an exact the "contract " meaning !
Well you can put a price increase in a contract but making it above inflation and and arbitrary amount is wrong.
Should only increase price *WHEN* out of contract
Or just don't get a Slavetract in the first place, Why shackle yourself to them
I started the video thinking "What?? A regulator working in the interests of consumers??" Turns out, not so much.
My thoughts exactly! Why do we bother with regulators at all in the UK? They're all pro corporation
There is probably some corruption there. I would not be surprised if regulators get a brown envelope to close their eyes
Mid contract price rises should be banned. What I agree to pay at the start should be what I pay at the end. No moving the goalposts in the middle.
The extra transparency now is good, but when it isn't linked with inflation it is just legalised price-gouging.
Ban mid-contract price rises, and if companies don't like it, they can normalise shorter contract periods. Simple.
But surely if you agree at the start "£25 a month, with the price increasing by £1.50 every April you're under contract" that's what you agreed to?
Why do people think "contact" now means "price never increases" instead of "both sides agree to the terms as stated"? 🤷🏻♂️
personally i think they should just do away with contracts all together.
But i see your point. you signed the dotted line at a given price, so then you keep paying it. i get that.
banning mid rises would keep you at the dotted line price. great. but inflation is still real. so all that will happen is, instead of increasing it as inflation rises. then they will just start the contract off with a massive hike. if they predict x percent inflation over the next say 4 years, Then instead of increasing it gradually each year. the contract starting price will just be X amount more from the start, and for the first several years. they will be making much larger margins, until inflation catches up.
So either way, you still pay. unless there was no contract at all
I am grateful to Lord Jesus for the gift of life and blessings extended to me and my family, which warms my heart. It's wonderful to hear about my monthly profit of $324K.
May the blessings continue to thrive in my life! Amen
Wow $324K? how did you do this please i am new to crypto and stock investing can you guide me on how to do this?
Most people remain poor only because friends and relatives stopped and advised them against Investing and trading Bitcoin, forex trading while the wise ones kept Investing and growing financially
My friend took 3 job because she was assumed to work at home, haha I lough, I only make my money here at home without stress just few steps with Alina Davis, and withdraw my profit at every weekend investing is the best option in the state now
Thanks for the informative comments... I think BTC and ETH are more likely to retest resistance and then drop. But as always, the situation changes every day and all we can do is act responsibly, monitor the markets and frequently reevaluate our strategies. I would like to thank you, because Davis,* for giving me my crypto education while comfortably earning 9.7 BTC.......
know Mrs Alina Davis as a popular crypto expert's people talk about, her transparency in the crypto community speaks for her , I attended her seminar in Brisbane last year
I have just changed my mobile to a SIM only deal…. I am now on a £5 SIM only instead of paying £22 per month as I was out of contract. I did not realise this until I followed Martin Lewis suggestion. Am sorry happy I did this. 🎉
That's great, though it is worth nothing for those using an older handset (4-5 years or more) you might find by switching to a smaller network (GiffGaff, SMARTY, VOXI, ASDA Mobile, Tesco Mobile, etc.) that some features, like calls, short-code SMS and Wi-Fi Calling, might then not be supported.
Worth checking with a network before joining if you can
My wife just renewed her phone contract and was surprised when her credit check failed.
Turns out not having a credit card worked against her even though she's been with the same phone company for years, jointly owns our £240,000 mortgage free flat, has her own bank account, debit card etc and plenty if cash in savings.
Worked out better as she had to pay £60 upfront with a cheaper deal over two years.
Probably comes out of the salesman's commission......
I'm quite happy as I get her "old" phone, stick my £10 Pay As You Go sim in and it lasts up to three months as I'm not a phone person!
I thought all these OFGOM were working for us, not these rich companies. WHAT HAPPENED.
Exactly the same with water, gas and electricity 😊
I know you're changing the name intentionally to make a point, but as "Ofgom" sounds most like "Ofcom" worth remembering Ofcom deal with telephone and broadband, and Ofgem for energy.
Though really why not get rid of these agencies and just have a Minister accountable? Isn't that what we elect MPs to do?
@dftfire
Sorry to disappoint. But that is what I actually thought it was spelt. Regardless at the end of the day, misspelling or not. I thought they worked for our benefit so we don't get screwed by these companies. Did they forget there Job.
If you believe OFCOM, OFGEN, OFWAT and the disgraceful BBC etc.etc. is working for the public, you're delusional
@norman7527
Well Yes I did. I thought that was their Job.. So sue me for being wrong.
None of them in my experience work for us , Ofcom’s, Ofgem and ofwat . Just TOOTHLESS TIGERS!!!!!
😂😂😂😂😂😂
My phone bill with O2 is currently £9.79 per month. This year I've been told it's going up by £1.80. That's an increase of 18.4%! Ridiculous. When my contract ends I'll be looking for a cheap SIM only deal. We seem to be heading back to the bad old days, when mobile phone companies charged an arm and a leg for calls and texts.
Tescomobile is with O2, and they have declared zero increase during the contract. The same (zero increase) applies until the following April, and you can always choose a new deal anytime before then. I have the "unlimited data SIM ONLY, 24 months £17.50 contract" from the Black Friday deal, (Currently £20 with Clubcard).
GiffGaff is also on the 02 network (and owned by them), and you can get 2GB of data a month for £6, 5GB for £8 or 20GB for £10. That's on their "monthly rolling" plans where you can leave anytime.
Contracts are 18 months and start at £8 a month for 6GB of data. They state no price increases will apply to any contract started before 31 Dec this year
You signed the deal. Wtf are we doing here. Prices are now told ahead of time, if you can't even read then stop taking out finance.
@tommiller1315 17.50 is still alot i have unlimited £14 or could of got 150gb for £12 aslo now on uswitch u can get £15 for unlimited id mobile rolling contract or £14 for 250gb rolling cor if 100gb good for you even 100gb sometimes 120gb for £10
Voxi is a great network too. Runs on the Vodafone network. I'm paying £12 a month for unlimited everything.
utterly baffling incompetence from the regulator so now it's even more of a mess. i shouldn't be surprised. it would have been so simple to just ban any rise. level playing field so they could just charge a bit more right from the start to get the same amount adjusting for the time value of money. the companies should have been happy with that too. so simple for everyone involved.
they are probs already doing this.
Still not good enough by the regulator. A contract is a contract and the price should be fixed for the term of the contract. My current ISP (Truespeed) are able to do this why aren't everyone else!?
"Contact" means "both parties agree to the terms" not "price can never go up".
Surely if you agree to pay £1.50 more each month from each April you're with them, that's what you agreed to? 🤔
@dftfire I'm not disputing that. My point is that these big ISP companies should be able to fix the price of your broadband for 12, 18, 24 months and guarantee that for the term of the contract. These allowed in term, April price rises are just pure greed and are still unfair for the consumer.
@@bgarston Okay, that's fair enough.
It's just from reading the comments on here, many seem to get the impression the word "contract" means "fixed price guaranteed", and I thought you were also one of them
then the start prices of said contracts will just be much higher. instead of gradually increasing with inflation. they will just start with all the inflation from day one.
O2 have been the worst company for me, up to £67 ppm from 47ppm the previous year, this is my 14th year with them, i won't be renewing my contract and i'm about to pay off the phone and cancel the airtime.
I don't drink but I would open a bottle of bubbly for this
(Watched the video fully, time to put the bubbly away)
So still no ban then. Im sick to death of these price hikes. Its literally on everything and there's no chance of any pay rises now that companies have to pay more taxes for employees. We are all getting poorer and poorer 😡
They shouldn’t allow ANY mid contract price change.
Then don't take out contracts if you can't anticipate a rise that's laid out in simple terms 😂
These companies shouldn't be allowed to advertise their 12+ month "deals" based on a price that might only be valid for 3 months. Any advertised price should have to be in effect for at least 12 months from the date the contract is taken out.
Ofcom should never allow mid contract price increases in the first place . The provider should consider the beverage inflation before setting the prices in the contract. What a mess !
Virgin media customer here. Perhaps I'm being a bit dim and someone can explain this to me, but they haven't actually banned mid contract price hikes - they're just stating the amount at the start of the contract. My new contract is still going up £3.50 annually which is above inflation anyway. So, what's the point in making this video, nothing has been banned.
EDIT: For comparison I pay £22p/month for 250 mbps fibre. Don't settle for their first offer, keep threatening to cancel until they bring it down.
I was living in Ireland and a new supplier came to the market and the offered all domestic calls, all texts, all data for life for euro 9.99
My only extra is if I call overseas
For life it’s at least 3 years in and no increase 10 GB uk roaming too 15 Gb EU roaming.
Align your contract renewals to every April. I have a yearly subscription on my mobile contract that was up for renewal in December, I let the contract continue and renewed in April, that way I do not see any price increases mid year going forward. Do the same for Broadband, though they are usually 2 year deals but at least you’ll only have one price increase during your contract and not 2.
A lot of places do 18 months minimum these days….
Misleading title Martin. You’ve explained that mid contract price hikes are indeed still a thing
Even GiffGaff - a provider I've used for years, and whose business model I once respected as a low volume (retired) user.
Not only has my my penalty-free monthly renewal increased by 30%, (£6 to £8 - did I get the maths right?) but they now insist it's an 18 month contract. Not, as it happens, a deal-breaker - other than they've now become just one more provider among many.
How to push an originally-great business model right down the tube. Some management nerds with breast-pockets full of pens think they're being clever?
And - given I'm 80 and in poor health - bloody good luck enforcing a contract with a brass-handled box!
agree, I've been with giffgaff for years, might be time to change that.
@jmcc7886
Why DO people take perfectly excellent business models and allow greed to destroy them?
What did work with the old system was that you could move without penalty if the price changed in April.
Now if at the start of the contract they tell you what it will increase to in April you cannot leave without penalty.
Personally I would always like the choice to leave if the price increases.
Although Having the April increases shown before you enter into a contract should enable you to make a more informed decision as to whether the contract is a good one or not 🤔
You deserve a medal or a knighthood or something for all the good work you do Mr Lewis. Thank you 🙏
He should be in the House of Lords instead of all the grifters, liars and charlatans currently stuffed in there.
@@Culky good people dont get into modern politics.
The title is an outright lie. Come on MSE you're better than that!
Based on what was said throughout the video, companies can (and therefore will) still increase the price beyond inflation mid-contract.
They'll just tell you in advance. Or give you an option to leave, knowing full-well the vast majority of people won't leave.
At least stating it in pounds and pence is clearer, so more can understand it.
What's better:
£30 a month
Each April, increases by RPI + 7.3%
Or
£30 a month
Each April, your price will go up by £2
Example:
Year 1: £30 a month
Year 2: £32 a month
Year 3: £34 a month
Once contact ends, you'll pay the final amount until you switch or pick a new contract
@dftfire Oh I'm not disputing that this is a step in the right direction.
Nor am I blaming MSE for the lack of further movement away from mid-contract price rises.
I'm simply saying that the title of the video is misleading.
The title reads as follows: "BANNED! Mobile and broadband mid-contract inflation+ hikes"
Based on what Martin stated in the video. Mid-contract, inflation+ hikes can, and will still happen. Meaning inflation+ hikes are not, in fact, banned.
The companies will just have to either be a bit more upfront about it, or give you an opt-out.
I just expected better from a company who's entire purpose is to essentially call out, and draw attention to other companys' misleading consumer business practices.
And what is being done to ban these companies from having call centres outside of the U.K. when they are serving a U.K. customer base? This is exposing U.K. customers to all manner of online scams and fraud - I simply refuse to deal with nor engage with non-U.K. call centres now with any of these companies
Martin for chancellor, we may get Britain back together again, he’s the only person that explains & understands stuff that we don’t ,
Sounds worse than it was before🤔
At least now people can clearly see how much the increases are.
"£30 a month with an increase of £2 a month from every April" is clearer than "£30 a month and every April your monthly amount will increase by RPI + 6.8%"
That's because it is
It really annoys me, not just in the telecoms industry but everywhere else that companies seem to celebrate and we accept annual “price rise day”. If only it were guaranteed for all workers, on the same day we had, annual “pay rise day” which matched all of our prices rises. Too many companies think they’re entitled to record breaking profits each year.
My biggest issue with this is it will hurt the people who are paying the least are going to be paying more compared to the old method.
Broadband solution; 5G router and a Talkmobile 30 day rolling unlimited SIM £16pm (blagged via MSE). Cheap as chips, very reliable and price hasn't changed in two years.
“You can’t offer prices unavailable to current customers” - this would be so simple and solve so many problems
I started with iD Mobile at £50 pm a month, but by the end, I was being charged £70 pm in 2 years Contract . I understood inflation might affect the SIM card cost, as it’s a service, but they also charged me for the handset too . Paying the inflation contract amount for a phone that just depreciates in value never made sense to me. It felt like they were robbing me. I do not recommend id mobile.
I hate these mid-contract price hikes and I was really excited when I saw the title of this vide saying they are banned, except they're not - they just have to tell you in advance how much they will increase the price by, - and you know every company will do it so again you have no choice. If I agree a monthly fee prior to signing a 12/18 or 24 month contract, I expect that price to be honoured for the duration of the contract. Feel free to increase the price at the end of the contract but not midway through the contract.
It seems the contract only applies to one side. We pay the companies and they move the goal posts. They’re all loathsome.
Big news, thanks Martin & MSE team!
Great news, will the telcos just increase the base prices of contracts to counter this though?
Thank you for the information, but mid contact price rises should still be totally banned. If inflation rises and my wages don’t, then I have less money, can I then reduce my payments to my mobile company? No I can’t!
If both parties agree a price for a period of time in a contract then that should be honoured by both parties!
This has backfired. Instead now if you are on a cheap sim only deal the fixed cost increase is way more than the inflation linked 5% or so! ALL in contract prices rises need to be banned.
Dear Martin. What Tax avoidance schemes do you use?
Stop the silly 'cheap' at the start deals, just to put unreasonable increases the following April. Meanwhile, they still offer the same cheap deals to new customers. I understand inflation drives costs up, that's fine and they should push the base prices up as needed. However, the practice being adopted is blatent robbery, with £3+/m increase on a £25/m (or less) deal. They are also adopting a 24m contract term, with very little choice to avoid such terms. As consumers, we are getting very little protection. Well done Sky - who I am with, and happy they have not changed their broadband pricing on me mid-contract so far (several years).
When does this come into effect, from today?
It started on 17 January this year.
Only applies to any contract taken-out on that day or later. If you've any existing mobile or broadband contacts you began before that date, these rules don't apply until you switch, or come to renew it.
TV subscriptions, energy and insurance also aren't changing, as Ofcom doesn't control those areas. Mobile and home Internet only
Ofcom, Sky, Virgin, BT etc with these inflation based contracts better pay their staff with inflation based salary increases. Fixed price contracts that change is ridiculous.
So it'll turn out that these companies rake in more money through this method, what a surprise OFGONE.
Early last year O2 noticed my tariff was + RPI only, and said they would be changing it this April to RPI + 3.9% - probably adding about 65p to my monthly bill. Courtesy of the lazy way they are implementing Ofcom's directive I'm looking at an increase almost three times that. It would of course have been much too difficult for them actually to work out what the percentage increase equated to in monetary terms...
mid-contract price rises are still a thing. Most broadband providers are now putting their prices up by a fixed amount of £3 per year.. For most people that will be a 10%+ increase in the middle of their contract.... Crazy how Ofcom are positioning as a win for consumers....
People gotta replace "inflation" with "greed". £10 Giffgaff. Get on it, drop your trash contracts.
£4.50 Smarty.
GiffGaff still owned by O2.
@@JivanPalSMARTY requires phones to have VoLTE enabled, so be sure to check with any older handset it'll work or you'll get no phone-calls with them.
They also don't support short-code messages, so you cannot send things like meter-readings, or reply to messages from your GP or council, by SMS while on them.
@ Who cares. It's not £32.99 a month on a 12 month contract you can't get out of with hidden fees and random price increases. Pay monthly, no contract, £10 with 30gb data, works for me.
why arent they forced to display the total cost of the contract as the headline figure
If you can't work out how much something is by X amount of months then stop taking out finance products.
Same old customer loyalty scam as insurances & banks.
So they've not been banned at all then.
Also, Ofcom have basically just made it easier for companies to hide any price increases, so you can't really make an informed decision at the beginning. The above inflation hikes "because reasons" should be completely banned as it's basically just profiteering. At the very least they should be compelled to explain why the price has increased above inflation.
Not retrospectively applying it to current contracts is a bit off as well. Something else I think should happen is that companies should be legally required to offer a 12 month version of the same 24 month deal, at the same price, then it's up to the consumer whether they take the longer deal. 12-month deals used to be the norm but are virtually non-existent now unless you want to pay a lot more.
All 24 month contracts have done is allow companies to put their prices up without you really being able to do anything about it; I guess the 30-day thing will help with that a bit but I'd rather know at the beginning.
I have an e-sim for my watch. Not every supplier offers those, so I cannot take advantage of the cheapest offers. It would be great if the team could evaluate mobile contract providers that do offer watch sims.
Why is that one light turned sideways?
Quite why anyone would take out a contact is beyond me. Buy a secondhand phone and a sim only deal for £5 month. Oh, you want the latest phone? - then get ripped off.
It's only a term contract if they put up prices during that term. I got caught with my electric not realising the prices weren't included.
This is why EE dont have 12 month contracts anymore. Additionally its difficult to find student discount on contracts.
So, my new fixed price rise works out about 8%. For 2 years. So 16%. Is my pay going to increase by that amount? Of course not. So it's still a rip off!!
If anything - prices should be DECREASING during the life of the contract, as they buy or provision data in greater bulks, making cost savings per unit. They are automating service desks more, again, saving more as the customer base increase.
As a contract is deemed as CREDIT - should they not start saying how much the contract is as a whole - that you are paying off monthly? Rather than just 12 months at a random number they make up as they go....?
Wife just renewed her contract and that's exactly what the salesman did......
There's your monthly payment and that one's s the total you'll pay.
These price hikes are more than inflation rate? Why?
Very poor me, my broadband contract just sign last year November, is that mean I need to pay more in April and I can't leave without penalty?
yep & we the uk public will take contract mid changes .uk firms always "shacking down"their customers. E u had rules against these predatory companies (IMO) taking piss out of their customers. no roaming charges and other protections against uk companies taking piss out of their customers financially.IMo
They going around it! It's disgusting!
Everyone paid hundreds of pounds extra throughout the years...and it will carry on!
EE keep raising prices! I have now only 90gb/ month contract 4 years ago I have paid less for 200GB......
Just checked they offered 35£ unlimited or.. 25 GB for 25£
Nothing they offered actually I need.....💔💩
It's only fair that companies give 12 month contracts and not 18-24 month contracts when signing up.
Imagine if the government just hired a expert like our man here to slowly work to make our financial situation fare and not rip off Britain.
My mum has just switched to Sky. The contract starts Feb 6th but they haven't told her how much her bill could go up in £s, only that there could be price hikes. so if they do decide to put it up in April she'll have 30days to leave penalty free?
Hope I understood that right
No, she won't be able to leave penalty-free, because these April increases are covered by the provisions of the contract, and aren't forbidden by any regulations.
Depends if the contract says anywhere there will be price-increases or not.
If it does, you can't leave as that's what you agreed to.
If it doesn't, complain to Sky that nothing was said about any increases.
@@dftfire @JivanPal I just watched it again and Martin says Sky isn't telling customers about price hikes when they sign up.
Sky didn't tell my mum so if they do raise prices my mum will have the option to leave within 30 days
@@RampinRabit Assuming you mean Sky Broadband (not their mobile-phone service) then if it does go up, cancel, and maybe look at NOW Broadband, which is owned by Sky and ran as a no-frills option.
Or Vodafone Broadband is also fairly cheap.
If you did mean Sky Mobile, they use the 02 network so look at GiffGaff or Tesco Mobile. They both also use that network.
There is no benefit to be had with any contract longer than 12 months.
So now that infation has been reduced they’re allowed to carry on charging another 10% each year by de-linking. This is not a win for the consumer. If it was still linked to inflation we’d be seeing 2.5%.
I hope MoneySavingExpert price comparisons will now include this ludicrous new approach in the total cost of the contract so comparisons are accurate?
Cool, now lets allow employees 2 annual 10%+ wage increases.
It isn’t a ban, just a different way of stating the rise.
Interesting about Sky as I just renewed and asked if it was fixed and no rises...I was told no hikes... So if they do I will take them to the cleaners
* take them to a Small Claims Court, at least
Yes, if no price-rises are mentioned in your contract, you're right not to expect any. So challenge them if you see any.
Make sure you have a recording or the live chat saved.
Wont make much difference. Just had the letter....£3.50 a year increase every April . Issue is not just the timing of the increase,but more importantly the fact that there is an increase at all and the amount.
Companies not doing this willingly, and wont be losing out by any means.
To avoid this just threaten them that you are leaving! They will soon lower the price! It works for me all the time!
Shouldn't increase at all unless the contract runs it's course
Breach of contract i never signed up for this £15 ?3 GB of Data 02 😢They saying i need pay to leave ???The contract makes no sense ?
Ask them to send you proof of the contract you agreed to
Shit, I should have not taken a new contract Yesterday with Three...
I doubt a rolling contract would have been protected.
So the firms got the benefit of big rises of inflation + 3.9% when inflation was high. Now inflation is lower it is a set price in a lot of cases is inflation plus 3.9%. For me it is 7.9%. Well done regulators. Why can’t it be CPI? Isn’t this inflationary l?
It shouldn't even be CPI, it should be zero.
Better than it was, but they need banning altogether imo. Not even inflation based rises. If they cant lock the price in, then don’t offer the contract.
Some will start adding more and more. Only takes 1 and the rest will follow.
Why anyone would be genuinely get into a contract unless they had to I'll never know.
They are robbing. Give me a higher upfront monthly and fix it... They won't as they can lie to the customer ... It's £10.99pm and in smaller print you will pay £3pm more... It's wrong. They should be told they are only allowed to show the average price or something as it's crafty
Like everything in this county. Designed to milk as much money out of the customer as possible, and facilitated by a regulator who acts in the interest of the businesses and not the consumer.
Good news, though I expect they'll just front load costs now.
I shouted at them (in emails) “you’re literally causing inflation!”
It really seams what the point of a contract
Why do people seem to think "contact" means "guarantee of no price-rises"?
If you sign up for broadband and it says "£30 a month, with the price increasing by £2 every April you're in it", that's what you agreed to.
Why do people think it means otherwise? 🤔
The title of the video is wrong. I clicked on it because I thought it was legit. I don't really understand why they need to increase the price. Are they not getting enough money from us anyway.
That's ok, come your next contract renewal they'll add the difference then.
You assume I have teeth, 😭
A regulator working for the companies rather than consumers….. never
My Smarty has never gone up. :)
Mobile phone contracts are a swizz. I haven't used a contract for a decade.
Surely they are wrong they are changing the contract you are in wrong
Join LEBARA!
Took OFcom long enough to do at least something. Unhappy that the rise is above inflation
Never understood why this guy never tells people they don't need a tv licence to own a tv . It would save them £170 a year . If you dont watch live tv or player you can still watch 99% of tv as long as its not broadcast live . Chillijoncarnie for more in depth details .😊
Please ditch the unnecessary sub titles. if we need them we can turn on...
Subtitles on UA-cam are AI generated and often wrong. For people who rely on them, I'm sure you can cope with them being there.
This isn't a movie or something when they may spoil the experience 😂
Deaf people may need them ya prat.
Got contract iphone & applewatch is £115.95 every month ee increase is £3.50
This system is just wrong!
They're taking the actual piss.
Muppets.
Mid-contract price rises should be illegal.
guys virgin media retention's will give you massive discounts phone and ask for disconnection say other companies offer more for less and wait.
This was always a complete rip off. Zen internet was one of the few that never did it!