AOL Price Increase

fozmcfc

I wouldn't touch home broadband access from O2, loads of people complaining about it being really unrealiable and speeds being very slow. If LLU from O2 becomes available then go for it I say.

Do a seach on a broadband comparison site for the best deals is what I would say.

AOL have a real cheek putting it up that much, never liked them when they use to charge a monthly fee just for being connected to them, even after services like Freeserve were available. I don't like there software either.

Seems to me that AOL along with Orange look to be losing customers with their ridiculous price rises.

spud214

Hope i'm not duplicating info but couldn't see this elsewhere:
Be aware that sky are changing broadband charges/download limits. They are claiming to increase speeds of the packages but other changes may make it less desirable. There is a deadline before which you can cancel without penalty even if your contract has not expired. The information is on a leaflet inside Sky mag this month - i nearly threw it away with all the other junk in it!:cool:

penrhyn

You should have looked at post #9

I agrre with your comment though, For a Mid customer first they double the price £5 to £10/month and then reduce the download cap by 75%.

cannugec5

Hi, I have not (yet) received the email about the price hike and find it a bit scary. I was already looking to move from aol and have just spent the morning researching the options to discover we have none. BT claim that our phone line does not support broadband! Admittedly we do not have a great connection but it works. I phoned BT and they just confirmed that we cannot have broadband here. No other provider will entertain us as BT supplies them with the same info. What do I do now, - just stay with AOL and pay whatever they ask?

oily_rag

cannugec5 wrote: »

Hi, I have not (yet) received the email about the price hike and find it a bit scary. I was already looking to move from aol and have just spent the morning researching the options to discover we have none. BT claim that our phone line does not support broadband! Admittedly we do not have a great connection but it works. I phoned BT and they just confirmed that we cannot have broadband here. No other provider will entertain us as BT supplies them with the same info. What do I do now, - just stay with AOL and pay whatever they ask?

You may or may not get the email depending on where you live. I think the price increase is for those that live in more rural areas because the service costs more to provide. I suppose I can count myself lucky that I've had a cheap service until now, but from next month onwards I'm resigned to the fact it's going to cost a lot more.

One small benefit may be that I can sign up to a new provider through Quidco and get a few quid back. It might help soften the blow a bit.

Incidentally, when I called to get my MAC key from AOL yesterday the polite young lady said it would take 5 working days to arrive in my email, but it appeared within minutes.

1carminestocky

penrhyn wrote: »

You should have looked at post #9

I agrre with your comment though, For a Mid customer first they double the price £5 to £10/month and then reduce the download cap by 75%.

And isn't there a 12 month min. term? I'm assuming that means that, even if you are no longer tied-in to Sky TV, you must remain with the TV package for 12 months or pay the cancellation penalty for Sky BB as you can't have their BB without their TV? Is that how it works?

penrhyn

There is certainly a 12 month minimum term on the broadband, same with the TV.
I just got my Sky Mag and there is a note that since they have changed the T&Cs of the Mid package you can cancel without penalty within a certain time frame, the letters gone in the the shredder now though.

1carminestocky

Thanks for that, penrhyn, but what i was getting at was, for existing Sky customers who are no longer in their 12 month contract, to sign up for broadband effectively (sort of) commits them to another 12 months TV as the BB has a min 12 month term and you can't have BB without the TV? I accept you won't have to pay any penalty for the TV cancellation but you will for the BB. I'm thinking specifically of people who's finances take a nosedive (redundancy etc) during the 12 month BB term and can no longer afford the TV package but probably can afford the BB. Can't have one without the other. A problem.

Gaz1971

oily_rag wrote: »

Has anyone else received this polite message from AOL?

At AOL Broadband we’re always looking to offer you the best possible service and value. We were one of the first providers to introduce a flat rate broadband connection, and we now have over a million broadband customers enjoying faster speeds thanks to our automatic upgrades.

However, due to the increased cost in maintaining a broadband service in your area, there will be a change to your monthly broadband subscription. From your next bill after the 21st July, your broadband package will cost £17.99 a month. This price change will happen automatically with no interruption to your service

I'm currently paying £9.99 a month for a 2mb service and so this is an increase of £8 a month or £96 a year. After nearly 10 years with AOL I think what they're probably saying in a round about way is we don't really want you as a customer anymore and it's time to find another provider.

Before you switch Ill warn you that this isnt just an AOL issue. Orange have also put up their prices as BT are now charging them more to lease the phone lines from them.

oily_rag

Gaz1971 wrote: »

Before you switch Ill warn you that this isnt just an AOL issue. Orange have also put up their prices as BT are now charging them more to lease the phone lines from them.

Thanks Gaz, I noticed the other thread about the Orange price increases and had come to that conclusion too. However, as a fairly light user I think it's still possible to obtain a better deal elsewhere.

The bit about BT raising their prices is interesting because like Electron I was considering changing to Plusnet but after doing some very basic research it appears they are actually owned by BT. That then leads me to suspect a clever business strategy whereby when the other ISP's have to raise their prices accordingly their customers then leave to be hoovered up by an offshoot of BT itself. It's probably just be my suspicious mind though