MSE News: Three to raise mobile prices

lolavix

Quentin wrote: »

You may have missed the point!

If we were able to use this price increase to cancel contracts without penalty, then we would have the benefit of our (expensive) smart phones for no further payment and could sell them/stick cheap sim only deal in them etc

Do you really think Three would make it that easy? I doubt very much they'd risk losing that much money.

I'm paying the same as Sim only price at the moment anyway, so I'm no worse off.

richardjames73

I managed to cancel a previous contract with 3.. I think it was when they changed the way they rounded the invoicing minutes so they charged you for a minimum of 1 minute on all calls.

im-lost

Just kick up a fuss and you will get a credit to your account like
many of us did last time.

The whole issue of detrimental change won't wash with three /
Ofcom / otelo etc etc

Take this from someone who had a long running battle, I believe 6
months last year over the introduction of the 1p charge for delivery
reports. I challenged it, where many others couldn't be bothered and
ended up getting a ruling from the communications ombudsman, which
cost three many hundreds in fees and gave me a credit which pretty much
wiped out the remaining cost of my contract.

I still signed up with three again, because overall they give the best deal for
me, knowing full well that I would get a slight increase over the next year.

The detrimental change has to be on excess of 10% of your monthly
tariff cost.

They are allowed to increase price plans inline with inflation, if you wish
to go via the route of an unfair term, your only option is via a court.

Just phone them up, make a nuisance of yourself and they will credit your
account with 10 or 15 quid to shut you up.

You will not be able to get out of your contracts for free.

We went through this last year, people on nearly every other network
have done it.

Take it as a given that from now on your contracts will be increasing in
price every year.

NATOuk

lolavix wrote: »

Do you really think Three would make it that easy? I doubt very much they'd risk losing that much money

This is why I think it's a gamble. How many people are going to

a. Care
b. Check to see that the T&Cs don't explicitly allow them to increase the tariff without allowing you to cancel the contract
c. Be bothered to call customer services (who are well briefed to challenge any of your assertions)
d. Write a complaint
e. Push for the ombudsman when they inevitably reject your complaint
f. Have done all this before the change comes into effect, by which time you are deemed to have accepted the change

The money they'll make from the increase vs the money they'll lose from people successfully challenging them is definitely weighted in their favour.

Quentin

lolavix wrote: »

Do you really think Three would make it that easy? I doubt very much they'd risk losing that much money....

It has happened in the past. (T-mobile and Orange boobed over price increases, letting us out of the contracts with nice free phones - though a long time ago! Around 2004.)

im-lost

As a side note, three are a bunch of lying shysters.

"While we know a price increase is never welcome, this is the first time that we've ever raised the price of our Pay Monthly phone contracts and we're confident that your plan still represents excellent value for money"

It's simply untrue, there was a vat rise, shortly after was the rise inline with
inflation, followed by the introduction of the charge of 1p for sms delivery
reports, all last year.

KTF

When did 3 last change all of their plans/deals?

This price rise is only for people who signed up before March 8 but if they are on exactly the same plan/deal as someone who signed up after that date then it seems strange that the price of these contracts are not rising as well as they would also be effected by 'inflation'.

Idiophreak

KTF wrote: »

This price rise is only for people who signed up before March 8 but if they are on exactly the same plan/deal as someone who signed up after that date then it seems strange that the price of these contracts are not rising as well as they would also be effected by 'inflation'.

Not really...It's going to have been a few months since March when this change comes in...So it's reasonable that the currency may be worth less than it was when the contract started...someone who takes out the contract the day before the rises, however, shouldn't expect to pay the increase, as the currency will be worth more or less the same...

real1314

callum9999 wrote: »

Of course there is, but how on earth could a rise equal to the rate of inflation be labelled "unfair" by a reasonable person?

And I don't read all the t&c's either. I generally skim read looking for the important keywords, but otherwise I accept that if I lie (which everyone getting a contract without reading them is doing) and pretend that I've read them, I can't complain if there is one to my detriment. (Unless of course, it is particularly unfair).

It's quite simple really. If you offer a 2 year contract you should anticipate a reasonable rate of inflation and account for it.

If inflation had reversed and become deflation, would 3 (& voda &orange) be reducing their prices?

A 2 year deal should be fixed. If inflation is more than anticipated, 3 lose out; if inflation is less than anticipated, 3 win. One price for two years. :cool:

Idiophreak

real1314 wrote: »

If inflation had reversed and become deflation, would 3 (& voda &orange) be reducing their prices?

More interestingly...if they failed to do so, would that equate a detrimental change?