Talkmobile increase contract monthly charge

lef

I have a 24 month contract with Talkmobile, and I've just received the following text message:

"A small inflationary increase of 30p will apply to your monthly charge from your June bill. Your new monthly charge will be £16.30. This charge does not affect your inclusive allowances. See talkmobile.co.uk/junepricing for more details."

Visiting the website shows a little more information along with the following footnote:

"Section 8.8 of your contract stipulates: Your right to end this Agreement set out in Clause 8.7 does not apply if the increase to the Charges made under Clause 8.7.3 (calculated as a percentage) is no more than the increase in the Retail Prices Index Figure ("RPI", also calculated as a percentage) for the period from the month of the last increase (if any) to the month before we send you notice of the change."

As I understand it the law protects consumers from a provider changing the terms of their contract (i.e by changing the cost), by releasing the consumer from the contract if the provider does so. Does clause 8.8 really enable the provider to override this protection?

At the end of the day I'm not too fussed as it's a piddling amount of money. It's more the principle of the matter.

grumbler

lef wrote: »

As I understand it the law protects consumers...

What law?

...from a provider changing the terms of their contract (i.e by changing the cost)

They don't change the terms. They change the cost in line with terms.

lef

grumbler wrote: »

What law.

The Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999 pal...

grumbler

Well, I am sure that it doesn't say directly that the cost cannot be increased. Sue Talkmobile if you think that their T&C are unfair.
Before you waste money on the court have a read of this:
Orange and T-Mobile customers face yet more price hikes
Orange won't face price hike investigation but door open for complaints
Orange to raise monthly mobile costs
Three to raise mobile prices
T-Mobile to hit pay monthly users with price hikes
Vodafone to raise pay monthly prices
O2 raises mobile prices for 7 million: what should I do?

ZhugeEX

I really don't understand the amount of people that are still complaining about this. Networks have done this for ages now and yet it's still news to some people apparently.

lef

A bit hostile here isn't it!? I'm not suing anyone. I just posted because I thought it was interesting and wondered if it was normal lol.

ZhugeEX

lef wrote: »

...and wondered if it was normal lol.

Sorry haha. The amount of people that complain about price increases and expect to be able to cancel/get standard price is unbelievable. You'd think after every company has done it, some more than once, that people would know that networks could do this by now.

And yeh, it's normal. But it should be criminal, and will be soon thankfully

grumbler

Even if the regulations change this will never be criminal.

And in fact this is unlikely to get even unlawful. The campaign is for the networks to be more upfront about possible price increases if the T&C allow this.

lef

I did say "At the end of the day I'm not too fussed as it's a piddling amount of money. It's more the principle of the matter." ;-) I've got better things to do than muck about for weeks trying to cancel a contract to save a few quid then having to set up a new one, transfer number etc.

I'm just a bit peeved as I've never come across a price-increase mid contract before and it seems a bit out of order...

ZhugeEX

grumbler wrote: »

Even if the regulations change this will never be criminal.

You know what i meant

jimkenyon

Talkmobile will gain an extra 6 pounds from me but will then lose a customer at the end of my minimum term.

I would also point out that the increase is being applied to that part of the contract that covered the handset cost (the main element of most contracts) - wheres the inflation there?