Internet at Home - Affordability

Neil_Jones

SaveMeDo said:

I foolishly signed up to a new contract for landline and ADSL, and I'm very sorry I did.

I should have cancelled my landline and broadband while I was out of contract.

Now I will have to pay through the nose to cancel the new contract.

For the poor, an internet landline service has become an unaffordable item.

Are you seriously saying Provider X should have asked you whether you can afford 12/18/24 months of <whatever> a month before letting you go ahead with it?

And with regards to cancelling, a lot of the time (not always but a lot) the cancellation cost works out to around the cost of the deal over its lifetime anyway, maybe slightly more.  So you may find if you can't afford to cancel it now, after 18 months it probably won't be too far away from what you would have paid to cancel in the first place.

SaveMeDo

I asked my new provider yesterday how much it would cost me to cancel, he snorted that it would cost the full price of the contract term, whatever that is, in my cast over £200 sobs

Yes, I firmly believe that ISP's put the customers on hold until the 14 (actually 15 days) has passed and the customer is "locked in" then they start the switch, and yes, I do firmly believe that call centres block your number, I have tested this by phoning form other numbers, and get straight through, where my number can't, Eon did this to me in Jan/Feb, after I switched, my old account was locked and chat was never available, they just block you!

There is a LOT of very high handed behaviour by this companies, telecom's, energy, insurance etc

Customers need more protection from these rouges, the government needs to legislate urgently.

james_smitha

Neil_Jones said:

james_smitha said:

macman said:

And your evidence for these '50%+' rises?

Sky in the Ts &Cs have a hidden 10% p.a price rise, would that tick the box?

Firstly that's for Sky TV, not broadband.

Secondly, the "hidden rise" is not hidden because its in the T&Cs, and it also says on the website, prices may go up.  If you don't read it when you join, that's your fault.

Thirdly, five rounds of 10% rises does not equal a 50% rise over the starting price, and digital TV is luxury, and Sky TV has always been expensive.

The 10% p.a. price rise did apply to broadband when I was with them, though not hidden it is not shouted about

NewLeaf1986

Rob_Wills said:

It has been recognised for many years that electricity, gas, water and sewerage are ESSENTIAL services that everyone needs. 
In modern day UK the home telephone line and INTERNET access are also vital to tens of millions of people so I was pleased to read this -  https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/may/03/bt-to-offer-under-half-price-fibre-broadband-to-people-on-benefits - however it doesn't go far enough.
Costs have risen sharply, by over 50% in many cases, during the past few years making many basic essential services unaffordable.  ALL households, and that would include millions of state pensioners, on low incomes ought to be able to access these "discounts" but few receive the help they need.

Hmm... That's funny. My mobile contract and landline / broadband is cheaper than it was 16 years ago. And that's pound-to-pound, not counting inflation.

If we factor in RPI then my services are drastically cheaper than they were when I was 18. 

If someone has difficulty paying for BT Basic or Virgin's equivalent £15 a month package, then I think their issues stem from something visible in the mirror rather than external factors like price gouging. 

SaveMeDo said:

I asked my new provider yesterday how much it would cost me to cancel, he snorted that it would cost the full price of the contract term, whatever that is, in my cast over £200 sobs

What part of that wasn't part of the terms and conditions you voluntarily agreed to when renewing your contract?