Five major events set to impact your personal finances in 2022

Former_MSE_James_F

From the reintroduction of costly European roaming charges to new rules being implemented around car and home insurance - here's a quick breakdown of five key events and changes that are set to impact your finances in early 2022 and, more importantly, what to do about it.

Read the full story here:
'Five major events set to impact your personal finances in 2022 - and what to do about it'

Click reply below to discuss. If you haven’t already, join the forum to reply.

Daliah

Did you forget to mention cheaper food and lower inflation? (tongue in cheek)

anotheruser

Let's not have another argument about brexit vs non-brexit.
We won't know the real outcome for another ten years or so...  but people focus on the short term.

The only mistake (and why roaming charges are back) is that our government didn't mandate the regulations.  Mobile companies don't have to introduce roaming charges but because they can, they do.

Daliah

anotheruser said:

Let's not have another argument about brexit vs non-brexit.

I appreciate the sentiment. I find it tiring and exhausting, too.

However, I want to get what I was promised, and I won't conveniently stay quiet for a decade or so when the promises do not materialise.

[Deleted User]

anotheruser said:

Let's not have another argument about brexit vs non-brexit.
We won't know the real outcome for another ten years or so...  but people focus on the short term.

The only mistake (and why roaming charges are back) is that our government didn't mandate the regulations.  Mobile companies don't have to introduce roaming charges but because they can, they do.

I've not seen a single benefit - short term or solid projected long term yet.

They do have to introduce roaming charges as their costs that they pay to allow you to use the local EU/EEA network are no longer regulated. 

Section62

Deleted User said:

They do have to introduce roaming charges as their costs that they pay to allow you to use the local EU/EEA network are no longer regulated. 

Really?  They can't do what they normally do and shuffle their costs around?

If so, it is amazing that the additional costs incurred per customer work out at exactly £2 per day each - regardless of usage and the networks involved, but only for customers who entered into contracts after a certain date.... and yet other providers apparently have no additional costs at all.

Although it is probably a more interesting discussion whether or not £2/day is "costly" for users messaging on their £1000+ mobiles.... especially when a mooted 40% increase in energy bills appears so much lower down the list.

daveyjp

So a few quid in roaming charges which applies to a tiny proportion of the population is deemed more of a shock than general inflation, increased taxes and energy prices which will affect all of us?

Daliah

daveyjp said:

So a few quid in roaming charges which applies to a tiny proportion of the population is deemed more of a shock than general inflation, increased taxes and energy prices which will affect all of us?

Obviously not, but the roaming charges are an easy to understand  [for most people] example for promises that were never going to materialise.


Here's a beautiful one, but you can easily find many more:



Best case is that it is time to stop pretending you weren't lied to by the Leave campaign. Worst case is that it is time you stopped lying to people.

Section62

Daliah said:

daveyjp said:

So a few quid in roaming charges which applies to a tiny proportion of the population is deemed more of a shock than general inflation, increased taxes and energy prices which will affect all of us?

Obviously not, but the roaming charges are an easy to understand  [for most people] example for promises that were never going to materialise.


Here's a beautiful one, but you can easily find many more:



Best case is that it is time to stop pretending you weren't lied to by the Leave campaign. Worst case is that it is time you stopped lying to people.

Given you are accusing people and/or organisations of lying, which part of that tweet you've chosen to quote are you claiming is untrue?

As recently as 21 August this year the Guardian (which we should be able to agree is a reliable source) reported "...both firms [O2 and Three] have said they currently have no plans to introduce the kind of charges seen above..."

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2021/aug/21/roaming-charges-how-the-dreaded-tariffs-return-will-hit-holidaymakers

So unless Three changed their minds twice in two and a half years, the Guardian article does suggest the tweet was true at the time.

[Deleted User]

Section62 said:

Deleted User said:

They do have to introduce roaming charges as their costs that they pay to allow you to use the local EU/EEA network are no longer regulated. 

Really?  They can't do what they normally do and shuffle their costs around?

If so, it is amazing that the additional costs incurred per customer work out at exactly £2 per day each - regardless of usage and the networks involved, but only for customers who entered into contracts after a certain date.... and yet other providers apparently have no additional costs at all.

Although it is probably a more interesting discussion whether or not £2/day is "costly" for users messaging on their £1000+ mobiles.... especially when a mooted 40% increase in energy bills appears so much lower down the list.

Why should they shuffle the cost onto non-roamers? They've clearly done the maths regarding their fees; remember that roaming isn't a core service and can be deactivated. You clearly have a poor grasp of contract law; if you didn't you'd realise why they phase new charges in on fix priced contracts.

Section62

Deleted User said:

Why should they shuffle the cost onto non-roamers? They've clearly done the maths regarding their fees; remember that roaming isn't a core service and can be deactivated.

Ok, so you are now agreeing that it is a commercial decision to reintroduce these charges, rather than something the companies "have to" do?

It's absolutely fine if the companies have decided to pass on any additional costs they might have in a way that they determine (on a commercial basis) within the regulatory framework they operate in.

But please don't pretend the companies have no option but to do this.

Deleted User said:

You clearly have a poor grasp of contract law;

It didn't take long for you to move on to the ad homs....

Deleted User said:

if you didn't you'd realise why they phase new charges in on fix priced contracts.

....but although I'll happily confess that I'm no expert on consumer law, I've not yet come across a consumer contract which didn't give the company rights to vary the terms or charges in some way, or in extremis to terminate the contract, except in cases where they are prohibited from doing so by regulation (e.g. domestic energy contract SVR/capping).

So if the increased costs (the "allow you to use the local EU/EEA network are no longer regulated" bit) you claim the companies now face are so high the companies need or "have" to pass them on to the consumer directly, then I'd be very surprised if any mobile contracts aren't constructed in a way which allows the company to do so, or to withdraw the service.

If you have an example of one of these "fix price contracts" which you believe doesn't allow either price changes, or withdrawal of service, then please share.  I'll attempt to use my limited knowledge of consumer law to see if I can find the company's 'get out of jail' clause for you.

The issue here is whether the mobile companies have seen an opportunity to increase their charges and made a commercial decision to do so, or if they have had no option but to do so.  As yet nobody has presented convincing evidence of the latter, despite their claims.