what really is the best fibre deal at moment?

eastmidsaver

hi.
i am currently with NOW TV where i pay £22.99 a month for Fab Fibre and Entertainment Pack and have had this offer for 2 years running.
that is soon coming to an end and when i rang NOW TV a couple days ago they would not offer it me again.
i not too bothered about TV packages,  but if i really want i can just subscribe to Netflix on top.
doing some online research, it appears Vodafone is the best broadband deal at £19 a month (2 year contract),  but when i spoke to them they increase it every April by RPI plus 3.9%, which therefore means potentially 10% this upcoming April, and again the following year.   when you factor that in,  it doesn't seem like a great deal.
can anyone advise what they thinking the current best deal is?
also is it worth ringing NOW TV again,  as i hear usually it can take 2 or 3 attempts before you finally get offered a good deal?
many thanks,

Browntoa

All broadband deals have RPI clauses if you look 

Cheapest isn't always the best anyway , customer service reviews should be part of your research in case something goes faulty or you have problems 

Neil_Jones

Most if not all providers now have the CPI+3.9% in (TalkTalk last I looked did a thing where you paid more per month but it was exempt from the automatic rise, though when I worked it out properly it was more expensive than the automatic rise would have been)

There are deals here - that Vodafone deal with £100 voucher which effectively makes it £14.84 with said voucher:

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/broadband-and-tv/cheap-broadband/#fibre

However £20 on its own is pretty much as low as it'll get.  You may get lucky next time round as a retention offer.

matelodave

I think you'll find that most if not all suppliers have jumped onto the 3.9% + RPI uplift in April (probably because OpenReach have included it into their contractual costs to the ISP) so, as you say, a possible 10% increase.

Like you I've been searching for a decent deal as my present one with BT expires on 13th Jan and I have plumped for Vodafone.

I'll get faster speeds, and unlimited calls for £25 a month less than BT were offering me to remain. Therefore the 10% increase will be £2.50 a month less as well.

onomatopoeia99

Browntoa said:

All broadband deals have RPI clauses if you look 

 

Andrews and Arnold don't. In the 18 years I've been with them they've only ever decreased prices.

eastmidsaver

thanks for your input.   i note comments about RPI although i don't think NOW TV were increasing there's whilst with them.
however,  i remember a rule saying if companies increase prices mid way through contract you can then switch penalty free.  is that the case with the RPI increases?

Neil_Jones

eastmidsaver said:

thanks for your input.   i note comments about RPI although i don't think NOW TV were increasing there's whilst with them.
however,  i remember a rule saying if companies increase prices mid way through contract you can then switch penalty free.  is that the case with the RPI increases?

That was under old contracts where it wasn't included in the T&Cs that prices would increase.

The new ones with the clause of rising prices included, that "leave penalty free" thing doesn't apply, because you agree to it when you join.  You can't leave penalty free because of a price increase you were told was going to happen.  Doesn't matter whether the mark of increase is RPI, CPI or whatever.  If its in your T&Cs prices increase by CPI+3.9% and your price then increased by CPI+3.9%, that's what you agreed to. 

As things stand CPI in December 2021 was 4.6%.  Assuming a similar rate for January 2022 that's looking like an 8.5% increase for these providers.  Which may in the light of rising prices across the board as a whole, be seen as relatively excessive.  Time will tell.

mrsplinter

Neil_Jones said:

eastmidsaver said:

thanks for your input.   i note comments about RPI although i don't think NOW TV were increasing there's whilst with them.
however,  i remember a rule saying if companies increase prices mid way through contract you can then switch penalty free.  is that the case with the RPI increases?

That was under old contracts where it wasn't included in the T&Cs that prices would increase.

The new ones with the clause of rising prices included, that "leave penalty free" thing doesn't apply, because you agree to it when you join.  You can't leave penalty free because of a price increase you were told was going to happen.  Doesn't matter whether the mark of increase is RPI, CPI or whatever.  If its in your T&Cs prices increase by CPI+3.9% and your price then increased by CPI+3.9%, that's what you agreed to. 

As things stand CPI in December 2021 was 4.6%.  Assuming a similar rate for January 2022 that's looking like an 8.5% increase for these providers.  Which may in the light of rising prices across the board as a whole, be seen as relatively excessive.  Time will tell.

Actually, the CPI rate for November 2021 which was announced this month was 5.1%. The CPIH figure (which includes housing) was 4.6%.

December's CPI figure is announced on 19 January and is probably going to be even higher!

HaroldWren5

eastmidsaver said:

hi.
i am currently with NOW TV where i pay £22.99 a month for Fab Fibre and Entertainment Pack and have had this offer for 2 years running.
that is soon coming to an end and when i rang NOW TV a couple days ago they would not offer it me again.
i not too bothered about TV packages,  but if i really want i can just subscribe to Netflix on top.
doing some online research, it appears Vodafone is the best broadband deal at £19 a month (2 year contract),  but when i spoke to them they increase it every April by RPI plus 3.9%, which therefore means potentially 10% this upcoming April, and again the following year.   when you factor that in,  it doesn't seem like a great deal.
can anyone advise what they thinking the current best deal is?
also is it worth ringing NOW TV again,  as i hear usually it can take 2 or 3 attempts before you finally get offered a good deal?
many thanks,

I think you have to aim for either the shortest possible contract (thus maximum flexibility for you and the advantage of being able to take advantage of better offers as and when wholesale broadband costs go down), the lowest price (so if there is any CPI increase, it's a lower increase), or else preferably a Fixed price broadband contract. 

I believe broadband providers like Zen, Giganet or Cuckoo both do 12 month contracts. They have fixed prices for the duration of the contract. The latter also has 30 day rolling contracts and at the end of their contract (including the 12 month one), you are automatically put onto whatever price a new customer gets. So I would say go with one of them. 

Otherwise, for those who increase their prices (like the Vodafone example you gave), you would aim to go for a broadband provider with a shorter contract length of 18 months. E.g. TalkTalk. 

Richard_T_

I've just signed with Now for 12 months @ £20 plus inclusive landline calls

shiraz99

Richard_T_ said:

I've just signed with Now for 12 months @ £20 plus inclusive landline calls

Not to mention £90 cashback via topcashback.