MSE News: O2 and Virgin Mobile to hike mobile prices by up to 17.3%

savergrant

When you purchased the device did you agree a price and a repayment plan? Does your contract to purchase the device state what your payments will be and that the interest rate is 0%? If so it is a loan and they would need to give you notice of variance to the terms, if the contract allows them to vary the interest rate.
How much of your monthly payment is repayment of the loan, and how much is your connection?

savergrant

This might give some hope, from o2's website regarding price rises;

"If you do not accept the new Charges you may be able to stop using the services or terminate your Agreement. If you don't give us notice you accept the new Charges and the Agreement will continue with the new Charges. Full details of how and when to give notice and the circumstances under which you can terminate your Agreement are in Sections 5 and 8 of your Pay Monthly Mobile Agreement."

This would suggest you can settle the bill for the device and leave your sim contract early.

But I don't have a pmma to look up sections 5 and 8.

Simon11

I had been on a rolling sim only deal, paying just over 20 quid a month for 20 GB of data (but only using around 6 GB a month).

Saw that prices would be going up at 17%, so used the live chat and threated to leave.

A few more expensive deals were shown first, before I showed them a deal on MSE where 02 were charging 8 quid a month for 15 GB of data on a 12 month contract. They matched it!

So while prices will still increase 17% in April 2023, I have saved myself a tenner a month and keeping 02 as they provide a good service + Europe roaming.

If 02 had held their prices flat, I would most likely have stayed paying 20 quid a month and not bothered looking into! So 02 have lost out!

fogsucker

I'm out of contract on O2 and have seen my bill will go up a lot from 1 April. 

I've seen a much cheaper deal on Three that I could switch to. If I do it now though, will three then increase the price also on 1 April? Or is there a cut off where they don't do that to new customers? 

Or should I basically just wait until 1 April, check the deal again then, and then switch? At what date is the deal "locked in" with Three? 

flaneurs_lobster

fogsucker said:

I'm out of contract on O2 and have seen my bill will go up a lot from 1 April. 

I've seen a much cheaper deal on Three that I could switch to. If I do it now though, will three then increase the price also on 1 April? Or is there a cut off where they don't do that to new customers? 

Or should I basically just wait until 1 April, check the deal again then, and then switch? At what date is the deal "locked in" with Three? 

The obvious advice is to ask Three and then assume you have been advised correctly if they say "no rise this April".

I did this a couple of years ago, took out new contract, price went up regardless, literally hours on the phone over several days to get the price hike reversed. And that was when the price rise was about £1.50/month. 

Trouble is that this cut-off date is not in their T&Cs nor published anywhere else.

I'm waiting until April 2nd to start a new contract.

Also worth looking on USwitch for O2 deals (might need a double port to renew) and I've heard that O2 can be amenable to a bit of a haggle.

andykb999

So this is very confusing .. I’ve been with VM a while now and signed up to an 18mknth deal ‘Volt’ in June 22 I think contract expires dec 23. So VM website states no changes to my current contractand that is reflected in the bill but my O2 element has gone from 25 to just short of 30 quid a month. VM site says I can leave at any time so. I’ll be trying that next week to test the water on the O2 front … note sure it will fly but I’m gonna try 

Jadaboom31

Appaulded with the 17.5% increase, i'll be paying over £70 for the Samsung Flip 4. I was also put on the business contract which I wasn't aware of when I bought the contract (didn't realise till months later) and have been told I can only cancel by paying upfront. 

Royally screwed me over and my contract doesn't finish till September 2025.

Do I have any grounds to cancel/put in a formal complaint due to the business contract? 

lyndawilliam

Well, its really impressive topic for me, Thanks.