3.9% RPI increases Mobile and Broadband suppliers

[CopperBolt]

Any one else getting these emails saying because of rising gas/elec prices they have to put the bills up?

How much gas and electric is used running a room full of servers and an east Asian call centre?!

All these multinationals really have got us over a barrel and its getting worse isnt it.

[Gio G]

EE are looking to charge me an 18% increase from March.

G

[abzmike]

Hmmm... imagine if there was an official regulator in charge of these things....
In fact imagine if there was a regulator providing effective governance of energy prices...
Any even imagine if there was a regulator providing effective governance of the water industry...
See where I'm going here?

[vulture1]

This is the definition of inflation. Their staff will be asking more because travel to work and food costs them more. Also powering their masts and systems will be more.

[captain.scarlet]

Mobile providers have been doing this every single year without fail. They're as much a part of the problem as they are attempting to portray themselves as victims of it.

[Mr Overheads]

Not defending them. However the RPI increase is in the contract you sign. It's set as RPI + 3.9% (or it might be CPI). So it's always above inflation. Most years people didn't notice a few extra pence on their rental when inflation was 2.5% + 3.9%. Now it's making a huge difference. Especially on some of the larger fleets I manage and procure for companies. Plenty of ways to save on corporate fleets though and more than mitigate the increase.

[EdR]

Gio G said:

EE are looking to charge me an 18% increase from March.

G

Same here, encouraged me to cancel EE last month and move to a 30 day SIM with Voxi. Will probably end up getting a Vodafone SIM only 18 month contract as works out cheaper for me all round, but not until after March so I only get stung with 1 uplift during the contract

[emicen]

O2 Email said:

The change means that from April 2023 the price of your monthly mobile plan (that’s the cost of your inclusive minutes, texts and data) will rise in line with the 13.4% Retail Price Index (RPI) rate of inflation.

The fk it will.

30gb data, unlimited calls and texts. Uswitch tells me O2 offer 50gb for £12 a month to new customers, they want £32.54 plus 13.4% for an existing customer.

Hello Vodafone time.

[cuprabob]

emicen said:

O2 Email said:

The change means that from April 2023 the price of your monthly mobile plan (that’s the cost of your inclusive minutes, texts and data) will rise in line with the 13.4% Retail Price Index (RPI) rate of inflation.

The fk it will.

30gb data, unlimited calls and texts. Uswitch tells me O2 offer 50gb for £12 a month to new customers, they want £32.54 plus 13.4% for an existing customer.

Hello Vodafone time.

Just phone up O2 and they'll honour the Uswitch deal. My annual SIM only contract is up in April and every year I give them a call and I normally get to keep my current price of £8 per month.

[Gio G]

captain.scarlet said:

Mobile providers have been doing this every single year without fail. They're as much a part of the problem as they are attempting to portray themselves as victims of it.

Absolutely this.. I have two contracts with them, which has four family numbers. If they levy this increase, I will go to another provider when my contract ends.

G

[captain.scarlet]

Gio G said:

captain.scarlet said:

Mobile providers have been doing this every single year without fail. They're as much a part of the problem as they are attempting to portray themselves as victims of it.

Absolutely this.. I have two contracts with them, which has four family numbers. If they levy this increase, I will go to another provider when my contract ends.

G

It's why I prefer SIM only deals to be honest. I have two numbers, each with different networks.

It's in the contract somewhere, so nothing we can do anything about I suppose, which is why as annoying as it is that it happens, a 24-month deal means you should only see the hike a couple of times at most.

They do bite your hands off when you say you're leaving them for another network and even if you say you've found a deal with them via a comparison website.

U-Switch has typically been my go-to place and despite the rising cost of everything, it's still been possible to get a fairly generous and sufficient package. Let's face it, these days we're less about the minutes, texts and unlimited calls than we are about the data allowance!

[Jon39]

abzmike said:

Hmmm... imagine if there was an official regulator in charge of these things....
In fact imagine if there was a regulator providing effective governance of energy prices...
Any even imagine if there was a regulator providing effective governance of the water industry...
See where I'm going here?

Yes, I can.
It was all so much better, when they were all nationalised.

You could write a letter to the Post Office Telephone Company requesting a phone connection to your home.
Eventually you would receive a letter in reply.
No need for anyone to hurry of course, because you couldn't take your custom elsewhere.
After waiting between 6 months and a year, you would be connected. There was a choice of black phone. Take it, or leave it.

There were electricity power cuts, when the state funded industry employees went on strike.

The steam trains were filthy.

It was great. Life was so much better then.
Everything was run so well and you could not complain about anything.
I suppose that is one thing, we have to accept has improved. We can complain and blame others all the time now.

[abzmike]

Jon39 said:

abzmike said:

Hmmm... imagine if there was an official regulator in charge of these things....
In fact imagine if there was a regulator providing effective governance of energy prices...
Any even imagine if there was a regulator providing effective governance of the water industry...
See where I'm going here?

Yes, I can.
It was all so much better, when they were all nationalised.

You could write a letter to the Post Office Telephone Company requesting a phone connection to your home.
Eventually you would receive a letter in reply.
No need for anyone to hurry of course, because you couldn't take your custom elsewhere.
After waiting between 6 months and a year, you would be connected. There was a choice of black phone. Take it, or leave it.

There were electricity power cuts, when the state funded industry employees went on strike.

The steam trains were filthy.

It was great. Life was so much better then.
Everything was run so well and you could not complain about anything.
I suppose that is one thing, we have to accept has improved. We can complain and blame others all the time now.

OK so moving forward 40 years since privatisation of utilities - I think we can all agree many things have changed...
Privatisation has been generally positive, however a number of elements have not been handled well at all. The particular point here is that mid contract price rises are allowed - the increases being permitted just now are ridiculous and stem from a low RPI environment not cateted for by OFCOM guidelines - Higher inflation was coming whether Ukraine had kicked off or not and shoudl have been considered in the RPI + 3.% increase rules.
And lets look at power supply privatisation - OFGEN totally lost control of the market, and we now have the issue of customers of a;l providers bailiing out losses incurred by 'energy providers' that were no more than a bloke with a laptop in his shed. and shall we bother about the lowest level in the economy having to pay the highest prices for energy? All brilliant isn't it - well it is for shareholders, and regulators sitting around of fat salaries doing know knows what.

[Your Dad]

emicen said:

30gb data, unlimited calls and texts. Uswitch tells me O2 offer 50gb for £12 a month to new customers

£8 a month for exiting customers is available, I've just changed to it from 20gb/month even though I'm only 4 months into existing contract with them - https://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/o2-30gb-data-60gb...

[emicen]

Your Dad said:

emicen said:

30gb data, unlimited calls and texts. Uswitch tells me O2 offer 50gb for £12 a month to new customers

£8 a month for exiting customers is available, I've just changed to it from 20gb/month even though I'm only 4 months into existing contract with them - https://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/o2-30gb-data-60gb...

Excellent, thanks! Saved me a phone call and nearly £25 a month!

[SturdyHSV]

emicen said:

Your Dad said:

emicen said:

30gb data, unlimited calls and texts. Uswitch tells me O2 offer 50gb for £12 a month to new customers

£8 a month for exiting customers is available, I've just changed to it from 20gb/month even though I'm only 4 months into existing contract with them - https://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/o2-30gb-data-60gb...

Excellent, thanks! Saved me a phone call and nearly £25 a month!

Just tried this and as soon as I sign in it errors, basically 'order not allowed' in the URL, but the webpage just says "something went wrong" and to chat to them.

At least now I know what's available when speaking to them, I mean, I'm only paying £11 a month currently for 10GB so it's hardly end of the world, but still...!

[droopsnoot]

cuprabob said:

Just phone up O2 and they'll honour the Uswitch deal. My annual SIM only contract is up in April and every year I give them a call and I normally get to keep my current price of £8 per month.

Good to know, I'm on SIM only, first year of a contract which ends soon, and I've had the email. I haven't read the Plusnet one yet, but that's got six months to go.

[The Leaper]

Just had notification from BT of their increase from 1 April for home phone and broadband services. It's going up by £10.71 per month in accordance with the contract terms. Interesting that they state the price increase not the percentage. The reason given is singular: high inflation. I cannot see how this alone can affect BT and justify what looks to be about a 15% increase, but I will accept the change because I agreed the contract terms in the past and don't wish to depart from BT.

R.

[cuprabob]

The Leaper said:

Just had notification from BT of their increase from 1 April for home phone and broadband services. It's going up by £10.71 per month in accordance with the contract terms. Interesting that they state the price increase not the percentage. The reason given is singular: high inflation. I cannot see how this alone can affect BT and justify what looks to be about a 15% increase, but I will accept the change because I agreed the contract terms in the past and don't wish to depart from BT.

R.

Yes BT is 14.4 %, made up from CPI (10.5%) plus 3.9%. O2 uses RPI (13.4%) plus 3.9% meaning their increase is 17.3%.

I believe the 3.9% was agreed with Ofcom as inflation was historically low and to allow the companies to invest in infrastructure however there should have been a cap where above a certain RPI /CPI figure, say 5%, the 3.9% should be excluded. As has been said previously, Ofcom and Ofgen seem to be more on the side of the retailer than the consumer.

[shopper150]

Mid contract rises shouldn’t be permitted. A contract should be both ways, you commit to them, they commit to you.

It’s simply immoral to sign up to a 18 or 24 month contract in March 2023 and then be hit with an increase in April 2023 until the end of your contract period