Mobile price increase anything I can do ?

Soldato
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In the last few years everytime I've spoken to either broadband or mobile suppliers they have also read this term out when detailing the overall costs. The only thing I find shocking about this post is £70 a month? Ouch...
 
Soldato
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Easy prices for those buying direct from the network, still shocked at what my friend said people paid for iPhones when he worked at EE and other flagships.
 
Soldato
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If you take a top of the line phone like a Samsung Fold or iPhone 12 Max Pro XXL (or whatever it's called now) on a 2 year deal I could see that being £70pm. It would need to be to pay off a phone like that in two years.
A Fold maybe but £70pm is £1680 over 2 years. Even if you bought an iPhone 12 Pro Max at RRP, which is £1099, that's pretty much £600 for two years of airtime!
It's a total money racket.
 
Soldato
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Even if you bought an iPhone 12 Pro Max at RRP, which is £1099, that's pretty much £600 for two years of airtime!

And I’m reluctant to believe that when e.g. Vodafone puts in an order for 100,000 iPhone 12 Pro Max they pay the consumer RRP for them.
 
Caporegime
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A Fold maybe but £70pm is £1680 over 2 years. Even if you bought an iPhone 12 Pro Max at RRP, which is £1099, that's pretty much £600 for two years of airtime!
It's a total money racket.
Include all the garbage you can get from Vodafone’s top package like Disney+, Netflix, Apple TV etc and you’re hitting about that.
 
Soldato
OP
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Having shopped around recently for phones/broadband etc., every single supplier has this price increase warning somewhere on their site very visible before you sign up, usually in the checkout page.

Some providers will increase prices in line with CPI, some increase by CPI+X%, and a very small amount will give a fixed price.

Should their be any price increases outside of this, then you can leave your contract penalty free within 30 days of the price increase.
That may be the case now but not when I signed up


In the terms and conditions probably, 'government mandatory' complete rubbish!

The only thing the government is going to possibly mandate (presumably via OFCOM) is the maximum they're allowed to increase it by.

I think I'll stick with my £12.50/month 20GB SIM only with Tesco. I really hope that the £70/month is paying for something worthwhile.
Yes this is what I thought complete rubbish! it's just greed but nothing I can do about that, I would not have an issue with it if it was not for how they treated me, as if they don't care they know I can't do anything.

I was on a sim only deal myself and was happy but my was not in a good condition ( cracks all over ) I thought I would treat myself and get a newer phone but the cash price for used phones was still high for most newer phones ( 1-2 years old) so I thought its better if I pay a little more and get the latest, a contact seamed like the best option consider I would still need to pay for a plan anyway and I'm not paying all in one go and the free gifts.

I'll be going back to sim only after.

Less mandatory, more allowed to charge so why miss the opportunity to make money.

Suppose this is one more advantage of getting the phone interest free with a SIM only plan as you avoid these RPI increases. Certainly can add up if you have a £70 monthly contract and take it out right before the increase.

Yes this was the main reason I was annoyed, I was not informed and the way they dealt with me when I asked.

I read this thread yesterday and my immediate thought was 4.5% seems excessive - I don’t recall any previous increase in my mobile tariffs being that high, it was usually around 1%. My other thought was I’m sure you were informed in the T&C’s.
I just got en email from Vodafone this morning regarding the April increase and they state a 1.4% increase in line with the Retail Price Index (RPI) - is that the same as CPI?
I always assumed anything above the index, no matter how small, entitled you to leave penalty free?
I was not told when I placed the order, ive not had a phone contact for a few years so I never expected it either the only ones that would increase the price mid contact was virgin and they would always take another look when asked and when I found out I also thought 4.5% was a bit excessive, I wanted to leave or at least get them to take another look, I spoke to 6 people and they refused point-blank to do anything giving me different reasons and I can't leave unless I pay off the contact.

The government or Ofcom needs to stop these practices

When CPI was at 3%, the increases were set at CPI to allow the Telcos to 'keep up with rising costs' (even if their staff were made redundant, got low payrises, or overall investment was low). Now that CPI is 0.7%, somehow the regulator is allowing them to increase contracts by 4.5% and the only logical reasoning can be 'to increase their profits'.

The brown envelopes must never have been fatter.

EDIT - this is the reason I'll never go on contract again.
This was my issue and why I was annoyed the CPI is only 0.6%, I was never told when I was sold the contract when they already knew and they are already aware of the climate but they are still happy to take advantage

Always gets people when going into new contracts. Your wage packet doesn't rise every year does it so why should bills when you sign up to a contract stating it's XXX per month.
They are aware of the climate and how things are for most people so why are they taking advantage.

In the last few years everytime I've spoken to either broadband or mobile suppliers they have also read this term out when detailing the overall costs. The only thing I find shocking about this post is £70 a month? Ouch...
I thought the same when I first saw what prices are like now.

I needed a new phone and I was already paying for a sim only deal, I thought it would be better to get a contact so im not paying in one lump.
 
Associate
Joined
19 Dec 2010
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You will have been told at POS of the price increase.

If you believe you weren't, raise an official complaint, then you might be able to get out of it.

Otherwise, there's not really much to complain about.
 
Caporegime
Joined
21 Jun 2006
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38,372
i buy a phone and sim only 50gb data £12 a month, the phone does all the same as the new ones.

I buy SIM free and I'm currently paying £8 a month and I plan on moving to a better deal at around £7 per month with unlimited data, texts and minutes.

I'm seriously thinking about going 5G home broadband at some point too as £28 a month for 375MB is expensive compared to £7 a month and similar speeds. Although I think upload speeds are terrible currently and so is signal I'll wait for them to improve a little.

I also tend to buy and sell phones regularly and when I sell I usually get most of my money back or even make a profit sometimes as I buy really good deals.

I'd hate to see the depreciation on these £1200 phones.
 
Permabanned
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I buy SIM free and I'm currently paying £8 a month and I plan on moving to a better deal at around £7 per month with unlimited data, texts and minutes.

I'm seriously thinking about going 5G home broadband at some point too as £28 a month for 375MB is expensive compared to £7 a month and similar speeds. Although I think upload speeds are terrible currently and so is signal I'll wait for them to improve a little.

I also tend to buy and sell phones regularly and when I sell I usually get most of my money back or even make a profit sometimes as I buy really good deals.

I'd hate to see the depreciation on these £1200 phones.

100 percent i am the same, unlimited data for £7 geez your doing better than me :). i will be looking for 5G broadband i have not had a phone connected to BT line rental for around 10 years maybe more.
using your head and using quidco and saving money, yes it takes a few more minutes over the year it pays for a break or holiday, better off in your own pocket.
 
Caporegime
Joined
21 Jun 2006
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38,372
100 percent i am the same, unlimited data for £7 geez your doing better than me :). i will be looking for 5G broadband i have not had a phone connected to BT line rental for around 10 years maybe more.
using your head and using quidco and saving money, yes it takes a few more minutes over the year it pays for a break or holiday, better off in your own pocket.

https://www.affordablemobiles.co.uk/sim-only?data=unlimited&s=mrc

£9.75 a month but you get £25-£35 Quidco.

It was £4 a month 2 months ago so it's actually doubled in price.

If you don't need unlimited there are better deals available. For cheaper.
 
Man of Honour
Joined
13 Oct 2006
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90,805
Had a nice one on one of my plans which has just come to the end of the contract and moved over to rolling 30 day - they sent me a breakdown of my current plan then below that an enthusiastic message about a "great" plan they feel would be of benefit to me to "upgrade" to - listing with exactly the same specs as my current plan but £1 a month more...
 
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