Member Article

Customers should shop around following BT's price hike

Consumers and business should shop around for their phone and internet services in the wake of BT announcing a New Year price hike of 6.5%.

BT customers should look to see what deals they can get from other suppliers as line rental will increase by 3.5%, and a monthly £1.75 charge introduced for voicemail service Answer 1571 will be introduced.

Customers, who will be informed of the price rises over the next week, will have ten days from receiving notice to cancel their agreement without penalty, and I suggest they do just that.

BT have denied the price rises are linked to the launch of its £1bn sports channels and have said customers’ calls bills have decreased on average by 14pc over the past five years.

Customers have a one-off opportunity to cancel their contracts with BT and look elsewhere. I would recommend they take it,“ he said. “It’s the second time this year BT have announced a price rise. Back in July, the company increased their line installation by 7pc and their business broadband and business price packages by 6pc – at a time when small businesses, the heroes of the UK economy, were really struggling.

In my view, consumers and businesses should refuse to sit back and swallow such a steep increase in cost. They should look at other providers who are not going to suddenly and unilaterally increase prices by a level which is higher than inflation. The majority of smaller, independent telecoms providers have a policy of not putting up prices mid-contract, so consumers and businesses really need to shop around for the best deal, not just look to who is the cheapest.

I think this shows a disregard for your customers. While it may not sound like a great deal, to ensure they can properly plan and run their company correctly, small business owners need to know what their month to month costs will be. A price rise of 6.5pc in any utility bill results in uncertainty and creates a headache for any 21stcentury company which relies on good communications to stay on top form. Anyone who is a BT customer needs to seriously consider shopping around and looking for a provider which is a cheaper, quality alternative.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Mike Odysseas .