MILLIONS of mobile customers face huge mid-contract price rises or hefty exit fees, a consumer group has warned.
Mobile phone users are stuck between “exorbitant” mid-contract price rises or exit fees of more than £400, according to Which?.
Which? is calling on providers to reconsider price rises – regardless of whether they are “transparent” – as consumers grapple with the ongoing cost of living crisis.
It has also urged firms to cancel 2023’s inflationary-charged hikes for financially vulnerable consumers.
And Which? believes that providers should also allow customers to leave their contract without penalty if charges are hiked mid-contract.
The “big four” mobile firms – EE, O2, Three and Vodafone – raise prices every April in line with inflation.
Firms choose between using the consumer price index (CPI) or retail price index figures (RPI) and then they add on an additional 3.9%.
EE, Three and Vodafone use CPI – leading to price increases of more than 14% this year, while O2 uses the higher RPI measure, meaning some customers will face hikes of more than 17%.
As the price rises are often applied mid-contract, customers either have to accept them or pay exit fees to leave.
The price hikes are highest for bundled contracts when the customer pays for both usage and the handset.
Which? calculated that the average EE customer on a bundled contract would see an annual increase of £66.36, while the typical Three customer would see a hike of £56.40.
The same EE customer would face exit fees of £424.67 to leave a year early and Three’s customer would need to pay £379.46 to leave their contract.
Additionally, using the example of an EE customer who took out a 36-month contract for an iPhone Pro Max with unlimited data, Which? estimated the customer would pay an additional £105 for the handset over the next year due to the price increases.
It calculated that the Three customer with the same contract would pay an estimated £86 extra for the handset over the next year.
For O2 and most Vodafone contracts, only the airtime part of a contract is subject to inflation.
An average sim-only customer with EE would see a potential annual increase of £46.20, followed by O2 and Vodafone customers who would see annual price hikes of £42.72 and £42.36 respectively.
The average customer with Three would see the lowest annual increase of £25.20.
EE sim-only customers would face the highest exit fees of £295.36 if they wanted to leave a year early, followed by Vodafone and O2 customers at £287.88 and £237.08.
Three customers face the lowest exit fees of £169.59 for leaving their contract a year early.
Ofcom is currently investigating mid-contract price rises and their fairness for consumers.
Rocio Concha, Which? director of policy and advocacy, said: “It’s hugely concerning that many mobile customers could find themselves trapped in a Catch-22 situation where they either have to accept exorbitant mid-contract price hikes this spring or pay costly exit fees to leave their contract early and find a better deal.
“With many households struggling to make ends meet, it is completely unfair that people are trapped in this situation.
“Which? is calling on providers to act quickly and reconsider any price rises.
“Firms should cancel 2023 hikes for financially vulnerable consumers and allow all customers to leave without penalty if they face mid-contract price rises.”
An EE spokesperson said: “We strongly refute the research methodology used by Which? to compare sim-only and handset plans to calculate inflation-related price rises.
“This figure was calculated using a sim-only deal, when in fact we do offer a limited number of plans where customers can pay for their handset and monthly line rental separately.
“While price rises are never welcome, we do feel this year’s increase, of around £1 per week for the average customer receiving the rise, reflects incredible value given the cost increases we’re facing.”
If you think your bills are too high and want to drive them down, the first thing to do is find out what the cheapest deal on the market is.
You can use this rate as a bargaining tool to get a better offer from your provider.
Get in contact with your provider to see if they can match this rate – if not, you might want to switch instead.
If you’re mid-contract though and wish to leave, bear in mind that you could face an exit fee so check with your provider for any charges.
Plus, it could be harder haggling with these prices as they come most years from all providers.
And if you’re out of contract, switching when yours is up is the single best way to save money on your telecom bills.
In the weeks before your contract is up, use comparison sites to familiarise yourself with what deals are available.
It’s a known fact that new customers always get the best deals.
Sites like MoneySuperMarket and Uswitch all help you customise your search based on price, speed and provider.
This should make it easier to decide whether to renew your contract or move to another provider.
If your household is on a low income it’s also worth investigating social tariffs.
These broadband packages and discounts have been created for people who are receiving certain benefits.
They’re often available to those on income support, Universal Credit, or disability allowance.
