BT broadband prices getting a bit steep

BT broadband prices getting a bit steep

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andygo

Original Poster:

6,915 posts

261 months

Monday 21st November 2022
quotequote all
I have managed to negotiate over the recent years to keep my BT bill down to just under £40. I have fibre to the property at 150mb download and a phone line, recently converted to digital which I never use anyway, especially since I'd need a new handset at least.

I am looking at the 500mb download, and digital on a PAYG basis and its costing about an extra £4pm until next march when it goes up each year as follows, or am I missing something?


From BT: Broadband Package
Download the MyBT App; find out how at bt.com/products/apps
£43.96
Total monthly charges £43.96
A note about our prices
The monthly plan price for the service, out of bundle charges and add-ons, will be increased on or after 31st March each year by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rate of inflation published in January that year plus 3.9% (rounded down to the nearest whole pence). Learn about our annual price changes and find out what they mean for you.

It looks like from next March-

Assuming inflation @ 8%:
£43.96 x 8% = (+ £3.51) £47.47 + 3.9% (+£1.85) = £49.32.

2024 March increase:

£49.32 X 8% = £53.26 = 3.9% = £55.34.

Starts to get a bit silly BT.



Edited by andygo on Monday 21st November 18:29

LuS1fer

41,551 posts

251 months

Monday 21st November 2022
quotequote all
TalkTalk offer FullFibre900 with average download speeds of 944 - £49 for 24 months.

Miserablegit

4,141 posts

115 months

Monday 21st November 2022
quotequote all
Mrs MG sorts our household broadband out-
Need to change it
BT is costing us £70/month for 50meg connection and a landline.

andygo

Original Poster:

6,915 posts

261 months

Monday 21st November 2022
quotequote all
Its the year on year compounding that gets expensive. I realise that we have had it too good with years of low inflation, but a a few years down the line, starts to look like bloody council tax rises.

In just 7 years my council tax has gone from £1500 to £2,200 pa allied to reduction in services.

Brainpox

4,097 posts

157 months

Monday 21st November 2022
quotequote all
To be fair, it isn't news that businesses offer poorer prices for existing customers. If you're going to pay anyway they aren't going to ask you to pay less. It always pays to shop around and switch.

Your council tax analogy isn't accurate as you've got to pay whatever you council tells you, whether you like it or not.

Wonderman

2,431 posts

201 months

Monday 21st November 2022
quotequote all
I thought most providers are CPI +3.9% https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p...

So 8.2% +3.9%= 12.1% increase at current rate

Agreed on BT, gave up when they reneged on renewal of BT Sport, which originally free became £5pm if you renewed; but they then seemed to make prices up after a while and was at a figure I thought was per quarter, was actually per month when I did a house finance review.

Mobile phone and broadband are on my calendar re renewals, especially if can get with cashback offer too- currently on NowTv for ~£23pm with £85 cashback- just to say NowTV hub is an utter piece of crap with Wifi in a very narrow band and drops off if a couple of us are using phones.

Nickbrapp

5,277 posts

136 months

Monday 21st November 2022
quotequote all
My OH worked for BT till recently, and they get free broadband (you only get free line rental when you’re a manager)

We were getting 900mb fibre for the line rental cost a month, now he’s left it’s gone up to £110 a month!

They must be having a laugh, phoned up and put it down to 100mb fibre for £35

Still too much, and I don’t see why they should be aloud to increase the price during the contract! Surely that’s the whole point of a contract! Assuming next years will be 15% increase!

LuS1fer

41,551 posts

251 months

Monday 21st November 2022
quotequote all
Brainpox said:
To be fair, it isn't news that businesses offer poorer prices for existing customers. If you're going to pay anyway they aren't going to ask you to pay less. It always pays to shop around and switch.

Not actually true.

My Superfibre150Meg Talk Talk account has been £32 for the last 2 years (a good price even back then), including landline and as the contract expired on 4/12, they've just written to offer the same for 18 months for £29.95 which I've taken up.

Council tax rises are inevitable. In Wales, they're already talking of shoving property up a band - yet after midnight, i still have to walk home in the dark and the roads on the estate are still developing holes.

essayer

9,482 posts

200 months

Monday 21st November 2022
quotequote all
Why is it CPI+3.9 anyway?? Where does the 3.9% come from?

andygo

Original Poster:

6,915 posts

261 months

Monday 21st November 2022
quotequote all
essayer said:
Why is it CPI+3.9 anyway?? Where does the 3.9% come from?
It's in the BT info I posted originally.

Matt..

3,686 posts

195 months

Monday 21st November 2022
quotequote all
As you can see from my thread about this I'm also going through the same.

Zen are one option that do not increase prices during contract. £45/month for 500 though.

Matt..

3,686 posts

195 months

Monday 21st November 2022
quotequote all
LuS1fer said:
Not actually true.

...Talk Talk...
BT = https://www.bt.com/tell-me-more = CPI + 3.9%
EE = https://ee.co.uk/help/help-new/billing-usage-and-t... = CPI + 3.9%
TalkTalk = https://new.talktalk.co.uk/legal/annual-price-chan... = CPI + 3.7%
Sky = ? not easily available but clearly they raise prices same as others
Virgin = https://www.o2.co.uk/prices = CPI + 3.9%
Vodafone = https://www.vodafone.co.uk/pricechanges = CPI + 3.9%


In summary... they're all at it. Zen are an obvious outsider (https://www.zen.co.uk/contract-price-promise).

Edited by Matt.. on Monday 21st November 20:31

andygo

Original Poster:

6,915 posts

261 months

Monday 21st November 2022
quotequote all
Matt.. said:
As you can see from my thread about this I'm also going through the same.

Zen are one option that do not increase prices during contract. £45/month for 500 though.
Only snag with switching provider is that I'll lose my BT email addresses that I have had since mid 90's and which feature my username on here for example, so easy to remember - helpful for an old git like me! smile

snuffy

10,311 posts

290 months

Monday 21st November 2022
quotequote all
Zen have reduced their prices since I signed up to their 900meg service about 6 months (being a previous FTTC customer).

£60/month + £20 installation fee & £7 for VOIP.

Now it's £55/month + £15 installation fee and £4 for VOIP.


andygo

Original Poster:

6,915 posts

261 months

Monday 21st November 2022
quotequote all
snuffy said:
Zen have reduced their prices since I signed up to their 900meg service about 6 months (being a previous FTTC customer).

£60/month + £20 installation fee & £7 for VOIP.

Now it's £55/month + £15 installation fee and £4 for VOIP.

All a bit of a minefield then by the looks of things,


campionissimo

583 posts

130 months

Monday 21st November 2022
quotequote all
Wish I could get decent internet, still on 11MB through the telephone line, although in reality it's more like 8. Only quick provider is Virgin and my neighbours who have it are always moaning about the cost or it dropping out.

Mazinbrum

976 posts

184 months

Monday 21st November 2022
quotequote all
andygo said:
Matt.. said:
As you can see from my thread about this I'm also going through the same.

Zen are one option that do not increase prices during contract. £45/month for 500 though.
Only snag with switching provider is that I'll lose my BT email addresses that I have had since mid 90's and which feature my username on here for example, so easy to remember - helpful for an old git like me! smile
No you don’t lose your btinternet address, you just lose the advanced features, not sure what they are and I used to work for them.
When I left and stopped getting free broadband I moved to Now as they are cheaper. I switch the wifi off on their router and use a TP Link mesh.

Insert Coin

1,965 posts

49 months

Monday 21st November 2022
quotequote all
I’ve just left BT and join Now broadband tomorrow, gone from £39 a month to £20 a month inc line rental with unlimited downloads.



LuS1fer

41,551 posts

251 months

Monday 21st November 2022
quotequote all
Matt.. said:
LuS1fer said:
Not actually true.

...Talk Talk...
BT = https://www.bt.com/tell-me-more = CPI + 3.9%
EE = https://ee.co.uk/help/help-new/billing-usage-and-t... = CPI + 3.9%
TalkTalk = https://new.talktalk.co.uk/legal/annual-price-chan... = CPI + 3.7%
Sky = ? not easily available but clearly they raise prices same as others
Virgin = https://www.o2.co.uk/prices = CPI + 3.9%
Vodafone = https://www.vodafone.co.uk/pricechanges = CPI + 3.9%


In summary... they're all at it. Zen are an obvious outsider (https://www.zen.co.uk/contract-price-promise).

Edited by Matt.. on Monday 21st November 20:31
New TT contract guarantees no increase over the duration of the contract. My £32 remained constant for 2 years, the new £29.95 contract is 18 months. Always a new deal at the end

Matt..

3,686 posts

195 months

Monday 21st November 2022
quotequote all
LuS1fer said:
New TT contract guarantees no increase over the duration of the contract. My £32 remained constant for 2 years, the new £29.95 contract is 18 months. Always a new deal at the end
Not now according to their website. They’re the same as all the others with price rises every year. It states it on almost every page of the booking process for the fibre contracts.