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UK mobile phone charges to rise as much as 66%

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UK mobile phone charges to rise as much as 66% Empty UK mobile phone charges to rise as much as 66%

Post  eddie Wed Jun 29, 2011 1:53 am

Your mobile phone bill could soar 66%

Sarah Coles

Jun 28th 2011 at 5:00AM

UK mobile phone charges to rise as much as 66% Bldjh200405100709lr1

Some mobile phone companies are about to bring in jaw-droppingly large increases in their charges. Vodafone and Orange customers need to brace themselves, because their phone costs could be set to go up as much as 66%.

So what's happening, and what can you do about it?


The biggest hike comes from Vodafone, which is raising its minimum call charge on some contracts from 15p to 25p - a rise of 66%. That's a huge amount of money to pay in order to be put straight through to voicemail. Meanwhile, pay-as-you-go users will see the cost of a text increase from 10p to 12p, and calls will increase from 21p a minute to 15p a minute. The changes will come in from 14 July.

At the same time, from this Friday, Orange is increasing its minimum call charge for pay-as-you-go customers from 20p to 25p.

All mobile phone companies are reacting to the fact that moves from Ofgem have stopped them ripping people off in a number of ways - such as termination rates - so they just have to find new ways to squeeze more from customers.

At best all this toing and froing will leave costumers no better off despite the regulator's actions. At worst, if you have the wrong type of contract you'll be considerably worse off.

What can you do about it?

In the short term, the answer may be to reconsider your network. However, in reality, there's a good chance you will still be tied into a long contract. The other fly in the ointment is that between them, these two companies run about half the mobile phones in the UK. There are concerns that these moves will mean there's nothing to be lost for other providers to follow in their footsteps.

The answer is therefore to ensure you are on the best contract for you. Dig out your bills and make sure that you are not going over your allocated number of monthly calls and texts on a regular basis. If you are busting your limit, give your mobile company a call and negotiate. They should be willing to offer you a deal for more minutes for far less than you are already paying.

If you are on a pay-as-you-go tariff it may also be time to move to a contract. As a rough rule of thumb, if you regularly spend £20 a month topping up, a contract will be a more cost-effective option.

AOL
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Post  eddie Wed Jun 29, 2011 1:58 am

"Vodafone... pay-as-you-go...calls will increase from 21p a minute to 15p a minute...."

Careless sub-editing here. They must mean the other way around: an increase from 15p to 21p a minute.


Last edited by eddie on Wed Jun 29, 2011 2:16 am; edited 1 time in total
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Post  eddie Wed Jun 29, 2011 2:12 am

"At the same time, from this Friday, Orange is increasing its minimum call charge for pay-as-you-go customers from 20p to 25p...."

I'm on an Orange pay-as-you-go deal and I'm obviously not delighted to hear this, so it's just as well that I rarely use the bloody thing- urgent calls only- and I use it for texts more than actual phone calls. I probably fork out a little less than £10 a month myself with the present charges, but I know a LOT of people who always seem to have the handset glued to their ear ("I'm on the train". "This relationship is not working out". "Gas Mark 5 for 30 minutes". "Naomi's at the dentist" etc etc) Their lives are administered through a mobile phone, and they're not going to be happy about this. UK mobile phone charges to rise as much as 66% 3686606283

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Post  eddie Wed Jun 29, 2011 2:15 am

"All mobile phone companies are reacting to the fact that moves from Ofgem have stopped them ripping people off in a number of ways - such as termination rates - so they just have to find new ways to squeeze more from customers..."

^

This is the worst aspect of the whole affair. Prohibited by the regulatory authority Ofgem from ripping customers off in one way, they resort to another.

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Post  Nah Ville Sky Chick Wed Jun 29, 2011 2:52 am

I still don't have one. cheers
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Post  LaRue Wed Jun 29, 2011 5:05 am

Oh jeezus, I got a text from my mobile phone company (virgin) saying there would be changes to tariffs, but I took no notice. At the moment I pay £10 a month for unlimited texts, 200 minutes of calls (unlimited to other virgin users) and 1GB of internet. It's a fabulous deal for me.

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Post  LaRue Wed Jun 29, 2011 5:06 am

It's going up 21p and now no internet. Hmph.

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Post  Lee Van Queef Wed Jun 29, 2011 5:08 am

I got a text earlier from Vodafone which I deleted without reading. Hmph.
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Post  eddie Sat Jul 02, 2011 8:58 pm

'No evidence' of mobile cancer risk

July 02, 2011


UK mobile phone charges to rise as much as 66% N0263801309534287125A
A review by an expert panel found 'no convincing evidence of a link' between mobile phones and brain tumours

Scientific evidence goes increasingly against the theory that mobile phones cause cancer, an independent panel has concluded.

The review, led by Professor Anthony Swerdlow from the Institute of Cancer Research, found "no convincing evidence of a link" between the technology and brain tumours.

But the panel admitted the possibility of small or long-term repercussions could not be ruled out.

Their conclusions follow a wide-ranging study - the largest of its kind to date - which claimed that radiation associated with mobile handsets potentially increases the risk of glioma, a malignant form of the disease.

While the panel accepted the Interphone study findings were "comprehensive", they identified some problems with the study's design which made it difficult to draw definite conclusions.

The results, in conjunction with those revealed by a series of similar studies, showed no increases in brain tumours up to 20 years after the introduction of mobile phones, and a decade after their use became widespread.

Extensive research also failed to establish any biological explanation for how handsets could possibly cause cancer in humans while animals exposed to radiation appeared unaffected, they said.

However, the group said uncertainty was bound to remain for years because research could not prove the complete absence of harmful side-effects.

Professor Swerdlow said: "The results of Interphone and other epidemiological, biological and animal studies, and brain tumour incidence trends, suggest that within 10 to 15 years after first use of mobile phones, there is unlikely to be a material increase in the risk of brain tumours in adults.

"However, the possibility of a small or a longer term effect cannot be ruled out."

AOL

********************************************************************************

^

Well, I suppose that's SOMETHING to be thankful for. Rolling Eyes
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Post  eddie Thu Dec 22, 2011 6:53 am

A possible explanation for the recent rise in mobile phone charges:
**********************************************************************************************************
Steve Bell on sweetheart tax deals – cartoon

Cartoon, 21 Dec 2011:
HMRC is accused of lacking fairness and transparency over tax settlements for big businesses that were 'kept from scrutiny'

UK mobile phone charges to rise as much as 66% 20.12.11-Steve-Bell-on-sw-001

NOTE: HMRC = Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs aka The Taxman.
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