Cash point
Fifteen million homes are paying way over the odds for their broadband – £1.7billion a year more than they need to, says Citizens Advice research.
Almost 75% of broadband customers are on ‘out of contract’ tariffs and paying £113 extra.
A further study by First Utility Broadband reveals just 10% of users say they have been told when their existing contract ends, that’s despite an average 37% price hike from most major providers after the initial term.
While energy providers are legally required to alert customers 49 days before a tariff ends, there is no such regulation for broadband.
Ofcom is in looking at ways to urge people to switch to avoid paying out of contract charges. First Utility wants broadband providers to be forced to tell customers when an initial contract ends. Meanwhile, you need to ensure you don’t end up out of pocket.
There are no rewards for loyalty. Broadband firms hope you won’t take too much notice of the detail and continue paying by direct debit without realising they’ve upped the price.
Make a note of when a contract comes to an end and compare deals via a comparison site such as uSwitch.com and broadbandchoices.co.uk.
Travel firm Monarch saw profits slump 95% from £33million to £1.6m last year.
Boss Andrew Swaffield blamed terrorism fears, scrapped flights to Sharm El Sheikh and the weak pound.
Swaffield said it had responded by “significantly reducing fares”, with passengers up by 800,000 year on year. The group includes Monarch Airlines, holidays and aircraft maintenance. HIT Emma as Belle 108.1
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Oil
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