Broadband providers put out their best deals at the end of the month or every three months when they want to push up their subscriber numbers, it has been claimed.
A new analysis of broadband usage has found that the average household could save almost £180 a year by switching providers. However, the best deals are only available at certain times of the month, according to ctrlio, a website which compares tariffs according to use.
“A lot of the good deals tend to come up either at the end of the month or at the end of the quarter when service providers are trying to get their numbers up,” said Dominic Strowbridge, the site’s co-founder.
“Of course, those are great for people who are active and willing to switch but a lot of people just sit there paying the much higher amount than they need to.”
Consumer complaints about broadband often centre around its speed not being as fast as advertised. At present, providers can promote an “up to” speed that is available to at least 10% of customers. However, from May, in a major shake-up of the rules by the advertising regulator, companies can only advertise download speeds that are available to at least 50% of customers at peak time.This will end misleading claims, said Strowbridge, and could result in people getting better deals. Speed is the number one reason for people switching providers, and for people to switch successfully they should know when their contract is up and ask neighbours about their experiences with different providers in order to find the best service, he said.
