Thousands of TalkTalk customers will see their bills rise this month as a broadband price increase comes into force.
Under the latest changes, households on TalkTalk’s Fibre 35 and Fibre 65 plans will see their bills go up by up to £30 a year – but only if you joined the network before March 1 this year.
Those affected will see prices rise by £2.50 a month or £30 a year – with most seeing the bill increase take effect on Thursday, July 1.
However, those who cannot afford the increase have a small window left to escape the increase penalty-free.
That’s because the price increase is not linked to inflation, meaning it was not declared in your contract at the time of signing up.
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To do this, you’ll need to notify TalkTalk within 30 days of receiving the price rise letter – that means this week at the very latest for most customers, although some will have already missed the deadline.
If you’ve missed the 30-day notice period, get in touch with the supplier and ask about your options. Many companies are relaxing their rules due to the pandemic, which means if you cannot afford to pay, they may make you a more affordable offer instead.
Likewise, if you’re out of contract, you can use this opportunity to haggle a lower deal or take your custom elsewhere if you find a cheaper deal through another provider.
In some cases, the provider may be in breach of your contract.
TalkTalk is currently being probed by the Advertising Standard Authority (ASA) over concerns it offered “fixed prices” to customers when they signed up – which it has since tried to increase.
The ASA said that ads should not state that prices are fixed for a contractual period for customers if the business plans or enacts price changes within that period.
Ofcom guidelines also state that if a company breaks its promise to not raise prices, it must give customers the option to leave their contracts penalty-free.
TalkTalk says its "fixed" terms and conditions do allow for price rises with the right to leave within 30 days.
TalkTalk said: "Over this extraordinary last year, we’ve seen broadband usage soar by 40% and we've had to invest heavily in our network as a result.
"Unfortunately, this has meant that, alongside other ISPs [internet service providers] such as BT, Virgin and Sky, we have had to raise our prices."
