TalkTalk to hike home phone and broadband prices
TalkTalk has announced sharp price rises for millions of home phone and broadband customers.
From 1st December it will be hiking the cost of line rental as well as some add-ons and older packages.
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What's changing?
TalkTalk is increasing its line rental from £15.95 a month to £16.70 a month – a 4.7% increase.
Value Line Rental, which offers a saving when you pay for line rental upfront for a year rather than monthly, is also rising by 4.7%.
From 30th November customers looking for a saving will have to pay £180.36 a year (equivalent to £15.03 a month) instead of £172.20 (equivalent to £14.35 a month).
TalkTalk Plus, a calls and broadband bundle, is going up from £15.50 a month to £18.50 a month – a 19.4% increase.
Some SMPF deals, which are legacy packages where customers have broadband or home phone with TalkTalk but not both, are increasing by £5 a month (original costs vary).
There are no price changes for Simply Broadband, Essentials TV or Plus TV package customers.
In fact Plus TV customers will get a better deal from 1st December, as all will become eligible for a free mobile SIM card that comes with 100 minutes, 250 texts and 200MB data a month - an offer worth £90 a year.
TalkTalk's International Call Boost is increasing from £3.50 a month to £5 a month, a 43% rise. However, to offset the increase the add-on will include 22 more countries from 1st December.
The popular Anytime UK Calls Boost is increasing from £5 a month to £7.50 a month, a 50% hike. To offset this sharp rise the boost will come with unlimited calls to UK mobile phones for the first time from the beginning of December.
The Mobile Minutes Boost 100, which cost £3 a month, is being scrapped and replaced with Mobile Minutes Boost Unlimited which allows you to make unlimited calls to mobile phones for £5 a month.
From 1st January 2015 the standard call connection fee for non-inclusive calls is also going up from 15p per call to 16p per call.
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Above inflation rises
TalkTalk joins BT and Sky in setting above inflation price hikes for existing customers.
But TalkTalk said it needed to increase prices to improve services and meet the changing needs of its customers.
A spokesperson commented: "Our customers are talking, watching, streaming and downloading more than ever, not just at home but on the go. To meet their growing needs, we're adding more to their packages. As we continue to invest in improvements to our service, some prices will increase."
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What can TalkTalk customers do?
TalkTalk is writing to customers to inform them about the price changes.
If you're unhappy TalkTalk says you can cancel by getting in touch within 30 days of receiving your price notification letter.
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