A consumer champion journalist has revealed the painstaking process of haggling for a better broadband deal with one of the UK’s biggest providers.
Chris Harper, who writes money-saving advice for leading online news outlets, knocked £13 off his broadband bill. But it wasn’t a smooth or pleasant experience.
Here’s his story:
“I’ve been a loyal customer with this company for years, but with the inflation-linked increase, I’d be paying a staggering £43 a month.”
So Chris contacted the provider, which is one of the biggest names in the UK broadband industry.
“I spoke to a lovely Scottish man,” continued Chris. “I told him about the competitor’s prices and asked if they could offer me a cheaper rate.”
The lovely Scottish man said no; Chris was locked into a deal. There was nothing he could do
“I’d been warned about this sneaky tactic on Twitter,” said Chris. “So I told the advisor my only option was to walk away.”
That did the trick.
“All of a sudden, there was another way I could get a cheaper bill…!” said Chris.
Chris spent the rest of the hour-long call being transferred between departments, waiting on hold, and explaining his situation all over again. But he eventually got the better deal he was looking for, cutting his bill from £43 per month to just £29.99 per month.
Brilliant, thought Chris.
Then this happened
“They said I’d have to send back my old router, only for them to send me the same one back!” said Chris. “Then I’d have to change my WiFi password and set up all my devices again.”
For Chris, reducing his bill was a minor inconvenience. But the experience made him realise that many others might be reluctant to negotiate with broadband providers.
“People could be either too scared or not confident enough to ring up these companies and ask for a better deal,” wrote Chris. “There were lots of ridiculous hoops I had to jump through. Elderly people or those who aren’t tech-savvy could find it intimidating, resulting in them not even bothering and being forced to pay hundreds more on their bills.”
Things like this don’t happen when you’re a 6G Internet customer. Our customers never have to call up and haggle over mid-contract price rises, because we never raise their bills mid-contract.
And when you do make the 6G Internet switch, we visit your home, set up a brand-new router, and make sure all your devices are connected and running smoothly.
6G Internet: fair prices, no mid-contract surprises, and real customer service.