Not everyone can or wants to change supplier. But that doesn’t mean you need to pay over the odds.
Last weekend, after months where I couldn’t travel back down South due to lockdown restrictions, I finally visited my parents.
It was great to see them and help out around the house. There were quite a few jobs to do, including looking into a couple of contradictory messages from BT about renewing their contract.
Sticking with BT
Though they’ve switched before (and are happy to move energy suppliers), they’ve decided that they’d rather stick with BT for phone and broadband rather than go through the hassle of changing email address.
So for the last few years I’ve helped them save money as existing customers. It’s not been the best possible price out there, but it’s been a decent deal.
Their contract isn’t due to end for a couple of months, but BT had been in touch to say they can renew at the exact same price they currently pay.
Of course they’d need to enter into a new contract (they keep getting longer don’t they – it’s for two years now!), and there will be annual increases.
Even so, it sounds like a really good deal – especially as I’d saved them £8 a month 18 months ago so they’d continue to get that discount.
Well, when I logged into their BT account there was another offer! This time it offered a free speed upgrade with no price increase. In theory this was a better deal – though they didn’t really need the extra speed.
Either way, both seem like a decent option don’t they, so which one did I go for?
Neither. That’s because Ofcom rules state existing customers should be offered the same deals as new customers. And the price for newbies was even lower than what I’d haggled a year and a half previously.
But to get that price I had to get on the phone and haggle.
How to haggle down the price
If you want to learn more about just how much I saved my parents and a few further tricks I’ve used to haggle down the price on my mobile, pay TV and broadband bills, then check out this video.
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Happy to switch? Here’s how to save
Of course, the best deals are still usually available to new customers because you can take your business to a cheaper rival. And you can often add cashback savings on top.
Here are a few guides to help you cut those bills.
Hi. Can you please provide a link to the Ofcom rules that you quote above that say existing customers must be offered the same prices as new customers would be offered (excluding incentives)? Mr Virgin disputes that I MUST be offered a new customer price, rather just be TOLD what brand new customers would pay.
Hi Doug. Just found this with more detail, and yes, it does say told rather than offered. https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/latest/media/media-releases/2020/companies-must-tell-customers-about-their-best-deals