Martin Lewis has sent out a warning to all Virgin Media customers amid rising broadband prices.
The money-saving expert has warned that many Virgin customers will soon face a dramatic rise in their monthly bills. It comes after other broadband providers such as BT, EE, Plusnet, and Vodafone announced similar price hikes linked to either January's consumer price index (CPI) or the retail price index (RPI).
Consumer informer Which? also highlighted that many customers already saw their broadband bills increase by nearly 10 per cent last year, equating to "another blow" for those trying to manage their finances during a worsening cost of living crisis, the Liverpool Echo reports.
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Writing on Twitter, Mr Lewis said: "Virgin Media customer? It's announced it is putting most prices up by an average 14% this Spring, but watch out for the letter, as it means you can leave penalty free or haggle."
Sharing a link to his Money Saving Expert website, Mr Lewis also urged customers to do what they can to tackle the price hike. The price increase will mostly affect Virgin Media cable companies, including those with broadband, TV, or fixed-line phone packages.
Most customers will see the price rise come into effect on either April 1 or May 1. However, Mr Lewis is urging people to act now as research shows 85 per cent of Virgin Media customers had success haggling down their prices.
If you're not sure how to negotiate your price, Mr Lewis shared a guide on how to bargain with Virgin Media. If you're unable to drive down your price, then the next step is to find another provider, according to the Money Saving Expert team.
They said: "If Virgin won't play ball, vote with your feet. The provider has confirmed that ALL customers affected by the price increases can leave their contracts without paying any early termination charge – this includes those with bundled services. You'll need to contact Virgin Media within 30 days of receiving notification of the price increases to do so."
A Virgin Media spokesperson said: “We know that price rises are never welcome, particularly right now, but like many other businesses we are experiencing significantly increased costs while investing to keep pace with growing demand, as broadband usage rose more than 10% last year and speeds increased by 40%.
"We’re committed to supporting customers in this tough climate and are freezing prices for vulnerable customers including those taking our social broadband tariffs. "
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