Virgin Media has issued an urgent message to its customers saying that it is "making some changes" to its prices and services. The multi-media provider said customers have until April 11 to change or cancel their package it they are unhappy with the news.
As the cost of living crisis continues to bite, the last thing people want to hear is more price hikes on their bills. However, several phone, TV and broadband providers have been notifying customers of price increases that are due to come in to force. Announcements have said price rises are in line with inflation, but some customers have already declared the price hikes as "plain greed".
In the most recent letter explaining changes impacting Virgin Media customers, correspondence states: "We understand these are tough times. And if you're struggling, we'll do everything we can to help you. That could be giving you extra time to pay your bill, reviewing your package or working out a payment plan."
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The firm is making changes to both its pricing and its 'out of home Wi-Fi'. One customer told Nottinghamshire Live that their package would increase by £7 following the news.
In the letter, seen by the publication, Virgin offers customers the option to leave their contract. It reads: "If you're not happy with any of the changes announced in the letter... you can change or cancel your package, any time before April 11, 2023, without paying any cancellation fees."
Price rises are also hitting mobile users. In a previous email signed from Gareth Turpin, chief commercial officer of Virgin Media O2, the company boss explained changes to its mobile plans. It states: "I wanted to write to you personally to let you know that the price of your monthly O2 mobile plan is changing.
"Each year, the official Retail Price Index (RPI) inflation figures are announced in February. We then adjust your mobile plan based on these figures, as set out in your O2 contract. The change means that from April 2023 the price of your monthly mobile plan (that's the cost of your inclusive minutes, texts and data) will rise in line with the 13.4% Retail Price Index (RPI) rate of inflation, plus an additional 3.9% as set out in your terms."
In real terms, this translates into a £12-a-month mobile plan increasing to £14.07 from April. If you pay £25 a month, this will increase to £29.32.
Mr Turpin has said the increases in costs of running O2 due to the energy crisis is a large factor in increased mobile plans. He explained: "As you can probably imagine, we are facing very substantial increases in the costs associated with running our network and supporting our customers. These include the rising costs of energy, as well as the investment required to support the growing demand on our network. Customer demand for data has almost doubled in the last three years, so we are investing to increase network capacity."
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