Astronomicical Mobile Phone Price Hike From April

April spells trouble for mobile phone users, with Virgin Media and O2 poised for hefty price hikes. Brace yourselves – these increases could soar up to a whopping 8.8%, topping the charts among major providers.

But hold on, attempting to dodge these skyrocketing costs isn’t a walk in the park either. Exiting your contract prematurely could land you in hot water with what consumer watchdog Which? ominously dub as “crippling” exit fees – their findings suggest a potential combined cost of £692.37 for those with a year left on their contracts. Ouch!

For Virgin Media customers, the prospect of a yearly broadband bill surge by £39.14 might leave you reeling. Alternatively, if you choose to cut ties early, expect to cough up an exit fee of £403.91 – a tough pill to swallow indeed.

Amidst the merger frenzy, Virgin Mobile users have been ushered into the arms of O2, unleashing a wave of bundled deals from both sides. But as the regulatory watchdog Ofcom mulls over inflation-linked mid-contract price hikes, uncertainty looms over the fate of these practices.

Rocio Concha, the Director of Policy and Advocacy at Which?, paints a grim picture for Virgin Media and O2 subscribers, labeling it a “lose-lose” scenario. With prices spiraling unexpectedly, she calls on telecom giants to heed Ofcom’s warnings and halt these practices before regulations tighten their grip.

In the realm of customer service, Virgin Media takes the crown as the most complained-about broadband, landline, and pay TV provider, earning just one star in Which?’s annual rankings.

Meanwhile, over at O2, SIM-only mobile users stand by for an eye-watering annual price hike of £26.44 – the highest among all networks, though slightly less than Vodafone’s overall higher prices.

Virgin Media O2 attempts to soothe the sting by clarifying that while customers may face increases “up to” 8.8%, only airtime plans are on the chopping block, sparing device plans from the squeeze. They tout the average effective mobile price hike at 5%, disputing the reported 8.8%, as the telecom saga unfolds.