Vodafone is hitting some customers with a second price hike, just weeks after another rise was introduced.
The news was first reported by the Financial Times, which claimed that some customers have received texts warning of an unexpected price “adjustment”. The price increases affect out-of-contract customers, and will see some consumers paying as much as £3.50 extra every month – that’s an additional £42 per year.
In a statement given to TrustedReviews, a Vodafone spokesperson confirmed the price rise: “We can confirm that some pay monthly customers, who are out of contract, will see an increase of between 50p and £3.50 per month depending on their price plan.”
The spokesperson continued: “
The new pricing is in addition to a price rise that was announced back in March. This first price rise was linked to inflation, and saw customer contract pricing jacked up by 3.2% every month. The price rise only affected customers who have had a contract since May 5, 2016, as those customers are no longer covered by Vodafone’s now-dead Fixed Price Promise.
It’s important to note that Vodafone wasn’t alone in issuing an RPI-linked price rise earlier this year. Fellow network providers also increased pricing, including EE (2.5%), O2 (2.6%), and Three (2.6%) – none of which matched Vodafone’s lofty hike.
The second price rise won’t begin until June, which is when Vodafone is expected to launch its Roam Free service. This service lets customers use their UK allowances in the designated Europe Zone at no extra cost. But Vodafone maintains that the second price is not linked to the introduction of Roam Free, despite customers being notified about both at the same time.
Speaking to the Financial Times, a Vodafone spokesperson said: “There is absolutely no link between the price adjustment for some out of contract Pay Monthly customers and our new roaming offers.”
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What do you think of the Vodafone price rise? Let us know in the comments.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
