[Lardman]

I checked my broadband bill yesterday just keeping track of the monthlys. Sure enough I was paying nearly twice what the same package was available for to new customers.  After a grumpy phone call with "customer services" the best he would offer was new customer + 8% + setup fee (setup what?) worth another 8% over the lifespan of what would then be a new 18 month contract. So that's been cancelled this morning and a new provider arranged. 40% of the current cost and will also provide cashback from quidco. 

I expect I will have the same nonsense with my car insurance provider next month.

[Goosegirl]

Mmm, I've stuck with BT since I went on broadband years ago and they recently emailed me to say my contract was coming to its end but, if I signed up for another two years, my new payment would be lower than it currently is because I'm now considered a valued customer - YO!

[Lardman]

The cynical side of me wants to ask if you checked your special loyal customer price against new customer offers ?  I normally bounce between VM and Sky as everything I use is provider independent and I just need a working connection but I'd taken my eye off things for a while and not only was I out of the contact period but they'd walked the price up 20% since I'd signed up.

[JayG]

I'm paying Plusnet about the same now as I was 5 years ago for my phone and broadband package, despite having re-contracted earlier this year for FTTC rather than ADSL (I suspect BT are keen to get as many people off ADSL as they can before the digital phone switchover in 2025.)

Been with them a long time - up until a few years ago I used to have to ring them up before my contract ended to negotiate a decent deal, but the last two renewal offers were sitting there waiting for me in my online account.

The annual increases are quite large now (they used to be fixed for the duration of the contract) but I still think I'm getting a pretty good deal.

[Goosegirl]

I'd seen ads on tv for new customers but my offer was pretty similar - thanks.

[jezza]

I use mobile broadband (phone) hotspot I got a call in January offering me a 120 G data plan for 24 months at a che aper rate than a 12 month contract  no CPi  to pay apparently  have noticed the price had come down by £5   jezza

[Growster...]

Plusnet upped my charge by a huge amount, and after a long 'discussion', it's back to roughly what it was, plus a couple of quid...

I just assume that all providers are out to cheat you, and recognise the symptoms early on, that way, the market gets a good hard look-at...

Funnily enough - off-topic - car insurance is down and so was house insurance...hmmm...!

[JayG]

Funnily enough - off-topic - car insurance is down and so was house insurance...hmmm...!

That was almost certainly due to a new requirement for insurance companies to stop giving better deals to new customers than existing ones - doesn't apply to providers of other services unfortunately. 

[Growster...]

Funnily enough - off-topic - car insurance is down and so was house insurance...hmmm...!

That was almost certainly due to a new requirement for insurance companies to stop giving better deals to new customers than existing ones - doesn't apply to providers of other services unfortunately. 

I didn't realise that Jay, many thanks! My breakdown insurance has gone up a bit though, but there again it's the same car as the last three years, so is to be expected I guess...

[Goosegirl]

Should have mentioned that I just use a BT landline and my desktop pc (plus a mobile phone for emergencies only via a Twango PAYG sim that I only need to use once in so many weeks so I don't lose my balance) so whether that makes any difference to my deal I don't know - probably not.