Virgin Media, a UK-based telecom provider, revealed that millions of its customers would soon have to pay extra to use the internet.
Some customers will notice an average 13.8% increase in their internet and TV rates starting on April 1, while others will experience a record-breaking increase in May.
The company just mimicked BT’s earlier notification that its pricing would increase by more than 14% starting in March.
Virgin Media initially pledged to start telling consumers of the increased prices they will face and when to anticipate the increases to take effect in the upcoming weeks, according to a report.
Despite this, for millions of households whose budgets have already been severely strained by the cost of the living problem, the news couldn’t have come at a worse moment.
Virgin has affirmed that there won’t be a price hike in 2023 for the most vulnerable customers. Therefore, the change won’t have an effect on every consumer.
This includes Talk Protected customers and others who purchase the Essential Broadband bundle for Universal Credit recipients. Virgin has announced that new terms would be put in place along with an increase in broadband rates at the start of the new year.
Virgin will join businesses like BT by 2024 in tying pricing increases to the current Retail Price Index (RPI) rather than making its own judgments. If the RPI decreases over the course of the following year, that would be fantastic news, but if it stays the same or increases, customers should expect to pay even greater costs.
In a statement, a Virgin Media representative said: “We know that price increases are never welcome, especially at this time. However, like many other businesses, we are experiencing significantly increased costs while investing [to keep] pace with growing demand, as broadband usage rose by more than 10% last year and speeds increased by 40%.”
The spokesman further stated that the business is committed to assisting customers in this difficult economic climate. As a result, they are maintaining their rates for their most marginalized clients, especially those on their social broadband tariffs.
According to the research, the following represents an estimate of the potential increase in Virgin Media’s monthly bills:
- Between £20 (or $24.80) and £22.76 (or $28.22),
- Between £30 (about $37.20) and £34.14 (around $42.33)
- Between £40 (about $49.60) and £45.52 (around $56.44)
- Between £50 (about $62.00) and £56.90 (around $70.56)
- Between £60 (about $74.40) and £68.28 (around $84.67)
The prices for Internet service have recently increased at many of the biggest businesses, including BT and Virgin.
The vast majority of the top ISPs, including EE, Vodafone, Plusnet, and TalkTalk, have made rate rises public; Sky is the only one still in the dark regarding future pricing changes.
