It seems that the latest to jump on the credit crunch bandwagon are the mobile phone companies.
It's reported that as of today Vodafone will be sneakily hiking up their prices. Reports show that they are putting up minimum call charges by 25 per cent for contract customers. It is also increasing the cost of calling some premium numbers by 25 per cent, while dialling a 0871 number rises 40 per cent to 35p a minute.
The firm, which has 18.4million customers, will raise the cost of calls not covered by a monthly contract from 12p a minute to 15p.
This price hike seems to be in retaliation to the roaming cap put in place last year by the European Union.
It seems that Vodafone haven't been very clear with their customers with regards to the price increase. They appear to have hidden away the price rise in the small print of a note sent to contract customers headed: 'Things will be changing a little.'
Although the new charges are listed, it doesn't show the old charges so customers may not realise that the price of their calls have gone up.
Vodafone feel that it's a small hike that has been matched by savings in other areas, for example, improved internet and email access.
O2 and T-Mobile have also recently slipped in rises for some customers in the past few weeks.
If you find that you're paying more than you wish and the cost of your calls have gone up, it's all the more reason to make sure that you are on the correct tariff. Have a look through your last three bills to see if you are using up all of your minutes or going over the amount you have allocated yourself. If you feel that you're not on the right tariff give your provider a call asking them to find you a more appropriate tariff.
If you have no luck with your provider, try asking for your PUK code. The PUK code enables you to unlock your phone so you can use any SIM card in your handset. By doing this you are basically telling your provider that you will take your business to a competitor if they don't help you. This should give them enough of a nudge to sort things out for you.
