Three will increase charges mid-contract, for all new customers, after all
As a network that could soon go from being the ‘small guy’ to becoming the head of the pack with the acquisition of O2, Three has just made a subtle change to its contract terms that marks somewhat of a U-turn.
Following a big campaign earlier in the year, which saw Three bragging about how it wouldn’t be increasing your bills part way through your contract term, it hasn’t been quite as vocal about the change made to contacts signed on or after May 29th 2015.
A new inflation clause has been added, stating that there will now be a small yearly ‘inflation clause’ – meaning prices will rise in line with inflation every year. This matches the policy implemented by O2 and EE, with Vodafone having opted to resist – for now.
Indeed, Vodafone repeated its commitment to NOT increasing prices as recent as April 2nd 2015. However, for the mobile industry, that’s almost a lifetime – so who knows what will happen in light of this news?
With inflation running so low right now (negative even), such a clause probably won’t mean much of an increase – which makes me wonder whether the small boost in revenue will be worth the negative publicity that could come from such a move.
Three will no doubt also point out the many benefits, like free 4G access, Feel At Home, and truly unlimited data on many tariffs – plus VoLTE coming in the autumn to tie-in with the switch-on of its 800MHz network.
Will it put you off signing up with Three, or have you seeking to move when your contract is up? Let me know in the comments below.