Martin Lewis warns Britons their broadband bills to rise by 15 PER CENT - but costs can be haggled down

Households should watch out for mid-contract price rises in their broadband bills this spring, Martin Lewis has warned.

The Money Saving Expert said hikes of up to 15 per cent may be introduced by telecoms companies in a bid to keep up with the consumer price index (CPI) or retail price index (RPI) rate of inflation, which sits at around 11 per cent currently.

Firms could also be tempted to add as much as 4 per cent on top.

Lewis said: “If they enact them this year, and the likelihood is they will, this could mean 15 per cent-is hikes this spring.

“This usually happens in April for most of the major broadband providers, which is going to be another hit for many people.

“If you’re paying £40, that’s £6 a month extra. Even switchers’ deals will probably do this but of course, it’s £6 a month extra on £40 or if you pay £20 a month, it’s only £3 a month extra.”

The consumer champion advised people to check their current deals and consider switching supplier in order to avoid being subject to such rises.

He said that the most appealing deals are often given to new customers in a bid to convince them to sign up.

The expert added that viewers should call their current provider after finding a better deal, and haggle them in an effort to receive better terms.

He told ITV: “Switching… don’t worry about it too much - I can’t promise it will be smooth every time - it’s only two hours-ish of downtime.

“It’s your new firm who sorts it out for you and they’ll cancel your old provider.

“Some of you don’t want to switch, you like where you are, in which case: haggle.

“As a loyal customer, the first thing I would do is, I’d get on the phone and say: I’ve seen what you’re charging new customers.

“I’d make sure you’ve seen what other providers are charging in your area, because it’s postcode dependent… and say, ‘I’m not willing to pay that amount, can you offer me a better deal?’

“If they say no, you say I want to go through to Customer Disconnections… this is where they can do the big deals. Always be polite and if they don’t give you that price, I would be pretty annoyed and I’d want to ditch and switch and go elsewhere.”