Mobile, TV and broadband package customers urged by Which? to haggle and switch

Squeezed households are being urged by Which? to get ahead of any upcoming price hikes to TV, broadband and mobile packages by haggling and switching.

The consumer group asked more than 5,100 people whose broadband, TV and broadband and/or mobile phone contract had ended in the previous 12 months whether they had haggled or switched and how much money they had saved.

It found that, on average, TV and broadband customers saved £162 by switching away.

Customers who did not switch but took the time to haggle with their broadband and TV provider saved an average of £90 a year, according to the survey findings.

There were also big savings to be had for broadband-only customers who switched, with the average being £92.

Broadband customers who haggled saved £43 typically.

When Which? spoke to mobile customers whose contracts had ended in the past 12 months it found that customers saved an average of £95 by switching and £62 by haggling.

The survey also revealed that just over a fifth (21%) of broadband customers and around one in six (16%) TV and broadband customers did nothing when their contract ended.

Mobile customers were even less likely to take action with a quarter (24%) of those surveyed telling Which? they had not switched or attempted to haggle.

Which? recently launched a campaign calling on businesses in essential sectors: supermarkets, telecoms and energy, to do more to help their customers through the cost-of-living crisis.