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Broadband, mobile and TV providers banned from rip-off surprise mid-contract price hikes
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19/07/24 09:04
Regulator Ofcom has cracked down on the practice of raising mobile phone, broadband and pay-TV bills every year by inflation - and above. But these firms can still hike prices every year provided they say so when the deal is taken out....read
Chilly Britons turned on the central heating en masse in JUNE - racking up £6m more in extra energy bills
17/07/24 11:14The unusually cold month of June meant households used 20 per cent more gas, with experts thinking this may have gone on central heating.Biggest cost in car insurance is falling - so why have premiums soared?
17/07/24 06:00Drivers are making fewer bodily injury claims, which make up 30% of the typical car insurance premium - but these costs continue to rise.HMRC hounds expat for more than seven years - for money he never owed them in the first place
16/07/24 06:00A British retiree on the other side of the world found there was no escaping the beady eye of the taxman.Goldbug Britain on a budget: Investors snap up tiny bars for as little as £60
14/07/24 09:00Gold prices are at near-record highs, and while some are choosing to sell their gold, others are looking to invest.Banking complaints hit a 10-year high - here's what's behind the huge surge
11/07/24 11:01The Financial Ombudsman Service is investigating more scam complaints than ever before, with banking grievances running high.How much YOUR water bill will rise - and what you can do NOW to help prevent higher costs
11/07/24 01:10Water bills are due to rise for almost all of the country - and residents of just one lucky region will see these costs drop.Britons are more likely to have insurance for our PETS than ourselves
10/07/24 06:00Almost a quarter of people in the UK have or have had pet insurance, according to findings from credit reporting firm CRIF.Getting a new toilet could save you £109 a year on water bills - with waste costing some homes £300 each
10/07/24 06:00Britons may be able to beat coming water bill hikes by tackling wasted water in their home.What Labour means for your energy bills - can its GB Energy plan really save households £300 a year?
06/07/24 06:00The Labour Party wants to launch GB Energy to boost green electricity - and cut energy bills into the bargain.More drivers make insurance claims for cracked windscreens - and bad roads are to blame
05/07/24 05:00Drivers are making more - and higher windscreen damage claims, according to Allianz, which owns major car insurer LV.Strangest insurance claims revealed... from badgers wrecking garages to birds breaking glass doors
04/07/24 06:00While most home insurance claims are caused by accidents or water damage, some unlucky homeowners saw property damage from more unusual sources.Mobile phone networks push contracts of up to FOUR YEARS - what to consider before taking one
02/07/24 06:00The rise of longer-term phone deals is a consequence of handsets becoming more expensive.A drone keeps spying on me in my garden - am I allowed to shoot it down?
29/06/24 06:00If a drone keeps hovering over your property, what can you realistically do about it?Energy prices will fall in July - is now a good time to take a fixed tariff?
29/06/24 06:00Energy bills will fall for millions of homes today, but are predicted to rise from October. Does it make sense to try to beat the hikes?Car park firms bring in 'watered-down' code of practice - with no cap on rip-off charges
27/06/24 10:52A new set of rules for car parking firms has been published - but the AA and RAC say it does not go far enough to protect drivers from parking 'sharks'.How to complain about your energy provider - as Citizens Advice slams poor customer service at ALL firms
27/06/24 06:01Energy providers have already been told to improve their customer service by regulator Ofgem. So how do you complain if you are not happy?Beware of these exclusions in cheap 'essentials' car insurance, drivers warned
25/06/24 06:00'Essentials' car insurance deals offer the barest of comprehensive cover, but the exclusions can easily trip up the unwary.Citizens Advice reveals WORST energy firms for customer service: Does your provider make the list?
24/06/24 11:01The firm that came bottom of the ranking saw its average call waiting time jump from just under a minute to over five minutes in less than a year.Want better or cheaper broadband? Four of the best speedy deals with up to £120 cashback
24/06/24 06:00Major broadband providers are offering sign-up bonuses to encourage customers to take their deals out.I dug up a 650-year-old silver coin in my garden - and it taught me something about cash today
23/06/24 06:00Recently I found some buried treasure in the form of a mysterious silver coin - although the most valuable thing about it turned out to be its history.Most car pothole damage claims are turned down - here's how to get yours paid out
22/06/24 06:00Last year 6,243 drivers were paid for damage unrepaired roads caused to vehicle - but 65% of claims were rejected.Family chased for £11,491 by debt collectors after botched double-glazing installation by Everest two years ago
20/06/24 05:00A family were chased for a double glazing debt they had already been told was written off, after two years of turmoil where the problem was not fixed.Tesla Powerwall 3 home battery now on sale in Britain - what is it and can it really save you big on energy bills?
19/06/24 03:24The Powerwall can store electricity for use at a later point, with households able to use the device to save money on their energy bills.Why do Post Office staff ask if you need cash before you leave? It's because it now makes more money from banking than letters and parcels!
14/06/24 06:00The Post Office has moved so far from its traditional roots in sending letters and parcels that most of its income now comes from financial services.Travellers urged to dodge costly car hire excess policies sold at the desk
13/06/24 11:00Consumer champions Which? said drivers can be charged up to £199 for a car hire excess policy that is less useful than one that costs just £16.Voters want cuts in energy bills for the most vulnerable homes
12/06/24 08:20Discounted social tariffs are common for broadband and mobile phone deals, but do not exist for energy - despite these bills being far higher.The trick to get AA and RAC breakdown cover for less than a third of the price
11/06/24 09:01Millions of drivers fork out around £80 a year - worth up to £1.2bn in total - for AA or RAC cover to ensure they can get help if their car breaks down.What the Lib Dem manifesto means for your finances: Free personal care, CGT hikes and a spending increase
11/06/24 02:52The Liberal Democrats will not win the upcoming general election, but have many ideas on how to shake up personal finances.Child benefit tax threshold would rise further under Tory pledge: What would it mean for families?
07/06/24 01:47Conservative tweaks to the child benefit system would see more families and single parents be eligible to keep the full level of payments.Royal Mint reports huge spike in gold sales after election was called as investors look to keep their cash safe
07/06/24 08:38The Royal Mint said that it had seen a 49% increase in the number of customers buying precious metal bullion since the election was called.Why it could pay to wait before passing your driving test as 17-year-old drivers quoted over £3,000 for cover
06/06/24 06:00The average cost of car insurance for a newly passed 17-year-old driver has now hit £3,075, up by more than £1,000 from £2,004 at the same point last year.Royal Mint aims to sell £100m of UK coins to AMERICA - despite shutting its overseas coinmaking operation
04/06/24 12:17Americans are already keen on UK-made coins, and the Mint said it has seen a 118 per cent increase in sales to the US since 2022.Car insurance questions you REALLY don't want to get wrong: These could invalidate your cover
04/06/24 05:00With average car insurance prices at an all-time high of £635 a year, it makes sense not to fall foul of these insurance questions that can trip up unwary drivers.Great British Energy: What would Labour plan mean for your bills?
01/06/24 06:00Labour leader Keir Starmer has high energy costs in his gunsights, and has unveiled plans to tackle them if he comes prime minister.Smart meter installations fall 10% as energy firms struggle to convince households to get them
30/05/24 02:02Energy firms are struggling due to most households that would chose to have a smart meter already having one, with resistance from many of the remainder.Energy bills WILL fall in July: Here's how your costs will change
24/05/24 11:21The average energy bill will fall from 1 July, Ofgem has confirmed - but how much each home pays will still vary.Which energy firm is offering the cheapest way to get a heat pump?
24/05/24 02:00Homeowners, the Government heat pump suppliers all know that the cost of the devices is a major hurdle to consumers adopting the devices.Can heat pump prices fall more? Experts say they could remain high - but replacing will be cheaper
23/05/24 02:00Although some firms offer to fit a heat pump for free, or as little as £500, many consumers have been waiting for prices to fall further before investing in the devices.Fraudsters turn to AI and deepfakes to make dodgy insurance claim photos - can YOU tell them apart?
22/05/24 05:00An emerging technique is to use digitally-altered photos and documents to try to scam money out of insurers - with innocent drivers and homeowners paying the price.My insurer said driving from a station is commuting - and refused my claim
21/05/24 05:00My insurance broker said I was not covered for driving home from a train station because my policy did not cover commuting.Annual phone and broadband price rises cost typical household £277 this year
20/05/24 11:01Regulator Ofcom is considering plans to ban these inflation-linked price increases from this summer, but not in time to avert this year's rises.Typical energy bill set to fall by £116 in July, latest Cornwall Insight forecast predicts
17/05/24 02:05The Ofgem price cap is now expected to fall by £116 to £1,574 a year from 1 July, for average use, according to analysts at Cornwall Insight.Over half of homes want HYDROGEN power: How does it work and will it make bills cheaper?
17/05/24 05:00Hydrogen power could allow households to keep their existing boilers, rather than switching to heat pumps.Pay monthly insurance most popular as customers try to dodge big bills - even though they pay more overall
15/05/24 07:30High insurance costs have led many Britons to choose to pay for at least one of their insurance deals monthly to avoid a massive annual bill.Most Britons have NO interest in heat pumps, survey shows
15/05/24 05:00The UK is running out of interest in heat pumps, with just one in ten people wanting to get one installed in place of their gas boiler.Cheaper energy deals could be back by winter as Ofgem plans to bring back competition
14/05/24 11:30Regulator Ofgem wants to scrap rules stopping energy firms from offering cheaper deals to new customers. The news means lower energy bills could be back from October.Britons cash in on gold price boom by selling it to the Royal Mint - how to buy AND sell bullion
03/05/24 06:00The Royal Mint told This is Money that it has seen a 'record number' of customers selling back gold. We look at who is buying and selling - and how to do it.Four in five households can now get lightning-fast gigabit broadband... but do they need it?
30/04/24 02:00Gigabit broadband is super-fast and reliable, but it can cost up to £80 per month. Is it worth it for the average home?Online state pension top-ups FINALLY launch after This is Money campaign to end delays and missing payments
29/04/24 01:53Government has finally acted to fix the problem by launching an online pension top-ups tool - but one expert warns the new system could still lead to delays.Car insurance costs hit new average record high of £635 - but hikes may be starting to slow
28/04/24 11:01Charities have warned MPs that some drivers are being forced to choose between buying food or insurance. However, the latest rise of 1 per cent gives motorists some hope the worst may be over.Car insurers to make pay monthly cheaper and fairer after warning about 'poor product'
25/04/24 06:57Car premium finance is a form of loan that lets consumers pay for car insurance in intervals, normally monthly, rather than yearly. But doing so means paying extra.How YOU can lower your council tax by challenging it - 99.6% of bills fall or stay the same when people follow these steps
24/04/24 11:13Hundreds of thousands of households may be able to cut their council tax bill by requesting their property is put in a lower band. Here's how to do it:Almost no fixed energy deals beat the Ofgem price cap - and they can charge high fees to leave
24/04/24 08:30Research from Warm This Winter found that most of the 383 fixed-rate tariffs on the market are not as cheap as price-capped bills and can come with very high exit fees.New energy deal is 13% a year cheaper than Ofgem price cap: Is it worth signing up?
23/04/24 06:00A new energy tariff from Outfox the Market offers electricity at around 13% cheaper than the average Ofgem price-capped bill, and gas at 9% cheaper.Heat pumps way behind target as experts say high prices put people off
22/04/24 06:00The latest figures show that the Boiler Upgrade Scheme paid out £88.8million in 2023/24, against a budget of £150million.Some drivers are forced to choose between buying food or car insurance, Citizens Advice warns MPs
17/04/24 03:17Motorists are grappling with huge increases in insurance costs, with the typical driver paying £543 to insure their car in 2023. In response, MPs have launched an inquiry.Home insurance payouts hit £573m last year as bad weather claims at record high
15/04/24 11:21The ABI said the 2023 surge in bad weather claims was fuelled by a series of storms, including Babet , Ciaran and Debi, that struck last autumn.Royal Mint to stop making overseas coins after 700 years
12/04/24 11:48The Royal Mint first started making overseas coins in 1325. But from December 2024 the Royal Mint will stop making these overseas coins, and will instead focus on making coins for the UK.High winds mean over HALF the UK's homes powered by green electricity
09/04/24 11:38Storm Kathleen meant that the country's wind turbines made up double the amount of electricity they usually do.Average car insurance premium hits £543 - but insurers defend hikes saying costs have soared
05/04/24 11:35The average 2023 motor premium rose 25% from £434 a year before, the Association of British Insurers said, hitting a peak of £627 in the final three months of the year.Little-known energy bill changes mean electricity prices could drop from next year - if you have a smart meter
05/04/24 05:00The change will mean energy firms have to tally up customers' bills every half an hour, provided they have a smart meter fitted.Octopus Energy completes switch of 1.3m Shell customers to officially make it Britain's second-largest energy firm
02/04/24 11:45Octopus finished buying Shell's retail energy arm in December 2023 and took just two months to switch all customers over.Average home insurance fire claim now tops £24,000... as e-bike and e-scooter batteries drive increase
30/03/24 07:30Insurers and the London Fire Brigade are warning of the risks of lithium-ion battery fires, which are causing a huge spike in the value of domestic fire claims.Insurers are STILL stinging drivers by undervaluing written-off cars, says FCA
28/03/24 01:47If your car is damaged to the point it cannot be driven or fixed, insurers are meant to pay you a fair sum. But the city regulator has warned that's not happening.Why does treating a dog cost 10x more than a human? High vet bills are due a reckoning, says SAM BARKER
28/03/24 12:15Either many vets are overcharging, or their fees are actually fair and they are just not explaining themselves properly. Either is a bad outcome for consumers.Car crash victims to get faster, higher compensation payouts as insurers lose court battle
27/03/24 02:19A Supreme Court decision means that insurers have to pay out higher compensation packages if a car crash victim suffers whiplash and another injury too.Millions of households will soon pay up to £129 a year to bail out energy firms for unpaid bills
26/03/24 12:01A charity group says energy firms will soon charge British households £1.3bn a year to chase unpaid bills and write off bad debts, ranging from £25 to £129 per home.Ofgem mulls big energy price cap changes, which could see bills fall
25/03/24 01:15Regulator Ofgem is looking at plans to shake up the price cap, which currently sets the energy bills paid by more than 90% of the population.How 16% of homes with solar panels say the tech isn't saving them money on their energy bills
22/03/24 02:40Around 1.3 m homes now have solar panels installed. But research from Halifax shows that 16% found the devices did not save them money on their energy bills.Number of people in poverty rises by 600,000 - including 300,000 children
22/03/24 10:36The latest Government figures show that 600,000 people fell into absolute poverty in 2023, meaning they are unable to pay for the basics of existence such as food, housing and other bills.Mobile customers could face higher bills with Three and Vodafone merger, watchdog warns
22/03/24 07:54The merger of Three and Vodafone is so large that the Competition and Markets Authority today warned that it could push up prices for all mobile phone customers.What falling inflation means for you - and why it has hit its lowest level since 2021
20/03/24 02:52We explain what the inflation fall means for you, what is likely to happen with Bank of England interest rate decisions, and how long it could take for inflation to fall to the 2% target.Car insurance costs could fall as government plans to rip up EU rules letting uninsured drivers claim
19/03/24 03:44A strange quirk of European Union rules means that innocent drivers hit by an uninsured car can still get compensation - even if they are uninsured themselves.High cost of heat pumps is putting customers off, watchdog warns
18/03/24 05:26The National Audit Office said the high cost of heat pumps and a lack of consumer understanding were holding back more households choosing to fit heat pumps.Heat pump grants extended to more homes as 'boiler tax' pushed back: How it works and who can use it
15/03/24 02:58The Government has expanded the Boiler Upgrade Scheme to make the devices cheaper to fit, and has also pushed the 'boiler tax' on new gas boilers into 2025.Empty houses to pay double council tax after a year in second home crackdown
12/03/24 03:05The Government is shaking up how council tax works to cut down on the number of second homes and those left empty for long periods.Octopus Energy Shell takeover - eight key things all customers need to know as they're moved over
11/03/24 02:54Around 1.3m customers are being switched over from Shell to Octopus in a process that is still ongoing.Council tax to rise by £13bn a year by 2029, Budget watchdog warns
06/03/24 03:24Almost all local authorities are planning to increase their council tax by 4.99% from April 2024. But that has not been enough to keep many councils stable.Young drivers in automatic cars now face annual insurance bills of nearly £3k
05/03/24 03:06Last year the typical automatic-only driver aged under 25 was quoted £2,803 a year for their car insurance, a rise of 49% on £1,887 in 2023.
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