Media giants locked in TV war to trap you into contracts charging hundreds of pounds a year
Media giants are locked in a TV war to trap you into contracts charging hundreds of pounds a year.
Sky, Virgin Media and BT are slashing prices and unveiling tempting offers — but you need to look out for sneaky charges and tricky terms and conditions before you sign up.
These firms are desperate for you to take their TV, broadband and phone deals because they know it’s complicated and disruptive to change once you’ve signed up.
Sign of the times: A family pictured watching television at home in the 1940s
They’re also worried by the rise of internet TV suppliers such as Google and YouTube.
So reductions, free gifts and the latest gadgets are among the perks on offer to attract new customers.
For example, Virgin is offering free
TV, phone and internet for three months, and then 20 a month for the
next 15 months, including free weekend calls. You’ll receive 75
channels, though Sky sports and film channels are 29.50 a month extra.
Virgin will also give you a
high-definition box. For an extra 3 a month, the company is offering a
TiVo box, which records your favourite shows and suggests others you
might like. You will also need line rental of 13.50 a month.
Sky includes its online TV service Sky
Go for no charge if you buy a TV package for 20 a month on a 12-month
contract. This allows you to download films and watch sports channels
on your computer or phone. But you’ll have to pay 36 a month more to
receive two Sky Movie channels and Sky Sports.
BT is offering its phone, TV and internet deal for 4 a month for the first four months.
This increases to 20 a month for the
remaining eight months of the contract and includes a Vision box, which
allows you to watch and record online TV and 70 channels of Freeview TV.
For an extra 18.20 a month you get Sky Sports 1 and 2. You can pay for
Sky Sports one month at a time, so you are not tied into a costly
contract. However, you will also need to pay a one-off 10 fee for a
card to let you watch.
Every week Money Mail receives complaints from readers caught out by the small print of tempting deals such as these.
Don’t be persuaded to sign up for extras you never watch. These could pile up to 50 a month on to your seemingly cheap offer.
And watch out for other fees. Virgin
Media will hit you with a 5 fee if you don’t pay by direct debit and a
1.75 fee for receiving paper bills by post. It will also charge 3 a
month for signing up to its TiVo boxes (5 from March)
Remember, contracts for some of the TV
packages can run for up to 18 months, and if you leave early, you will
have to pay a hefty fee.
And if you take a package covering the
phone, internet and TV from the same company, switching one of them to a
cheaper company later on can prove very tricky, because unpicking each
part of the deal is a complex process.
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