Broadband News

Half of consumers miss out on money-saving bundles

Thursday, 19 August 2010

By Garnet Roach garnet@consumerchoices.co.uk

Only 53% of broadband customers with a landline, internet connection and digital TV take advantage of the savings offered by bundles, Ofcom has revealed.

Around half of all UK households now buy two or more services from the same provider, said the telecoms regulator, but 47% of consumers are still missing out on the potential savings offered by broadband bundles.

A massive 70% of consumers said that their main reason for taking a bundle was because it was cheaper, while almost half were attracted by the ease of dealing with just one provider.

Broadband bundle customers were also generally more satisfied than those who took single services, added Ofcom.

But bundled customers were also less likely to switch provider, revealed Ofcom’s latest Communications Market Report. “A relatively small proportion of consumers switched their whole bundle in the past year,” it said.

“This may be due to a combination of high levels of satisfaction, a large proportion still being within a contract lock-in period, and the hassle of navigating multiple switching processes simultaneously.”

Michael Phillips, Broadbandchoices.co.uk product director, said: “Broadband bundles offer great value for money, but you should still compare broadband to make sure that you're getting the best possible deal.

“Even if you've been on the same package with the same provider for a few years - and don’t want to switch - you should still talk to your supplier to see if you could save money on one of their latest deals,” he advised.