mobileu.co.uk

Mobile phone contracts causing £800 million over-spend

Confusing contracts are causing a £800 million over-spend by British mobile phone users who have subscribed to unsuitable tariffs.

In a survey carried out by the Top10.com comparison site, 42 per cent of people surveyed admitted to finding their contracts confusing. 46 per cent also admitted to being worried about being overcharged due to the wrong tariff.

Top10.com spokesman, Alex Buttle, said it is more important than ever for people to shop around and check exactly what they are getting before signing a contract.

“With so many mobile phone contracts available, it’s no surprise that so many people find tariffs confusing,” he said.

“It is worrying that so many people are wasting money every month because they don’t change their tariff to match their level of usage.”

He said it was a simple but worthwhile task for people to go back through their old bills and work out exactly how much they actually used each month. He added that with smarthphones and iPhones tying people in to contracts commonly lasting two years, it is more important than ever to make the first choice the right one.

The survey also showed that 1.3 million British people paid extra each month because they exceeded their free minute allocation.