The telecommunications market once again has movements in the cheapest part. Focusing only on that cost, without reviewing conditions, can increase the final bill, experts warn, especially if the contract has to be abandoned.
When studying them, as an advantage their rates “are usually easier to understand than those for electricity or gas,” says Sara Perales, telecommunications expert at the comparator Kelisto. Mainly you have to look at the price, service, permanence and penalties. With continuous changes in the market, “whenever there is an offer or gift, it usually entails permanence,” comments Àlex Canovas, jurist and technician at the Unió de Consumidors de Catalunya (UCC). Typically, they last a maximum of 24 months, a period that is seen more for offers with term mobiles.
When trying to leave the contract before completing the term, there are usually penalties or charges for services that were presented as free, generally the installation of the router and the connection. “You must not believe that the cost of failing to comply with the permanence is diluted, you must always ask how much you have to pay if you leave. The ideal is through channels that leave a record, with an e-mail,” advises Cánovas. “The penalties will be put in the contract, it must be reviewed,” explains Perales.
Prices must be maintained during the established period and if the advertisement includes a “forever” term, maintain them. “No matter what happens… In principle they can’t cheat. Yes, try to sell you more or better services to raise the price,” says Cánovas. In the event of price increases – such as updating with the CPI – it must be notified one month in advance, as in the invoice prior to the rate change. “Small companies do not usually apply increases after exhausting the permanence. If they do so, they should notify them and remove the permanence with the increase,” says Perales.
One factor to take into account is that in some offers the promised price may rise before the end of the stay. For example, charge less for 6 months, but force you to stay for 12, with the remaining 6 at a higher cost. That is why it is called to review the contract and calculate the cost in annual terms to compare. “It helps to assess whether it really gives you a lower price,” argues Perales.
In a market with so much supply, the price does not end up defining everything, which is why the big ones maintain the interest of many. “There are users who are looking for more premium, pay television services, more conservative and who do not trust the small companies as much.” For example, those who want to purchase football packages have to go to more recognized operators. Hence, large companies play a double game: with their low-cost brands they attack the public that is guided by price, while at the same time they have more expensive plans in their range. In packages with more services you also have to pay attention to the end of the offers. Like free Netflix for X months. At the end of the term, payment begins and it is usually taken by surprise: until the invoice arrives, the client does not realize it.
When choosing one or the other, it is necessary to assess what is needed. “If we adapt to our consumption there are usually cheaper offers,” says Perales. On mobile, the key is not to go overboard, to avoid paying more, or falling short, to avoid having to buy data bonuses. He comments that 10 gigabytes is already more than enough. “You have to be careful with unlimited data rates, you may not be able to take advantage of them and there may be extra charges for things like roaming,” he warns. Or that at certain levels the speed is reduced. In the case of internet at home, basic fiber optics of 100-300 megabytes cover the needs of a normal home, with basic teleworking. If there are many connections, several teleworking or playing online, between 600 and 1,000 megabytes could be needed, he explains.
