These days the telephone companies are sending unilateral changes to the contractual conditions for fixed and mobile telephony. The flurry of communications leads to increases of up to € 5.99 per month. These are figures that mark double-digit percentage increases. The cost of energy, which has affected the majority of household spending items, thus also reaches the telephony sector. The complaint comes from Codacons which calculates higher disbursements up to 72 euros a year.
What is happening? “The companies, appealing to the changed market conditions and the need to guarantee an adequate level of service, are modifying the economic conditions applied to their customers in no particular order, arranging increases ranging from a few euro cents up to almost 6 euros per month – denounces the Codacons – In some cases there are also voices not directly linked to telephone services, such as that relating to the sending of paper invoices. Increases which, according to the consumers’ association, are excessive and would not appear proportionate to the higher costs for operators ».
For example, WINDTRE customers are receiving a communication informing them that “starting from 1 December 2022, the contribution for sending the non-fiscal invoice in paper format will be increased by 1 euro per shipment”. The same company also makes it known that in order to “continue to provide service levels in line with the growing needs of the market, starting from 1 December 2022 the cost of the service of its fixed network offer will be increased by 2 euros per month (2 euro + VAT for Customers with VAT number) ». For some offers of the same operator on the fixed network, the increase will be higher and will reach 5.99 euros per month, with the possibility, if the offer included the installment of the router from 5.99 euros, to apply a discount in invoice of the same amount, but only up to the end of the remaining installments to be paid.
For its part, VODAFONE informs that “starting from the first renewal subsequent to November 13, 2022, the cost of some mobile Safe Network offers will increase by 0.99 euros or 0.50 euros per month based on the offer” while ” from 15 November 2022, the cost of some fixed network offers will increase by € 1.99 per month, allowing us to continue investing in the network to offer our customers the highest quality of our services ».
FASTWEB instead makes it known that «Starting from November 1st 2022 some mobile network offers will be replaced with offers currently available for new customers. This variation implies that on some customers the cost may increase by an amount between 0.05 euro / month and 3.00 euro / month ».
TIM closes the list, which if it triggered the unilateral changes last September 1, has now decided to extend the possibility for users to exercise the right of withdrawal free of charge until November 30: “Starting from September 1, 2022, for the changed market conditions, TIM modifies the monthly price of some mobile offers for Rechargeable Customers. In particular, from the first debit subsequent to September 1, 2022, an increase in the monthly cost of up to € 2 (VAT included) will be applied to these offers, which varies according to the specific offer active on the customer’s line “.
“There is no peace for Italian consumers – says president Carlo Rienzi – After energy bills, prices and mortgages, now it is the turn of increases for telephony, with increases that in some cases come to almost 72 euros per year . Increases which, according to the telephone companies, should be attributed to the current economic situation, but which, in our opinion, do not appear proportionate to the higher costs actually borne by operators, and seem more like a marketing strategy aimed at increasing their coffers ».