Price hike leaves customers in a fix

THE vast majority of mobile phone stores are misleading customers about the possibility of price increases on so-called “fixed contracts”, according to a consumer watchdog.

A mystery shopping investigation by Which? last month found that 82 per cent of staff in the stores it visited gave incorrect information about “fixed” deals, even when asked directly if the price would stay the same for the duration of the contract.

The consumer group said that in the past year four of the five main phone operators – Vodafone, Orange, T-Mobile and Three – had taken advantage of a “hidden clause” allowing them to increase prices on contracts that appeared to be fixed.

Which? executive director Richard Lloyd said: “It’s totally unacceptable that people aren’t being told the full story about potential price rises when signing up to contracts.”