Martin Lewis shared some tips on his BBC podcast (Image: ITV)
Martin Lewis has answered a curious question about how to get the maximum savings on your household bills. The consumer expert shared some thoughts after being asked a very specific question on his BBC podcast.
A person called into the show with a question about their mobile phone contract. They explained they are with Vodafone and their contract was up for renewal last year.
They were considering leaving the provider but decided to stay after securing a 50 per cent discount on their renewal quote. Their bill was originally set to go up from £26 a month to £27.80, a 6.9 per cent increase of £1.80 a month.
But when their bill for April came through, it showed the 50 per cent discount had only been applied relative to their previous bill, with their quote reduced by £13 a month, but with the full £1.80 increase still added.
The bill payer felt the 50 per cent discount should also apply to the £1.80 increase, reducing their bill by a further 90p a month, or £10.80 a year. In response, Mr Lewis asked what the man had done to resolve the issue.
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No hard answer
He said he had discussed it with Vodafone over webchat, with the company arguing that the discount only applied to the original price, not the increase. The consumer expert said there is “no hard answer” to this query.
But Mr Lewis did have a useful tip that someone “senior at a telecoms firm” once told him about how to get help with disputes such as this. He explained: “They have a special team for dealing with complaints if people are threatening to escalate to the Ombudsman, because if you go to the Ombudsman, they have to pay a fee to the Ombudsman when you make a complaint.
“Therefore they have a special team which is trying to forestall those complaints, who tend to be better to deal with.” Mr Lewis encouraged the bill payer to first make a formal complaint via webchat, or, better still, in writing by email.
Make a formal complaint
He shared what you could include in the message: “You believe you’re entitled to a 50 per cent discount, that discount has not been applied, therefore you think this incorrect.
“You would like to turn this into a formal complaint that they are overcharging you, and you would like a response within 28 days.”
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He said that hopefully such a message would go to the right team, and they would decide to grant the full 50 per cent discount. The consumer advocate explained that this would likely be the cheaper option for the provider, rather than paying the fees if you escalate the issue to the Ombudsman.
Mr Lewis said: “My progressive step would be, next is make the formal complaint, but say that you’re planning to go to the Ombudsman if they won’t sort it within the formal complaint. My hope is that will do the business.”
‘Why shouldn’t they stick to the price?’
The caller agreed with the plan and said he thought it was worth pursuing the issue, even though it’s a relatively small amount. Mr Lewis encouraged him in the endeavour, saying: “Absolutely, you’ve got an agreement with the company. They gave you a price, why shouldn’t they stick to the price?”
Vodafone has been asked for a comment. The BBC podcast team read out a Vodafone response to the issue. The group said: “Any price changes are made with the commitment to transparency and are in line with Ofcom’s guidelines, including where discounts have been applied.
“We encourage customers to contact our customer care channels for support with contract queries or issues.”
