Popular broadband company quietly drops promise to customers, here's what you need to know
CALLS CHARGES have been increased as well as the introduction of annual price rises for the first time - customers need to be aware of the big changes coming soon.
Shell Energy Broadband has dropped its pledge to never increase your monthly bills at the end of your contract. In addition, the broadband provider has confirmed that it could adopt annual price hikes for its customers. Shell Energy says it could raise its prices by as much as the Consumer Price Index (CPI) plus up to 3 percent – that's the same formula used by BT and EE for their annual increases.
Until now, Shell Energy Broadband differentiated itself from other internet suppliers with its pledge that it would never rise monthly bills. Even when contracts came to an end, customers could expect to see the same amount leave their current account every month. As such, customers didn't necessarily need to worry about shopping around for new deals from their existing provider or discounts from new firms to stop spiralling bills.
But that will all change from April 1, 2022 onwards. Shell Energy has confirmed that, from that date onwards, customers could see prices rise by the rate of inflation coupled with an additional 3 percent on top of that. Nothing is guaranteed, Shell Energy has only announced that it can not that it will. However, it's still a notable departure compared to its previous terms and conditions. Another caveat found in the small-print, existing Shell Energy customers will no longer receive preferential pricing when they sign-up for new broadband deals.
What does all of this mean? Well, there's no sense in remaining loyal to Shell Energy after your broadband contract has come to an end. If they have the best balance between speeds and price when you're hunting for a new deal – by all means, sign-up for a contract with the supplier. Shell Energy relies on BT's Openreach broadband network, so you'll get the same speeds in your street as you'll find from Sky, EE, Vodafone, and BT. With its decision to adopt the same annual price rise policy as BT, it's worth shopping around whenever your current deal comes to an end.
Elsewhere, those with landlines from Shell Energy Broadband will see some price rises too. The Call Connection Charge when phoning someone in the EU has risen from 0p to 23p, while UK call charges have increased to 18p a minute. If you want to receive paper bills in the post, Shell Energy Broadband has doubled the cost from £1 to £2.
With 18-month minimum contract terms, Shell Energy Broadband customers will be out-of-contract and able to renegotiate faster than those who have signed up to similar plans from the likes of BT, so that's a positive.
The above changes only impacts new customers, so unless you sign-up for a new contract with the company, existing users won't be impacted.
Addressing the changes, a spokesperson for Shell Energy told Express.co.uk, "Customers want great value up-front pricing, a choice of speeds and a service they can rely on, and Shell Energy Broadband delivers all three. Existing customers will have access to the same promotional offers new customers do so they can get our best deal without having to switch providers, and with a wide range of broadband packages to choose from there’s something for every household."
If you have come to the end of your Shell Energy Broadband contact, Express.co.uk has rounded up some of the best broadband deals around right now below...