IT is estimated that average UK family is spending over £650 per year on digital TV, broadband and home phone services, which makes up a significant proportion of household bills.
Says a Simplifydigital spokesperson: “But because the services are complicated and switching is seen as tricky, many homes are not regularly reviewing the deals they are on, and are wasting big money as a result.
“Simplifydigital.com’s most extreme example was a family that saved over £2,000 per year on their TV, broadband and home phone bills by switching providers.”
Geoff Slaughter, head of Online at Simplifydigital.com said:
“We know that customers continue to feel the pinch and want to save money wherever they can, especially as those Christmas bills roll in over the New Year.
“Many people still aren’t taking advantage of the potential savings that are right under their noses. On average, customers using our service save up to £408 per year when they bundle their broadband, home phone and digital TV services, so it’s a real saving and can make a big difference to the household.
“We are all used to shopping around for cheaper car insurance and energy prices and with so many attractive offers for broadband, home phone and digital TV, consumers can add many hundreds of pounds into the total saving they can make by being shrewd shoppers.”
Step one: Use a comparison site with an availability checker to see which deals are available in your area today
Digital TV and broadband service availability varies hugely depending on your location and so does broadband pricing. Remember, cheap deals which you might have seen advertised may not be available in your area. Try to find a reliable comparison site with a postcode availability checker to see what new deals are available in your area.
Preferably, choose a comparison site with Ofcom’s accreditation for accuracy and comprehensiveness, such as ours at www.simplifydigital.com.
Step two: Bundle your services – the more you bundle the more you save!
If you bundle the services from a single provider you are highly likely to save – and the more services you bundle the more you save – all in a single bill.
The three best bundle deals on offer are: bundling your mobile phone with your broadband service, bundling your broadband and home phone services, and lastly bundling your digital TV, broadband and home phone, the latter will deliver the biggest savings.
For example, O2 mobile phone customers can get a high quality broadband service for just £7.50 per month. Also, if you want to bundle your broadband and home phone, TalkTalk offers a great family broadband service with free evening and weekend calls for just £6.99 per month.
But the biggest savings of all come from ‘triple play’ digital TV, broadband and home phone bundles. Sky and Virgin Media triples start from as little as £18 per month excluding line rental.
Step three: Clearly define what you need from your service before choosing a deal
Take into account all members of the family’s needs before choosing a deal. Be clear of your family’s needs in terms of: TV channel must-haves and nice-to-haves; high definition TV and PVRs (like Sky+); broadband speed, broadband usage limits, wireless versus a wired connection. Remember, most contracts are at least 12 months, so don’t switch just for the sake of it, as you might find that the cheap deal really is not right for you, and you may end up paying a penalty to exit.
Step four: Check for special offers
Deals are changing all the time. January is a great time to buy as the market is very active. The majority of leading providers are currently offering introductory discounts, including Sky, Virgin Media, O2, TalkTalk and Orange.
In addition some online sites offer attractive cashback deals, so have a look at the specialist comparison sites like ours at www.simplifydigital.com, prior to purchase.
About Simplifydigital.com
Simplifydigital offers a free and impartial ‘Switching Support’ service for anyone looking to get a digital TV, broadband or phone package.
Its London-based impartial experts are available for free over the phone, to answer all those tricky questions and match the family’s needs to the best deal available. And importantly in the run-up to Christmas and the New Year, the Simplifydigital.com experts are then on hand to help make sure that the new services get installed with no fuss at all.
Simplifydigital.com’s experts are available for free on 0800 1 388 388 seven days a week (Lines open Mon-Fri 8am-8pm; Saturday 9am-5:30pm; Sunday 10-5:30pm).
You can also use Simplifydigital.com’s Ofcom accredited comparison engine online at www.simplifydigital.com.
MEDIA RELEASE issued by Simplifydigital. You too can post your story ideas for journalists (aka press or media releases), on allmediascotland.com. Email info@allmediascotland.com for more information.
Contact: Edita Lozovska
Phone: 08001388388
Email: elozovska@simplifydigital.co.uk
Website: http://www.simplifydigital.co.uk
