UK operators to introduce bill caps for stolen phones

By Alex Dobie
published

The UK government has reached an agreement with some of the major British mobile operators to protect consumers from the cost of unexpected mobile bills, it has announced.

The Guardian reports that agreement between the government and EE, Three, Virgin Media and Vodafone will see a cap placed on bills from phones reported lost or stolen, in addition to measures designed to protect customers from mid-contract price hikes. Operators will inform customers when these price rises will take place, and give them the option of ending the contract without any penalty if these occur.

Operators including BT, Sky and Talk Talk have also agreed to work towards an EU target of eliminating international roaming fees by 2016. Meanwhile the bill cap for stolen phones is expected to be in place by next spring.

Source: The Guardian (opens in new tab)

Alex Dobie
Alex Dobie
Executive Editor

Alex was with Android Central for over a decade, producing written and video content for the site, and served as global Executive Editor from 2016 to 2022.

5 Comments
  • good to hear when you sign a contract for £30 a month for 24 months I expect to pay that for the whole of the contract once I don't go over my allowance and not to have a price hike mid contract this should of been in place long time ago Posted via ACA on LG G2
  • Agreed, I think it is a disgusting practice to be able to push up the price mid-contract. What is the point of having a contract then? TMobile increased both mine and my missus' monthly charge (albeit by a coupla quid) but I bet they wouldn't drop the price when it becomes more profitable would they? I could be wrong but you don't tend to get extra minutes/data etc as you go through the contract anymore. In my opinion, the price you sign is the price you pay and it should be the same for both parties. If they want to charge more, then the the contract should end. A customer cannot change the contract or get out of it (without big penalties) so why should the seller? Hopefully this ruling will see to that. Worrying, you could see this as a future tactic by luring people in with a "cheap" contract to beat the competition, then pushing up the price later on (even if it is tagged to "inflation") to claw it back
  • A step in the right direction. Hope they keep it up. Posted via Android Central App on my Motorola XT890 RAZR i
  • So prior to this, if I report my phone stolen, would they not disconnect the line, preventing any bill from accruing?
  • Is this a UK problem? I seem to recall that every time a price change occurred with the US carriers I was sent a letter giving me the option to cancel the contract since they are not upholding their end. Posted via Android Central App