Escalation of charges sounds 'death knell for cheap home phone calls'

BT is raising its home phone prices for the second time in seven months, with line rental fees increasing by 2% and daytime calls and call set-up fees rocketing by an above-inflation 9% from tomorrow. The move will hit consumers who are at home during the day and rely on their landline to make and receive the majority of their calls.

It takes line rental costs to £13.90 per month, daytime calls to 7.6p per minute and call set-up fees to 12.5p per call and means the cost of making a landline call with BT has risen by 40.7% since 1 April 2010.

Ernest Doku, communications expert at uSwitch.com, blasted BT's move, calling it a "death knell for cheap home phone calls". Doku added: "As if the VAT increase wasn't enough of a blow to customers, this latest round of price rises from BT will really damage consumers' pockets.

"Across the board, consumers have witnessed a double whammy of increases over the last seven months from home phone providers with more set to follow, and, if this pattern continues, they could well be in for..........Read more HERE