Line rental hikes to add to debt worries?

Increases in the price of line rental and call charges in the UK could see more people requiring debt management help, new figures have suggested.

Companies could be set to follow the example of BT and hike up such costs, uSwitch.com warned.

The website observed TalkTalk is the first provider to do so as the firm has raised its prices for landline calls.

Line rental cost and call charges for both UK and international calls are to escalate from October 1st, with line rentals swelling from £11.49 to £12.04 per month.

Meanwhile, daytime calls are to elevate from 5.8p to 6.4p per minute, with a call set-up fee for chargeable phone conversations leaping ten per cent – from 9.9p to 10.9p.

Fees for standard international rates are also set to jump, with the exact amount dependant on the country from which the call is made.

Penalty costs for late payments is set to climb from £7.50 to £10, while the payment for a customer moving home and wishing to take the service with them has increased from £29.99 to £49.99.

Moreover, Mobile Extra subscribers will now have to face payments of £1.46 per month, up from the previous amount of 45p.

Ernest Doku, communications expert at the portal, observed it was only a matter of time before the hikes came to fruition.

“As more people turn to mobile phones to stay in touch, home phone operators are looking for ways to maintain their income,” the industry figure added.

The company recently advised holidaymakers to be wary of the fees that can be incurred when using a mobile phone abroad and claimed 1.3 million Brits could be at risk of running up large bills this summer.

By Amy White