An Ofcom enforced ruling which enables mobile customers to switch operators more easily could save up to £325m a year, according to uSwitch.com.
‘Text to switch’ will come into effect on Monday (July 1). By simply sending a text customers will not have to call up their provider and will be immediately sent their PAC codes, which is valid for 30 days.
According to uSwitch research, 15 per cent of mobile users who are out of contract are paying £27.4 million more than they should every month – resulting in a total overspend of more than £325 million a year.
Ofcom gave operators 18 months to implement this reform, which becomes mandatory on July 1. The service can save up to £10m for UK customers by banning notice periods, which stops people paying for two contracts simultaneously.
uSwitch.com head of regulation Richard Neudegg said: “Text to Switch should make things far more simple. People who are out of contract, for example, overpay by an average of £8.17 a month due to their monthly payment still including a handset element, even though the handset has already been paid off. They are essentially paying again for something they already own.
“The theoretical hassle of switching has now been reduced, and the potential savings for millions of customers should make this a no-brainer.
“With end-of-contract notifications also set to arrive in early 2020, mobile users will now find it easier to change to the best deal for them, with Text to Switch making that process even simpler.”
This story been shared from our sister publication Mobile News