TalkTalk finds 2m Brits hit by unexpected broadband charges
Unexpected charges on broadband bills are affecting more than two million British consumers, according to new research from TalkTalk.
The internet service provider found hundreds of thousands of broadband customers are being hit in the wallet after exceeding their monthly data allowance, despite signing up to what initially appeared to be a good-value deal.
Some subscribers are shelling out as much as £40 on top of their typical monthly fee as a result of this problem, the study revealed.
TalkTalk warned the issue is only set to get worse as an increasing number of households adopt bandwidth-heavy online services such as video streaming.
The study ties in with recent research from Ofcom, which showed British broadband households download an average of 17GB per month, despite the fact that some cheaper packages only offer a monthly allowance of 10GB.
Exceeding data allowances could present customers with "serious financial repercussions", TalkTalk claimed, with costs multiplying quickly once the limit has been passed. BT, for instance, charges £5 for every 5GB of extra data used.
Tristia Clarke, commercial director at TalkTalk, said: "We urge customers to read the fine print to check that they are not being charged when they go over these limited data allowances."
