'Forget about socialising... It’s terrible': Cork people react to rising utility and broadband prices
Austin Ricken: 'I’m changing providers all the time because I’m trying to get the best deal I can get.' Picture: Larry Cummins
"I don’t think you’re getting deals anymore because every competitor is just upping their prices. It’s like they’re all working together."
That's how one Cork man felt when asked about the rising utility prices.
It comes as the latest data from the Commission for Regulation of Utilities has shown that one in nine households in Ireland are in arrears on their electricity bills, while almost one in four are behind on their gas bills.
And last week, the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) said the Government needs to crack down on companies that are hiking bills for essential services mid-contract. The call came as household budgets are to be stretched even further next month with Eir, Sky, Three, and Vodafone all hiking TV, mobile, and broadband prices.
During a visit to Cork’s Blackpool Shopping Centre by the , many were all too happy to hit out at the price hikes.
Austin Ricken said he has had enough of the price of energy in today's world.
"I’m changing providers all the time because I’m trying to get the best deal I can get. We’re running out of ideas now at this stage. It's way above average.
"I look after my sister because she’s disabled so I'm either going to be heating, cooking or lighting. We’re on the go all the time, we just can’t afford it anymore."
The Cork man said the price increases "have an awful effect on the ordinary working man or woman and if you’ve kids especially because heating is priority, cooking is priority.
"You’ve nothing left after that, forget about socialising anyway because you can’t afford it. It’s terrible."
Last month, SSE Airtricity announced it would increase electricity bills by 10.5% and their gas bills by 8.5%, with customers of other providers bracing for copycat moves.
In fact, the last wholesale price index has electricity prices 67.7% higher than a year ago.
When asked about the price hikes, Cork woman Margaret Gould said: “I’m elderly so I’d feel the cold, I’d have the heating on a lot, I need it.
"I have a landline too and I’d get rid of it only for the fact that it’s connected to my house alarm. We have to pay for these, we don't have a choice really.
"Pensioners like myself got €12 [weekly] of an increase. This week I got a bill from Eir, they’re increasing my fibre broadband by €6. I got a new phone with Vodafone, now because it's nearly April, that is going up by €3.50. That’s €9.50. The €12 is gone like that.
"How can you live on your pension? We’re borrowing from the credit union to pay for essentials."
The advice from many is to compare prices and it is something some of the people the spoke to are actively doing.
Aileen Woods said that when it comes to gas and electricity, "if someone comes to the doorstep with a better deal and we’re not in a contract then we’re swapping over the whole time.
"We’d change companies as often as is permissible, to be honest".
Father of three Stephen Coffey was in a similar position.
“It's a topic that would really get your blood boiling. We have a massive bill at the end of every month with Vodafone. A lad actually called to the door last night offering us a better deal, he was giving us more for less so we just took that."
Utility companies will point to their own rising costs with SSE Airtricity pointing out: "While we shielded customers from the impact of increased networks and other costs for six months, including the winter months, such regulatory charges are outside of our control, and we can no longer absorb these costs.”
Meanwhile, Vodafone said that annual price adjustments exist to "enable Vodafone to respond to changes in our cost base and to invest in network upgrades”.
