Despite a loss of subscribers, SFR and its subsidiary RED will again increase the prices of certain telephone packages. An increase imposed without improvement which is very likely to drive away customers.
An increase that is likely to annoy more than one. Since January 2023, mobile operators and internet service providers (ISPs) have increased the number of price increases for their subscriptions. At the time, it was Bouygues Telecom that started the process, before being quickly followed by its competitors, including SFR and Orange. Only Free has committed to not touching the price of its packages until 2027, despite a tough period of inflation. Over the months, the main operators have sent out a series of emails to their subscribers announcing increases of 1, 2, 3 or even 4 euros per month on their packages. And unfortunately, some people will once again have to dig into their pockets. This is the case for subscribers to SFR and RED, the operator’s low-cost subsidiary, who recently received an email indicating a price increase.
SFR and RED: a monthly increase between €0.99 and €1.99 depending on the packages
In its email, which arrived in subscribers’ mailboxes at the end of August, SFR announced an increase ranging from €0.99 to €1.99 per month depending on the offers. “The price of your offer is changing to offer you the best experience”the operator indicates in the subject of its email. To justify this new increase, which risks making some people grind their teeth, the operator explains that this will allow it to offer good quality mobile services. “Because your satisfaction is our priority, we work and invest tirelessly in the quality and maintenance of our networks, with one goal: to offer you the best experience everywhere in France to surf, share your stories, watch your series with ever greater fluidity and speed”, can be read in the message, specifying that network games, file sharing and watching movies via the box will be optimized.
Despite everything, many customers are wondering about the recurrence of these increases. Especially since there has not really been any significant improvement in services in recent months. And the operator is not offering any tangible compensation to offset this increase (no additional data in the packages for example).
Above all, this new price increase is likely to drive away subscribers, which is unlikely to help the operator’s business, and the Altice group that owns it and is going through a serious financial crisis. Thus, in the second quarter of 2024, SFR (with RED) lost some 430,000 customers, despite its efforts to relaunch its offers with new packages. And since 2022, nearly 2 million subscribers have left the operator.
Faced with this surge in prices, new people may leave the operator to join the competition. Indeed, it is not possible to contest or refuse a price increase since this practice is perfectly legal. Article L.224-33 of the Consumer Code authorizes telecom operators to increase their prices whenever they wish, provided that they inform their customers at least one month before the application of the new prices and give them the possibility of canceling their subscription without charge within four months of this notification. However, it is possible to contact the operator’s support and threaten to leave for the competition – in particular by having planned a small comparative analysis of packages with other operators – which could allow you to get a small discount. You never know.