Phone

If you’re a JT customer, your bills will be going up from 27 March.  The telecommunications company have announced that they’ll be increasing their prices by 7.5%, in line with the latest Retail Price Index.   This comes on the back of other household price increases, from Island Energy, Jersey Water and the Jersey Electricity Company, and will no doubt be worrying for some consumers.  If you’re concerned about your JT bills, you can contact them on 882882 and see whether a different contract might save you some money.  To see how the increases will affect various plans and services, check out their prices here:  JT RPI Price Increases - JT Global  As always, our advice would be to always shop around for the best prices and to check whether you're definitely on the best contract for your needs. 

Islanders are being warned about the latest attempt to scam money out of people, which involves them receiving a text or WhatsApp message from a loved one or friend claiming they've smashed or damaged their phone. The scammers then claim that they have a new phone and need some money as they also can no longer access their digital bank cards stored in their phone's wallet. Islanders in both Jersey and Guernsey have already lost thousands in recent weeks. Jersey Consumer Council Chairman Carl Walker said: "The golden rule with anything these days is if in doubt, check it out, especially if you've been contacted out of the blue by an individual or organisation. Call them back on their usual number and see if they have sent you a message before even replying to the initial message." Islanders are also being warned about paying deposits online for things like pets and rental properties. "Scammers are becoming more and more elaborate in their methods and now advertise things for sale or rent on local Facebook pages and, after building a relationship with those who show an interest, begin asking for deposits before viewing, ‘due to demand’," said Mr Walker. "Obviously there are genuine people out there, but if you ever need to pay a deposit or pay for something online, you should always try to use a credit card or PayPal, as both contain strong consumer protection against scammers and allow you to recover your money. If someone you haven’t yet met is demanding a bank transfer, alarm bells should start ringing." Islanders concerned about scams should call 612612 and report it immediately to the Fraud Prevention team at the States of Jersey Police, or visit fraudprevention.je.

Just a short note to let you know that we have been made aware that our office telephone 611161 is currently unable to receive calls as it is giving a constant engaged tone. We are able to make outgoing calls so did not know there was a problem and are now investigating. In the meantime, you can contact us by using the ENQUIRY button on our website or emailing contact@consumercouncil.je. Thanks for your patience and apologies for any incovenience.

‘Unlimited’ data can actually result in high phone bills. Many people exceed their data allowance, with even ‘unlimited’ packages often having hidden limits on a customers data usage. Reducing your data usage by turning off background data could help lower your phone bill charges Your phone contract could be wrong for you. Research has shown that 8 out of 10 people are on the wrong mobile phone tariff, with a majority rarely using their full text, minute or data allowance. Analyse your usage and see if another, cheaper package could better suit your needs Set up a spend cap. Some telecoms providers allow you to limit usage outside your monthly allowance. This can help prevent roaming charges from costing you dearly and give you better control over your final phone bill Ensure you are not using data roaming when abroad. By leaving data on overseas, many are hit by enormous bills on their return. Attempt to either not use data at all or as little as possible when away in order to avoid large costs Decide whether pay-as-you-go or pay monthly contracts better suit your usage. For those who rarely use their phone, a pay-as-you-go contract would probably be more cost effective Be careful when making international calls. Especially living in Jersey, it is easy to forget that some calls may be classified as international and carry extra charges. You may consider other methods of communication, such as Skype or Facetime, to avoid international fees on your bill

Mobile data allows you to go online even when you don’t have a Wifi connection. Mobile-enabled devices can send and receive information over a wireless cellular connection. Mobile data usage is measured in megabytes (MB) and gigabytes (GB), with their being 1,000 MB in 1 GB of data. Everything you send to (upload) or receive from (download) the internet requires some amount of data.   The cost of mobile data Your phone provider will charge you for your data usage. Different rates are often offered to customers based on the amount of data they are allowed each month. On average, customers use about 500 MB of data per month.   Phone providers also offer unlimited data plans where a flat rate is charged for an unlimited allowance of data use. However, it should be noted that some providers often ‘throttle’ data, in other words, they slow down your connection once you hit a certain level of data usage.   Reducing your data usage The easiest way to reduce your data usage is to simply turn off your mobile data in your settings. Even when you’re not actively using your phone, apps updating can drain your data if you leave it on. You can also go into your settings and turn off background data use for certain apps such as for maps, social media or video streaming. Have a look at the cellular usage for each app and see which apps use up the most data.   Some mobile providers will also offer customers options to set caps and alerts on their data use. This will put warnings or alerts on your phone when you are reaching your limit for the month.  

Telecoms company JT has announced that it will be beginning the phased switch-off of its 3G mobile network across the Channel Islands from January 2025.   The reason for this, JT says, is that the 3G network carries only around 5% of user data traffic – a number that the company says is is declining all the time.  JT said that every UK mobile network has now announced their plans to switch off their 3G networks, and that the move will allow them to repurpose the technology used for 3G ‘to help more customers get faster, more efficient 4G and, in the future ,5G services’. Their 2G network will remain in place for calls and texts.  In their announcement, the company said: “If you’re still using an old legacy 3G device, we wanted to give you as much notice as possible, so you are prepared for when the time comes.”  They added that any customers who don’t currently have a compatible device would need to change it to one that’s capable of 4G data, or even a 5G-enabled device.  If you’re worried about how this will affect you, you can find out more by visiting www.jtglobal.com/3Gswitchoff. or by contacting JT’s Customer Experience team on 882882.