Virgin Media customers have begun receiving emails warning them that their bills are set to soar.
The broadband and TV company announced news of the hike last week and now people who use the popular service are being told how much extra they’ll need to pay.
Virgin says that the average rise will be around £2.20 per month, although some customers may see their prices go up by as much as £4 per month.
In the email, Virgin explains, “From 1st October, your bill will be going up.
“We understand that a price rise is never welcome.
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“Yet with broadband usage increasing across our network by 31% last year, we need to continue investing in it so that you’re brilliantly connected to the stuff you love.
“And of course, you’ll still enjoy things like inclusive servicing and repairs for your peace of mind.”
Although many customers clearly want better and faster broadband many have been left furious with Twitter full of complaints about the rise.
One frustrated user tweeted: “@virginmedia unacceptable service! Now received an email telling me of a price rise!”
And another vented: “I understand and I’d be more welcoming of a rise if we were getting what we paid for at the current price.”
Defending the rise, a Virgin spokesperson said: “Increasing prices is not a decision which we take lightly.
“We work hard to keep our prices competitive while continuing to invest in our network and improve the services we offer our customers.
“This year’s price increase is lower than last year while broadband usage on our network has increased by almost 40% in that time, with approximately 60% of total traffic now due to more streaming of video.
“At the same time the impact on us of a 300% increase in business rates on broadband networks has started to take effect, hiking up the costs associated with building and running our network.
Virgin is investing heavily in its service and does offer some of the best speeds in the UK with some customers currently able to get downloads of over 300Mbps – that’s over 10 times faster than the UK average.
More 4K content is coming to the platform and new features including the ability to download more shows to mobile devices has just been announced.
And although prices are going up there are actually some impressive deals from Virgin which can actually save you money.
Virgin Media is the only pay TV provider that combines both Sky Sports and BT Sport channels – in High Definition – into its packages.
Its Full House TV bundle allows customers to watch matches on both Sky Sports and BT in HD for £79 a month.
Although there are deals from other providers on average, Sky charge £102, BT £95 and TalkTalk £90 per month for a similar subscription.
David Bouchier, Chief Digital Entertainment Officer at Virgin Media, said: “Virgin Media is proud to offer all the football to sport fans and TV viewers with the cheapest and most straight-forward package available in the UK with our bundled TV, broadband and phone service.
“This means less hassle for customers without having to pay for multiple subscriptions and who also get our ultrafast broadband speeds. Our sport offering in particular is second to none with the addition of BT Sport’s 4K UHD channel that we are sure sport fans will love.”