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What is the latest version of Android and how to check yours
Google Will Delete Inactive Accounts: Here’s How To Save Yours – CNET
This Lenovo 2-in-1 Chromebook can be yours for $114 today
Some Ryzen CPUs are burning up. Here’s what you can do to save yours
Best and worst mobile providers in 2023 for value for money and satisfaction – see where yours is on the list
THE best and worst mobile providers for value for money have been revealed by Which?.
The consumer website surveyed 3,400 mobile customers to get their opinion on 18 providers.
The best and worst mobile providers for value for money have been revealed by Which?[/caption]
It comes as some of the UK’s biggest providers hiked prices by up to 17% mid-contract earlier this month, bringing fresh bill worries to households.
Customers were asked how they rated their companies in terms of satisfaction and likelihood to recommend.
Each was then given an overall customer score.
The results saw the “big four” providers – O2, EE Vodafone and Three – beaten out by “virtual networks” like GiffGaff, iD Mobile and Smarty.
Customers could be finding better value and good service with the smaller networks, Which? said.
The company to come out on top was Tesco Mobile, with a customer score of 80% – scoring the highest or equal-highest across all categories.
Giffgaff and Smarty were rated fifth for value for money with scores of 75%.
While Three scored the lowest out of the “big four”, with a customer rating of 66%.
Customers were the most likely to experience problems, including poor phone signal, network dropouts and problems resolving queries.
Vodafone fared slightly better with a customer score of 68%, receiving good ratings for network reliability and download speeds.
But it rated poorly for customer service and incentives despite offering perks like giveaways and cheap cinema tickets.
O2 and EE both scored 69% and came with “mediocre” scores across the board, but Which? noted O2 brought in the highest mid-contract price increases at 17.3% on parts of some customers’ bills.
The price hikes earlier this month left “millions caught in a Catch-22 where they either have to accept costly fee hikes or pay exorbitant fees to leave early”, Which? said.
Watchdog Ofcom is in the midst of a review into inflation-linked price rises, with initial findings set to be published later this year.
Rocio Concha, Which? director of policy and advocacy, added: “Which? believes it’s absolutely critical that Ofcom’s review of inflation linked mid-contract hikes results in changes that ensure customers are never trapped in this situation again.”
Meanwhile, despite Tesco being ranked the highest overall, it was stripped of its recommended provider endorsement by Which?.
This is because it has begun “baking above-inflation price increases into new customer contracts despite previously championing fixed prices”, Which? said, with price hikes starting from April next year.
Not all of the smaller networks shone brightly in Which?’s survey though.
Asda Mobile and Lycamobile came bottom of the table in joint 17th place with a customer score of 56%.
Both providers performed poorly on customer service, network reliability and download speeds.
Here is the full list and ranking of mobile providers:
- 1 Tesco Mobile
- 2 Lebara
- 3 Voxi
- 4 Plusnet Mobile
- 5 = Giffgaff
- 5 = Smarty
- 7 Utility Warehouse
- 8 iD Mobile
- 9 Sky Mobile
- 10 = EE
- 10 = O2
- 12 Vodafone
- 13 = BT Mobile
- 13 = Talkmobile
- 13 = Virgin Mobile
- 16 Three
- 17 = Asda Mobile
- 17 = Lycamobile
How can I cut my mobile bill?
If you think your bills are too high and want to drive them down, the first thing to do is find out what the cheapest deal on the market is.
You can use this rate as a bargaining tool to get a better offer with your provider.
Get in contact with your provider to see if they can match this rate – if not, you might want to switch instead.
If you’re mid-contract though and wish to leave, bear in mind that you could face an exit fee so check with your provider for any charges.
Plus, it could be harder haggling with these prices as they come most years from all providers.
And if you’re out of contract, switching when yours is up is the single best way to save money on your telecom bills.
In the weeks before your contract is up, use comparison sites to familiarise yourself with what deals are available.
It’s a known fact that new customers always get the best deals.
Sites like MoneySuperMarket and Uswitch all help you customise your search based on price, speed and provider.
This should make it easier to decide whether to renew your contract or move to another provider.
If your household is on a low income it’s also worth investigating social tariffs.
These broadband packages and discounts have been created for people who are receiving certain benefits.
They’re often available to those on income support, Universal Credit, or disability allowance.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk
Micro Center is handing out free SSDs, here’s how to claim yours
Worst areas for potholes revealed as some councils take 18months to fill cracks – is yours on the list?
THE worst areas for potholes in England have been revealed as some councils take 18months to fill in the cracks.
Roads all over the country are blighted with potholes with the longest time to fix one being 567 days in Stoke-on-Trent.
The next worst area was Westminster City Council which took 556 days to fix a pothole.
Roads in disrepair are the bane of many drivers who face damaging their shock absorbers, broken wheels and broken suspension springs driving over the potholes.
It comes after the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak sought to focus on fixing Britain’s ailing roads in the run-up to May’s local elections.
Some 556,658 of the road defects were reported in the financial year 2021/22, up from 519,968 in 2017/18, according to data obtained from 81 councils who responded to an FOI request by the Liberal Democrats.
Many councils in England take more than a month on average to fix potholes once they have been reported.
The worst offending area was the London borough of Newham, where it took an average of 56 days to repair potholes once they were reported.
Lambeth, also in the capital, wasn’t far behind, with the council taking an average of 50 days to be fixed.
The third slowest area to fix potholes was Stoke-on-Trent, taking an average of 48 days.
In the worst cases, some potholes were left untreated for well over a year.
Stoke-on-Trent, Westminster, Norfolk, East Sussex and Wiltshire all had at least one pothole which went unrepaired for more than 12 months.
The longest a pothole went unrepaired was 567 days in Stoke-on-Trent, while another in Westminster was not dealt with for 556 days.
One in Norfolk took 482 days to be repaired.
Roads in Derbyshire County Council were the hardest hit with 90,596 potholes, followed closely by Lancashire County Council with 67,439 and Northumberland County Council with 51,703, according to the figures.
On a visit to Darlington last month, Mr Sunak highlighted new regulations that will see utility companies penalised for leaving streets in poor condition.
Mr Sunak said: “There’ll be more fines, more inspections, that’s also going to help. We want to make sure it’s easy for people to get around.”
Labour said the announcement echoed a 2021 Government pledge to make potholes a thing of the past and accused ministers of “broken promises”.
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “We’re investing more than £5.5billion to maintain roads up and down the country, and cracking down on utility companies that leave potholes in their wake, so motorists and cyclists can enjoy smoother, safer journeys.”
A car approaches potholes in Priory Road, Hull, East Yorkshire[/caption]
Luxury Ineos Grenadier 4X4 designed by Britain’s richest man could be yours… but it won’t come cheap
THE luxury Ineos Grenadier 4X4 designed by Britain’s richest man could be yours – but it won’t come cheap.
This car is manufactured by INEOS Automotive, owned by billionaire Jim Ratcliffe.
Jim – a self-made man who grew up in a council house in Manchester – drove 1,800 miles from Mongolia to Beijing in a handful of Grenadiers, 1920s Bentleys and 1952 Land Rover.
His Grenadier 4×4 starts from £59,000 and rivals the Land Rover Defender and Toyota Land Cruiser.
Available to buy now are two five-seater station wagon models aimed at private buyers and both available with petrol or diesel.
Both models have BMW motors and Brembo brakes, the Daily Mail reports.
The Fieldmaster is aimed more at lifestyle drivers, while the Trialmaster is for more hard-core off-roading fans.
They are called ‘Belstaff Editions’, after the motorsport-inspired clothing brand which Ratcliffe’s Ineos also owns.
There are two more versions classed as “light commercial” vehicles: a two seater Utility Wagon priced from £55k and a five-seater Station Wagon from around £59k.
The Grenadiers have LED front lights, a chunky front bumper and steel wheels.
Ratcliffe revealed that he had spent around £1.3 billion launching the Ineos Automotive division to date.
The CEO of INEO, Jim Ratcliffe, said to This is Money: “The idea behind the Grenadier is t develop a 4X4 that will be an uncompromising, no frills, no fuss vehicle that provides the best-in class off-road capability, durability and utility.”
“It will support those who depend on a vehicle as a working tool, wherever they are in the world.”
UK’s ‘shortest house’ could be yours for £70k – but you better mind your head
YOU could be the proud new owner of the “UK’s shortest house” as it hits the market for just £70k.
The miniature abode would make the perfect cosy cottage – but you better mind your head as it’s only two metres tall.
The UK’s shortest house is on the market for just £70,000[/caption]
Buyers have enough room to cram a kitchen inside, but may need to mind their heads[/caption]
The pocket-sized pad in Newton Poppleford, Devon, is 265 years old and was originally built in 1758.
The thatched toll house has walls that measure the same size as an average door – but it fits more than you may imagine.
Crammed inside is a porch, a living room with open attic space, a kitchen, shower room and bedroom.
There is also a tiny paved outdoor area to take a breather when you’re feeling confined.
The remarkable property was put on the market via the Clive Emson Land and Property Auctioneers website.
Home experts say it would be the perfect “lock-up and leave” hideaway or an opportunity for renovation.
The “charming” toll house is also located just a stone’s throw away from the tourist hotspot, the Jurassic Coast.
The listing read: “The property is likely to be of interest to a homeowner or those looking for a lock-up-and-leave bolt hole.
“It could also be of interest to investment purchasers.”
Another ridiculously small home went on sale for £215,000
The unique Eastgate Lodge has 306sq ft of space hidden underground for any prospective buyers.
Current owners boasted it “only takes 30 minutes to clean” as well as being in a prime location in North Yorkshire.
We previously told how visitors of the UK’s tiniest house in North Wales complained it was TOO small.
The tourist attraction is just 122 inches tall and only has specially made furniture – because that’s all that will fit through its door.
The property boasts a porch and a living room with open attic space, a shower room and a bedroom[/caption]
The property is only two metres tall[/caption]