Bill randomly increased $10 last month without any communication

[picancos]

When I signed up for Sonic Fiber, I was given a $40 per month price-point for the 10GB service in North San Jose. Great value! Just last month (and again this month), I noticed Sonic randomly increased the price $10. I received no notification of this impending increase. It seemed to be spontaneous, which I assume is the downfall of services that don't require contracts.

I love Sonic and the service I receive, but I find it somewhat unscrupulous to randomly get an increase in my bill without any prior warning or any heads up at all.

Anyone else experience the same thing?

[syntaxsid1]

Hello. We appreciate all the feedback from our customers to ensure we are providing the best possible service. We apologize for the confusion here. Unlike most internet providers, Sonic doesn't have annual rate increases for frivolous reasons. We had to raise our price (along with all other businesses of course) due to the recent economic impact caused by the Pandemic in recent years. We did include a notice of this on your invoice in the month before it taking effect. Sadly, many customers failed to see this so we will improve our communication for any future rate changes like sending a separate email in addition to the invoices. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused you and your family.

We understand the need for affordable internet service. Sonic prides itself in being just that! We receive daily accolades for being the best value when compared to our corporate competitors. Unfortunately, due to the inflation caused by the Pandemic in recent years (causing supply chain issues) the cost of fuel, materials and tools we use to install and maintain our network have increased significantly! You may have also noticed that your grocery bill is much higher than it was in the last few years due to this same economic impact. We had to raise our prices for the first time in over 7+ years to stay viable as a company. We have no plans to increase our rates further (barring another national crisis/emergency of course) so the price you pay now is the price it will be for some time.

With the average cost of internet service in California being upwards of $100-120/month for a "metered" (data capped) connection, we hope you'll find that paying $50/month for UNLIMITED data use on America's fastest network is a great deal by comparison! Please don't take our word for it though, absolutely check this for yourself. We're confident that you already have the most affordable internet service around! We hope you understand why we had to raise our rates We hope this information helps. Have a great day.



Kind Regards,

Sonic Support

[picancos]

Hello. We appreciate all the feedback from our customers to ensure we are providing the best possible service. We apologize for the confusion here. Unlike most internet providers, Sonic doesn't have annual rate increases for frivolous reasons. We had to raise our price (along with all other businesses of course) due to the recent economic impact caused by the Pandemic in recent years. We did include a notice of this on your invoice in the month before it taking effect. Sadly, many customers failed to see this so we will improve our communication for any future rate changes like sending a separate email in addition to the invoices. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused you and your family.

We understand the need for affordable internet service. Sonic prides itself in being just that! We receive daily accolades for being the best value when compared to our corporate competitors. Unfortunately, due to the inflation caused by the Pandemic in recent years (causing supply chain issues) the cost of fuel, materials and tools we use to install and maintain our network have increased significantly! You may have also noticed that your grocery bill is much higher than it was in the last few years due to this same economic impact. We had to raise our prices for the first time in over 7+ years to stay viable as a company. We have no plans to increase our rates further (barring another national crisis/emergency of course) so the price you pay now is the price it will be for some time.

With the average cost of internet service in California being upwards of $100-120/month for a "metered" (data capped) connection, we hope you'll find that paying $50/month for UNLIMITED data use on America's fastest network is a great deal by comparison! Please don't take our word for it though, absolutely check this for yourself. We're confident that you already have the most affordable internet service around! We hope you understand why we had to raise our rates We hope this information helps. Have a great day.



Kind Regards,

Sonic Support

Thank you for the response. I completely agree that Sonic still provides the best value for your investment when it comes to ISPs, and I have been thoroughly satisfied with my service. In fact, I referred 3 different neighbors in my neighborhood to Sonic and they all got it installed thanks to my suggestion (the referral discount was offered until after I referred all 3 neighbors). I've been a huge proponent. My issue, however, is that this cost increase was not properly communicated. It was hidden on an invoice, with absolutely no justification given as to why the increase was occuring. Not to mention, it is a 25% increase, which is quite a bit at one time. Not entirely what you mean by "frivolous reasons" but a 25% increase that was never properly communicated ahead of time with no justification that just happens to coincide with my 1 year anniversary makes me a bit concerned as to whether I will receive another increase at my 2 year anniversary or what will happen in the future when it comes to billing and hidden increases.

Anywho, I appreciate the quick response. Have a great day!

[twedwards]

I signed up for Sonic in January 2018, was connected to Sonic's fiber in December 2018, and paid the $49.99 plus fees and taxes through March 2023 after being connected. The March 2023 billing provided a very small print notice that there would be a $10 per month increase. Sonic provides great value and its customer service is excellent, leading me to recommending the service. But, certainly Sonic could have done a better job notifying customers of its $10 price increase.