Which? and Ofcom call on firms to ‘do more’ to help in cost-of-living crisis

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. is calling on businesses to do more to help consumers as an “alarming” number of households struggle with the financial and emotional impact of the cost-of-living crisis. An estimated 2.5 million households said they missed or defaulted on a vital payment such as their mortgage, rent, credit card or another bill in the last month – up from 1.7 million last September. campaign comes as Ofcom also urged telecoms firms to do more to support their customers through the crisis after finding that 29% of customers – around eight million households – are having problems paying for their phone, broadband, pay-TV and streaming bills. It called on remaining broadband providers, including TalkTalk, Shell Energy, EE, Plusnet and Vodafone, to introduce a broadband social tariff as soon as possible, adding: “Until they do, we expect these firms to waive early termination charges for any customer who wishes to switch to another provider’s social tariff.” Ofcom is also calling on all major mobile providers to introduce a social tariff.