It’s a great little lurk Foxtel has going with its subscribers – sign them up and lock them in for a couple of years and then keep increasing the price whenever management feels like it. Even Macquarie Bank doesn’t have it that easy.

OK, that’s not quite correct – MIG does have Foxtel-like powers over some of its motorways. But that doesn’t make Foxtel’s latest price hike more annoying, underlying the one-way nature of the contract.

Up go the main Foxtel packages by another two or three bucks from 1 December. I seem to recall a similar rise earlier this year, but my attempt to call Foxtel resulted in a recorded message saying they were busy, call back later.

What makes the imposed rise all the more galling is the asinine letter from “Guy Maine Executive Director Sales and Customer Contact” that announced it.

“Thank you for your continued subscription…” (you think I have a choice mid-contract?) “…we greatly value your custom….” (not by the way you treat me). “With Foxtel’s continued investment in the Digital service and in providing quality (sic) entertainment it is necessary for us to increase our subscription rates….” (no, you under-priced to get the sign-up to digital in the first place and now you’re trying to claw it back).

It’s a dodgy way of doing business and I’ll be switching to Optus as soon as the contract expires. And Optus is cheaper. For example, Foxtel Platinum $101.95 a month, Optus Platinum $89.95 – and that’s before reductions for bundling phones and/or broadband.

And Guy Maine EDSCC probably wonders why customers churn.