Aussie slams 'sneaky' tactic from telco after it hiked its prices in line with a bigger data quota

By ASHLEY NICKEL, NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 10:53, 12 July 2026 | Updated: 10:53, 12 July 2026 A frustrated Vodafone customer has lashed out at the telco for upping the price of her mobile plan by $5 a month amid the cost-of-living crisis. Mimma Garipoli shared a video last week slamming Vodafone for forcing the price jump on her while offering an extra 5GB of data a month, even though she already wasn't hitting her quota. Vodafone's cheapest plan increased from $53 to $58 a month for the now 65GB plan. Ms Garipoli, who lives in Melbourne, said she uses just 10GB a month and would prefer to keep the lower price. 'I'm not p***ed about the money, I'm p***ed about the principle,' she told viewers. 'I really don't need five more additional gigs of data. I'm already on 100GB a month, which I never use.' Ms Garipoli claimed the extra data was unlikely to be of use to most customers, adding she's 'constantly scrolling' her phone and never uses up her existing allowance. 'I don't want to spend $5 more to get five more gigs of data,' she said.   Mimma Garipoli (above) called out Vodafone for increasing her mobile data plan by $5 a month in exchange for an additional 5GB, which she doesn't need 'No one asked me. No one called me. No one asked me to like opt in. I don't want this. 'I know it's only $60 a year but I don't need it and I don't want it. 'It's the principle, I feel like it's being thrust upon me and I have to accept it whether I like it or not.' Data from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission found the average Australian phone user goes through 14.5GB of mobile data each month. However, the average advertised monthly data - prepaid and on a plan - was 69GB.  Several commenters under Ms Garipoli's video said they'd also noticed their monthly mobile data fees increasing in price and gigabyte allowance, despite them not needing the additional data. 'Ever since Covid, I've noticed phone companies have started increasing their plans. They never ever used to do this in the past,' one wrote. 'I know, right, it's like they are using the excuse of more data to increase their fees. We don't even use more than 10GB a month of data,' another said. Ms Garipoli said she was frustrated Vodafone (above) didn't give her the option to keep her initial plan 'Optus did this recently - it's so sneaky. I rang them and said I wasn't happy about the $5 increase as I'd recently signed a plan of $65 p/m. So they ended up taking it off,' another wrote. Ms Garipoli told Yahoo it's small bill increases, like the one she copped from Vodafone, that add up and further strain budgets. 'We are in a cost-of-living crisis. There's a lot of people struggling,' she said. 'I'm in a very fortunate position where it wouldn't impact me that much, but I know a lot of people are really struggling at the moment and $5 a month might be that one thing that tips them over the edge.' Ms Garipoli theorised telcos were able to keep increasing their prices as most people 'can't be f***ed' calling about their plans.  'They're preying on the fact that I'm not gonna call up and say, 'Hey, you've put this $5 thing on, please make it go away',' she said. 'Most people won't. There are a whole bunch of people that will call up and get it taken off, but I am too lazy. 'They prey on the lazy people like me who don't like doing life admin, who will put this off and will end up paying it.' Daily Mail has contacted Vodafone for comment.