sadoldgit Posted 3 October, 2011 Share Posted 3 October, 2011 I have just received my monthly contract bill. It is usually around £29. This one is for £609!!! It seems they have charged me for data roaming although I used the same amount of internet time I always do. Worried, I checked online to see where I was with this month's bill. £2644.77 so far!!! Jesus. No one has texted or called me from Orange to tell me that I am racking up my bill. Has anyone else had this problem? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevegrant Posted 3 October, 2011 Share Posted 3 October, 2011 Data roaming would suggest that you've been using Orange's data services while abroad. If so, yes, it's ridiculously expensive. Somewhere in the region of £3 per megabyte unless you pre-buy a data package. When I went to Switzerland in the summer, I bought a 30MB roaming bundle (domestic data use is included in my contract) for £15, which took the per-MB cost down to 50p, but I underestimated how much I was going to use and ended up paying an extra £90 for the 30MB over that original bundle amount I used. If you've not been abroad recently, they're billing you incorrectly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thedelldays Posted 3 October, 2011 Share Posted 3 October, 2011 contest it...I know many people that have done so and had their bills greatly reduced Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Micky Posted 3 October, 2011 Share Posted 3 October, 2011 (edited) Similar problems Orange and other providers were highlighted last week on the BBC Watchdog program. It appears that many people with smartphones these days have no idea that they have applications which automatically update periodically throughout the course of the day. As Steve said - if you have been on holiday lately and just allowed your phone to data roam, that is how the charges have been racked up. Good luck with trying to 'negotiate' your bill...!!! Edit: You might like to read / watch this: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/watchdog/2011/09/data_roaming.html#more Edited 3 October, 2011 by Micky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dibden Purlieu Saint Posted 3 October, 2011 Share Posted 3 October, 2011 I have just received my monthly contract bill. It is usually around £29. This one is for £609!!! It seems they have charged me for data roaming although I used the same amount of internet time I always do. Worried, I checked online to see where I was with this month's bill. £2644.77 so far!!! Jesus. No one has texted or called me from Orange to tell me that I am racking up my bill. Has anyone else had this problem? You been at home or abroad? If abroad then there is a legal cap of 16mb that can be used. You have to opt out of this by buying a package like the one mentioned by Steve. After this every MB over that allowance you will be charged for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swannymere Posted 3 October, 2011 Share Posted 3 October, 2011 Ahh, the old data roaming trick, i got shafted for about £450 when i was in Australia, i was outside of the house Wi-Fi and hadn't turned the data roaming off, expensive lession learnt! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
View From The Top Posted 3 October, 2011 Share Posted 3 October, 2011 Interesting. My wife and I are on T-Mobile and our data roaming is automatically disabled when we go overseas and he have to buy a bundle once over the water before it re-activates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadoldgit Posted 3 October, 2011 Author Share Posted 3 October, 2011 Thanks for the feedback guys. The first amount of £600 was from when I was in England and the updated £2600+ from when I was away in Turkey. As part of my package I have 500MB a month and never use that amount. This data roaming thing is a complete newbie to me as I thought I was covered by my download package. I and not an IT geek and tend to press loads of buttons until something works so could well have left the roaming button checked. For all the bloody update texts I get from Orange you would think that I would get one warning me to turn the bloody button off!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamster Posted 3 October, 2011 Share Posted 3 October, 2011 It's daylight robbery. Tesco say they cap extra data to £40 when abroad. Cap it at zero imo.My dil had a 390 quid bill after a week.in the states last year, jammy beggar ggot her boss to pay it somehow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pancake Posted 4 October, 2011 Share Posted 4 October, 2011 (edited) It appears that many people with smartphones these days have no idea that they have applications which automatically update periodically throughout the course of the day. The classic "Smart Phone, stupid user". Roaming is there in black and white on the contract, and detailed in "dumbed down" language on all the main mobile networks websites. All Smartphones have full manual on them, and help functions - and all can have data roaming turned off. Ignorance is no excuse IMHO, and neither is the "but it's a rip off" line. People know the cost of data abroad (see above RE: contract), the know how to turn it of (see above RE: phones) yet are still amazed when they get billed. Edit: sorry, wasnt called SOG "stupid", came out a bit wrong. Edited 4 October, 2011 by Pancake Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackanorySFC Posted 4 October, 2011 Share Posted 4 October, 2011 Personally think that's bad form from Orange, Vodafone keep me updated whenever I'm abroad with work (not that it overly bothers me as it's a work phone) on data roaming costs (£ per MB and usage updates after every £5), I would have thought this would be standard industry practice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadoldgit Posted 6 October, 2011 Author Share Posted 6 October, 2011 You are right Pancake. I am a smart phone stupid user. I only got one to check my emails now and again and have never bothered with the small print - my bad - but should I be £3224 out of pocket for a service that the phone, not me, used just because I don't understand how the damn thing works? SUrely there should be a cap or at least a text warning if the use starts to exceed normal use? It is a bit of ajump from £30 to £3000. The nice lady at Orange said that they could help me spread the payments. Thanks. The bill was 10 times the price of the bloody holiday! Stupid or not, this seems like a licence to print money. I read that another guy wrcked up a bill of £8k on his laptop and some other sucker downloaded a TV programme at a cost of £31,500! There are loads of us stupids out there and we should be protected. If my credit card spending changes I get a call - simples. Jackanory - it is one thing to update you on the costs, another to bill you for data you dont even know you are downloading! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huffton Posted 6 October, 2011 Share Posted 6 October, 2011 http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/forumdisplay.php?115-Telecoms-mobile-or-fixed This site may be of use Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SO16_Saint Posted 6 October, 2011 Share Posted 6 October, 2011 SOG - if this was me, I'd be ****ing livid, yet you seem v calm about it all. Are you contesting it or paying up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Micky Posted 6 October, 2011 Share Posted 6 October, 2011 The really sad thing about all of this is that with the technology / software available today all of these 'scams' could be avoided by the telcos. Scams such as recieving anoying text messages offering 'scam' services, but giving you the choice to 'opt out' by phoning or sending a text to a premium rate number that costs an absolute fortune - it is nothing but legalised robbery. Roaming data charges, nothing short of taking advantage of inexperienced / unsuspecting newbys running smartphones. Can the telcos track these scam messages, can they see normal usage bills (30 - 50 quid) suddenly rack into the thousands - of course they can. It's not rocket science in todays world of technology. I used to work for a company that tracked credit card transactions on a certain make of swipe machine. Every single transaction was traced and logged in real time. Special software is used to check all transactions to ensure the card is not stolen or has not been cloned, or that there is anything irregular about where or when the transaction is made. If that sort of security can be afforded cc's, then I'm pretty certain that it's quite easy to implement such mechanisms on cell phone systems. Perhaps though - the providers might loose money that way though. Stuff your consumer rights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Shearer Posted 7 October, 2011 Share Posted 7 October, 2011 I am now a little scared regarding my phone bill, as I've been abroad over the last week. I think I shall be checking my account tonight. Sent from my HTC Desire S using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadoldgit Posted 8 October, 2011 Author Share Posted 8 October, 2011 SOG - if this was me, I'd be ****ing livid, yet you seem v calm about it all. Are you contesting it or paying up? Just in shock Bridgey. I have paid my usual amount and am contesting the data bill. Thanks for the info Huffton. Wish me luck!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridge too far Posted 8 October, 2011 Share Posted 8 October, 2011 This is interesting and relevant http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15219675 But I think this glitch has happened in the UK too. I downgraded my a/c with O2 when I retired and now am on a very basic package. A couple of weeks ago, at 10.30 pm, I got a text from O2 telling me I'd used 80% of my data allowance. Half an hour later, I got another text saying I'd used ALL my data allowance. Given that I've never come anywhere near using my allowance, I was mystified as to how I could have used 20% in half an hour when my phone hadn't been used at all! I hadn't been abroad, so data roaming wasn't an issue. When I phoned O2, they were as puzzled as me and (surprisingly) gave me further data for free! But I do wonder if something very dodgy has been going on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dark Sotonic Mills Posted 8 October, 2011 Share Posted 8 October, 2011 This is interesting and relevant http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15219675 But I think this glitch has happened in the UK too. I downgraded my a/c with O2 when I retired and now am on a very basic package. A couple of weeks ago, at 10.30 pm, I got a text from O2 telling me I'd used 80% of my data allowance. Half an hour later, I got another text saying I'd used ALL my data allowance. Given that I've never come anywhere near using my allowance, I was mystified as to how I could have used 20% in half an hour when my phone hadn't been used at all! I hadn't been abroad, so data roaming wasn't an issue. When I phoned O2, they were as puzzled as me and (surprisingly) gave me further data for free! But I do wonder if something very dodgy has been going on! Mobile phone companies doing somethin dodgy? Shome mistake shurely... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djharvey Posted 8 October, 2011 Share Posted 8 October, 2011 In the last few days got a bill fo £480, big shock , was expecting about £80+ as had been using internet for first time abroad. Contacted Orange and put a firm/fair argument across that been loyal customer for 10+ years and never had prob before, fairly new smart phone and really didn't realise the true cost. Orange were completely understanding and actually agreed to treat the bill as if i bought a bundle before i travelled, reducing bill by over £360, what a result! Paid new bill immediately over phone and now got to faff around a bit now cancelling direct debit/paying next months bill manually/then setting up direct debit again, but that's no problem for a saving of over £360. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony13579 Posted 9 October, 2011 Share Posted 9 October, 2011 I always mess up my data settings when traveling abroad by adding a word so there is no way it can work Ie Change wap.02.com to saintswap.02 .com As for bills at home I run an iPhone on vodafone at £10 every 30 days pay as you go. I set 500mb free data. On text and web. I make so few phone calls I often transfer the surplace credit to a charity. I use the web all the time at work as there is no effective wifi as I run my eBay shop. You might want to buy an unlocked iPhone and stop paying £30 a month contracts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy Gabriel's Halo Posted 9 October, 2011 Share Posted 9 October, 2011 Wow...!!! Shocking stories here. I am antediluvian and a technophobe with a mobile phone that's 5 or 6 years old and looks like a brick, on pay as you go (£20 a year does me) and I am SOOOO glad about it. I just hope the techy daughter knows what she's doing with her blackcurrant device thingy... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MongoNeil Posted 9 October, 2011 Share Posted 9 October, 2011 Most Nokias allow you to disable 3g when not in your home network. Works a charm for me, sorry for being smug :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Tone Posted 10 October, 2011 Share Posted 10 October, 2011 Just in shock Bridgey. I have paid my usual amount and am contesting the data bill. Thanks for the info Huffton. Wish me luck!!! As the BBC site says, EU legislation was meant to prevent this New EU legislation introduced in July 2010 was meant to prevent so called "bill shock", when customers received large bills for downloading e-mails, surfing the web or using applications on their phones while abroad. Operators now must warn customers once they have reached certain limits. O2 sends its customers worldwide a text once they have spent £20 on data, again after they have spent £40, and automatically caps the data service once users have downloaded 50 megabytes. That talks about O2 , but all networks are covered by the law. Did you get any warning? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadoldgit Posted 10 October, 2011 Author Share Posted 10 October, 2011 No, no warning at all. Mind you, I was in Turkey and they are not part of the EU! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lettuce Posted 13 October, 2011 Share Posted 13 October, 2011 Would never happen to me... Sent from my data-roaming Smart phone while I'm on holiday Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hutch Posted 14 October, 2011 Share Posted 14 October, 2011 No, no warning at all. Mind you, I was in Turkey and they are not part of the EU! Just a thought, but your contract is with Orange UK? It might be that your contract is governed by the EU rules regardless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derry Posted 14 October, 2011 Share Posted 14 October, 2011 Is it the enable 3G, the Network Mobile Data and or ask to join Networks that need to be switched to off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saintbletch Posted 14 October, 2011 Share Posted 14 October, 2011 Unlucky sadoldgit - hope you manage to fight for a lower bill. Sitting here in Lyon on business, Vodafone allows me to set up a daily limit and they text me when I'm getting near to the limit. And when I've passed the limit - like I have today, they text me every 5mb to warn me and tell me how much it's going to cost. Doesn't help you but does show that not all operators are the same. Best of luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadoldgit Posted 15 October, 2011 Author Share Posted 15 October, 2011 My partner has just recieved her Orange bill. WE couldn't get her phoned connected until the last couple of days of the holiday. She then sent a couple of texts and made a couple of calls. Didn't go near the internet but still got a £70 charge for data! I am in discussions with Customer Service at the moment so fingers crossed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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