MASSIVE O2 roaming bill = HELP!!

RODJ

Hi folks. I need some advice on this please - I
hope it's ok to post it here

A friend of mine recently came back from holiday in
Italy where he used his mobile to access the web
a fair few times. When he got back O2 sent him a
bill for 1200eur!! Every Internet access seemed to
cost about 60eur - 70eur or even more.

He never guessed it would be anything like this
expensive - I never would've guessed either to be honest.
He was expecting a bill of about 100eur tops.

To make matters worse, he just got diagnosed with a serious
illness and has had to leave his job. Bad luck runs in streaks
it seems. There is just no way for him to pay it right now.

Is there any hope he can get the bill reduced if he talks
to O2? Does anyone have any ideas about what to do
in this situation. A bill like this seems crazy to me - it
must be the worst value for money I've ever heard of!

Many thanks for any ideas or advice.

Sponge Bob

get the european consumer centre onto it , what was the price per kb ???

www.eccdublin.ie

RODJ

Sponge Bob wrote:

get the european consumer centre onto it , what was the price per kb ???

www.eccdublin.ie

I'll find out the cost per kb. Do you recommend an 'I'm not paying!!!' approach more than a begging for mercy approach?

Sponge Bob

if they find the EU commission after them in the current EU wide climate on roaming they will be most co-operative. If the cost per kb is outrageous then its a multicountry scam best left to the EU to sort out.

You need to find the rate per kb on the bill to check against roaming rates anyway. If its outragous report the fraud because you never know who else is affected ...a German tourist maybe or a Swede.

RODJ

I haven't spoken to him yet, but the O2 website says it costs 1.2c per kb
for billpay customers (12eur per MB).

That would mean he downloaded 100MB to be charged 1200eur. I
find that hard to believe he downloaded so much but I will ask him
to check.

Either way - 12eur per MB seems like MADNESS to me :eek:
Also, if he'd been a pre-pay customer he'd be charged 50eur per MB! SWEET JESUS!!!!!!

ardmacha

O2 roaming with preferred network TIM

GPRS - per MB
12.82

GPRS billing increments
per 10 kb
GPRS minimum charge
per 100 kb


so you have a minimum of €1.28 for any use of GPRS, depending on what constitutes a session this could cost you big time and is more expensive than most countries, in France the min charge is 7c.

Sponge Bob

But they are charges in Ireland not when roaming . Check again here

FROM

http://www.o2online.ie/wps/wcm/connect/O2/Home/Personal/Services/Travelling+Abroad/?wcmArea=/wps/wcm/connect/O2/Home/Personal/Price+plans/Pay+monthly/Travelling+Abroad/


1.

International roaming Speak easy

Italy


The following are the Speak easy rates which will apply while you are roaming. The rates displayed in the table below are for O2's preferred roaming partner in Italy, TIM. However the same rates apply regardless of which network you choose.

• Summary of charges
  
  

Making calls / sending messages

Calls to Ireland
€0.99 per minute Local call
€0.99 per minute International call
€0.99 per minute Text message
€0.39 per minute Picture message
€0.25 per message
Receiving calls / messages

All Calls
€0.99 per minute All text messages
€0.0 per message
Other services

Data (gprs)
€0.05 Per KB 3G
€N/A Per KB Calling Voicemail - 171
0.99 per minute Customer care - 1747
0.63 per minute
Network information

Display on phone as
TIM
Emergency number
112

Services available

Data (3G)

Data (GPRS)

Picture messaging


2.
Italy


To avail of our preferred partner network while roaming, we recommend you manually select TIM.
How to manually select a network
You can now enjoy a flat rate of 59c per minute in Italy and 19 other top European countries & the USA. To avail of this great Add On, simply contact customer care on 1909.
My Europe Terms & Conditions

• Summary of charges
  
  
• All charges and network information

Making calls / sending messages

TIM

WIND


Calls to Ireland
peak/off peak
€0.79/0.79 €0.92/0.92 per minute Local call to a mobile
peak/off peak
€0.79/0.79 €0.56/0.56 per minute Local call to landline
peak/off peak
€0.79/0.79 €0.56/0.56 per minute Text message
€0.29 €0.29 per message Picture message
€0.25 €0.25 per message
Receiving calls and messages

All calls



peak / off peak (per minute)
Some Partners may apply an additional charge for receiving a call. Where applicable, we've combined the charges into the one rate, as displayed. Whilst we have combined the charges for your convenience, it will appear on your bill as two separate charges.

€0.79/0.79 €0.71/0.56 per minute All texts
€0.0 €0.0 per message
Other services

Data (gprs)
€12.82 €12.82 per MB Data (3G)
€12.82 €N/A per MB Calling voicemail - 171



peak/off peak
If 171 doesn't work please dial
00353 86 5 and your seven digit mobile number for your voicemail.

€0.79/0.79 €0.92/0.92 per minute

Costs are inclusive of VAT at 21%
*s/u = Service Unavailable
International roaming Terms & Conditions

Available networks

The following networks are available in Italy. Click on a network name to compare prices & services with the other networks.


Your phone type will determine which network(s) you can roam with. Find out more about phone types here.

Network

Compatible phone types


TIM
Dual/Tri/Quad/3G Bands Vodafone-Omnitel
Dual/Tri/Quad/3G Bands WIND
Dual/Tri/Quad/3G Bands To check what phone type you have, visit the Phone

and

3.
International roaming Pay monthly

Italy


To avail of our preferred partner network while roaming, we recommend you manually select TIM.
How to manually select a network
You can now enjoy a flat rate of 59c per minute in Italy and 19 other top European countries & the USA. To avail of this great Add On, simply contact customer care on 1909.
My Europe Terms & Conditions

• Summary of charges
  
  
• All charges and network information

Making calls / sending messages

TIM

WIND


Calls to Ireland
peak/off peak
€0.79/0.79 €0.92/0.92 per minute Local call to a mobile
peak/off peak
€0.79/0.79 €0.56/0.56 per minute Local call to landline
peak/off peak
€0.79/0.79 €0.56/0.56 per minute Text message
€0.29 €0.29 per message Picture message
€0.25 €0.25 per message
Receiving calls and messages

All calls



peak / off peak (per minute)
Some Partners may apply an additional charge for receiving a call. Where applicable, we've combined the charges into the one rate, as displayed. Whilst we have combined the charges for your convenience, it will appear on your bill as two separate charges.

€0.79/0.79 €0.71/0.56 per minute All texts
€0.0 €0.0 per message
Other services

Data (gprs)
€12.82 €12.82 per MB Data (3G)
€12.82 €N/A per MB Calling voicemail - 171



peak/off peak
If 171 doesn't work please dial
00353 86 5 and your seven digit mobile number for your voicemail.

€0.79/0.79 €0.92/0.92 per minute

Costs are inclusive of VAT at 21%
*s/u = Service Unavailable
International roaming Terms & Conditions

Now check the bill .

RODJ

Thanks Sponge Bob. I'll ask him to look at this info to see what's what.

Do you think that 12eur per MB (billpay) and 50eur per MB (speak easy)
is a fair cost? It is MUCH higher than I would have guessed and much
higher than I think they should be charging.

chrislad

Beings Devils Advocate here but what they should be charging is irrelevant. The fact is the prices for GPRS roaming were displayed on the site, and it's not exactly O2s fault if you didn't know the costs of using the service.

Sponge Bob

thems the charges all right , thast why you gotta read the bill and check them off.

If they are genuine you get onto the ECC double quick

drdre

RODJ wrote:

I haven't spoken to him yet, but the O2 website says it costs 1.2c per kb
for billpay customers (12eur per MB).

That would mean he downloaded 100MB to be charged 1200eur. I
find that hard to believe he downloaded so much but I will ask him
to check.

Either way - 12eur per MB seems like MADNESS to me :eek:
Also, if he'd been a pre-pay customer he'd be charged 50eur per MB! SWEET JESUS!!!!!!

Yeah thats o2 website for ireland not for when you are roaming.The prices should have been found out before going away

Random

Look at the bill and work out how much he's been charged per MB. Then compare it to what the O2 website says. If it's the same then it's his fault. He can ring O2 and explain his situation .. maybe they'll give him time to pay the bill, maybe not, but it's only them that can decide this.

If you find that the charges don't match those on the O2 website send them a letter or an email detailing what he was charged and what he should have been charged and ask them to sort it out.

Either way I wouldn't avoid dodging the bill - but it's your call.

dumbyearbook

RODJ wrote:

Thanks Sponge Bob. I'll ask him to look at this info to see what's what.

Do you think that 12eur per MB (billpay) and 50eur per MB (speak easy)
is a fair cost? It is MUCH higher than I would have guessed and much
higher than I think they should be charging.

I smell a troll!

To have downloaded nearly 100MB on a mobile costs are varying but thats how much were taking roughly -for most phones that would have been that painstaking you'd need another holiday when you got home to get over it.

What phone did your friend use?

Also capitals = shouting so i'd suggest you apply a low fair usage policy to 'em

Solair

Mobile data charges in general are laughable they're so ridiculous. Particularly when roaming!

eth0_

RODJ wrote:

Thanks Sponge Bob. I'll ask him to look at this info to see what's what.

Do you think that 12eur per MB (billpay) and 50eur per MB (speak easy)
is a fair cost? It is MUCH higher than I would have guessed and much
higher than I think they should be charging.

It's totally irrelevent if it's a fair cost or not.
Your friend should have checked the costs before using the service. Anyone with a clue would know it costs a lot to roam, whether it's texts/voice/data.

Ignorance is no excuse.

Urban Weigl

Like eth0_ says, it is irrelevant whether the cost is fair or not. Maybe if you explain the situation to O2 and write them a letter, they might be able to reduce the charges for you this time only and let you pay off the remaining balance over a few months. Make sure any letter you write is business like and professional and explains what happened eloquently. It's worth a try, and bear in mind that O2 probably had to pay the network you were roaming on a lot as well.

Next time you go to Italy, pick up a WIND SIM card. You will get 5 GB of traffic for €30. And look very carefully at the roaming costs before leaving. If you are unsure, call customer service to confirm the costs to you before you roam.

RODJ

OK he checked the bill and he downloaded 23MB.

At 12.8eur per MB this should be about 300eur. Where the other 900eur
is coming from remains a mystery. He is calling O2 to see if they can
explain/resolve this.

tred

RODJ wrote:

OK he checked the bill and he downloaded 23MB.

At 12.8eur per MB this should be about 300eur. Where the other 900eur
is coming from remains a mystery. He is calling O2 to see if they can
explain/resolve this.

i seen somethinuts on my bill as well. Data charge and them a data roaming charge.

tred

RODJ wrote:

OK he checked the bill and he downloaded 23MB.

At 12.8eur per MB this should be about 300eur. Where the other 900eur
is coming from remains a mystery. He is calling O2 to see if they can
explain/resolve this.

i seen somethinuts on my bill as well. Data charge and them a data roaming charge.

Sponge Bob

RODJ wrote:

OK he checked the bill and he downloaded 23MB.

At 12.8eur per MB this should be about 300eur.

#

go to the ECC then .

Random

Contact O2 first. Maybe it's a genuine mistake? If you still have no luck then call whatever organisations you need too.

LumoColor

Contact O2 it could be quite easily a billing error. I have seen worse errors.

Ask for an ASCII dump of the TAP3 roaming records (what they bill from) to prove the usage.

RODJ

Damn it looks like the bill is correct. The WAP cost for bill customers
is actually 5c per kb (50eur per MB)

He downloaded 23MB = roughly 1200eur.

Prices like that really annoy me, especially when it's not obvious that
you are spending so much at the time!

I think it is exorbitant but what ya gonna do

dathiultaigh

tell as many people as possile and use as many consumer rights options as possible so yoiu shame them and cost them what you get billed. This charge is criminal.

chrislad

Again, devils advocate here, but regardless of whether or not the price is too much (which I do believe it clearly is), the fact is that it's clearly advertised gives the OP little cause for recourse. The price for using a service is clearly displayed and if he doesn't like it, don't use it.

O2 are fairly good with things though. Have a chat with them and see if they can at least split it out over a few months or reduce it a bit.

Rockson

dathiultaigh wrote:

tell as many people as possile and use as many consumer rights options as possible so yoiu shame them and cost them what you get billed. This charge is criminal.

I 100% agree! That is an absolutely outrageous bill for 23MB of data! You could buy a car for that! The EU really needs to bring in some legislation to cap data charges. The mobile operators are just taking the p*ss at this stage!

jrey1981

That's shocking.

I was in the UK and got charged about 8.50/MB and I thought that was extortionate. Never again

legs11

OP get onto joe duffy, and name and shame o2.

3 while you are at it for flogging me for a bill for 1,500e +:D

this gprs billing takes the biscuit, i wouldnt mind if it was any way good. its ancient technology.

Sponge Bob

set the eu commission on them

chrislad

Really don't see why people are getting so riled up over this. The prices are clearly displayed and it's no shocker that roaming costs are extortionate. People need to take some responsibility, and be aware of what costs for using a service are. The amount of people I know who have no idea how much they are paying for a call or text is ridiculous.

Sponge Bob

At those prices data roaming as distinct from voice or sms should be off by default and on only if the subscriber explicitly requests it . If the subscriber requests it they should be warned of the costs before its switched on for them.

O2 have plenty of margin to cover the 'cost' of carrying out this procedure.

They have recently introduced premium text barring ( 56nnn 57nnn and 58nnn) on request ...but only on request . This information is not on their FAQ page here

Extortion is allowable by informed consent of course ...but should not be a default feature with any network .

This particular form of extortion is a multi country scam which is why I recommend the ECC be informed so that something can be done at European level as was done with voice roaming last week.

Operator Branded phones, furthermore, make it all to easy to turn on data connections by programming a very prominent button to one touch operation and in the full foreknowledge that data is not part of a bundle but separately billed ....but thats another issue albeit a related one.