o2 - new fair usage policy

AFC_1903

Quote from a letter I recieved today

"HI X,

Re: Changes to your price plan on your o2 Broadband account 086xxxxxxxxx.

I'm writing to confirm that you've been moved to a new fair usage price plan following our recent conversation. As discussd any future usage above your 10GB limit will be charged at 2c per MB inc VAT and will be included in your next bill.

Sometimes a lot of people use o2 Broadband at the same time. This means the speed you search the internet and download things can be slower than normal. Our Fair Usage Policy is there to make sure our customers have a good experience. So once you remain below your 10GB limit your monthly rental charge will remain unchanged.

Also, bear in mind your 10GB limit applies to usage only on o2 Ireland's network. This means that roaming is excluded. If you want to know mare about our Fair Usage policy and roaming you'll find all the details at o2.ie/legal.

Actually, did you know that you can track your o2 Broadband usage? Just register your USB modem on the My Account' Section on o2.ie. Here you'll find out all you need to know in the 'Frequently Asked Questions' pages in the broadband section.

I hope you keep on enjoying o2 Broadband.

Kind regards.

Customer Care Manager"


My problems with this

1. My service was dire all month (my 1st month). The only way I discovered to stay on for more than a minute or two (at peak times especially)without getting disconnected was by constant downloading of crap to keep the connection open.

2. I was told so long as you didn't go *way* over you'd be grand - no charging.

3. I never agreed. I was told to keep an eye on my limits, and informed of the charge if I went over. I was busy trying to get them off the phone as I was at work.

4. I've only just signed the contract. The service went to crap almost straight after I got it, now they change the contract terms, with NO notice.




What can I do about this? Did other people find the same thing happening to them? I was happy with my previous terms. I don't plan on breaking my linit, but I don't want to have a busy month, and realise i'll have to pay extra to check my e-mail/forums/e-bay etc at the end of the month.

Whay the hell do all companies do their best to p!$$ off their customers. After this there is NO WAY i'm switching my mobile over to them, as i'd been considering doing!

smellslikeshoes

If you are having serious problems don't take it, if the service is not fit for purpose tell them. Its not that hard to break contract without penalty if thats what you want, just make sure that you are able to prove its not fit for service. Just FYI there was a new firmware update that was suppose to fix a lot of peoples disconnection problems, don't know the full details but here it is http://www.o2online.ie/wps/wcm/connect/O2/Home/Personal/firmware+update.

AFC_1903

Got the new firmware, and things are much better. While last month I DL'd 9-9.5 GB (mainly to keep my connection open) this month i've currently DL'd less than 800MB.

My (main!) issue with them is that they didn't make it clear they were changing my contract. Charging PER MB over a limit is not a 'Fair Usage' policy. It's not even a minor change in a fair usage policy. Its a major change in a contract, which wasn't made clear, nor approved by me.


And i've 11 months left of my contract.

Onikage

Cheeky sods. Thanks for sharing, I'm sure this is to the interest of many here but you might get what you need now in Consumer Issues: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=580

jor el

Its a major change in a contract, which wasn't made clear, nor approved by me.

They haven't changed your contract, they're merely enforcing that particular clause now. This is what you agreed to when you signed up, you're now on the "no use over 10G" clause. O2's cap is subject to fair usage over 10G, if you go much above it then they reserve the right to charge a per MB rate after contacting you, as outlined in the Ts&Cs. They've done all this, they're not charging you out of the blue like the other operators do, and they provide a simple way to check your usage online, unlike some other operators.

Constantly downloading crap to keep the connection open will have contributed to the poor service. It's also no excuse for going over the limit.

AFC_1903

I never went over my limit, nor do I plan to or envisige doin so. I know of several others who have gone over by Gigabytes, and recieved no calls. I would much prefer to have not had to do the downloading, but you try reading boards.ie and getting cut off every 2-3 pages with software that renders your pc inoperable for 20-30 seconds each time. And I have to do a lot of work on the net. The downloading was the only way I could use the net. Want to watch a video on youtube? Better hope it's short and loads quick, otherwise you'll never see the half of it. I trust you've a service which operates as it should, which is reliable etc? Lucky you.

And according to pretty much everyone the service went to sh!te at the start of may.. that wasn't due to me, no matter what you may think!

hideous ape

I happen to know AFC_1903 personally and he did not go over his limit at all.
They just rang him to tell him he was 500Mb away from his limit. Fair enough...he stopped using it until the next month.
Then they followed this up with the letter posted above...seems odd to be hassling him when he didn't even go over the limit.
I went over the limit in my first month by 1.5GB and nothing was done to me.

If he went over the limit by 1.5GB and they did this fair enough but as it stands he didn't do anything to warrant this change.

Cabaal

from the FAQ in the main Broadband section of boards.ie

O2 Broadband*
O2 Broadband have a cap and a Fair Usage Policy attached to this, according to there Terms & Conditions they can do the following "O2 reserves the right, at our sole discretion, and having provided you with notice, to introduce an excess Usage charge",, while this shouldn't be a problem for the majority of customers its best to watch your usage, continued heavy usage can result in the suspension, modification or termination of your service.

I don't see the problem, they've notified you they will be charging you if you go over the limit, they didn't change any contract or T&C's they simply enforced their exisiting T&C's their not in the wrong here

Calling him to tell him he's 500MB away from his limit is a courtesy call and I certainly wouldn't be complaing, I'd imagine alot of people don't track their usage even though the usage tracker is available so by them calling its actually pretty helpful to their customers when it comes to avoiding excess charges they may not expect.

If the op stays below the limit they are quoting then he has nothing to worry about...the same as anyone else.

Regardless of what the op has been told over the phone saying he wouldn't get charged unless he went way over the limit unless he has this in writing its pointless saying it as the T&C's clearly state otherwise and this is what he actually agreed to when he signed up. No agent on the phones has the authority to change the ops T&C's in such a way anyway.

If the op didn't bother to make an informed decision about the service by reading the T&C's before agreeing to the service then I'd strongly recommend the op do so in future for their own sake and peace of mind!

hideous ape

The problem AFC_1903 has is that a lot of other people, including me, go way over the limit almost every month and nothing happens.
He didn't go over the limit and is getting the hassle that I and others should be getting. Had I been called and sent a letter I would have no arguments.

For a 'Fair usage policy' to work it should apply to everyone.

jor el

AFC_1903 wrote: »

I never went over my limit, nor do I plan to or envisige doin so.

OK, that's different then. If you're certain you didn't go over the 10G, then O2 may have been wrong when they said this:

any future usage above your 10GB limit

It implies that you did go over the limit. You should ring them to clarify why they have opted to start charging you, when others who go over the limit don't get charged. Also, clarify with them that you have not gone over the limit in your first month. I know of only one person who received the same warning as you, he did something like 22G in one month. I've gone 2G over, one time, and have not been contacted.