Possibly being overcharged by O2

recyclebin

I am on a mobile broadband contract with 15GB allowance a month.

On my bill it states that the billing period is 11/12/2012 to 10/01/2013.

Now when I go to look at the itemised bill it shows 5 data transactions from the 10/12/2012 which is obviously outside the billing period and should have been included in the previous months total. These transactions push my data usage above 15GB for the month and therefore I am being billed per MB. It's only about €5.00 but it's the principle of the matter I am annoyed about.

I have contacted the company through their forum and e-mail and have gone into specific detail about the transactions that I believe should be not on my bill. They keep fobbing me off and saying the bill is correct.

If I am being overcharged I wonder how many others are also being overcharged? What else can I do to escalate the the problem? Anybody I talk to in the company won't give me their surname and they just tell me to email them at a generic faceless customer care address.

Would Comreg do anything? I know I shouldn't cancel the direct debit for my bill but o2 won't even talk to me so what other options do I have?

TLDR: O2 overcharging, won't acknowledge it, what should I do?

Kristopherus

Maybe you could contact them through their Talk to...O2 forum here on Boards.

drunkmonkey

We're you double billed, as in did you pay for the 10/12 on your previous bill?

garhjw

There can be a delay in the CDRs from your sessions getting through the billing system before the cut off date. Billing is not done in real time so your sessions from the 10th probably didn't make it into your previous bill. Usually this evens out every month but in this case you have been stung which is not nice

recyclebin

drunkmonkey wrote: »

We're you double billed, as in did you pay for the 10/12 on your previous bill?

I connected and disconnected from the net a few times on the 10/12/2012 so there are about 10 transactions from that date.

My bills from December and January both have data transactions from the 10/12/2012 on them. They are not the same transactions though. The earlier transactions from the 10/12/2012 are in Decembers bill, the later transactions from that day are in Januarys Bill.

I had about 300MB left of the 15GB in Decembers bill. The disputed transactions from 10/12/2012 that should be in Decembers bill total about 500MB. So in reality I should be charged for going 200MB over in December but o2 are charging for the full 500MB in my January Bill.

Novembers bill was fine as I didn't get anywhere near the 15GB so I can rule out having to keep going back through the previous months.

I tried the talk2o2 webchat. Same deal, they fobbed me off and when I asked the guy for his name he said he was not allowed pass any personal details!!! I have a transcript of the chat to show how much of a joke it is if they won't even let you know who you are talking to.

recyclebin

garhjw wrote: »

There can be a delay in the CDRs from your sessions getting through the billing system before the cut off date. Billing is not done in real time so your sessions from the 10th probably didn't make it into your previous bill. Usually this evens out every month but in this case you have been stung which is not nice

The billing period ends on 10th of the month. The bill is issued around the 22nd each month so they should have plenty of time to get it right.

garhjw

That's pretty poor on o2s part. It is clear what has happened and you are able to prove it too. I suggest trying O2 1 more time and if you don't get anywhere try Comreg.

Good luck

WildCardDoW

Sorry but there are legitimate reasons they don't give out their name, though normally you are given a first name, the second name is a big no no, most people working in C.S would probably back me up on this.

However if O2's policy is not to give out a name, then there's not much to argue with them over that, they would be able to track the information from the chat easily enough if required without that persons name and it makes no difference to your original problem. Hope you can get it sorted, they say there's nothing they can do, but obviously in this case they should, though I don't think they did it on purpose, simply the way the billing worked out.

drunkmonkey

WildCardDoW wrote: »

Sorry but there are legitimate reasons they don't give out their name, though normally you are given a first name, the second name is a big no no, most people working in C.S would probably back me up on this.

Anyone dealing in customer service should give their name if they actually give a hoot about customer service, if they don't give their name it's because their probably bull****ting and haven't a clue what their doing. If any company is operating a no name policy they should be left straight away. I doubt this is o2's policy to be honest, sounds more like rubbish temp staff.
OP speak to a manager if you meet any of these "no name" clowns.

recyclebin

WildCardDoW wrote: »

Sorry but there are legitimate reasons they don't give out their name, though normally you are given a first name, the second name is a big no no, most people working in C.S would probably back me up on this.

However if O2's policy is not to give out a name, then there's not much to argue with them over that, they would be able to track the information from the chat easily enough if required without that persons name and it makes no difference to your original problem. Hope you can get it sorted, they say there's nothing they can do, but obviously in this case they should, though I don't think they did it on purpose, simply the way the billing worked out.

I hear what your saying but between e-mail, chat and forums I must have been dealing with 4-5 different people and none of them wanted to take ownership of my case and kept saying the same things over and over again. I asked them if I could talk to someone with some kind of authority and maybe they would realise the error in their billing system and offer a refund but so far I have been met with a stone wall. For all I know the people i was talking to could have been the same person but just given a different name each time as all of the correspondence have been through text.

I work with customers myself (small company in manufacturing) and I would not have any problem in giving my name/work e-mail address if they were having a problem and wanted to discuss it further. If I couldn't solve the problem I would pass them onto someone higher in the management chain. Is this not how things should be done?

recyclebin

drunkmonkey wrote: »

Anyone dealing in customer service should give their name if they actually give a hoot about customer service, if they don't give their name it's because their probably bull****ting and haven't a clue what their doing. If any company is operating a no name policy they should be left straight away. I doubt this is o2's policy to be honest, sounds more like rubbish temp staff.
OP speak to a manager if you meet any of these "no name" clowns.

Here Is a copy of what "Andrew" said to me in their webchat when i asked for his name:

Me: Andrew, can I get your surname just for future reference when I get my next bill?
Andrew: I'm sorry we are not allowed to pass any personal details. Don't worry you can save this chat as a confirmation.

I don't know why they can't give their names seen as they already have my name, address, e-mail address, telephone and god knows what else.

dudara

Do you want me to move this thread to the Talk to O2 forum, to see if the reps there can make any progress?

dudara

recyclebin

Hi Dudara,

I think I've exhausted all avenues trying to talking to o2. I created this thread to see what options I had to try solve this. Does anybody know some one in o2 who would deal directly with dispute resolutions?

The guys in the talk to 02 forum look to be the same people that are on o2 forum on o2s own website. They do not appear to have any authority to make a decision or offer refunds.

rubberdiddies

recyclebin wrote: »

Here Is a copy of what "Andrew" said to me in their webchat when i asked for his name:

Me: Andrew, can I get your surname just for future reference when I get my next bill?
Andrew: I'm sorry we are not allowed to pass any personal details. Don't worry you can save this chat as a confirmation.

I don't know why they can't give their names seen as they already have my name, address, e-mail address, telephone and god knows what else.

the webchat support is I believe a relatively new service for O2 customers. 'Andrew' is in fact based in India. Not that it should matter though, however I prefer customer care agents who have direct access to technical teams in Ireland. (why do companies feel that giving a care agent based in India a more 'westernised' name would make a difference??)

in relation to your issue, I'm sure its not a case of them not wanting to refund you, its simply a case of lazy customer care, coupled with a lack of knowledge on the part of the new care agents. Keep at it, however id recommend ringing their care team who I believe are still based in Limerick

recyclebin

rubberdiddies wrote: »

the webchat support is I believe a relatively new service for O2 customers. 'Andrew' is in fact based in India. Not that it should matter though, however I prefer customer care agents who have direct access to technical teams in Ireland. (why do companies feel that giving a care agent based in India a more 'westernised' name would make a difference??)

in relation to your issue, I'm sure its not a case of them not wanting to refund you, its simply a case of lazy customer care, coupled with a lack of knowledge on the part of the new care agents. Keep at it, however id recommend ringing their care team who I believe are still based in Limerick

I will try call them later although its going to be hard to explain the dates and data in a way that isn't going to be confusing over the phone.

WildCardDoW

Hey recyclebin, I agree that a name should be given but I disagree over the second name, I think it would vary from company to company, but there are certainly issues with giving out a second name. I do agree that if a rep cannot satisfy/help with a customer problem there should be a a system where you move to a higher chain until all avenue's are exhausted, and it must be frustrating to have so far only dealt with people working off a script.

rubberdiddies

recyclebin wrote: »

I will try call them later although its going to be hard to explain the dates and data in a way that isn't going to be confusing over the phone.

i know what you mean.
no harm though in logging it via a phone call with them and whilst on the call ask them for an e-mail address so you can send through details.

whilst on the call, ask if you can speak directly with someone in 'Service Support'
the guys and gals in Service Support have a more detailed/specific knowledge. They may not put you through but worth asking