BT, monthly GB allowance and huge excess fees. Someone please help.

[AgentFelix]

I'm allowed 40 GB per month but apparently have exceeded this massively. Last month I got through 278 GB . I've just looked at my bill and I've been fined 3 x £50 for Jan/Feb/March excess. God only knows how much they will want for April/May as they are quoting £5 per extra 5 GB.

I have been on the phone to them today but keep getting told that the usage has been checked and it's correct and I will have to pay. I'm in the queue waiting for a supervisor now. My usage gauge is showing that I've already used 75% of June's allowance. I've ordered the unlimited package but it won't activate 'til the 14th so I'll have exceeded my limit again by then.

We aren't particularly heavy internet users. I Mumsnet and read blogs mostly, DP watches Netflix 3/4 times a week and DS is on XBox Live every night. Is it even possible that we're really using all this data?

After 35 minutes I gave up and put the phone down. I'm now talking to an advisor via instant message. Apparently it is possible that somebody is hacking my account but it's still my responsibility to pay the fines. I'm being transferred to Technical department and am now in another queue.

I could just bloody cry at the moment. I had no idea something like this could happen. I'm going to end up owing them hundreds and hundreds.

If you're downloading things or watching Netflix then this will use a lot of data. Moving images use loads where as refreshing a screen uses little. I'd ditch Netflix and XBox live until the unlimited usage kicks in.

answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20130519142644AAvpavt It all mounts up.

Change the password on your router. Choose a long word and change some of the letters to numbers. Include some capitals and some punctuation marks too.

I use about 80 GB a month and I am a heavy-ish downloader of US TV programs. You are a light user in comparison. So 278GB seem to suggest that your neighbor(s) are leeching off your WiFi.

ladyMary that is shocking but I still don't see how it adds up. Squirted DP has changed the password now but BT have said it's impossible for anyone else to access BT Infinity. I have no idea, but they are adamant that I've been charged correctly and will have to pay. Luckily their maximum fine is £50 per month, so in total it's £300 .

I am so pissed off, it was their bloody advisor that convinced me 40 GB was ample for our usage. I've been with AOL/Orange for years and have always had unlimited packages. Why the hell have they let this go on since January? Why couldn't they have phoned me? I could upgraded to unlimited for an extra £5 per month.

God, I could cry. I am absolutely gutted.

40gb is ample for the usage that you've described so you can't really blame the advisor for putting you on the wrong package.

When I got up to my 40GB limit I got a letter from BT warning me. The next month I was near the limit within a week of the new biling period. This time I got a letter asking if I wanted to upgrade.

Given that you been charged loads for the whole of 2013 and you didn't notice, is it possible that you missed the letters from BT?

Anyway, we are getting away from the 278gb usage. It's3 times mine and I download lots if films and tv. Something isn't right.

Sky used to do this. They wouldn't email or write so you'd have to check your usage online. Everything uses data but emails just a little. The most goes to downloads, so pictures/movies/programme upgrades.

forums.xbox.com/xbox_forums/general_discussion/f/341/t/223072.aspx

According to the above xbox live uses 100MB per hour, there's downloads on top of this, plus the netflix and system upgrades. I'd call and complain though as they really should have let you know earlier.

No, I agree Habba. The only thing I can think is that DS has been hammering Netflix when he's supposed to be asleep at night. He's denying it but I don't know what else could have caused it. Later on I will check what titles have been watched lately. I will go absolutely mad if he's caused this.

I am so pissed off with myself. I have a BT email address that I never use and BT have been sending emails to that telling me about these charges. I'm on paperless billing so didn't have a clue about it until they took almost double the usual amount in a DD on Monday. I could kick myself.

I do think BT could be a little more flexible with repayment tbh. I've accepted the charges, but I can't afford them. I have virtually begged them to let me spread the cost but they won't.

x-posted Mary.

I always had an unlimited package when I was with Sky so didn't have these issues. I can't argue about BT not contacting me because they have been emailing. It's my fault and I am so upset.

I gave up smoking 19 days ago and I've wasted more money on this than I've saved. If I wasn't so poor I think I'd say fuck it and go and get a packet. Totally, completely gutted.

It's just a blip. It'll get better.

I'm convinced BT have some sort of scam going on to get up to switch to unlimited.

First a friend kept using her limits, couldn't see why, but swapped to unlimited. Her usage immediately went down.

Then a few months later the same thing happened to us - after months at roughly the same levels our usage shot up. We couldn't work out why, but decided it would be cheaper to swap to unlimited than pay fines. So we swapped and suddenly our usage went back to normal levels.

[slurp]

DP has just admitted to having watched the entire catalogue of 24 last month - every season and every episode. The month before he did Dexter, before that it was Shameless and before that something else. I'm not very pleased with him but I'm glad I haven't been ripped off by BT. I wish he had just admitted this earlier on and I could have saved hours of pointless pleading with BT.

I would have lost my temper with him but somebody knocked at the door. It was a policeman asking if my name is Sarah something or other. I said no and he asked me if I had assaulted a woman at my front door this morning . Apparently a woman with mental health issues has reported to the police that she knocked on my door and I hit her around the head . He told me that the story didn't add up anyway and not to worry.

God, how bizarre!

You're having one of 'those' days, AgentFelix. The only way forward is wine.

Yes and DP has been dispatched to the off-licence. We may be skint but I just don't care tonight.

and call BT back next week, you so can pay the £300 up over 3 months, the same happened to me, I couldn't pay so said I had to leave them. They let me pay it up and I moved to unlimited.

I'm stuck in a contract until next year DOAWM so can't really threaten that. In all honestly I will be leaving when my contract is up. I thought BT Infinity was going to be AMAZING the way they advertise it. I don't think it's any faster than basic broadband and I'm forever having to reset the hub. Complete pain in the arse. And I hate the way you only get free calls for an hour and if you go over the hour they charge you for the whole call.