Want to complain to mobile phone company - anyone know anything about credit limits?

[Cappster]

When I got my mobile on a £10 a month contract they gave me a £150 credit limit - I rang them and asked them to reduce it to £20 (my £10 a month + £10 cushion) because I didn't want to incur a big bill as I couldn't afford it

when we were on holiday dh had a problem with his tooth so I rang the emergency dentist and sat on hold for ages and ages before the call was cut off, I presume by the mobile phone company - the recorded voice said something like 'the call is being terminated'

I then got a text to say I had exceeded my credit limit and my account was suspended

I rang them and they said if I agreed to raise my credit limit to 20p above the amount - about £30.20 - then I could have the account back - I was right at the start of the month so had practically all my 100 minutes etc still remaining. The number I'd called wasn't covered by my contract. I assumed that what they meant was that I was mistaken and the £20 credit limit was above my £10 contract. Since I was in a tent in the middle of nowhere it wasn't the best line so I thought I'd wait and look at it at a better time

I've got the bill now and it's clear that it wasn't, my credit limit has been raised by a full £10. I don't understand when they had been specifically asked to keep my credit limit at £20 they allowed me to go a full £10.20 over it without cutting the call then. It was my understanding that a customer has a right to limit their credit - I'm sure I saw on Alvin Hall once that once you've asked for credit not to be extended then they have to honour that.

Was it right that they could let me rack up an extra tenner's worth of calls over my limit before pulling the plug?

I'm not 100% sure but I think Alvin Hall would be talking about regulated financial credit (eg Credit Cards, Store Cards etc). I don't think things like phone bills come under this legislation. They're not offering you 'credit' in the financial sense as they are accounts that are paid in arrears (ie the month after you incur the costs).

I can see why you're pissed off at having a bigger bill than you expected but on the other hand there has to be a bit of leeway around how much 'over' the 'outside of free calls' allowance they let you go. Put it another way, if you'd got through to the dentist at £10.20 and they'd cut you off some people might have thought that was a bit OTT.

Have they left the 'credit limit' which I presume is the amount you have set as the limit for calls outside your free ones at £20? If so then just contact them and ask them to drop it again back to the £10. I'd say double check with them that they understand what you are after and make it very clear that it's the £10 contract PLUS £10 additional calls.

Thanks for this response. I think you're right, I got a bit carried away, and having googled a bit more I've found that because of a delay tracking mobile calls they can't be so specific about rates

I will call them about dropping it back again

thanks so much