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£28000 mobile phone bill

120 replies

saveforthat · 08/03/2015 16:51

Ds 19 had his contract phone cut off. When he went into o2 shop to investigate, turns out he opted out of roaming cap when on holiday in tunisia. Also forgot to change his address so they couldnt contact him. Found out yesterday and and I was in shock. Now feel sick, how is this actually possible, we were only there for a week. Going to try to see citizens advice tomorrow but does anyone have any expeeience of this?

OP posts:
WizardOfToss · 09/03/2015 07:37

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

PostOfTheDay · 09/03/2015 11:01

Coz I'm a nosy mare Wink Blush and I think that £2800O is a staggering amount.

im not a journo, honest

OrangePeels · 09/03/2015 11:08

My DH used his work phone in the Middle East for a week and had a £6k bill. Thankfully, he wasn't liable for it and had only been using it for work. They told him to switch data off next time and only use it when necessary. £28k seems staggeringly high though! Was it all through data usage?

AttilaTheMeerkat · 09/03/2015 11:12

Also countries like Tunisia and Turkey are not in the EU so there are no capped protections on roaming charges. Those capped charges only apply to countries within the EU.

This is how not to get caught out:-
The cost of data can really be a killer if you're travelling beyond Europe. says all mobile operators have to cut off your data connection once you have used around £40 to £50 of data per month, wherever you travel in the world, unless you choose another limit. The precise figure varies from company to company. The provider must send you an alert when you reach 80% and then 100% of the agreed data roaming limit, and must stop the data at the 100% point, unless you agree to continue to use data.

Other than leaving your phone/tablet at home, the best way to avoid running up an unexpected bill is to switch off data roaming before you leave the UK. That will ensure your device isn't racking up costs without you realising it (many phones and tablets are programmed to automatically seek out mobile connections and use them to update apps even when you're not actively using the device).

If you want/need to access the web, use free Wi-Fi in places such as hotels, cafes and restaurants whenever you can – though avoid making online purchases or accessing your bank account via such services. You don't need data roaming switched on to access Wi-Fi. However, make sure you are, indeed, connecting to the correct network and not an "evil twin," which is a lookalike connection designed to trick you, says security firm Norton.

Make sure you download what you need before you leave home, including apps, books, films or music, plus city maps, guides, etc, says Ofcom, and check downloads are fully completed before you leave.

If you want to use your mobile phone abroad, but don't fancy the roaming charges, one way to potentially cut your costs is to buy a sim card – either a local one that you purchase when you get to your destination, or a global/international one that can typically be bought in advance from a specialist provider. When buying, make sure your phone is "unlocked" and that it's compatible with your destination country's radio frequency.

Buying a local pay-as-you-go sim means that you'll be using a different number, but will ensure you pay local prices and can be particularly worthwhile for those who frequently visit the same country.

Beware accidental roaming. This is where you're visiting an area close to another country and your phone picks up the network across the border. If this happens, you may be charged as though you were roaming in that other country, so take care and keep a close eye on your phone.

DopeyDawg · 09/03/2015 11:17

God! 28K???

I just bought my first modern mobile Blush

I have used it occasionally at home to look at mumsnet (presumably works as it is linking into my router at home?)

I'm not racking up a bill am I?

PostOfTheDay · 09/03/2015 11:31
Grin
countessmarkyabitch · 09/03/2015 11:36

OP says the man opted out of the roaming cap

Seriously can't see how anyone is blaming the company for that. He OPTED OUT of the scheme to protect him from high charges, then ran up a massive bill doing stuff even a total luddite knows costs a fortune.

OP should let him deal with it himself and he might actually learn something.

keepitsimple0 · 09/03/2015 11:41

I just bought my first modern mobile

abroad, it's data that will kill you (internet, email, google maps, etc). Depending on your plan, you may or may not have a domestic data limit (1GB, 2GB and unlimited are all common), but this will be counted differently if you are using data abroad. depending on whether you have an iphone or an android, there are ways to look up on your phone how much data you have used recently. you can set this monitoring to be in sync with your billing cycle.

data and wifi usage are different.

some companies have a downloadable app that will tell you how much data/phone/texts minutes you have left in the month and what your billing cycle is (I know 3 does, since I use them).

PostOfTheDay · 09/03/2015 11:42

This was in a Guardian article last year. You can see how you can reach massive amounts by downloading movies. (I guess the prices could have gone up since then too and I wouldn't be suprised if Tunisia is more expensive than the US or SA)

The cost of data can really be a killer if you're travelling beyond Europe. For a monthly contract customer on holiday in the United States or South Africa, for example, that same one megabyte of data will cost you £3 if you're with Vodafone, £6 with O2, and an eye-watering £8 if you're a Tesco Mobile customer, based on their standard rates.

To put that into context, regulator Ofcom says that watching a 60-minute video over 3G networks can gobble up between 50MB and 225MB of data – which at £8 per megabyte would work out at between £400 and £1,800 Shock Shock

The OPs DS wouldn't have thought about the cost as he thought 'knew' he was downloading over the hotels wifi.

Pipbin · 09/03/2015 12:38

Worth contacting the local paper. Contacting the nationals can't do any harm.

If he has turned of the cap it's his own fault quite frankly.

TalkinPeace · 09/03/2015 12:42

I wonder where OP has gone?

PostOfTheDay · 09/03/2015 12:46

I just checked and for O2 Tunisia costs £6 per Megabyte so if a one hour movie uses up to 225 megabytes then that's £1,350 eek! - For £28,000 you would get 20 hours worth. Throw in his normal usage such as Facebook and emails and a bit of online gaming and its not that hard to see how you could get to £28000
ConfusedConfusedConfusedConfusedConfused

LittleBearPad · 09/03/2015 12:56

He's an adult. He switched off the cap that would have prevented this. He downloaded several movies over 3G. He was a muppet not to think this would be expensive.

He needs to phone O2 and discuss it with them.

Pipbin · 09/03/2015 13:00

Did you pay for him to come on holiday with you? I'd be pissed off that I had paid for someone to come on holiday but they were so rude that they spent time watching films that they could do anywhere rather than spending time with me.

EhricLovesTheBhrothers · 09/03/2015 13:02

If it is with a debt recovery agency then he doesn't need to bother speaking to O2 as it's not their concern any longer.
Debt recovery companies don't take people to court as a rule, they just send threatening letters forevermore. He could ignore them, but there is a risk that they would take him to court, and it would certainly affect his credit rating.
Or he could contact them and offer a settlement. These companies but the debt for peanuts so will always accept a settlement below the full value.
Don't think that it will be written off if he ignores it, that's not how the law works.

fuzzyduck1 · 09/03/2015 13:37

if he hasn't told them his new address then just go and hide under the bed until it all blows over. or offer to pay them back at £1 a month.

if they were trying to contact them why didn't they try calling the mobile?

emotionsecho · 09/03/2015 14:39

fuzzyduck1 as other posters have said, O2 have no doubt called and sent texts which he has dealt with by hiding under the bed as you put it.

They wouldn't have just cut off the contract and handed it to a Debt Collection Company the minute he returned from Tunisia. The law says O2 has to take reasonable steps to make contact, if they only sent letters to the address they had for him (he failed to notify them of a change of address) then they have done so but I bet they did more than that.

I doubt it will 'just go away' he needs to deal with it.

LittleBearPad · 09/03/2015 14:41

His credit rating will be screwed if he doesn't do anything about it and this will make getting credit/loans etc difficult for ages. Doing nothing isn't an option.

PostOfTheDay · 09/03/2015 15:05

I'd wonder if he debt was actually passed to a debt recovery agency or whether it's being dealt with by the O2 debt recovery department. If he was only recently cut off then it sounds a bit odd that the debt has already been passed on.

saveforthat · 09/03/2015 16:46

Well he spent 3 hours in CAB this morning (two waiting, one to discuss). He was advised to wait for ths written confirmation of usage (cant do screenshot as nothing in writing yet) and choosing to opt out and then try to negotiate. He has been given details of debt managenent companies because unless they agree to a masive reduction, bankruptcy may be only option or IVA. I may be relieved if he has to be bankrupt as at least he won't be able to get any credit for a few years which might save me some sleepness nights.

OP posts:
specialsubject · 09/03/2015 17:22

thanks for the update. This is a BIG penalty for a mistake, but your comment about credit makes me wonder if it could be the proverbial ill wind.

emotionsecho · 09/03/2015 18:25

If he goes to a Debt Management Company his ability to have credit will also be restricted and may be a better option in the long term.

PostOfTheDay · 09/03/2015 18:41

Thanks for the update. Have you tried looking on Money Saving Expert Forums. There are lots of helpful posters and some rude ones, just like Mumsnet and your son is not the first person that this has happened too Sad. I found an MoneySavingExpert article HERE on Data roaming that invites you to contact them with any issues.

Have you been hit with iPhone data roaming charges after following ALL the steps above? If so, please report in the discussion below, or if you'd like us to investigate, email [email protected] and include a brief outline of what happened and a daytime telephone number

How about contacting Radio 4's consumer program MoneyBox at [email protected] . Paul Lewis is the host his Twitter account is HERE

It's the highest bill I have seen.

It doesn't sound like it will have been a billing error if he was downloading lots of movies.

fluffapuss · 10/03/2015 22:29

Hello

There have been alot of similar stories in the news

eg

www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/phones/2013/02/kids-spent-3200-iphone-avoid-app-charge-hell

eg

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2652835/Teenager-18-used-mothers-mobile-phone-family-holiday-stay-touch-Facebook-friends-racked-3-000-bill.html

eg

www.express.co.uk/news/uk/517556/12k-holiday-phone-bill-download-BBC-sitcom

eg
www.express.co.uk/news/uk/517556/12k-holiday-phone-bill-download-BBC-sitcom

Most people know when travelling abroad to turn data roaming to "off" before getting on the plane

When you arrive in a different country my mobile phone receives a text that says " welcome to x country, phone calls cost x pence per minute, texts cost x pence a minute and data is x pence per mb"

I would get your son to contact the mobile phone company & negotiate a reduced price. I would expect that the phone company would agree to a small amount per week.

Why did your son feel the need to access content on his phone, was the holiday to Tunisia not entertaining enough ?

I hope your son has learnt a valueable lesson

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