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Original poster

£11k roaming charges.

100 replies

Stroopwaffels · 09/11/2023 18:35

For "parliamentary business" while Michael Matheson was on a family holiday in Morocco.

Such good value. And if you believe that it was all parliamentary emails etc rather than Netflix and YouTube you're as gullible as Humza Yousaf.

Also quite worrying that a Minister is too thick to disable roaming.

OP posts:
boobashka · 09/11/2023 19:32

And surely he could have used hotel WiFi? Smacks of someone who couldn't care less... someone else (us) will pick up the tab... 😡
Surely if he's on holiday he shouldn't be working anyway?

Original poster
Stroopwaffels · 09/11/2023 19:40

Well exactly. Who really believes that he did 11k worth of work during a week in Morocco.

And isn't the first thing you do when you check into a hotel - especially overseas - is connect to the Wifi?

OP posts:
CheersToMe · 09/11/2023 20:03

I heard this and give him the benefit of the doubt about not being able or allowed to connect a government device to public wifi for security reasons.

He should've checked before he went away though.

DaphneMoo · 09/11/2023 20:06

And they think they could run a country, completely incompetent should be made to pay from his own pocket.

Ballsbaill · 09/11/2023 20:07

What network is he on?! I got charged £6 per day to use my phone and inclusive data when I was in South Africa. I can do that in most of the world.

YikYok · 09/11/2023 20:10

It is outrageous. Someone in a private Company I worked for did this (sat on beach downloading emails me massive files) clocked up a huge bill and we made him pay back every penny (out of his wages over one year).

He should be required to pay it back , no excuse for such incompetence and negligence.

NetballHoop · 09/11/2023 20:17

CheersToMe · 09/11/2023 20:03

I heard this and give him the benefit of the doubt about not being able or allowed to connect a government device to public wifi for security reasons.

He should've checked before he went away though.

That's why you use a VPN. Surely they're not that incompetent that they don't have all their work devices going through a secure network?

Oh, wait a minute, maybe they are that incompetent.

HappierTimesAhead · 09/11/2023 20:28

Can someone tell me what he could have been doing that could cause £11,000 of charges? It seems impossible?

notimagain · 09/11/2023 20:47

HappierTimesAhead · 09/11/2023 20:28

Can someone tell me what he could have been doing that could cause £11,000 of charges? It seems impossible?

Possibly something along the lines that @YikYok mentioned.

Someone where I worked managed a bill of similar magnitude by streaming movies whilst overseas for several days at a place with very high roaming charges.

Their story was they screwed up their device settings, thought they were routing via the hotel via but were in fact using roaming.

Company made them pay it back in instalments.

HappierTimesAhead · 09/11/2023 20:52

Thanks, it just seems so weird. It must have been a shit family holiday if he was on his ipad the whole time.

SirChenjins · 09/11/2023 20:56

Meanwhile other public sector workers in Scotland are forbidden from working abroad…

I’d love to know how much constituency work he actually did in that week.

LibbyL92 · 09/11/2023 21:15

I did £60 in 10 minutes as soon as I landed on Morocco.. I was disgusted with myself! It was an accident though.

switched phone off after that.

Northernsouloldies · 10/11/2023 00:30

Snp can spend money for fun nothing they say surprises me anymore. Always ready with an excuse.

BigBoysDontCry · 10/11/2023 12:37

Further updates are that he was told to change the Sim and that all msps are emailed before each recess regarding roaming charges etc.

He needs sacked along with the whole bloody lot of them to be honest.

BigBoysDontCry · 10/11/2023 12:40

When my child ran up a bill of £30 buying stuff on a game when he'd been told not to, I took it out of his Christmas money. How does this guy get away with us paying his £11k mistake?

Beaverbridge · 10/11/2023 12:41

He should be made pay back the lot.

Scottishskifun · 10/11/2023 13:21

CheersToMe · 09/11/2023 20:03

I heard this and give him the benefit of the doubt about not being able or allowed to connect a government device to public wifi for security reasons.

He should've checked before he went away though.

Really? When they were prewarned about checking the sim card way in advance?!

Sorry but what a waste of tax payers money!!

minipie · 10/11/2023 13:24

If he had so much important work to do he should have flown back.

Again, this is what people in high flying private sector jobs are expected to do.

Original poster
Stroopwaffels · 10/11/2023 13:34

From BBC:

"Mr Matheson was emailed by officials in February 2022, and it is thought highly likely he would have also been spoken to by IT staff when he had the sim card in his mobile phone changed later that year.
The parliament has also said Mr Matheson did not notify its IT office that he was travelling to Africa - despite the fact members are told each recess that they should inform officials if they are taking devices abroad."

TV reporting that he was REPEATEDLY told to sort it out. What an arrogant, stupid little man.

OP posts:
BigBoysDontCry · 10/11/2023 13:35

We all know he wasn't doing important work as he doesn't do any while he is actually supposed to be working never mind when he is on holiday.

He needs to pay it back and he needs to go. Problem is that he will never earn what he gets on the gravy train so will cling on like the rest of them.

No moral compass.

Original poster
Stroopwaffels · 10/11/2023 13:38

If anyone actually believes that he as doing "constituency work" for a week in Morocco, over Christmas, while on holiday with his family, they are as stupid as he is.

OP posts:
Aaron95 · 10/11/2023 14:02

HappierTimesAhead · 09/11/2023 20:28

Can someone tell me what he could have been doing that could cause £11,000 of charges? It seems impossible?

It's not difficult.

I ran up a £200 bill on holiday last year without realising. On my contract I have free data in France and Spain but at one point we drove into Andorra. Phone connected to a network there and it was charging me £6 per Mb before I realised and switched it off.

SirChenjins · 10/11/2023 14:11

Stroopwaffels · 10/11/2023 13:38

If anyone actually believes that he as doing "constituency work" for a week in Morocco, over Christmas, while on holiday with his family, they are as stupid as he is.

Youseless believes it - which proves your point Grin

#independence
#toriesbad
#nothingtoseehere

mummywithtwokidsplusdog · 10/11/2023 15:38

I can’t actually believe he has the audacity to think the tax payer should pick up the bill for his huge error…. And what a rubbish holiday if he was ‘working’ all the time! Outrageous! If he was a Tory/labour/lib dem HY would be outraged too… but of course he’s not!!! Soooo annoying!

greenacrylicpaint · 10/11/2023 15:44

CheersToMe · 09/11/2023 20:03

I heard this and give him the benefit of the doubt about not being able or allowed to connect a government device to public wifi for security reasons.

He should've checked before he went away though.

this

I'm not allowed to use public unsecured wifi and therefore thether to my mobile when travelling for work.
a zoom call with camera on can be £££.
plus access to documents on secure cloud services, emails etc.

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