MSE News: 'I was charged £11,000 for data on my dongle'

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Legacy_user
Legacy_user Posts: 0 Newbie
edited 16 February 2017 at 1:42PM in Broadband & internet access
A Vodafone customer racked up an astonishing bill after exceeding the data allowance on his uncapped Wi-Fi dongle...
Read the full story:
''I was charged £11,000 for data on my dongle' - if your usage isn't capped, watch out'
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  • Pincher
    Pincher Posts: 6,552 Forumite
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    That's why I find streaming Sky Go an insane idea.

    I just buy a disposable SIM when I travel.

    Get a dual SIM phone, it's great.
  • VisionMan
    VisionMan Posts: 1,585 Forumite
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    I only signed up for for a 1GB a month contract.
    I didn't read your 12 over-usage alert notifications.
    And sorry I was actually using 200GB a month instead of 1, using a dongle, I didn't know. Even though you kept on telling me about it.
    But now I've gone to MSE.
    So please don't charge me.
  • tgroom57
    tgroom57 Posts: 1,431 Forumite
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    The moral of this - is not to let your colleague stream films or tv to your dongle. If the guy who'd signed up to the plan had just used it for what he originally intended he would (probably) have stayed within the 2GB monthly limit.

    What does the colleague who made so free with the streaming service have to say? Has he offered to pay his share of the usage?
  • jk0
    jk0 Posts: 3,479 Forumite
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    Wouldn't the EU cap also apply in the original member country?
  • redux
    redux Posts: 22,976 Forumite
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    edited 16 February 2017 at 1:46AM
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    It's hard to support the position of either the company or the customer.

    He should have thought of monitoring the use, instead of assuming that something with a fixed limit was open-ended for something obviously very data intensive, he should have logged in to read the text message warnings, and they should have protected both parties by provisionally cutting an irresponsible customer off at a credit limit.

    Edit: I'm not sure that a monitoring app is the only option. Most routers let you log in on their dedicated home page, and most mobile ones will have a data counter and reading text messages somewhere in the menu options.
  • miller
    miller Posts: 1,627 Forumite
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    redux wrote: »
    and they should have protected both parties by provisionally cutting an irresponsible customer off at a credit limit.

    That was my first thought. The bank stops your debit card from working at overdraft limit + x. This is a regulatory failing.

    Despite some of the porting issues others have experienced, I am glad I have set my Plusnet SIM to a hard cap of £2 per month over the monthly sub; it also limits any liabilities if things go wrong.
  • rtho782
    rtho782 Posts: 1,189 Forumite
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    If vodafone had cut him off, we'd now be reading a story about how his heart monitoring data was sent through it and he didn't ask for a cap and now he is dead and it's all their fault.

    They really can't win.
  • jon81uk
    jon81uk Posts: 3,773 Forumite
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    I agree, the fault is equal. There are plenty of guides on how much data you need to stream iPlayer etc. Yes Vodafone should have capped his bill earlier (maybe at £1000 of debt) as otherwise it is a unrealistic amount for them to recover. But he should have been more responsible in checking his usage and knowing what he was using.

    My mobile phone contract has 4GB of data and I generally only use 2-3GB but I still check my bill each month to be sure.
  • koloko
    koloko Posts: 1,766 Forumite
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    redux wrote: »
    It's hard to support the position of either the company or the customer.

    He should have thought of monitoring the use, instead of assuming that something with a fixed limit was open-ended for something obviously very data intensive, he should have logged in to read the text message warnings, and they should have protected both parties by provisionally cutting an irresponsible customer off at a credit limit.

    Edit: I'm not sure that a monitoring app is the only option. Most routers let you log in on their dedicated home page, and most mobile ones will have a data counter and reading text messages somewhere in the menu options.



    I'd say at least 25% of the country are computer illiterate enough to have no idea what you just said.

    Until everyone understands the consequences of their actions, protection is needed for all.
  • miller
    miller Posts: 1,627 Forumite
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    What is the point of OFCOM?
This discussion has been closed.
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