Internet via mobile - clear info on prices (O2)

Pilt

Friend, not techy, not IT literate wanted to get internet access. Did not have phone landline or PC laptop.
Had tried using "mobile internet" but found the tiny screen on the phone difficult.

Got Nokia N800 to use for wifi internet acess but became aware that it could connect to mobile phone via bluetooth. Result = £500 plus phone bill in a month (unlucky with timings) This is all in the UK.

Now the monthly bill on contract gives a 100kb allowance, while looking at the "default" terms and conditions on the 02 site (difficult to work out given the number of different deals) had led to assumtion that
1) a 7.50 bolt on would give unlimited acess (subject to a 200mb fair use cap)
2) otherwise a £3MB charge would apply but with a £1 a day cap
3) if T&C are breached then o2 would be entitled to charge extra but would first contact customer

My assumtion is that connecting to "internet" via bluetooth using a mobile is possibly an excuse to charge more.

You might be surprised to find that 02 said " we do not tell you when the allowance is exceeded, you used it so pay up"

Does anyone have any ideas/ knowlege about this sort of thing?

the whole terminology around "mobile internet" confuses me and the various web sites a bit......imprecise. - (I'm a minimum usage unprofitable PAYG customer and likley to remain so.)

Are mobile phone companies the technology equivalent of a Soho clip joint? Lull the unwary in with free phones and then demand a fortune for lemonade?

reehsetin

Pilt wrote: »

You might be surprised to find that 02 said " we do not tell you when the allowance is exceeded, you used it so pay up"

would they inform him if he went over his minutes? same thing

it is unlimited in the sense that its hard to use up 200mb via the mobile handset,

best to see if they will reduce it as a gesture of goodwill but from what i can see they have done nothing wrong, or arrange a payment plan so the payments are spread and he doesnt have to shell out £500 in 1 go

Pilt

I do not think it is the same thing. The T&C are clear that if inclusive voice minutes are exceeded then they are at Xper minute.

All I can see in T&C is that data is capped at £1 per MB per day and that if that is not going to be the charge, then they would contact and advice.

Yes he accepts he could be naive, but the visible/ available information on the website (which is where the old bills point you to) has not made the charges clear - as far as I can see the website says that 02 would make contact if the capped £7.50/£1 a day was going to be over ruled.

Time to pay has been agreed.
What i am interested in is how clear/where would anyone be warned that they could suddenly be landed with a huge bill.

Cavey

Ok, I am not entirely clear as to specifically which services your friend has subscribed to, but I will assume that it is some phone contract and the web bolt on.

The terms say this -

* The Web Bolt On allows you unlimited use of Telef!nica O2 UK Limited's Edge/GPRS/ 3G networks (as applicable to your handset), for personal internet use via your mobile phone. All usage must be for your private, personal and non-commercial purposes. You may not use your SIM Card:
o in, or connected to, any other device including modems;
o to allow the continuous streaming of any audio / video content, enable Voice over Internet (Voip), P2P or file sharing; or
o in such a way that adversely impacts the service to other O2 customers.

If O2 reasonably suspectsyou are not acting in accordance with this policy O2 reserves the right to impose further charges, impose network protection controls which may reduce your speed of transmission, remove the Web Bolt On from your account or disconnect your tariff at any time, having attempted to contact you first.

and this -

* Unless a data or BlackBerry Bolt On is taken, your tariff will include O2 Web Daily under which data will be charged at £3 per MB up to a maximum of £1 per day (00:00am to 23:59pm). Once you have reached your maximum daily charge of £1, O2 Web Daily allows you unlimited use of Telef!nica O2 UK Limited's Edge/GPRS/ 3G networks (as applicable to your handset), for personal internet use via your mobile phone. All usage must be for your private, personal and non-commercial purposes. You may not use your SIM Card:
o in, or connected to, any other device including modems;
o to allow the continuous streaming of any audio / video content, enable Voice over Internet (Voip), P2P or file sharing; or
o in such a way that adversely impacts the service to other O2 customers.

If O2 reasonably suspectsyou are not acting in accordance with this policy O2 reserves the right to impose further charges, impose network protection controls which may reduce your speed of transmission or disconnect your tariff at any time, having attempted to contact you first.

Now here is the amusing bit - did your friend ever have the SIM in or connected to any other device or did he just use the bluetooth connection? You said bluetooth so I guess he only used that and was using it for his own personal use. As such, by the way these terms are written, the data should be covered by the bolt on or £1 per day data charge.

The problem is that I get the feeling that isn't what they meant by those terms, but it might give you something to argue with them over and claim some form of innocence and try to get it limited down to £30.

With regards to your issue with contact, it's hard to read whether the specification of contact is attached just to the disconnection or all of the options. And does telling you they intend to bill you for £500 constitute contact? (I'd bloody well hope not, but it does make me wonder if there is some specific way terms are meant to be read - see the last paragraph of this post).

And I was going to suggest taking out a bolt on such as the web max or mobile broadband and asking if it can be applied retrospectively, but I found their terms are in a bit of a mess. Looking at the Web Max terms (this is only the bits that differ from above)...

O2 Web Max allows you unlimited use of Telef!nica O2 UK Limited's Edge/GPRS/3G networks (as applicable to your handset), for personal internet use via your mobile phone, modem or data card. All usage must be for your private, personal and non-commercial purposes. You may not use your SIM Card:

* in, or connected to, any other device excluding modems/data cards;

there isn't that much different to explain the £7.50 -> £30 jump in price, seems to be only that you can put it directly into a modem but not a different phone. And given mobile broadband allows this for £20, it seems that the web max is almost completely superseded.

Anyway, am getting more curious about the peculiarities of contract law, I really need some form of definitive book/web site to read or a tame solicitor whose brains I can pick.

Pilt

Thanks
I agree with your interpretation of the Terms. He is on a monthly direct debit contract with 02 - have not seen the specific title of it - but it has a 100kb allowance, hardly anything.

The phone sim card stayed in the phone and was connected via blutooth to a Nokia n800 internet tablet (not a phone) - purchased for the bigger screen.

It is bad timing as he has signed a new contract before he realised there was going to be a big bill. When he phoned up to get a new phone and move to a new contract he had an unlimited web bolt on added. Usage and the huge bill was not mentioned (do not know if the call centre person would see it, but would imaging they ought to if they are going to put you on the correct tarriff. Even with the bolt on he is now afraid to turn the phone on until he has had them spell out charges in great detail.

We shall see what the reply to his next query is