causght out by mobile charges abroad - please help

gabymum

Hi
We have just returned home from France. Before we went I rang and allowed the roaming facility on my daughters phone. I checked the costs very carefully 11p per text and 19p per minute

Have just received the bill for £253. At first, I thought my daughter had just lied about the phone calls to her boyfriend but on closer inspection have realised that the charges are for when he has rung her.

This was never mentioned although I guess I am going to be told its common practise.

Should I contact them or am I not going to have a leg to stand on?

dmg24

This is very clear on their website, information which would have been available when you took out the contract. You don't have a leg to stand on I'm afraid.

Jon_01

It standard for all roaming that you have to pay for incoming calls. The logic being that the person calling you may not know that your out of the country so it's not right to change them the extra costs. Sorry.

redux

The 19p rate you saw or heard is for incoming calls, outgoing are 35 or 39 or something like.

You might be able to ask for some time to pay, or a goodwill discount if you can show your enquiry produced a misleading response.

Sorry if this advice is after the fact, but if there's to be a next time, if he's also on Orange or on O2, think about a global SIM with free incoming calls - the Isle of Man numbered ones can be called from those networks' contract inclusive minutes.

Or get a French SIM and the caller uses cheap calls providers to reach it. Not many French SIMs have attractive outgoing call rates, though Mobiho has not so bad int'l calls 18c to UK landlines, or Orange and SFR have add-on bundles which could be used with callthrough providers

gabymum

Hi
Thanks for responses - I knew someone on here would know.

Feel stupid because I have seen various things about mobiles abroad but thought I'd checked all possibilites.

There won't be a next time, it would have been cheaper to take boyfriend with us!.

Am trying to look on the bright side (not sure if there is one).

Would asking for time to pay affect credit rating?

Jon_01

Asking for time won't affect your credit file. It's something between you and the network, it's not classed as a default as you've arranged to pay it with them.

If you haven't already call them and explain they may offer to knock something off as a 'good will gesture', you never know. . .