Orange Mobile, Obscene Bill

coolcustomer2010

I just received a bill from Orange for using my mobile phone internet in Canada. I was only there 5 days
I hardly used it and :eek:Ive been charged £1,551..83!!!
apparently Orange say that Ive been charged £8.00 for every Megabyte used.
the actual telephone calls are only £79.00.
my usual internet here in uk is free

Orange customer services say pay the bill or else...they will send collections agents to my home!!

I dont agree to their charges, Before I travelled I enquire to find out the charges, they told me that I would be informed of the costs when I used by text message.
They have also cancelled my phones insurance? and cut off my phone!! untill I pay, I cant go to another company now as I have just recentley signed a new 24 month contract with them..

Advice please....

hieveryone

Just because something is free in the UK doesn't necessarily mean it will be abroad.
When you say 'hardly used it' - what does this mean - did you check emails, go on Facebook, watch a movie or two, what?

Also, did you inform Orange that you would be travelling or just go ahead and use it?

watcherman

International data is prohibitively expensive, as you've found out, but unfortunately they are well within their rights to charge you what they have. I suggest a letter, explaining the mistake, and seeing if they will waive, reduce, accept terms....Start off with waive, obviously, and negotiate from there.

DUTR

The only solution I can offer is to see if they will let you pay the bill in installments, as others have said using data or calls for that matter abroad is expensive, whenever I travel I seek out a local payg sim card, can't remember the canadian rates, but I know when I went to Jamaica the calls were costing like 12p/min to call the UK and data was not much, used about £20 if that much, went to Spain last September got a broadband dongle locally cost 40euros but that was for 1gb which still worked out much cheaper than the internet cafe.

coolcustomer2010

Beware to all mobile phone internet users,
Dont use your mobile phones internet abroad...
I used my iphone internet in Canada for a few minutes and have been landed with a bill for £1,551.83!!!!!
I cant pay it, and I wont pay it as I dont beleive its my fault.
before I travelled I contacted Orange for price charges in Canada, I was told I would recieve this by text message, In the one message i recieved It said prices "warning could be substantial", there was no prices.
So I thought to myself...substantial ok, £100.00 maybe £200? but who would have thought nearly £1.600.00????
Orange Says "pay it or else they will send collections officers to my home"
all they have done is offer a payment plan of £90.00 per month, which I cannot afford with 4 small kids.
The actual cost of telephone calls is only £79.00.
VAT, Line rental etc and internet at £8.00 per Megabyte = £1551.83!!!
Orange have barred my phone, cancelled my iphone insurance, and I am stuck with them untill my contract runs out in 2 years!!!!
who knows when I will use my iphone again??
Orange have mugged me!!
I will Never ever ever will sign a contract again especially with Orange

I would like Help/Advice who to complain to / Should I pay?? What to do about this matter...

macman

Have you worked out how you have used 194MB 'for a few minutes internet'? Did you download something of this size?
If you have used the data you will have to pay up I'm afraid, the rates are clearly advertised on the Orange website.
Your best bet is to offer something (maybe half?) in full and final settlement.

DarkConvict

Roaming Data is very expensive outside the EU, Orange will have been charged by the network operators in America so their is a limit to how much they can reduce it by. Just accessing this website from Canada will cost you £4-6 per page.

I would write a letter to orange, and see what value they are willing to offer. Network operators do usually reduce the amount but i believe you will be hard pressed to get this under £500. Did orange send you any text messages about your bill cost as they promised? What exactly did they offer to do?

The problem is the price is clearly stated in the contract you signed, and you were charged for what you used.

mrcamp

It sounds like you were using an iphone or another smartphone that silently uses data, such is pushing mail, etc. Like others said, talk to someone there and see if they will reduce it somewhat or lat you pay it in installments.

LeeSouthEast

That's almost 200mb. A bit more than just checking email, etc.

MarsdenCuckoo

Good luck but think asking to pay it in instalments is about your best option. In my experience, Orange are not open to writing off any unexpected bills.

A while ago an old handset of mine went to an auction (overseas) - inadvertently with a SIM card in place. Resulted in a bill over £600 for one month's useage. SIM hadn't been used for years (when I got the bill I didn't even recognise the number until they reminded me it was a SIM I'd ordered quite a few years previously for emergency use for my child - up until then the highest bill (4/5 years previously) had been £20 a month. I tried to argue that Orange had a duty of care for unusual useage but they would have none of it. They wouldn't even have their Fraud Dept. look into it. :mad: Their answer was that I'd signed for responsibility and the fact that I'd forgotten to cancel it was my problem.... Strictly speaking, I guess, they were right but in this computerised age then maybe not.....

watcherman

MarsdenCuckoo wrote: »

Strictly speaking, I guess, they were right but in this computerised age then maybe not.....

Just profiteering on their part, I am sure if they were liable, like the credit card companies, they would have something in place to detect out of pattern usage :mad: