MSE News: Watchdog wants end to 'hidden' overseas mobile costs

Former_MSE_Guy

This is the discussion thread for the following MSE News Story:

"Consumer Focus says consumers must beware the often high price of calling, texting and surfing the web abroad ..."

Read the full story:

Watchdog wants end to 'hidden' overseas mobile costs

gjchester

!!!!!!.

I wish the EU would keep there noses out. I'm annoyed I have to have a 18/24 month contract, all this EU meddling will see us moving to three year contracts as the mobile companies get their profits by a different way.

Jon_01

They're not 'hidden' costs they're on the networks website and if you call and ask each network has a data base of what it oversea's partner networks will charge for everything.

The problem is people going away and thinking that the costs everywhere are the same as at home, when the most basic research would show that there not.
I love the bit in the article that says 'Consumer Focus says loading ten photos onto Facebook could therefore cost £80 as a photo can sometimes use 1 MB of data'. So don't upload to Facebook, no one's making you. Show your photos to people when you get back, it won't kill them to have to wait a few days. Just because some people want to live on line is not the network problem!

emeraldbugle

They aren't 'hidden'.

When I go abroad as soon as I turn my phone back on I get a network message (O2) saying 'please be aware ' and it clearly tells me of all the costs.

Also, you mentioned sending a text rather than phoning. Check the cost of a MMS (picture message) it is sometimes cheaper and you can type much more in it. For example O2 charges 25p for a MMS anywhere in the world, the only place it is cheaper to send a text is in Western Europe, everywhere else a MMS is cheaper. Source: http://www.o2international.co.uk/standardrate_and_data.aspx

redux

I think this phrase in the article is not helpful:

Daniel Lawrence, MoneySavingExpert.com consumer products analyst, says: "Outside the EU, roaming costs are often out of control, as local networks can hold home providers to ransom for using their infrastructure.

No. This looks unfortunately veers towards sensationalism, and might engender paranoia or even xenophobia, that networks abroad don't work to the standards ours do.

Mobile companies have roaming agreements with reputable other networks, including wholesale tariffs agreed in advance. And as other posts here say, retail costs are clearly set out on UK company websites, and perhaps a bit more accurately than in the article:

In contrast, making a call within the EU is capped at 37p per minute, receiving is capped at 16p, while a text is capped at 9p.

oh dear, not very accurate

+ VAT

Little_Maya

Actually someone should look into the cost of calling/texting a number abroad from the UK rather than the other way round! On Vodafone (monthly contract), a text from the UK to a EU number is something like 24p, but a text to the UK or other EU number while roaming in Europe is 11p. As for calls, they charge £1 a minute for calls from the UK to Europe but 38p a minute for calls while roaming in Europe.

jimbms

Most of these high bills abroad are usually racked up by Wayne and Waynetta sat on a beach in Tenerife after a skinful of cheap imported British lager and texting/calling their mates sat at home in the local Corsa hangout who then come home and realise the high bill they get is because they didn't bother to read the tariffs on the new phone the contracted for, so they then go onto Jeremy Kyle to complain they are being exploited by the phone company because their sister is knocking off their pitbulls pups new owners brothers gay partner and he conned them into getting the phone and didn't tell them it is expensive to ring when on holiday. So because of this the rest of us as someone rightly said end up having to take longer contracts. Real stupidity beats artificial intelligence every time. :mad:

coolesticeking

Since most people only go on Holiday for once or twice a year for maybe 1/2 weeks tops why should we have to keep the prices in the UK compensated for this and as gjchester said our Contract Length is only going to keep increasing the more they impose these rules.

It must be cheaper still to use a local SIM Card in most cases if people are that desperate.

Last time I went on holiday, I sent a few text messages to the person who was minding my house just to ensure that everything was OK and no problems.

I thought the idea of a Holiday was to relax, enjoy and forget everything else... I only take the Mobile Phone to call for a Taxi back at the airport and just incase of an emergency.

I would still call Roaming an additional feature on my Mobile Account and not essential.

Sigh...

gjchester

coolesticeking wrote: »

It must be cheaper still to use a local SIM Card in most cases if people are that desperate.

I thought the idea of a Holiday was to relax, enjoy and forget everything else... I only take the Mobile Phone to call for a Taxi back at the airport and just incase of an emergency.

I would still call Roaming an additional feature on my Mobile Account and not essential.

Sigh...

I'm pretty much the same, I take the phone on holiday but it's an emergency thing. If I need to use it it is because it's an emergency and I won't care about the cost, I know it will be expensive and I'll deal with it later.

Unfortunalty Euro MP's and Commisioners and all these " customer groups" who no doubt don't actually pay their phone bills as it' a business phone don't agree.

Still MP's are always on our side and have never been seen to do things against the public interest just for the sake of a bribe.. have they??

coolesticeking

lol Nope as you have said most use Business Phones and don't seem to count the cost then!

I'm not saying as Consumers we have not starting to go abroad more, that we have and with cheap flights it has made this possible. But, if you are calling everyone every few minutes, texts etc then why not stay at home?

Just my own personal view!

elfen

I take my phone abroad to let my mum know I got there OK, to let whoever is picking me up know that I'm there OK and not delayed and that's it. Rest of the time it goes on once every few days to check for texts