T-Mobile Norway rip-off: I learned the hard way

DRZO73

I'm wondering if some wise old heads on here may be able to advise me whether or not I have a just cause for complaint against T-Mobile?

Last summer, I went on holiday with my fiancee to Norway for a fortnight, and I took my Google G1 (T-Mobile) phone with me. I wish I hadn't. Oh how I really wish I hadn't.

Now, I'm generally used to a monthly phone bill of around £45 given that this phone is "always online" uploading and downloading data for maps, apps and emails throughout the day. I also use the phone a lot for updating my Facebook, Twitter etc and getting news updates from the BBC mobile site. The trouble is, I didn't truly realise that doing the same abroad when in Norway (which isn't an EU nation so it was excluded from the T-Mobile roaming tariff) would be as financially disastrous as it was. Whilst I was in Norway, simply using the phone in the same way as I would do back home in the UK, in the space of just 2 weeks, I ran up a truly colossal monthly phone bill of £778.

Now, I can't say I feel anything other than totally stupid for running up such a large bill, and when I spoke to T-Mobile customer services back then, they weren't exactly very sympathetic. They insisted it was all my own fault, that I knew it was £1.50 per MB in Norway and just said that I would have to pay the lot in one go...so I paid up by credit card and I've somehow managed to pay it off slowly month by month. Can't say it made me love T-Mobile much, though.

As I said to them at the time, I do find it a bit incredible that they don't even see fit to send a text message warning to their customers if they spot that their phone usage is racking up an unusually large monthly bill.

I mean, I assume they can monitor usage rates, so surely if they can see that someone is racking up a total of £100, £200 etc more than their usual monthly bill, they could and should send a text to make sure the customer knows what's going on?

As I'm now at the end of my contract with them, I'm now looking back thinking I should have argued my case with them a bit more resolutely. What bugs me most though is that with these new Android smart phones, the fact is that even just leaving the phone on they're going to consume a fair whack of data and at that rate, I was always going to have a belter of a bill going to Norway. I don't know, should I feel hard done by, or should I just put this down as a rather expensive lesson in life?

flyingscotno1

You can turn off the internet use features when roaming using a feature at settings-wireless and networks-Mobile networks.*

*There is a caveat to this that some apps could on the G1 override this feature despite this. No idea what the status on that is!

eranou

Can I ask why you have waited a year to raise the complaint?

And you have no "complaint" against them they have done nothing wrong is it you who should not have assumed the charges would be the same. they do not hide their charges the info is all available on their website.

The reason they could not alret you to the charges is that even they do not know right away as it can take days for the network you are using over there to pass the billing data to T-Mobile.

In these situations you can only apeal to their goodwill you could try an email to customer relations cust.rel@t-mobile.co.uk but I think youv left it too late to do anything as it could be seen that you accepted the charges by paying for them

in_the_Cotswolds

Not surprised it was expensive. You were paying £7.50 per mb!!!! http://www.t-mobile.co.uk/services/going-abroad/details-by-country/norway/

FIK

It is sick how much phone companies do charge even in Europe. Its pure profiteering. I would be suprised if they were not price fixing. I am not saying they are but it seems strange that in a free market they all make huge profits rather than actually compete

You were a little stupid though. If you go abroad ether switch your phone off or buy a local sim.

DRZO73

eranou wrote: »

Can I ask why you have waited a year to raise the complaint?

And you have no "complaint" against them they have done nothing wrong is it you who should not have assumed the charges would be the same. they do not hide their charges the info is all available on their website.

The reason they could not alret you to the charges is that even they do not know right away as it can take days for the network you are using over there to pass the billing data to T-Mobile.

In these situations you can only apeal to their goodwill you could try an email to customer relations [EMAIL="cust.rel@t-mobile.co.uk"]cust.rel@t-mobile.co.uk[/EMAIL] but I think youv left it too late to do anything as it could be seen that you accepted the charges by paying for them

All fair points, but I must just reiterate that I haven't actually waited a year to raise the point, I raised it with them at the time. I left it as I just felt embarrassed by my own "stupidity" but to be frank I think that £7.50 per MB is a ridiculous price. I know ignorance is no defence in the eyes of the law and to that extent, yeah, they have me cornered but I may still send them an email to explain what a bunch of shysters I think they are. As it is, I've had a lot of hassle with this G1 handset anyway, it's been incredibly unreliable and had to be sent back for repair/replacement twice now as well. Their customer service is just a joke, e.g. this evening I contacted them to ask for help because the phone keeps cutting out and shutting down halfway through calls or emails or web browsing and their response was to tell me to Google the problem and sort it myself. :mad:

DRZO73

mechanic wrote: »

Not surprised it was expensive. You were paying £7.50 per mb!!!!

Trouble is, I was working on the basis of it being £1.50 per MB not £7.50. Then again, I have to admit I had no idea how many MBs were consumed in simply getting live map data or web & walk data. Yes, ignorance cost me dearly, but I can help thinking T-Mobile and others are making millions out of consumers who aren't all technogeeks who know about all this...but are instead just your average Joes who aren't all that well-informed.

DRZO73

flyingscotno1 wrote: »

You can turn off the internet use features when roaming using a feature at settings-wireless and networks-Mobile networks.*

*There is a caveat to this that some apps could on the G1 override this feature despite this. No idea what the status on that is!

Sadly, I didn't know that at the time.

And I think you are right in any case that there are some apps which do override this feature anyway.

Once bitten...