Big Orange Europe bill.....

Snakeeyes21

taff007 wrote: »

If you do not wish to limit the data you use whilst in the EU just text “YES“ to ‘386’ to remove it.

If this hasn't happened then something has obviously gone wrong.

I would bet my life this text was sent and the teen in question removed the limit so she could continue to download her music :rotfl:

CHR15

boliston wrote: »

I don't know why so many people seem to be defending orange. Surely if they have broken EU billing legislation then the excess portion of the bill becomes invalid.

Not all the comments are aimed at the OP. Mine was directed at evertvorster who incurred a £22 bill for allowing his smartphone to sync data.

As for the OP, I agree with you.

DarkConvict

Same, the OP is right to pursue Orange.

This is why we recommend new topics, rather than posting mid way in a topic.

evertvorster

CHR15 wrote: »

Not all the comments are aimed at the OP. Mine was directed at evertvorster who incurred a £22 bill for allowing his smartphone to sync data.

As for the OP, I agree with you.

Well if it's good enough for Martin Lewis himself to make the point in a National Newspaper that the charges incurred are unfair and that people have every right to complain and demand the charges be re-paid, then it's good enough for me to have a legitimate rant about it.

I will take your comments on board and make sure I either switch it off permanently while abroad or adjust the settings so that Orange don't make a quick buck out of my lack of attention to detail.

E

redux

evertvorster wrote: »

Well if it's good enough for Martin Lewis himself to make the point in a National Newspaper that the charges incurred are unfair and that people have every right to complain and demand the charges be re-paid, then it's good enough for me to have a legitimate rant about it.

The point is not that the rates are unfair.

The point is that these are what the rates are, as published, and people should take note of them and be wary of automatic connections, and perhaps choose to avoid the charges by turning off data roaming on their smartphones.

Perhaps you would have been wise to read the article before the event.

A £20 charge does not exceed the default amounts set out in the new EU inspired regulations to avoid bill shock

bigturnip

boliston wrote: »

I don't know why so many people seem to be defending orange. Surely if they have broken EU billing legislation then the excess portion of the bill becomes invalid.

But the legislation is stupid, if adults (as you have to be to get a contract phone) can't be bothered to read the terms of the contract they have signed or spend time working out how to use their equipment then that should be their problem and they should pay the bill, not expect other customers to subsidise them.

All these interfering laws do is confuse the consumer, at the end of the day all the mobile networks are answerable to their shareholders and need to make x amount of turnover and profit to satisfy them. If a law cuts off or severely limits one revenue stream they just have to find another one, thus the goalposts are continually being moved.

seaniboy

^Confuse consumers ? PROTECT........move goalposts all they want EU will catch up, telecoms in the future will have no money in it as communication will not have a barrier of cost regardless of income, thats equality & I look forward to it......1p termination rates in 2015 = no financial barriers for anyone, communication makes the world go round as much as the elctromagnetic field.

gjchester

seaniboy wrote: »

^Confuse consumers ? PROTECT........move goalposts all they want EU will catch up, telecoms in the future will have no money in it as communication will not have a barrier of cost regardless of income, thats equality & I look forward to it......1p termination rates in 2015 = no financial barriers for anyone, communication makes the world go round as much as the elctromagnetic field.

Customers don't need protecting they need educating.

Calls, Texts and Data cost money, someone has to pay, normally in the UK you don't see the cost as it's bundles, when overseas you do. The various mobile companies charge each other for the data so it can't simply be forgotten about.

Each and every time the EU has set limits something has happend to the detriment of UK use. Do you think it's a co-incidence that as the EU set a voice call limit cost limit we lost 12 month contracts, and the phone subsidies drop. As they set a text limit we started to lose 18 month contracts, and as these data bill limits come in and termination rates are to be lowered we are seeing the end of unlimited data. Free voicemail has gone, and we are starting to costs rising on contracts (I remember my mobile contract being £15 a month and that included the latest phone, now it's £35, Inflation has not gone up that much in 10 or so years)


Bigturnip is right, Mobile co's are responsible to shareholders and will push a cost up elsewhere. The EU is NOT helping, by setting limits in one place the mobile companies put up a cost somewhere else, or withdraw or modify a service.

As I understand it interational billing is often up to 24 hours late getting to your home network, So if I run up a bill of £1000 in 24 hours and it only get billed back 24 hours later, ahnd this EU limit means the network has to cover £960 of it who do you think will be paying? The network initially but it's won't hit shareholders, the average customer will see it in loss of a service or incresed prices.

And it comes back to my earlier popint, people need educating, everytime I've taken my phone away I get a text telling me costs when I get to a new country. When I call to check my international bar is still lifted I get told costs, and whilst I accept the cost for me is purely an emergency cost, I don't use the phone abroad, I accept if I use it I pay the costs, (and if I do need it its an emergency, costs won't be on my mind, i'll deal with them later).

Unfortunatly so many people just ignore these messages and use the phone freely just as if they are at home and get high bills then express shock and concern that they are being ripped off.

bigturnip

seaniboy wrote: »

^Confuse consumers ? PROTECT........move goalposts all they want EU will catch up, telecoms in the future will have no money in it as communication will not have a barrier of cost regardless of income, thats equality & I look forward to it......1p termination rates in 2015 = no financial barriers for anyone, communication makes the world go round as much as the elctromagnetic field.

But that clearly won't happen, we thankfully don't live in some socialist utopia, not that it's ever worked where they've tried it before. These large mobile companies will always want their pound of flesh, but at the moment they provide the basics very cheaply and make money on the extras. If the EU start restricting what the mobile companies can make from all the extras then the basic costs will rise to the detriment of all consumers, who will then be subsidising the people who use all the extra services, how is that fair or good for the average consumer?