Virgin Mobile "Fair Use" rip-off

hogweed

p { margin-bottom: 0.21cm; } No doubt I'm not the first, but I've done a quick search and haven't found any other posts... my daughter's phone suddenly stopped working, and she got a text from Virgin saying she'd exceeded her credit limit for texts. As she has a package which includes unlimited texts, I couldn't understand how this could be.


I phoned Virgin, and spoke to one of their morons, who confirmed that she had an unlimited tariff, but that it was subject to a “Fair Use Policy”The subsequent conversation went something like this:


(Me)


“She is on an Unlimited Text tariff. That's what I pay for, so I don't expect ever to be charged for texts.”


(Virgin Moron)


- Yes, it is unlimited, but she has been sending excessive texts.


“It's not possible to send excessive texts if she's unlimited. That's what 'Unlimited' means. So you're telling me her tariff does not include unlimited texts?”


Yes, it does. It is unlimited. But it's subject to a fair use policy.


“So it's limited.”


No, it's unlimited. But it's subject to a fair use policy.


“Which is a limitation, so it's not unlimited.”


At this point, the robot I was talking to became a broken record. I asked him what the limit was, and he wouldn't tell me – presumably because if he did, he would then be stating that my daughter's tariff was not Unlimited Texts for £15, but in fact (eg) 1000 texts for £15, which is not what
I agreed to and am paying for.


Somebody needs to take these !!!!!!!s on very publicly – any volunteers, Mr Lewis?

custardy

Unlimited texts: Unlimited texts are subject to a fair use allowance of 3000 texts per month. If your usage exceeds this amount then we reserve the right to charge you for the excessive element of your usage at the text rate for other mobile networks for your tariff outlined in our Tariff Table. Unlimited use is within the UK and is for your personal, non-commercial use only. It doesnt include texts to shortcode services, group text, or picture messages and any of these uses will be charged at the text rate for other mobile networks for your tariff outlined in our Tariff Table.

theres your answer
now you can be a moron for not looking for it

Jon_01

All network have a fair use policy on their 'unlimited. But I thought on Virgin it was 4000 a month? How many has she been sending ??

Ypaymore

Jon_01 wrote: »

All network have a fair use policy on their 'unlimited. But I thought on Virgin it was 4000 a month?

No its 3000 http://www.virginmobile.com/vm/genericContent.do?contentId=our.service.footer.sm068#terms9

Jon_01

Ypaymore wrote: »

No its 3000 http://www.virginmobile.com/vm/genericContent.do?contentId=our.service.footer.sm068#terms9

Yeah, just realised that !

mjm3346

Most people would reasonably expect unlimited to mean without limit etc and in general usage it does. Except when it is in a contract where it means limited to whatever the company decides to limit it to under the guise of a "fair usage" policy.

In the case of Virgin mobile Unlimited = less than 7 texts per hour.

(3000 texts a month is an average of less than 7 an hour on based on a 16 hour waking day)

Virgin are by no means alone with their "Unlimited Deceit", if there is a limit (even if it was a million texts a month) they should not be permitted to claim it as unlimited.

Jon_01

Many of us agree. Unlimited should be unlimited (or be such a big number you're unlikely to get to it).

But the advertising standard agency don't agree, they think its all fine, so there no one to complain to...

Chorlie

Virgin uses the T-Mobile network, so I think there Unlimited limits apply, so unlimited text in English means 3000 and unlimited Internet means either 1GB or 3GB; also there unlimited flexible booster are 3000 T-Mobile to T-Mobile calls or 3000 Landline Calls.

At least they stop you from sending unlike other networks who just charge you extra for going over there unlimited amounts (ie Tesco's unlimited data is 500Mb and £4 per Mb when over)

lozzaman

T-Mobile work a bit differently in that the limit is something like 200 unique recipients a month, to prevent non personal use. The actual allowance counts down from 9,999,999 in the "My T-Mobile" section of their website.
Giffgaff also operate a no usage limit, but it must again be for personal use.

lozzaman

Jon_01 wrote: »

Many of us agree. Unlimited should be unlimited (or be such a big number you're unlikely to get to it).

But the advertising standard agency don't agree, they think its all fine, so there no one to complain to...

True, but isn't this what the networks argue?
I prefer the way 3 (now) operate with their 5,000 text a month figure that is advertised. So 5,000 is more than unlimited? Interesting!

robt_2

hogweed wrote: »

I phoned Virgin, and spoke to one of their morons,


(Virgin Moron)

At this point, the robot I was talking to

You might have had more sympathy without referring to people like that.

I suggest you read the terms or contract before you start calling other people morons, moron.