O2 Excessive charges - HELP

mowgli1

I discovered at the weekend that O2 have charged me approx £500 per month for interenet usage on a tariff I was advised when upgrading already had internet on it. The reason I took the upgraded tariff was becuase apprently it had everythnig I already had (internet bolt on) plus 10 numbers which I could register for use anywhere.

I am now told that this tariff does not include interent and I have been charged for my usage accordingly. I think I would have to be on the interent 24-7 to rack up that kind of bill, but at no point amongst the letters saying "I have reached the upper limit of my phone but that's OK please carry on!!! did they recommend a bolt-on, to which of course I would have aksed the obvious question which is "I already have that don't I? Also how can I reach a limit on something I dont have? I have been charged £1600 pounds so far, has anyone ever got mopney back from O2 for anything like this or should I remain pessimistic?

Thanks

Techhead_2

Is this a business tariff? I ask this because of the ten numbers. If it is then its likely your contract is with a third party service provider and O2 very limited access to 'live' billing information. Data is also expensive on business tariffs.

What I would suggest is that you put a complaint in writing to the address in your paperwork. A statement that you were put onto the wrong tariff and as a result have incurred internet charges. Ask for the tariff to be changed and the bills re-calculated.

mowgli1

Yes it is a business tariff. I have registered my complaint and toild them that I was misadvised in the O2 shop when I upgraded, not sure how I prove this though. The tariff paperwork quotes £40.00 with 0.00 for data roaming, I did not query this because she told me when I was going through it that this was inclusive, hence the 0.00. The paperwork is with O2. They have filled out a credit application but cannot guarantee anything, I am thinking of contacting Offcom and Watchdog if I get no joy. What do you think? How many Mb would I have to be going through to get to £500+ per month?

JJ_Egan

Offcom
Every tom !!!!!! and arry contacts watchdog or tries to .

jje

Gordon_Hose

I believe on O2 it is £3 per Mb.

O2_Company_Representative

Hi JojoRossiter,

I'm sorry to hear about the issue.

Is this issue still under investigation after you called in or have you been given a response to the matter?

Let us know how you get on as we may be able to look into it for you.

Thanks

Paul

mowgli1

Many thanks for contacting me. I was told on Saturday that a credit claim had been completed and sent to the relevant department but was informed there was no guarantee My concern comes primarily because I was advised at the time of upgrading in the shop that this tariff would be better for me because it provided all that I already had plus the 10 numbers option. Since being on the tariff I have received numerous letters telling me that "you have reached the lower usage limit on your mobile, we are now writing to inform you that you have reached the higher usage limit on your mobile. Previously we would've restricted your service but you can now continue to use your number as normal without any disruption". What has confused me is that how can I reach an upper limit if I I don't have internet access to go to the limit on? I know its not the minutes I have exceeded because I hardly use them. Also I receive texts to say I have high activity on my phone but nothing to say that this is not OK or recommending a bolt on, which you would think I would have got given that my bill was in the £500 per month, not £40.

I would really appreciate all your help on this, I have been with O2 since the days of it being BT Cellnet, and under my contract I have my husband and daughter too and have never, up until now, wanted to move away but obviously cannot sustain what is likely to be in the end a £2000 bill simply for internet.

Many thanks

Techhead_2

I think this is difficult for a number of reasons. Your tariff includes data roaming, which isn't the same as inclusive data. Secondly, £500 is not unusual for a business tariff so whilst its significant to you, wouldn't raise alarm bells cv the provider.
I would stick with a straightforward complaint that the initial tariff was incorrect and ask for the bills to be re-calculated.