£3000 Orange phone bill - another Data Roaming debacle

motbofres

Hi,

First time poster, long-time lurker...

I've had 2 trips abroad recently, one to India for 2 weeks, then to the US for 2 weeks, with about a week and a half between them.

I got back to discover Orange had taken £1000 out of my account for data charges for India, and were planning to take a further £2000 for the US.

Obviously I am much more familiar now then I was before about issues of data roaming, cost of downloads etc.
I should say though, I was not heavily using the internet - occasional email checks and google maps, enough that I expected a few hundred pounds, but not into thousands. Data roaming was left on (again, benefit of hindsight) for about 50% of the time I was there.

I complained to Orange and was told they could retrospectively apply a data bundle, taking off about £400. I said I wanted to take it further.
Executive Office called today, offering to pay half.
This leaves me with a Deal or No Deal situation. If I agree, that's the matter closed. I could take it further, but that risks not having that half on the table.

Is this as good as it gets? Other people seem to have had a full refund, and we're still talking £1500 phone bill - should I pursue it further or take it?

jb66

Orange need to pay the networks in india and the US, not sure why they should let you off.

DUTR

motbofres wrote: »

Hi,

First time poster, long-time lurker...

I've had 2 trips abroad recently, one to India for 2 weeks, then to the US for 2 weeks, with about a week and a half between them.

I got back to discover Orange had taken £1000 out of my account for data charges for India, and were planning to take a further £2000 for the US.

Obviously I am much more familiar now then I was before about issues of data roaming, cost of downloads etc.
I should say though, I was not heavily using the internet - occasional email checks and google maps, enough that I expected a few hundred pounds, but not into thousands. Data roaming was left on (again, benefit of hindsight) for about 50% of the time I was there.

I complained to Orange and was told they could retrospectively apply a data bundle, taking off about £400. I said I wanted to take it further.
Executive Office called today, offering to pay half.
This leaves me with a Deal or No Deal situation. If I agree, that's the matter closed. I could take it further, but that risks not having that half on the table.

Is this as good as it gets? Other people seem to have had a full refund, and we're still talking £1500 phone bill - should I pursue it further or take it?

yes the benefit of hindsight, sorry about your episode, but to be honest I don't really care, it always seems odd to me that folk know exactly where to come to when they have a roaming data issue, the fact you say you are a longtime lurker, suggests you would have already been aware of not using your handset abroad, is this a troll post to slag off orange? as im sure the other networks would treat you similarly, you have used the networks, so part of the agreement is you pay for the usage.
Is there a valid reason why they should not charge you for the roaming?

Exhortation

You used the services as supplied, you should pay the bill.

grumbler

motbofres wrote: »

...another Data Roaming debacle
.... long-time lurker...
Obviously I am much more familiar now then I was before about issues of data roaming, cost of downloads etc.

This and "expected" below suggest that you were aware and could have easily get more information if wanted.

I should say though, I was not heavily using the internet - occasional email checks and google maps, enough that I expected a few hundred pounds, but not into thousands. Data roaming was left on (again, benefit of hindsight) for about 50% of the time I was there.

You could have easily checked your Orange account online and see the usage. This doesn't require a lot of traffic unlike google maps.

Other people seem to have had a full refund,

On what grounds?

Rusty!

It doesn't matter that you don't think you used much of the net while abroad. If you have a smart phone then 99% sure that it will have an always on connection transferring data in the background.

The only people that have got full refunds seem to be iPhone customers with faulty phones, which seem to transfer data even with data roaming turned off.

Guys_Dad

Nothing like the vultures gathering, is there? What a bunch!

Let's unroll this a bit. OP came on here for some advice/opinion about how to try to save money and whether or not to take the Orange offer. Money saving is what this forum is about.

OP stated that he was aware that charges might run to hundreds, so there is no "I didn't know that overseas data cost money". He got a £3000 bill and asked our help as to whether or not to accept the Orange offer

DUTR - if you don't really care, then why bother commenting except to be critical. And you have no reason to question whether this is a knocking Orange Troll post. OP has not knocked Orange at all.

Grumbler - well at least this time you haven't called a handset a headset! You may be right in what you write here, but you are not exactly helping are you?

OP writes "Is this as good as it gets? Other people seem to have had a full refund, and we're still talking £1500 phone bill - should I pursue it further or take it?" Well Rusty! has given his opinion on why people have got 100% refund (Iphone problems), and, given that Orange has offered 50% discount, if it was me, I would take it.

grumbler

Guys_Dad wrote: »

Grumbler - well at least this time you haven't called a handset a headset!

You are welcome to correct me every time I make an error and I'll keep thanking you. After all it's not a secret that English is not my first language. However, what does this have to do with the topic?

You may be right in what you write here, but you are not exactly helping are you?

Well, have not I asked the essential question before Rusty answered it the next post?

Guys_Dad

grumbler wrote: »

You are welcome to correct me every time I make an error and I'll keep thanking you. After all it's not a secret that English is not my first language. However, what does this have to do with the topic?
Well, have not I asked the essential question before Rusty answered it the next post?

First of all a compliment. Your command of English is such that I did not guess that it was not your first language.

However, I come back to OP's original question. "Is this as good as it gets? Other people seem to have had a full refund, and we're still talking £1500 phone bill - should I pursue it further or take it?"

Now look at the replies and see how many answered OP's question and how many took the opportunity to have a pop at his mistake, which I am sure he knows only too well.

c-m

Just pay the £400 as it's cheaper than half of the £2000 that they've offered to pay.

Silk

We don't know whether the OP has an iPhone or not ???

Maybe he has got a chance to cut it down more than the £1500 if he has ???

Maybe when he thought it was turned off it wasn't which may be why it's not the few hundred he was expecting ???