DATA ROAMING - Orange phone bill of £1320.40

sdg1976

Hello,

Im new to this but I need some urgent advice regarding my recent phone bill from orange.

I have recently been on holiday to Croatia for a week for a friends wedding. Whilst there I only turned on my data roaming when needed, ie to search for local attractions or to use google maps to find them and occassionly went on facebook. I have an Iphone 4.

I knew that it was more to use your phone abroad so was expecting a slightly bigger bill, maybe double, my phone bill is usually around £65 a month including insurance however I returned home from work today and opened my phone bill which is £ 1320.40

I could of died. Surely this is not legal? I used 153.07 megabytes which is a £8 a megabyte. I normally get 1GB as part of my monthly contract!! I cannot believe that Orange can get away with this and why did they not contact me by sending a warning text to say how expensive it was?

I have always used my phone abroad but i have only recently got my iphone and i fully believe the iphone is to blame as well as Orange. I went to Thailand for 2 weeks and my bill was £300 when i had a blackberry which i thought was fair and I went to Portugal in May and my phone bill was only about £30 more expensive that normal.

Has anyone else had a story like this were they have managed to not pay this?

I contacted Orange to say i wasnt paying it and that i wanted out of my contract but they said to get out of my contract which is 24 months long and I am only in my 4th month that I would have to buy myself out and it would cost me £700 before I could leave them and they would want that money up front. They also said I could freeze my bill and they would want £80 a month and I would only recieve incoming calls and texts but could not make any outgoing calls or send texts. I said what would be the point in that?

I simply cant afford it and i know i should of checked before going abroad but Orange should also have advised me when the bill was going up and up! I have never contacted my service provider, ever when I went abroad.

This has left me felling quite depressed and I just do not know what I am going to do. I can't afford to pay and feel such an idiot but 'Occasionally' using my phone.

Can anyone offer any advice?

Thanks

grumbler

Usually it is about 3-5 posts like this per a week, but today it's the second one:

Huge mobile phone bills due to data roaming

Thread "iPhone roaming charges - please help." quoted there was a story of success, but it is not always like this.

NFH

Are you saying that you didn't use the 153.07MB of data? If you did use this amount of data and were charged at the published price of £8/MB, what's the problem here?

SaLoGo

I'm sorry for being outspoken.... but how on earth do people think they are not responsible for their phone bill abroad and not have to pay the charges when they return?? What makes people think they can blame the network or the phone?

Is it just me, or is it just common sense that when you plan a trip abroad with your mobile phone you would check out the call/text/data charges before you go?

OP you say you knew the charges were more abroad, didn't you check exactly how much more before you went? As for the 1GB included in your contract this will be for use in the UK just as your inclusive minutes are UK calls only. Surely you read this in the T&C's when you got your contract? Orange are not responsible for keeping an eye on your account, that is your responsibility. You can't run up a bill and then expect to be allowed to get out of your contract.

I think at best you may be able to get orange to agree to a reduction on the bill if you are persistant, otherwise you'll just have to pay the bill and learn a lesson.

I've probably ruffled a few feathers there, but I can't get my head round how some people are happy to use services that they haven't properly researched and then think they don't have to pay for them!

ETA: it's taken me less than 5 minutes to find out the cost of using data abroad (it is indeed £8 per MB) and that you can buy travel bundles to reduce the costs

sdg1976

I am obviously very stupid but I have been with Orange for over 10 years and cant remember the T & C's.

I will just have to take it on the chin and pay it.

I was only asking for advice.

Thanks anyway.

sdg1976

I never knew travel bundles were an option, as I said I have been very stupid. I have never contacted Orange when travelling abroad before and I have been with them over 10 years and have travelled all over the world, I have never had a problem like this prior.

Thanks for you advice though

NFH

sdg1976 wrote: »

I will just have to take it on the chin and pay it.

Is there any reason why you shouldn't? You haven't explained what the problem is. You used an expensive service for which the charges were published, and you received a bill for it. I don't understand what point you are making. Please explain further.

jbainbridge

Definately worth speaking to Orange again ... a lot of people do manage to get good gestures of good will towards the cost. Don't expect much though.

sdg1976

I wish I had never asked for advice on here as not one person has offered any sympathy. Everyone makes mistakes.

You dont need to reply any further.

NFH

sdg1976 wrote: »

I wish I had never asked for advice on here as not one person has offered any sympathy.

Sympathy for what? You haven't explained what the problem is.

sdg1976

Thanks for your advice