Mobile Phone 'capping'

LJ21

Has anyone experienced a promise from a network that they will protect you from overusing your allowed minutes/texts, then the network not taking responsibility when this feature doesn't work? :mad:

simax

The name of the network would be a start?

grumbler

Some networks stipulate a credit limit, not a cap.
Some people wrongly assume that it is the same.

LJ21

simax wrote: »

The name of the network would be a start?

Network is 3 - I took out a contract for my teenage son, they assured me, as long as it wasn't used to call non UK numbers or internet downloads, they could guarantee he would be blocked when he hit his limit.....when he exceeded his limit, they told me, I shouldn't use it as a budgeting tool, I have been waiting since November 2011 for them to explain, what, if not a budgeting tool, is it????

LJ21

grumbler wrote: »

Some networks stipulate a credit limit, not a cap.
Some people wrongly assume that it is the same.

They told me my teenage son, wouldn't be able to exceed his allowed time, unless he called outside UK or downloaded from the net, he didn't do either, just UK calls, they will not accept they are at fault and keep referring to a 'credit limit' which is for new customers and protects them....I had been with them for nearly 3 years and never missed a payment!!

grumbler

So, I was right then.
You can never rely on what they 'say' if you cannot prove this in the future. By definition 'credit limit' is not a 'cap'. E.g. every credit card has a credit limit that means that you just get hit by charges if you go over it and that they may block the card if you overspend too much.
At networks the credit limit is in place to protect them, not the customers. They reserve the right to cut the line if you exceed the limit, but they are not obliged to do this.

LJ21

I guess this would be acceptible if this wasn't prompted by my caution over taking out a contract in the first place....the salesperson assured me this 'cap' was in place to protect me from paying hefty bills, no mention of credit limit. The weird thing is, they didn't actually set this feature up for the first year (18 month contract) - it was exactly one year into the contract that the 'cap' was exceeded, they explained, the original request sent by the 3 store was overlooked, once they put the 'cap' in place, it worked just as they had first promised, where my son's phone was blocked from calling out, all numbers except other 3 users. Hugely frustrating, when you trust large companies to be honest, that they can wriggle out of their promises this easily eh?

grumbler

LJ21 wrote: »

... they explained, the original request sent by the 3 store was overlooked, ...

I think that if they admit this you have a strong case for demanding a refund.

Buzby

Unfortunately, there is case law where these limits can disappear and the customer still remain liable. CW used to offer this on O2 bur the limit went after 6 months. It was found that the customer still has a responsibility to use the handset responsibility, the limit is a possible safety net that may or may not be operational due to service issues. In neither case will the user be able to claim that even though he used the service, he is not liable for costs over the cap. Go PAYG, as the onus remains with the network.

wantmemoney

Buzby wrote:

Unfortunately, there is case law where these limits can disappear

what do you mean by 'case law' and do you mean law with a small l or a capitol L?

grumbler wrote:

Some networks stipulate a credit limit, not a cap.
Some people wrongly assume that it is the same.

you are correct but you appear to have missed the point here (apology if I'm wrong).

The OP asked 3 UK about a spend limit being applied to the account.

Whether the OP understood the difference between a credit limit designed to protect the Network from fraud or a spend limit to protect the customer from 'bill shock' is neither here nor there.

The Networks should not be allowed to continue to use this lack of knowledge to mislead and con customers.

gjchester

LJ21 wrote: »

I shouldn't use it as a budgeting tool, I have been waiting since November 2011 for them to explain, what, if not a budgeting tool, is it????

It clearly says a credit limit should not be used for budgettings in Three's T&C.

6.17 As described in Section 6.14, we will send you a bill on a periodic basis, which will usually be monthly. The bill will state the amount of the Charges due from you and the due date by which you must make payment. If you fail to pay your account on time, you will be breaking your agreement and we may Suspend or Disconnect you. In this case, you will have to pay any outstanding Charges. We may set a credit limit on your account until you have established a good payment history with us or if you fail to pay your account on time. If you exceed the credit limit we set, we may Suspend any or all of the Three Services you use until you have made a payment to your account. You should not use the credit limit for budgeting as the amount you owe is not capped or limited by any credit limit we set.

Did you not read them and query it at the time you signed up?