Data and roaming chages, should the UK netowks do more to prevent bill shock?

Richard_T_

Ive recently been abroad, and following advice on here, and elsewhere i opted for a UK pay as you go sm card in my smartphone instead of my usual contract sim ( this went into a non smartphone) and as a result of this success i have passed my expieriences on to other people.

At the time i was only interested in data ( skype and voip would take care of calls) so i left my options open for a local sim, in that my UK PAYG sim didnt have a lot of credit onboard.
As things turned out i was un able to get a local sim, so i started to use the PAYG credit.

When the credit expired that was it, no more data or calls, until I topped up ( £2 per day for 25mb of EU/EEA data was plenty)

which begs the question... most people usualy spend a simalar amount each month on their phone account, an excuse often repeated on here is that the mobile companuys dont keep track of costs in real time, if they can stop PAYG calls/data, then why cant they do the same for contract customers no matter where they are in the world? and if someone usualy spends £30 per month surey their systems should realise that somethings gone wrong when that person racks up a bill of hundreds?

reclusive46

Richard_T_ wrote: »

Ive recently been abroad, and following advice on here, and elsewhere i opted for a UK pay as you go sm card in my smartphone instead of my usual contract sim ( this went into a non smartphone) and as a result of this success i have passed my expieriences on to other people.

At the time i was only interested in data ( skype and voip would take care of calls) so i left my options open for a local sim, in that my UK PAYG sim didnt have a lot of credit onboard.
As things turned out i was un able to get a local sim, so i started to use the PAYG credit.

When the credit expired that was it, no more data or calls, until I topped up ( £2 per day for 25mb of EU/EEA data was plenty)

which begs the question... most people usualy spend a simalar amount each month on their phone account, an excuse often repeated on here is that the mobile companuys dont keep track of costs in real time, if they can stop PAYG calls/data, then why cant they do the same for contract customers no matter where they are in the world? and if someone usualy spends £30 per month surey their systems should realise that somethings gone wrong when that person racks up a bill of hundreds?

To be fair on the networks, some countries don't report the information straight away. Thats why you will often see roaming in certain countries restricted to pay monthly customers.

James_Nolan

Its common sense in my opinion. The networks don't really hide the cost of data usage abroad per megabyte! If people chose not to disable all data and all apps that use data when they go abroad, then that's not the network's fault.

I always take an old samsung phone when I go abroad with a pay and go sim. The phone has no internet or anything, just calls and texts. Stick £30 on before I go, never had any trouble!

NFH

James_Nolan wrote: »

Its common sense in my opinion. The networks don't really hide the cost of data usage abroad per megabyte! If people chose not to disable all data and all apps that use data when they go abroad, then that's not the network's fault.

The problem is that the cost is not high, but the retail price is high. Consumers have no good reason to expect that using data abroad will cost them significantly more than it does on their home network. In some cases, the cost may be 2 or 3 times the cost on the home network, but the retail prices charged by home networks can be up to 800 times higher, which is unreasonable.

robbies_gal

because the other netowrks dont report back sometimes for days/weeks what the actual usage was how can anyone expect a block on their use when the network doesnt even know whats going on

markdoc_2

Absolutely agree with the OP, Mobile companies take advantage when charging for data abroad. Why is it so much more expensive than the equivalent amount of data passed in a call

Some charge around £10 a MB which is £10,240 per GB

MoneySaving traitor GaboEvs should be renamed a MoneySpending Expert, she's consitently defending these companies poor practices

Richard_T_

One of the problems is the increasing amount of smartphones out there, and the amount of people who dont know the inns and outs of how they work, and how they use data is also increasing
and why should they?
Its a phone, it runs aps, its got a touch screen, ive got a contract for £x per month with so many wotsits of data, texts and calls, I know that calls cost more abroad, and ive not used the internet, why have i been charged £1,000s?

in my opinion, phone compnays should turn data off by default after a certain period when their customers are abroad, say after 24 hours, when you go abroad and turn on your phone you get a welcome message via text detailing the costs, another message sayign data will be restricted after a certain amount of time unless you opt in ( but it may be expensive)

Another option would be for customers using their phones within the signal coverage of a mast in an airport area to receive a text warning them of high data charges whilst aborad, and detailing some of the high costs they may encounter. Such things could be sent out to any phone regsitering in a certain area/ on a certain mast, say limited to once a month per mobile phone number/imei
It may be anoying for customers who are in the airport area, but not going anywhere ( such as myself) but it would help to raise awareness.

thegoodman

Richard_T_ wrote: »

One of the problems is the increasing amount of smartphones out there, and the amount of people who dont know the inns and outs of how they work, and how they use data is also increasing
and why should they?
Its a phone, it runs aps, its got a touch screen, ive got a contract for £x per month with so many wotsits of data, texts and calls, I know that calls cost more abroad, and ive not used the internet, why have i been charged £1,000s?

in my opinion, phone compnays should turn data off by default after a certain period when their customers are abroad, say after 24 hours, when you go abroad and turn on your phone you get a welcome message via text detailing the costs, another message sayign data will be restricted after a certain amount of time unless you opt in ( but it may be expensive)

Another option would be for customers using their phones within the signal coverage of a mast in an airport area to receive a text warning them of high data charges whilst aborad, and detailing some of the high costs they may encounter. Such things could be sent out to any phone regsitering in a certain area/ on a certain mast, say limited to once a month per mobile phone number/imei
It may be anoying for customers who are in the airport area, but not going anywhere ( such as myself) but it would help to raise awareness.

Many people don't mind using the data while aboard, so it's wrong to restrict. You are trying to come up with a system to replace the common sense.
Another system also work and easy to manage is before leaving the uk find out what data cost are and how to switch off data on your phone while away. If you do need to use data you can monitor the use. This system always work.
I always take the same phone with me and never had any problem with the cost.

nsabournemouth

No they shouldn't. Why should they? There are plenty of ways to watch what your using and ways to see how much it will cost. Self regulation and taking responsibility for things yourself.

wantmemoney

unhelpful claptrap and 'buz' words and phrases from the industry brainwashed

thegoodman

wantmemoney wrote: »

unhelpful claptrap and 'buz' words and phrases from the industry brainwashed

No on O2 it take about a minute to check the cost
http://www.o2.co.uk/international/usingdataabroad
If some over 18's still can't follow than no company can do anything, unless start to run classes for some customers.