Huge Data charges on Orange Business Solo. in UK - NOT ABROAD!

JamesTeehan

Hi everyone,

Monday morning, after returning from a stag do, I was hangining out of my own a**ehole anyway, when I discovered my phone bill was £687 (just over). I was fairly calm, thinking clearly something's gone completely wrong and immediately called a not very helpful lass at Orange Business Support.

My usual bill is around £38/£39. I'm on the Business Solo plan, with an iphone which means I get 750mb data, 50mb emails every month according to my bill (how they know whether its emails of browsing, I have no idea).

The lass in question went on to tell me that I'd gone over my data allowance by 679mb (just over) and had been charged at the full rate which is 80p plus VAT.

She then told me I'd only have to pay £300 plus VAT (£360) and the rest would be credited back.

1. Is there anything I can argue with Orange about with regards to the actual data consumption? My behaviour with the phone hasn't changed since I signed up in January, then all of a sudden I go over my data alllowance by 84%. Baring in mind this has never happened before?


2. Orange have said that in Sept 2011 they introcuced this credit scheme whereby the customer would only have to pay the first £300 plus VAT. However in July this year, they have then changed the scheme again, whereby if the customer goes over their allowance, they're charged £5 per 250mb, up to a total of 1gb (and then they'd be charged the full rate). They have said that I could have opted into this scheme, but I wasn't made aware of it, and their reason for not informing me, es explained by the Customer Service manager was that I have never gone over my allowance. Customers that had been doing, were informed and offered the new scheme (how is this fair to me?). They have said I can now opt in, but the bill will still stand as this was from before I opted in.

3. Do Orange have any responsibility to inform a customer if they go over their allawance by such a significant amount?

4. Has anybody else encountered this? How did you get on?

5. Any legal-savy folk have any idea what the outcome might be?

Thanks
James

NFH

My data usage is usually around 200MB to 400MB per month, but one month my Orange bill showed that I had used 916MB when my iPhone had recorded that I had used only 404.5MB (370MB downloaded and 34.5MB uploaded). Orange's customer service system showed that I had downloaded large quantities of data during short daytime periods on two days in the billing month, which if true would have severely drained my battery, but it hadn't done so because I didn't use the data. Also there's no way that my iPhone could have physically downloaded the alleged high quantity of data in the short periods stated. I was just within the 1GB fair usage allowance so there was fortunately no cost or other implication. Nevertheless I asked Orange to investigate several times and made sure that copious notes were made on my account in case the same thing should happen in future more excessively or when I'm roaming, but they failed to investigate. Unfortunately many other customers end up significantly out of pocket when the same thing happens; I was one of the lucky ones. I'm sure Orange know all about these data billing errors but won't admit it.

I have since switched to a business tariff at £7.50+VAT per month with the 750+50MB per month that you have. Orange told me that if I go over the data allowance, I will be billed £5 for every 250MB that I go over; this is confirmed by the text "£5 per 250MB. Usage beyond 1GB a month charged at 80p per MB". Maybe you should ask them about this.

JamesTeehan

NFH wrote: »

My data usage is usually around 200MB to 400MB per month, but one month my Orange bill showed that I had used 916MB when my iPhone had recorded that I had used only 404.5MB (370MB downloaded and 34.5MB uploaded). Orange's customer service system showed that I had downloaded large quantities of data during short daytime periods on two days in the billing month, which if true would have severely drained my battery, but it hadn't done so because I didn't use the data. Also there's no way that my iPhone could have physically downloaded the alleged high quantity of data in the short periods stated. I was just within the 1GB fair usage allowance so there was fortunately no cost or other implication. Nevertheless I asked Orange to investigate several times and made sure that copious notes were made on my account in case the same thing should happen in future more excessively or when I'm roaming, but they failed to investigate. Unfortunately many other customers end up significantly out of pocket when the same thing happens; I was one of the lucky ones. I'm sure Orange know all about these data billing errors but won't admit it.

I have since switched to a that you have. Orange told me that if I go over the data allowance, I will be billed £5 for every 250MB that I go over; this is confirmed by the text "£5 per 250MB. Usage beyond 1GB a month charged at 80p per MB". Maybe you should ask them about this.

Thanks for your reply... I have asked them, but because I signed up in Jan and this came into effect begining of this month, it doesnt apply.

Notmyrealname

JamesTeehan wrote: »

3. Do Orange have any responsibility to inform a customer if they go over their allawance by such a significant amount?

Only when roaming abroad. As a grown adult you are expected to be responsible for monitoring it yourself.

5. Any legal-savy folk have any idea what the outcome might be?

Thanks
James

If you cannot prove they're wrong and don't pay, they can issue a CCJ.

Notmyrealname

NFH wrote: »

My data usage is usually around 200MB to 400MB per month, but one month my Orange bill showed that I had used 916MB when my iPhone had recorded that I had used only 404.5MB (370MB downloaded and 34.5MB uploaded). Orange's customer service system showed that I had downloaded large quantities of data during short daytime periods on two days in the billing month, which if true would have severely drained my battery, but it hadn't done so because I didn't use the data. Also there's no way that my iPhone could have physically downloaded the alleged high quantity of data in the short periods stated.

Sorry but you're wrong. I did a speedtest on Three and I can download at 5mbps. I could download 916MB in less than an hour at half that speed. Your phone is capable of downloading several GBs before it goes flat and it would take less than half a day to do it. I doubt your phone would even go through 10% battery life downloading 916MB.

Buzby

No - they don't 'issue' a CCJ. Only a court can do that, and networks arn't interested in this. They sell on the debt to a third party, and get their satisfaction by placing a defaut on your credit file, which works the same as a CCJ as most firms that look at your file class it as identical, even though it isn't.

Finally, it is only EU roaming that generates the earning, as it is mandated by the EU parliament. Go further afield (or Switzerland, which is not an EU country), and your data use will be unrestricted - until its too late!

NFH

Notmyrealname wrote: »

Sorry but you're wrong. I did a speedtest on Three and I can download at 5mbps. I could download 916MB in less than an hour at half that speed.

Reasonable logic, but when this happened, Orange's download speeds in central London were only around 0.5Mbps, but sometimes 1Mbps on a very good day.

NFH

JamesTeehan wrote: »

Thanks for your reply... I have asked them, but because I signed up in Jan and this came into effect begining of this month, it doesnt apply.

Maybe you should claim that you believed the charges advertised at http://business.orange.co.uk/home/small/plans/standard-plans/business-solo were for existing customers (as well as new customers). There is no obvious disclaimer that the prices apply only to new customers. After all, you are on the same named tariff that is advertised on this page. Orange would lose in court if you were to claim that you believed these charges applied to you.

JamesTeehan

Thanks for your reply NFH

That's the route I'm now going down.

Will fight to the death with this one! might round up some support on here of other folks who've been affected by it too. No matter what tarrif you're on, they should notify you of any iregular behaviour on your account, its just responsible business.