£1300 vodafone bill in one month!!

zagfles

!!!!!! wrote: »

What an amazing genaralisation and total bo11ox.

My DD has had a contract phone for the last 3.5 years that I pay for and never run up a large bill. Next month she will get a contract in her own name as she will be 18.

Somebody will no doubt say that I was lucky. However it is not luck that my child can successfully use a contract phone for so long without going mad with it. Maybe go back and look at the relationship and trust between parent and child as it isn't as close as you would like to think

Yeah and my 14 year old drives a car and can drink most adults under a table*, SFW! There are reasons we have age limits for signing contracts, taking on debt, driving, drinking etc.

Besides which, PAYG, used sensibly, is usually cheaper than a contract.

* this is not actually true, before anyone phones social services:eek:

SmallL

I would be careful with 'unlimited' texts to, as they are subjected to a fair usage policy which is usually 3000 texts a month.

Iv had a contract phone since 15 and never run up a bill larger than my contracted was quoted for.

zagfles

Yorksboy wrote: »

Hi

I know this advise/information is a bit after the fact - but it might help for the future.

I have two teenage sons and pay for a contract for both of them - when researching changing them from PAYG to a contract I looked for a supplier that would allow me to put a zero credit limit on their accounts. This means that if they use up their allowance then they camnnot spend anything - it also stops them inadvertantly signing up to any text services that charge. The only operator I could find that did this was 3. Thois has worked well for the last three years.

Watch out for exclusions, like (IIRC) going abroad.

simax

JethroUK wrote: »

Vodafone is responsible for adding a totally fictitious lottery figure to the service (that cost to them about £5 to provide) and 'knowingly' allowing the bill to reach stupid height - they can not possibly be rewarded for extorting these situations and for sure the judge will not

But.... the out of bundle rate was accepted by the customer when they agreed to the contract. It doesn't matter how much it is, the terms were agreed to.

Vodafone will not lower this bill so the OP will need to work out a payment plan with them, and take it on the chin as a lesson learned. (and maybe get a PAYG sim for the daughter)

Vodafone

Hi SKINTMARE,

Whilst I appreciate receiving such a high bill must be extremely worrying, if the charges are correct and not due to a Vodafone error we wouldn't be able to waiver them.

We allow customers to monitor their usage via My Account online, via the handset through the My Vodafone app and by dialling 44555. We also state all call charges online here.

If you would like to contact me to discuss a payment plan, you can reach me via the link shown here with WRT135 FAO Heidi in the subject.

Kind regards,

Heidi
Web Relations Team
Vodafone UK

NiftyDigits

Vodafone_company_representative wrote: »

Hi SKINTMARE,

Whilst I appreciate receiving such a high bill must be extremely worrying, if the charges are correct and not due to a Vodafone error we wouldn't be able to waiver them.

We allow customers to monitor their usage via My Account online, via the handset through the My Vodafone app and by dialling 44555. We also state all call charges online here.

If you would like to contact me to discuss a payment plan, you can reach me via the link shown here with WRT135 FAO Heidi in the subject.

Kind regards,

Heidi
Web Relations Team
Vodafone UK

Great 'customer relations'. I hope this encourages anyone who sees this, to move on from Vodafone as swiftly as possible.

easy

NiftyDigits wrote: »

Great 'customer relations'. I hope this encourages anyone who sees this, to move on from Vodafone as swiftly as possible.

Oh for goodness sake.

WHY do so many people think this is Vodafone's responsibility?

The OP signed a contract, agreeing to Vodafone's terms. The phone was used, the costs have been accrued. Why is it now up to Vodafone to write off some of the charge ?

Think thru this scenario:
I go to the petrol station, intending to put £20 worth of fuel in my car. But I get distracted and accidentally go to £30. Would it be reasonable for me to expect the petrol station to waive the charge for the extra £10 ?? Of course not.

Vodafone is a business. Like most other businesses, it has shareholders who expect it to make a profit. If I was a Vodafone shareholder (I may well be indirectly, my pension scheme might invest in Vodafone shares) I would not be thrilled to find the company writes off debts incurred by customers who don't understand/take responsibility for the contracts they have signed.

The company hasn't just arbitrarily imposed a big bill. It is charging for calls made, within the terms of the original contract.

It isn't nice for the OP, I'm sure paying it will be hard for the OP, and I'm sorry for them. BUT the situation they find themselves in isn't Vodafone's fault, and Vodafone shouldn't be expected to waive any of the costs.

robpw2

easy wrote: »

Oh for goodness sake.

I go to the petrol station, intending to put £20 worth of fuel in my car. But I get distracted and accidentally go to £30. Would it be reasonable for me to expect the petrol station to waive the charge for the extra £10 ?? Of course not.

i agree the op should take responsibilty for their actions however this is a case of being reasonable .
if i sign up for a contract thats 17.50 a month , i wouldnt reasonably expect to get a bill for 10* that amount , or for 100* that amount for one months usuage , if a company offers 200 mins free they should at least send you a text letting you know your reaching that number of mins and how much calls outside your free mins cost just as a courteus reminder , once you have spent £100 then i really do think they should call you just to make sure your phone is not being used by someone fraudently .... after £500 of spending in a month they really should take action because thats really an excessive use for a reasonable person

easy

robpw2 wrote: »

i agree the op should take responsibilty for their actions however this is a case of being reasonable .
if i sign up for a contract thats 17.50 a month , i wouldnt reasonably expect to get a bill for 10* that amount , or for 100* that amount for one months usuage , if a company offers 200 mins free they should at least send you a text letting you know your reaching that number of mins and how much calls outside your free mins cost just as a courteus reminder , once you have spent £100 then i really do think they should call you just to make sure your phone is not being used by someone fraudently .... after £500 of spending in a month they really should take action because thats really an excessive use for a reasonable person

But with companies like Vodafone/O2/Orange etc etc you DO NOT sign a contract for £17.50 per month ... You sign a contract which says that they will allow you to make x no of call minutes/texts/data mbs for that pre-agreed price, which is paid in advance.
That same contract also tells you what the charges will be for additional call minutes/texts/ data mbs. There isn't any deception. The companies also provide you with tools to check what your usage is...

We allow customers to monitor their usage via My Account online, via the handset through the My Vodafone app and by dialling 44555

The other utility companies don't inform you if you are using more electricity/gas/water/landline calls than in previous months.

NiftyDigits

easy wrote: »

Oh for goodness sake.

WHY do so many people think this is Vodafone's responsibility?

The OP blah, blah, blah

Where exactly have you seen me suggest that it is Vodafone's responsibility?

Have you ever heard of the word compassion?