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Tesco Mobile Charge Out Of Contract!

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Hi forum,

My contract with Tesco mobile is for 500 minutes and 5000 texts. NO DATA. I have recently upgraded to a smartphone which at some point has been turned on to use mobile data. No real problem with that as I dont have a data allowance. Or so I thought. I've checked the bill and have been charged nearly £20 for data use. When contacting Tesco they said thats correct as they leave the service on, whether it's in the tarrif or not. Hang on a sec I didn't want or expect it, so why should I pay?..."Well sir you need to contact us to tell us to turn it off"....What the duce...Tell you to turn off something that I don't know is turned on...!!! :mad:

They tell me that picture messaging isn't mentioned speciffically but it's still turned on. To me it seems underhand and wrong.

Am I mad...or is it the rest of the world, and has anybody else been charged this way?

Regards
Mumbles

Comments

  • Emy1501
    Emy1501 Posts: 1,798 Forumite
    The minutes and texts you refer to is your free allowance. Does not mean you won't be charged for data,MMS, calls and texts outside this allowance.

    If you don't want to use data then you will need to turn off the data usage in your phones settings.

    Most smart phones will come set up for data and MMS as most people who own a smartphone will to use mobile data.
  • grumbler
    grumbler Posts: 58,629 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    You can call, say, 0845 numbers, but they are not included in your allowance and are not disabled.
    You can call or text abroad, but neither is included in your allowances and neither is disabled.
    ....
    You (or your phone) can use mobile data, but it isn't included...
  • Do you mean that you thought your monthly bill was capped (which you can do with Tesco mobile)? If so, I can understand that additional charges would be a surprise and why you would be cross.

    And (apologies for my boldness, but) how old are you? My mum successfully appealed against the data charges of her first bill (although I forget who with) on the basis that she asked in the shop for a phone that could just call and text because she specifically wasn't interested in using the Internet. She knew that the phone she ended up with *could* connect to the Internet but told the man in the shop that she didn't want it to. No problem. But then ended up with data charges. Went back to the shop and they said it was because it had updated itself. She made a fuss and they sorted all the settings on her phone so that it wouldn't connect to the Internet again and refunded her the data charges.

    But then you might be hard-pushed to persuade anyone you didn't actually want to connect to the Internet if you bought a smartphone.
  • keith1950
    keith1950 Posts: 2,597 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    edited 16 November 2012 at 6:24AM
    Even someone without a data allowance might occasionally want to check something on the internet so you should have turned data off on you smartphone-you can't expect the networks to be mind readers.

    Your only comeback would be if you had signed up to a capped tarrif.
  • custardy
    custardy Posts: 38,365 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Hi forum,

    My contract with Tesco mobile is for 500 minutes and 5000 texts. NO DATA. I have recently upgraded to a smartphone which at some point has been turned on to use mobile data. No real problem with that as I dont have a data allowance. Or so I thought. I've checked the bill and have been charged nearly £20 for data use. When contacting Tesco they said thats correct as they leave the service on, whether it's in the tarrif or not. Hang on a sec I didn't want or expect it, so why should I pay?..."Well sir you need to contact us to tell us to turn it off"....What the duce...Tell you to turn off something that I don't know is turned on...!!! :mad:

    They tell me that picture messaging isn't mentioned speciffically but it's still turned on. To me it seems underhand and wrong.

    Am I mad...or is it the rest of the world, and has anybody else been charged this way?

    Regards
    Mumbles

    A data allowance is a set amount of data at an agreed price/rate
    Why would you assume you had no data?
    The idea that I would have to contact my network to turn on every feature of my phone seems a bit strange.
    Why get a smartphone if all you want to do is make calls & text?
  • Hi forum,

    My contract with Tesco mobile is for 500 minutes and 5000 texts. NO DATA. I have recently upgraded to a smartphone which at some point has been turned on to use mobile data. No real problem with that as I dont have a data allowance. Or so I thought. I've checked the bill and have been charged nearly £20 for data use. When contacting Tesco they said thats correct as they leave the service on, whether it's in the tarrif or not. Hang on a sec I didn't want or expect it, so why should I pay?..."Well sir you need to contact us to tell us to turn it off"....What the duce...Tell you to turn off something that I don't know is turned on...!!! :mad:

    They tell me that picture messaging isn't mentioned speciffically but it's still turned on. To me it seems underhand and wrong.

    Am I mad...or is it the rest of the world, and has anybody else been charged this way?

    Regards
    Mumbles

    You'll most likely be stuck with the charges, when you took out the contract you would've been referred to, or provided with the T&Cs, which would have told you that anything used outside of the allowance would be chargeable, so it would've been your responsibility to check the costs, and to place a cap on the phone if the service was available.

    Usually if you kick off enough about it they'll give you some of them back if it's the first time you went over.
  • Hi all, and thanks for the comments. I know I'll have to pay but I find it irksome that I didn't know. I have the same sort of contract with Virgin 'No Data' but it doesn't allow me to connect when outside. I never had to request that they turned it off.

    But I leave wiser and a little poorer and say thanks for your posts.

    Mumbles
  • Guys_Dad
    Guys_Dad Posts: 11,025 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Hi all, and thanks for the comments. I know I'll have to pay but I find it irksome that I didn't know. I have the same sort of contract with Virgin 'No Data' but it doesn't allow me to connect when outside. I never had to request that they turned it off.

    But I leave wiser and a little poorer and say thanks for your posts.

    Mumbles

    I know that you didn't specify, but if it was an Android or even an Iphone, then really you should add some data if you want to make use of smartphone benefits. (Otherwise, frankly, why have one?).

    Keeping your contacts automatically backed up and synced, the odd email, apps that allow you to locate lost/stolen handsets, maps etc.

    I know it may be an extra £5 per month, but, if you can afford it and are prepared to look at useful apps, it's not a bad investment.
  • It would have been my intention to get a data allowance when the contract ended. For the time being I was quite content to sync and download via Wi-fi only. But like I say live and learn.

    I now off to get my PAC....;-)

    Thanks again peeps
    Mumbles
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