tmobile/ee massive bill

moonpeach

Hey

Today I found out I had a massive bill of about £150 inc VAT from EE/Tmobile. I did some calculations and I've got 500 minuites but what I actually used (within my allowance) was 452 minuites. Now when i questioned this I found out that although i made several short calls such as 3 seconds, 8 seconds, 20 seconds etc, they are all billed at a minuite, so a 3 second call is billed at a minuite and you can see how that all racks up pretty quickly..... I spoke to the guy on the phone and paid it... but he was saying,roughtly 75% of new customers make this same mistake so surely it's time for them to sort something out.

I have written to Customer Services with the following letter, but where exactly do I stand, is it something I can contest or even bring up with the regulating authority?

Thanks

I have only recently took out a contract with you via T-Mobile and paid my first bill of £26. Today (9/5/13) I have had a issue with my phone where I had no data connection, I contacted you via telephone to find out I had a bill of about £150 (inc VAT). Your advisor on the phone (nothing against him) advised me that even a 3 second call is billed to the minute so that 3 second call was 1 minute out of my allowance. To be quite fair I do not believe this is fair and nor should it be right, I have previously been with O2 and they’re system is not like this, they’re system is how you would expect it: make a 3 second call and 3 seconds gets taken out of your allowance, not make a 3 second call and get a minute taken out of your allowance.
As I was speaking to your advisor on the phone he did tell me that most new customers (about 75%) make this mistake. Surely if this is the case then it would a good idea to change the way your service works so that it does not catch unsuspecting victims (such as my self) out. That £150 is half of my wages now gone. I was only expecting to pay £26 this month not £150.

My question to you is, as a gesture of good will is there anything you can do because obviously as explained, I must be many of the 75% of new customers caught out by this and I’m sure I’m not the only that is complaining to you about this.

Regards

SnowTiger

moonpeach wrote: »

Hey

Today I found out I had a massive bill of about £150 inc VAT from EE/Tmobile. I did some calculations and I've got 500 minuites but what I actually used (within my allowance) was 452 minuites. Now when i questioned this I found out that although i made several short calls such as 3 seconds, 8 seconds, 20 seconds etc, they are all billed at a minuite, so a 3 second call is billed at a minuite and you can see how that all racks up pretty quickly.....

Are calls within an inclusive allowance rounded up to the nearest minute? I have two contracts with T-Mobile and that doesn't seem to happen on either of them. Maybe it's an EE thing.

And, even if they were charged at, say, 35p a pop, you'd have to make a lot of calls to rack up an extra £124. Over 350.

This appears to be your first bill. First bills tend to be higher than others because they include some 'line rental' for the period up to your bill date and 'line rental' for the next month. Also, you won't get your full monthly allowances during the period up to the date of your first bill.

Even taking all that in to consideration, that probably leaves a difference of £100, or so. That's still a lot of short calls.

moonpeach

SnowTiger wrote: »

Are calls within an inclusive allowance rounded up to the nearest minute? I have two contracts with T-Mobile and that doesn't seem to happen on either of them. Maybe it's an EE thing.

And, even if they were charged at, say, 35p a pop, you'd have to make a lot of calls to rack up an extra £124. Over 350.

This appears to be your first bill. First bills tend to be higher than others because they include some 'line rental' for the period up to your bill date and 'line rental' for the next month. Also, you won't get your full monthly allowances during the period up to the date of your first bill.

Even taking all that in to consideration, that probably leaves a difference of £100, or so. That's still a lot of short calls.

Hiya, all my inclusive calls, even 3 second ones are rounded to the minuite... Im on T-Mobile but signal is EE. It was about £102 as a subtotal but inc VAT came to £148.

And no this is my second bill, first was the expected £26.

Wether or not contacting customer service will do anything but you dont know until you try so Im just ganna see where it takes me...

Tony5101

I believe that inclusive calls are per second billed, and it is only chargeable calls that have a minimum 1 minute charge. This is quite clearly stated on the tariff information.
Whilst I sympathise with your situation, I can't really see that Tmob. have done anything wrong.

grumbler

moonpeach wrote: »

..... I spoke to the guy on the phone and paid it... but he was saying,roughtly 75% of new customers make this same mistake so surely it's time for them to sort something out.
...
Surely if this is the case then it would a good idea to change the way your service works so that it does not catch unsuspecting victims (such as my self) out.

So, how exactly do you suggest to change the system?
Their Plan Price Guide says it clearly:

3.

A one minute minimum call charge applies. Thereafter, calls are charged on a per minute basis.

Tony5101 wrote: »

I believe that inclusive calls are per second billed,

[STRIKE]Yes, they are per second, but "1 minute minimum".
Out of plan it's per minute with the same "1 minute minimum".[/STRIKE]
No, it's per minute.

moonpeach

I dont see why they have to bill it that way. I was with O2 and if you used a 3 second call then 3 seconds gets taken off your allowance, not 1minuite, So i dont see why it has to be different, especially if 75% of customers are having the same issue...

Fifer

It might be clearer if the tariffs were not advertised with titles suggesting that they are something that they are not. Rather than 500 minutes (with the real limit being buried in the T&C's), wouldn't it be clearer to say '500 mins/calls maximum'?

Buzby

They do it, because they can. BT do it on landline calls too, and I'm old enough to remember when they ditched unit pricing to per-second billing as proudly boasted if the innovation (in 1976 I recall). Vodafone and Cellnet launched in 1984 with minute billing, and loved the profit the rounding brought - even then marketing took over and per second billing was promoted, after all the network was built already supporting it.

As long as the tariff makes this policy clear, you have no argument. The network that charges fairly is the one that deserves your custom!

d123

grumbler wrote: »

So, how exactly do you suggest to change the system?
Their Plan Price Guide says it clearly:[STRIKE]Yes, they are per second, but "1 minute minimum".
Out of plan it's per minute with the same "1 minute minimum".[/STRIKE]
No, it's per minute.

You have linked to the EE costs, T-Mobile still show per second charging in the allowance and per minute outside of allowance.

3 Calls made within your allowance are charged on a per second basis.

4 Calls & text message to certain MVNO ranges and call forwarding services are not included in your allowance. A pre call announcement may be heard prior to call connection. See ‘points to note’ for more
information

5 A one minute minimum call charge applies. Thereafter, calls are charged on a per minute basis.

From T-Mobile Current plans.

I know my calls in allowance are definitely still billed per second.

redux

Buzby wrote: »

Vodafone and Cellnet launched in 1984 with minute billing, and loved the profit the rounding brought - even then marketing took over and per second billing was promoted, after all the network was built already supporting it.

The reason they changed was to follow Orange, which launched with second billing. And some inclusive calls in the line rental.

moonpeach

d123 wrote: »

You have linked to the EE costs, T-Mobile still show per second charging in the allowance and per minute outside of allowance.



From T-Mobile Current plans

I know my calls in allowance are definitely still billed per second.

Then surely I should not of been billed that then because all my free calls came to about 452mins and not over 500mins....