Beware!! O2 charging for international call

dhan

I receive my O2 bill yesterday.I have been using the 0870 number to make international call as previously mentioned on MSE. Yesterday my bill was charged at £174.When I call customer services ........ after 1 1/2 hrs finally got to speak to a team leader who mentioned that they have charged me for making international call.......... not for 0870 numbers. 0870 numbers are still free but the third party call ie international call are chargeable. As I would not budge from the fact that it was wrong for them to bill me they agreed to half the bill.
A friend of mine who was doing exactly the same as me has apparently not been charged for the calls........how confusing and unfair in my case!!
Hence I want people to be aware that O2 might suddenly start billing for them calls and you might end up with a massive bill.
Secondly i would like to know who else has been charged so that I can go back to customer services to get a full refund if nobody else has been charged!!

g33za

firstly if you recently took out your o2 contract (after 27/4/7) then 08 calls are chargable. Secondly did you press the green button (instead of #) after dialing the international number? (it is possible to dial another number whist in a call)?

Also to prevent you making such a high bill ask o2 to set your upper usage limit to something like £10, so once you reach £10 in unbilled calls you cant make anymore outgoing calls. Its not a fullproof solution because their billing is delayed by 2/3 days but if you made £174 over the month it would have saved you before you reached such a high bill.

xplora

this four could be your reason factor.

1) You changed your monthly plan after 27/4/2007
2) You upgraded your mobile contract after 27/4/2007
3) You exceed the minutes
4) Like the previous post said, you accidentally make "another" outgoing international calls whilst you calling 0870 number.

For your information, i just received my bills last week and nothing extras has been charged. My advice is, get an O2 online account that can view bills online so you can see those unbilled usage to ensure that you won't get charge before you continue to use it. As far as concern, if you do not change your monthly contract or upgrade your contract after 27/4/2007 then i am sure that you will still able to use those number.


UPDATES:

I just checked my unbilled usage of those calls that i made yesterday to 0870 and yet it is still free.

fonesaver

I suggest you check the 'dialled calls' list on your mobile.

If you see the international number in the list then you must have pressed the green/send key after the international number which will setup up another call and hence the high charges as stated by xplora option 4.

k4u

HELLO everyone,

this is my first post here. ive just finished my 12months with o2 and wish to upgrade now but i need all the minutes i can have to call up india.. i was thinking of upgrading with long weekends as they include these numbers but after reading these posts i am scared to hell now as if i upgrade then i will be paying a !!!! amt of money for nothing. can please anyone who has recently upgraded i.e. after 27/04/2007 let me know if they are getting charged for 0844 and the works or not? this is urgent thanks.

k4u

Standard minimum call charge applies unless otherwise stated.



† 1 minute minimum call charge applies.



± The 20p/min rate applies on all Pay Monthly plans where customers have connected or upgraded from 27 April 2007 onwards, and calls to these numbers are not included in bundle minutes for these plans. Customers who have connected or upgraded to a Pay Monthly plan before April 27 will be charged as for standard UK landlines (01 & 02 numbers).



*O2 Callers usually have to dial the number without the leading ‘0’. There are some 0800 numbers, normally Telephone Helplines, which are free to call, for example: 0800 1111 (ChildLine), 0800 441111 (Bullying Helpline), 0800 400222 (ChildLine – Textphone), 0800 555111 (Crimestopper) and 0800 7383773 (0800 Reverse).



Charges for calling O2 Customer Service numbers and other Services operated by O2 will not be affected.



New UK-Wide 03 Numbers

Ofcom has introduced 03 numbers as an alternative to chargeable 08 numbers like 0870. Calls to 03 numbers will cost the same as calls to geographic numbers (starting 01 or 02), and be included as part of any inclusive call minutes or discount schemes in the same way as geographic calls.
website: http://www.o2.co.uk/mobilestariffs/tariffs/specialnumbers

found this on the o2 website so its now official everyone.. i am doomed and am stuck with the same old bloody phone i had last year.

redux

fonesaver wrote: »

I suggest you check the 'dialled calls' list on your mobile.

If you see the international number in the list then you must have pressed the green/send key after the international number which will setup up another call and hence the high charges as stated by xplora option 4.

Another clue will be that the calls are simultaneous on the bill, the international one starting a few seconds after the 0870, and both ending together

shareef

k4u wrote: »

HELLO everyone,

this is my first post here. ive just finished my 12months with o2 and wish to upgrade now but i need all the minutes i can have to call up india.. i was thinking of upgrading with long weekends as they include these numbers but after reading these posts i am scared to hell now as if i upgrade then i will be paying a !!!! amt of money for nothing. can please anyone who has recently upgraded i.e. after 27/04/2007 let me know if they are getting charged for 0844 and the works or not? this is urgent thanks.

You could call them up and ask them to keep o870/0844 in your inclusive minutes for an upgrade. If they agree, ask them for written confirmation before you take the dela with them.

busymum1

Hi all

I am with O2 and have been with them from last few years. My contract is not up till september but i have enquired about 08 numbers included in your minutes and i have been told that if you do not chagne your tariff what you were on before april 2007 then you can still get 08 numbers included in your minutes. so that means you stay on same tariff when ypu phone make that clear to them and then ask about 08 numbers. I have been told this from the higher department so if anyone try this and have any problem let me know i can give you the number for the complaint department n u can tell them. as i have been told from retension too about staying on same tariff and keeping your 08 numbers.

Hope this helps

hurrah

Discussed at great length here: http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=437645&highlight=o2+0844%2F0870+calls

k4u

busymum1 wrote: »

Hi all

I am with O2 and have been with them from last few years. My contract is not up till september but i have enquired about 08 numbers included in your minutes and i have been told that if you do not chagne your tariff what you were on before april 2007 then you can still get 08 numbers included in your minutes. so that means you stay on same tariff when ypu phone make that clear to them and then ask about 08 numbers. I have been told this from the higher department so if anyone try this and have any problem let me know i can give you the number for the complaint department n u can tell them. as i have been told from retension too about staying on same tariff and keeping your 08 numbers.

Hope this helps

Hi Busymum,

I appreciate ur help am definitely going to try this idea but then the company is asking me to be on an 18 mth contract to retain my current tariff. is anyone reading these posts know anyone who have tried this before or have heard of someone trying this if yes pls let me know as am gonna be stuck with no phone otherwise!! as i have 2 dedicated contracts for these numbers and it costs me near about 70 pounds a month to maintain them which i was hoping to reduce after upgrading my contracts