Huge bill after watching netflix

mobilejunkie

I can't see how it would be unreasonable at all; like increasing minutes substantially after you've used double your allowance at a much higher cost.

I could try paying the parking meter when I've only paid for 30 minutes but stayed two hours after the event too; methinks they wouldn't waive the parking fine and that would be perfectly reasonable.

grumbler

mobilejunkie wrote: »

I can't see how it would be unreasonable at all; like increasing minutes substantially after you've used double your allowance at a much higher cost.

Why not? Nobody suggests doing this on a regular basis, but one-off goodwill is very reasonable as the network makes profit anyway.

I could try paying the parking meter when I've only paid for 30 minutes but stayed two hours after the event too; methinks they wouldn't waive the parking fine and that would be perfectly reasonable.

This is incomparable example. Without a fine all drivers will just drive away without paying for the extra time.
We pay in advance for a long-stay parking, but they don't penalise us for getting back late at the same scale as mobile networks.

hieveryone

grumbler wrote: »

In the middle of the film? You are dreaming.I guess your kids are still u18 unlike this 'kid' that has his own contract.

Why would I be dreaming? Most mobile operators can upload their data usage in real time now, allowing them to notify the user when they are near their limit. OP, I would check the T's & C's in this case.

NFH

grumbler wrote: »

This is incomparable example. Without a fine all drivers will just drive away without paying for the extra time.
We pay in advance for a long-stay parking, but they don't penalise us for getting back late at the same scale as mobile networks.

Actually this is a very good point, which leads me to another analogy:

• Mobile usage bundles are akin to buying a pay-and-display ticket for parking. If you overstay the time you've paid for, you get fined at a punitively high level.
• Old-fashioned rates per minute, text or megabyte are akin to a car park where you are given a ticket when you enter and you pay when you leave the car park depending on how much time you've used. There's no need to guess how long you're going to be.

Why can't the mobile networks operate on the latter basis? Why do you have to estimate in advance how many minutes, texts or megabytes you're going to use? Bundles are of no benefit to consumers because their sole purpose is to allow the network to overcharge the customer in scenarios where the customer uses either more or less than the exact allowance:

• If the consumer uses less than the allowance, then some of the allowance is wasted, causing the network to receive revenue for a service was not used.
• If the consumer uses more than the allowance, then the network imposes an unreasonably high and disproportionate rate which is often many times the pro-rata rate of the bundle.

The networks should instead charge a clear and transparent price per minute, per text and per megabyte. Three charges in this way on its prepaid tariff, and most networks also charge similarly on corporate tariffs offered to workers at very large companies; large companies don't tolerate this bundle rip-off. To provide volume discounts, networks could impose tiers whereby higher usage is charged at a lower unit price.

Imagine if we had to buy electricity and gas in bundles, whereby you had to guess how much energy you would use in a given period. It would be intolerable because it would result in overcharging. If we wouldn't tolerate it in the energy sector, why has it become acceptable in the mobile phone sector?

mobilejunkie

If you want a clear price per minute/text/mgb go for PAYT. I've had multiple contracts for years and make a profit from them all - so wouldn't want to have to pay for use. Should I ever need incur an overall cost for my use I'd much rather use a contract which would work out cheaper than PAYT and give me an acceptable bundle for a given price suitable for my particular requirements. As for how networks should operate - the fact is they don't and some of us get great value from the way they do; not as if there isn't plenty of choice out there.

grumbler

hieveryone wrote: »

... OP, I would check the T's & C's in this case.

This will be a waste of time, although they are worth reading rather sooner than later regardless.

NFH

mobilejunkie wrote: »

If you want a clear price per minute/text/mgb go for PAYT.

Why should you need to have prepaid in order to be billed only for exactly what you use? Why shouldn't you be able to have a contract where you are billed only for what you use? Why should you be forced to buy more than you need or on the other hand pay a punitive price if you go over that estimation? How can any consumer reasonably be expected to predict in advance the exact number of minutes, texts or megabytes they will use in a month? Why are bundles tolerated on mobile phone contracts but not on energy supply?

chanz4

your not forced, you choose the tariff and how you use

simax

NFH wrote: »

Why are bundles tolerated on mobile phone contracts but not on energy supply?

Because they are - and it's not going to change however much you rant on about it.

Most networks now give unlimited mins and texts away but data is where it's at. You pay £xx for XXGB of data - exceed and you're charged. Simple. We're all adults and are responsible for our actions. Do we have to rely on a "nanny state" where you have to get your hand held wherever you go?

Jeez you'll be suggesting we make jaywalking illegal next!

NFH

simax wrote: »

Because they are - and it's not going to change however much you rant on about it.

Why does Orange charge its corporate customers only for actual usage then? This is because the bundle system is a rip-off and corporate customers won't put up with it.

Why isn't energy sold in bundles?