Over £400 for 133MB data on home network, surely a billing error?

Au_Saver

I've just received an Orange mobile phone bill for over £400 for 133MB data allegedly downloaded through the night of the eve of the longest day according to EE, and lasting about 9 hours while I would have been mostly sleeping was also the longest and slowest download I've ever known if it occurred.

Until now about 30 pence/month has been my average bill never intentionally making calls or using data though for several years the phone has been used on my home WiFi downloading podcasts, often listening to them at night when I go to bed. I have been with orange on the same number for about 20 years, switching about 15 years ago from monthly contract to PAYG continuing with monthly billing thereby saving money when my employer at that time issued company phones to all employees. By keeping the Orange number some old friends, some of whom I have lost touch with could still in theory contact me without any cost to me for keeping the number connected, except Orange/EE always seemed to find the odd few bytes to charge me for, which I never quibbled about as I reckoned their billing and postage charges needed to be covered somehow.

Data settings are set to default to home WiFi and all connections requiring a manual prompt response for an alternative if WiFi not available though I can't rule out an unlocked touch screen pressed in my sleep being responsible. Even so, I can't find any evidence that EE/Orange had UK data charges anywhere near the calculated £3.06/MB or without VAT £2.55/MB on my latest bill. Indeed only 7 months ago I received an EE text on holiday in France informing data charges of 19.8 pence/MB, and recently another text informing me data charged at 17.5 pence/MB anywhere in Europe Zone commencing 1st July 2015, which is only 10 days after the alleged 133MB data download.

To be fair EE have been very helpful and polite and even raised my hopes about reducing the bill but claimed they needed just over a week or so to give me an answer, now just a few days away. Meanwhile I am being kept on tenterhooks having received no commitment to reduce the cost.

A bit lengthy explanation but my request can be summed up in a couple of points requesting advice about the way forward:-

1. I am considering stopping my direct debit before 25th of this month when I am due to be billed. Is cancelling the DD advisable setting aside impact to credit rating, which is not an issue for me as I never borrow money?

My reason for stopping the DD is :-

a) I have more bargaining power in case this ends up in a dispute, or...

b) EE bring good news of agreeable outcome but still try to debit the £400 by mistake as payment normally happens automatically. My fear is with EE ranking poorly for customer complaints that I will have problems getting a refund.

2. Paying monthly by DD for PAYG over more than a decade it appears none of their advertised charges apply exactly to my talk plan, laying somewhere between monthly contract and normal PAYG. So if they say the £400 still stands and I make a complaint, would the EE text on my phone of 7 months ago informing 19.8p/MB data anywhere in the Europe Zone, now 17.5p/MB give me a watertight case to refuse to pay any more than 133MB x 19.8p/MB = £26.33?

Some reassurance would be appreciated as to any pitfalls not mentioned and to put my mind at rest. Just to clarify I have absolutely no complaint myself about EE/Orange as of yet as I would like to remain positive of a resolution before the payment becomes due.

cookie365

What does your phone's usage monitor say?

grumbler

Au_Saver wrote: »

Until now about 30 pence/month has been my average bill never intentionally making calls or using data though for several years the phone has been used on my home WiFi downloading podcasts, often listening to them at night when I go to bed. I have been with orange on the same number for about 20 years, switching about 15 years ago from monthly contract to PAYG continuing with monthly billing thereby saving money when my employer at that time issued company phones to all employees. By keeping the Orange number some old friends, some of whom I have lost touch with could still in theory contact me without any cost to me for keeping the number connected, except Orange/EE always seemed to find the odd few bytes to charge me for, which I never quibbled about as I reckoned their billing and postage charges needed to be covered somehow.

All this is pretty much irrelevant. After getting a smartphone you could have switched to a more sutable tariff with the same number or port the number to a more suitable network.

Data settings are set to default to home WiFi and all connections requiring a manual prompt response for an alternative if WiFi not available though I can't rule out an unlocked touch screen pressed in my sleep being responsible. Even so, I can't find any evidence that EE/Orange had UK data charges anywhere near the calculated £3.06/MB or without VAT £2.55/MB on my latest bill. Indeed only 7 months ago I received an EE text on holiday in France informing data charges of 19.8 pence/MB, and recently another text informing me data charged at 17.5 pence/MB anywhere in Europe Zone commencing 1st July 2015, which is only 10 days after the alleged 133MB data download.

Roaming charges are now limited in EU, but not domestic ones. As a result of these stupid EU regulations it's often much cheaper to make a roaming call from EU to UK than a domestic call from UK to UK. The same with data.

Au_Saver wrote: »

...Is cancelling the DD advisable setting aside impact to credit rating, which is not an issue for me as I never borrow money?

I don't know any other serious consequences except, possibly, being chased by debt collectors.

Au_Saver

cookie365 wrote: »

What does your phone's usage monitor say?

It is an old Nokia N97 mini which probably explains all and could see no reason to have usage monitor when only accessing data via home unlimited WiFi or so I thought. I never intended to make calls or use data with this sim - I should really remove it as I use GiffGaff for my calls and occasional data on another phone.

Au_Saver

grumbler wrote: »

All this is pretty much irrelevant. After getting a smartphone you could have switched to a more sutable tariff with the same number or port the number to a more suitable network.Roaming charges are now limited in EU, but not domestic ones. As a result of these stupid EU regulations it's often much cheaper to make a roaming call from EU to UK than a domestic call from UK to UK. The same with data.
I don't know any other serious consequences except, possibly, being chased by debt collectors.

The tarrif issue - well it is somewhat unknown, as I haven't changed that for about 15 years and probably why they are taking so long to get back to me. You have got me worried now that home network may be more expensive except I found a much older text from EE warning that roaming outside UK is more expensive. Well with EE still smarting from their recent £1m fine for misleading customers and Ofcom having issued guidelines to network operators that charges must be fair and proportionate or something to that effect, I would expect they will not seek to further trash their reputation. As mentioned to cookie365 it shouldn't have mattered when not making calls or using data and with no monthly charge for keeping the number connected it was a no brainer except I didn't factor in human error if that is what happened.

Au_Saver

One final open question if anyone reading this post knows of an Orange tarrif that charged anything close to £3/MB data inclusive of VAT on home UK network for June 2015? If not then in the case of an unfavourable outcome I can argue that I have been singled out and misled by EE sending me texts of currently advertised tariffs when they have me on a tarrif not advertised or applied to the vast majority of users and had no prior knowledge or way of knowing what charges I might incur.

Jon_01

Au_Saver wrote: »

One final open question if anyone reading this post knows of an Orange tarrif that charged anything close to £3/MB data inclusive of VAT on home UK network for June 2015? If not then in the case of an unfavourable outcome I can argue that I have been singled out and misled by EE sending me texts of currently advertised tariffs when they have me on a tarrif not advertised or applied to the vast majority of users and had no prior knowledge or way of knowing what charges I might incur.

There used to be some (very) old acc's on the Orange system that if you didn't have a data plan would charge either £3 or £10 a meg. So if you've not upgraded in a long time you could still be on one of those I suppose?
What have you been billed for data in the past?

gjchester

Au_Saver wrote: »

It is an old Nokia N97 mini which probably explains all and could see no reason to have usage monitor when only accessing data via home unlimited WiFi or so I thought. I never intended to make calls or use data with this sim - I should really remove it as I use GiffGaff for my calls and occasional data on another phone.

At this point you need to work out if you used Wifi of Cell phone data.


While my phone goes on the home wifi 99 times out of 100 it will occasionally try and use a BT Point despite being in my house, (I'm on Virgin) as they are so many around. If that happens its possible that and connection then failed to authenticate and drops back to cellular data.

Au_Saver

Jon_01 wrote: »

There used to be some (very) old acc's on the Orange system that if you didn't have a data plan would charge either £3 or £10 a meg. So if you've not upgraded in a long time you could still be on one of those I suppose?
What have you been billed for data in the past?

Average about 30 pence (£0.30) per month as stated in my original post as it doesn't get used so I should really take the sim out. Current bill is more than a 1000 times more than that. Phone (N97 mini) is used exclusively on my home VirginMedia broadband WiFi connection for downloading podcasts.

You may be right about the old plan but how am I supposed to know if Orange/EE send texts telling me my cost are standard current price plans with links to their website?

Au_Saver

gjchester wrote: »

At this point you need to work out if you used Wifi of Cell phone data.


While my phone goes on the home wifi 99 times out of 100 it will occasionally try and use a BT Point despite being in my house, (I'm on Virgin) as they are so many around. If that happens its possible that and connection then failed to authenticate and drops back to cellular data.

Mostly answered in my reply to Jon 01. If WiFi is lost then phone is set to ask for manual selection for data connection so it will not automatically drop back to cellular network. Podcast download is also set to manual so there is a sequence of events needed for that to happen. If there was a timestamped log file stored in the phone then perhaps I could find out but I don't think that is the case, just my monthly bill is all I have to go on.

Jon_01

Au_Saver wrote: »

One final open question if anyone reading this post knows of an Orange tarrif that charged anything close to £3/MB data inclusive of VAT on home UK network for June 2015? If not then in the case of an unfavourable outcome I can argue that I have been singled out and misled by EE sending me texts of currently advertised tariffs when they have me on a tarrif not advertised or applied to the vast majority of users and had no prior knowledge or way of knowing what charges I might incur.

Au_Saver wrote: »

Average about 30 pence (£0.30) per month as stated in my original post as it doesn't get used so I should really take the sim out. Current bill is more than a 1000 times more than that. Phone (N97 mini) is used exclusively on my home VirginMedia broadband WiFi connection for downloading podcasts.

You may be right about the old plan but how am I supposed to know if Orange/EE send texts telling me my cost are standard current price plans with links to their website?

Does your bill state what plan you're on?

I know the old OVP plan was a nightmare where data was concerned as there was nothing but gprs when it was being offered and newer data bundles didn't 'take' to it for some reason...