When is a Capped Tariff not Capped? (Tesco Mobile)

RichardD1970

Don't know if this should go here or in the Praise, Vent and Warnings forum.

I have used Tesco mobile for my kids phone for a few years now, as they offer capped tariffs and I didn't want any nasty surprises.

Today I looked at my daughter's account to see nearly £30 of excess data use :eek:.

Now, on having an on-line chat, it would appear that as I removed the £2.50 safety buffer (because my daughter didn't want to potentially pay the extra), instead of just stopping at the usage limit, they apply a buffer of £100.

The £2.50 safety buffer is the minimum and if you remove it it defaults to £100

They have offered me a "good will gesture" of a £10 credit, but the agent said that they cannot remove the charges as the data has been used from my end.

There are also some other strange things going on with the account. Whilst in on-line chat my daughter received a SMS saying that the Adult SMS bar had been removed. The agent insisted they hadn't removed it and I know I certainly hadn't.:huh:

Going to write a further complaint and see what happens then seriously considering my options when it's time to upgrade/change.

Rev

Not really sure why you think this is Tesco's fault?

You had a buffer in place. It was removed at your request. Which means there's no buffer. It doesn't mean that your usage stops the second you go over your allowance it means there is no buffer in place to prevent large bills.


When you removed the buffer did Tesco tell you that meant that you couldn't go over your allowance at all? If so then it's Tesco's fault for giving you false information. In which case ask them to listen to the call to see they give you the wrong information. If they didn't then all Tesco have done is remove the buffer as requested.


I got my cousin a Tesco sim only 4 years back. At that time the buffer could be set to £0 unlike now when the lowest is £2.50. In those four years his bill has never once been a single penny over £10.

mac.d

Sounds like a misunderstanding over what the safety buffer is for, and that a capped tariff is meaningless unless you have the safety buffer in place? Or am I misunderstanding it?

Clearly Tesco should explain all of this, but at the same time, isn't it up to the individual to make sure they understand how the contract they have signed up for works?

RichardD1970

We've been with them for a long time and the tariff is meant to be capped to prevent any overspend.

They changed it last year, I think, so that there was an emergency safety buffer.

I didn't want a buffer, as I didn't see the point of having a capped tariff if you can go over it. So I changed it to have no buffer.

Nowhere on any of the pages dealing with caps or buffers does it state that if there is no buffer it automatically reverts to £100.

I have since found 1 reference to this buried deep within the T&C's.

RichardD1970

Rev wrote: »

Not really sure why you think this is Tesco's fault?

You had a buffer in place. It was removed at your request. Which means there's no buffer. It doesn't mean that your usage stops the second you go over your allowance it means there is no buffer in place to prevent large bills.

To expand on my previous post as I am now on my computer and not my phone so can type properly.

Yes, I wanted the BUFFER removed, not the CAP of £16 a month.

The whole point of getting a CAPPED tariff was that the usage would stop when you reached your allowance limit.

They applied a buffer of £2.50 which wasn't wanted so I chose the "no safety buffer" option which turns out to actually be a £100 safety buffer! How does that work? Why even include the "no safety buffer" option if that isn't what it is?

The only proviso when selecting the "no safety buffer" option is

EU rules on using data abroad

As you've chosen no safety buffer, EU rules state that you need to agree to be charged more than £40.00 for using data if you go abroad.
Please tick to agree to this.
If you don’t agree, please choose a lower safety buffer.

The phone was never going to go abroad so that wasn't a problem.

Nowhere in any of the help and support pages about caps or safety buffers does it state that "no safety buffer" really means "£100 safety buffer".

The only place I have found any mention of it is here.

Why hide it away there instead of making it obvious, when you choose the "no safety buffer" option? Perhaps they don't want people to know in the hope of a situation like mine. (Gets tinfoil hat out )

macman

How about having a chat with your daughter about staying within her data limit? The TM app shows you at a glance what the limit is within the tariff and, your current usage. No need to log into the account.

mac.d

I've never used a capped contract and I would automatically assume that a capped contract means you can't go over your monthly contract price.

However, looking at the Tescomobile website, it appears that their capped contract is simply a contract with a safety buffer on it, which you can set to whatever you want (previously £0.00 upwards, but now £2.50 upwards). So removing the safety buffer is obviously removing the cap, isn't that correct?

RichardD1970

macman wrote: »

How about having a chat with your daughter about staying within her data limit? The TM app shows you at a glance what the limit is within the tariff and, your current usage. No need to log into the account.

She didn't think she needed to keep a close eye on it (as nor did I) as the tariff is capped and in theory you are not able to go over your usage limits.

mac.d wrote: »

I've never used a capped contract and I would automatically assume that a capped contract means you can't go over your monthly contract price.

However, looking at the Tescomobile website, it appears that their capped contract is simply a contract with a safety buffer on it, which you can set to whatever you want (previously £0.00 upwards, but now £2.50 upwards). So removing the safety buffer is obviously removing the cap, isn't that correct?

Correct, the cap should prevent you going over your monthly allowance of minuets, texts or data.

The safety buffer is there in case you use all your allowance and still allow you to use a bit extra if you need.

We have never used or are likely to use anything like the monthly limits on minuets or texts and data wasn't that important as most of the time they are connected to WiFi anyway. So I decided to remove the buffer.

From the Help and Support pages,

When you sign up to Tesco Mobile you have the option of Capping your contract - you choose your monthly tariff amount, and also a safety buffer. This is how much you're ok with spending each month over your normal tariff amount on things not included in your monthly allowance. Your monthly bill will be capped at this amount each month. You won't get any nasty bill shocks, but you'll still have the flexibility to do what you need to do.

I still fail to see the reasoning or logic of having a capped £16 a month contract that will allow you to spend an extra £100 a month.

RichardD1970

Quick update, just off phone to customer service and after explaining the situation they have agreed to write off any excess data charges.

They didn't even contest it too strongly, makes you wonder

ballyblack

I find that Tesco Mobile have superb customer service and so does Which magazine
'
Now put on the 'TESCO MOBILE' App

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth

BoP now interprets for the people standing in the corner of the room.

OP got mobile phones from a grocer, where they could provide a cap on usage during the contract. These were for the offspring of the OP, and, worked well, until on of the offspring, decided to ask for the cap to be lifted. The cap duly was lifted by OP. Unfortunately all is not well. A massive bill has appeared. OP is on here to warn us all! All please heed the warning, CHILDREN ARE INVOLVED
BoP offers a resolution. Take the trinket off the child, and some other items. put them on ebay, and recover your loss.