Something similar happened to me after a trip to Cyprus back in 1997. I did everything I could to find out what the costs were going to be and I routinely checked my bill each month whilst I was there. I was shocked when I came back to find a bill of over £1000. Orange had failed to tell me that charges could be delayed. Its amazing that in this day and age these sorts of things still happen.
Yusuf If you have nothing better to do, why not take a look at my blog http://yusufaosman.wordpress.com----- Original Message ----- From: "Derek Hornby" <Derek.hornby_uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Sunday, March 13, 2011 1:38 PM Subject: [access-uk] Cost of calls: I-phone users warning
I thought this may interest some of you. Sunday Times 13 March 2011 Hello, caller, your data download has cost £5,000 Ali Hussain and Jack Grimston investigate A BUSINESSMAN has been landed with a phone bill of nearly £5,000 for checking his emails while on holiday in one of the worst examples of "data rip-offs" facing thousands of consumers who take a smartphone abroad. Gary Stevens, 33, from Newport, in Essex, was sent the bill by Orange for using his iPhone 4 on a 10-day family trip to Dubai. He is among hundreds of shocked phone users with average bills of £5,000- £6,000 who have complained to consumer watchdogs after being caught out byphone companies' high charges for downloading data when abroad. The problemhas been worsened by the new generation of smartphones, many of which automatically download emails and update applications every time they are switched on. This means consumers often run up hefty bills without realising they have done so. According to industry sources, one consumer has even been charged £23,000 because of an app that continuously downloaded data without the user's knowledge during a trip abroad. The Communications & Internet Services Adjudication Scheme (Cisas), which arbitrates in bill disputes, said it was dealing with hundreds of "bill shock" cases , each caused by data downloading , compared with just a handful two years ago. About one in five of its mobile phone complaints now relates to data bills. Charges for "data-roaming" , downloading from the internet while abroad , arecapped within the European Union. Despite this, they are still so high thatlastmonth Neelie Kroes, the digital commissioner, described them as "rip-offs".Companies justify the charges by claiming it is expensive to manage data transfer and billing between operators in different countries, a similar justification to that used before they were forced to bring down international call charges. For travellers such as Stevens going outside the EU, the situation is far worse, with charges more than double those in Europe. Stevens, an account manager for an umbrella distribution company, said he had been "confused, angry and perplexed" by his experiences with Orange.Before going on the trip to Dubai last September with his wife, Giuseppina,25, and their one-year-old son, Rocco, Stevens called the company to ask what the best available package would be for him to check emails while he was away.He was advised to buy a 50MB package costing pound 60, which he hoped wouldbe enough, allowing about 500 average-sized emails to be downloaded.Stevens quickly exceeded this, however, and found out on his return that hehad been charged £4,720. Text messages warning him that he had exceeded the initial limit came through too late to affect his internet use. "It is hard to describe the feeling in the pit of your stomach," said Stevens. After a series of complaints to Orange and to Cisas, the bill was cut to £,180, but Stevens is now considering legal action against Orange to bring it down further. He is angry because the company failed to tell him he could minimise his bill by ensuring that the "data roaming" facility on the phone was switched off. This would have allowed him only to make voice calls and to check emails byconnecting his phone to a local wireless internet service rather than to themobile network. This is only an option, however, if the user is within range of a wireless network. For someone who is not , on a ski slope, for example , they risk continuously downloading data and being charged for it.Unlike charges for calls and texts, which accumulate only while the phone is being used, charges for data can add up without the owner noticing, because emails and some data such as the user's location are automatically updated.Google Android phones also update apps such as weather, news and Facebook, whileother devices such as iPhones and Blackberries require the app to be openedbefore it is updated. According to calculations by Uswitch.com, the price comparison website, simply switching a phone on outside the EU could cost £54 in automatic downloads. This compares with about £20 in Europe.Mike Wilson, mobile manager at m one y s up e r -market.com, said: "Charges For using your mobile abroad, especially outside the EU, can be extortionateand operators are doing little to protect customers. Make sure you have turned off data functions before setting off." An EU spokesman said it had no jurisdiction to regulate charging outside Europe, adding: "The best we can do is raise awareness and get customers to complain." A spokesman for Orange said: "We are working on a solution to provide more alertsto help consumers manage usage, which we plan to have in place imminently."** To leave the list, click on the immediately-following link:- ** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=unsubscribe] ** If this link doesn't work then send a message to: ** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ** and in the Subject line type ** unsubscribe ** For other list commands such as vacation mode, click on the ** immediately-following link:- ** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=faq] ** or send a message, to ** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the Subject:- faq
** To leave the list, click on the immediately-following link:- ** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=unsubscribe] ** If this link doesn't work then send a message to: ** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ** and in the Subject line type ** unsubscribe ** For other list commands such as vacation mode, click on the ** immediately-following link:- ** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=faq] ** or send a message, to ** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the Subject:- faq
