“If I had done something wrong, I would expect O2 to explain to me what
could have happened and then enter into a discussion about the best way to
pay for the mistake.
“But this was not an error on my part – it was out of my control. There
was no sign on my phone that any of this had occurred.”
Mrs Sinderson continued to receive text messages and letters to alert her to
the arrears, despite calling O2 repeatedly to resolve the dispute.
Her phone was disconnected on seven occasions and she received three letters
from O2 suggesting her refusal to pay would affect her credit rating.
Only after the Telegraph intervened did O2 refund the disputed charge
of £186.91. An O2 spokesman said: “We have contacted the overseas
network and asked them to investigate the case and supply us with more
information.
“In the meantime we’ve been in touch with Ms Sinderson, applied a full
credit to her account to clear the charges and apologised for any
inconvenience.”
Mrs Sinderson’s story is unusual in that nobody was able to explain how her
mobile phone sent the texts.
But as we become more dependent on mobile devices, the issue of who pays when
something goes wrong has become contentious.
The Sunday Telegraph has been contacted by a number of readers hit by
huge bills for a mobile phone problem.
Chris Manion, from Northumberland, was billed for £3,000 worth of calls after
his mobile phone was stolen and he failed to cancel it immediately.
Mr Manion, a 21-year-old student at Liverpool Hope University, was in
Barcelona with friends when his phone was stolen late one evening. He called
Vodafone the following morning to block his account but when he returned
home he received a bill for £2,942.26 – far higher than his average bill of
£13 a month.
“In the 10 hours between when my phone was stolen and when I called
Vodafone, they clocked up nearly £3,000 and I didn’t receive any warning,”
he said. “I can’t afford this bill and I was not the one who made the
calls, but I was told I was fully liable.”
A spokesman for Vodafone said it can take up to 72 hours for information about
calls and data to reach them from an overseas network which is why they were
not immediately aware of the high charges.
“Under normal circumstances, the customer would be liable for all
charges incurred before they contact us,” she said. “However, in
this case, our investigations indicate that this was part of an organised
crime. We will contact Mr Manion to arrange for these charges to be waived.”
Peter Gunby, a 49-year-old chartered surveyor from Woodford Green, purchased
150MB of data usage on the “global bundle” from Orange when he
went on holiday to Turkey with his wife and two children in August.
“I thought I was covered for the cost of using my phone as I knew I
would need to check emails,” he said. However, Mr Gunby used a mobile
app to listen to a radio show every day as he relaxed with his family.
He had no idea anything was wrong until his return to the UK, when his mobile
phone was blocked due to high charges. Mr Gunby had racked up more than
£16,000 in data roaming fees.
“I believe I was sold a travel package which was not fit for purpose and
gave me the impression I was covered,” he said. “I was expecting a
larger fee than normal, but not a phone bill that was more expensive than
the holiday.
“I had no warning during the holiday that my bill was running so high.”
An Orange spokesman said: “When Orange customers go abroad, their use of
data, phone calls and texts is monitored by the local network which they
connect to – this information is not always relayed to Orange in real-time.”
Orange offered to reduce the bill to £3,600 as a “gesture of goodwill”,
which Mr Gunby said he was not prepared to accept.
Stopping the ridiculous bills
Mobile phone providers could make life easier for customers by implementing a
number of minor changes, such as a cap on bills run up by thieves or
monitoring of unusual behaviour on a mobile phone account. The Government is
currently in discussion with the industry.
Plans are afoot to stop “shock” bills on mobile phones. Whether it
is a glitch or a mistake, the Government wants customers to be better
protected – ministers have told mobile operators to “develop a
consistent approach to limit bill shock”.
Other ways technology rips you off – and how to fight back
Last week, the online games industry was warned about promoting “free”
internet and mobile games to children. The Office of Fair Trading said
children should not be pressured to “pay to play”. The watchdog
has drawn up a set of principles for the industry, after children
inadvertently ran up substantial bills.
Meanwhile, the Financial Conduct Authority is investigating mobile banking
apps, amid concerns customers are vulnerable to fraud. Its review will be
published in 2014.
In the meantime, if you wish to complain about a phone bill, the first step is
to contact your provider’s customer service department.
If this doesn’t resolve the issue, make a formal complaint to the company,
using the guidelines on the back of your bill. If you remain unhappy, you
can submit your complaint to an independent Alternative Dispute Resolution
scheme.
There are two schemes – Communications and Internet Services Adjudication
Scheme (CISAS) and Ombudsman Services: Communications – and all service
providers must belong to one of them. You can find out which applies to you
using the Ofcom website. You can approach the service after eight weeks or
with a “deadlock” letter from the provider.
– Tell us your story. Email money@telegraph.co.uk