topic Data usage in Discussions & Feedback

Data usage

Anonymous — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 15:39:59 GMT

I've had the new Sony Ericsson w995 for about a month on a 24 month contract with a unlimited web browsing bolt-on and until this last couple of days I have been satisfied with O2, but yesterday they sent me a text telling me that I was outside of the daily data fair usage and if I don't reduce my usage there will be restrictions put on my account. I phoned O2 yesterday to ask them to explain just what they judged to be over usage, the answer wasn't altogether clear, but as long as I didn't download a great deal there should be no problems, I was okay with that because generally I only browse the net, facebook a bit and do a few emails, so why on earth did I received the same text again today telling me to reduce usage. In the last 24hrs I have been on facebook about 8 times for a total of about ten minutes altogether and browsed the net for about the same time and im judged to be over using my bolt-on. Anyone else had this sort of hassle.

Data usage

adamtemp64 — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 16:01:49 GMT

From the Pay monthly T&C

Data Bolt On Terms

The Web Bolt On allows you unlimited use of Telefónica O2 UK Limited's Edge/GPRS/ 3G networks (as applicable to your handset), for personal internet use via your mobile phone. All usage must be for your private, personal and non-commercial purposes. You may not use your SIM Card:
in, or connected to, any other device including modems;
to allow the continuous streaming of any audio / video content, enable Voice over Internet (Voip), P2P or file sharing; or
in such a way that adversely impacts the service to other O2 customers.
If O2 reasonably suspects you are not acting in accordance with this policy O2 reserves the right to impose further charges, impose network protection controls which may reduce your speed of transmission, remove the Web Bolt On from your account or disconnect your tariff at any time, having attempted to contact you first.

I would ring them again and ask because what you say you are using should not be breaching those T&C

Data usage

Anonymous — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 17:43:00 GMT

People only receive this text when they have been hammering their usage. You wont have got this just for facebook unless it was a glitch.

Data usage

Anonymous — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 20:29:33 GMT

Why not check the data counter on the phone to see how much data you have used?

Data usage

Anonymous — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 14:48:57 GMT

Called O2 again and asked the question...why the text, the operative was as puzzled as me, according to the details on his screen there should be no reason for the over usage notifications, as he put it, im a very light user, im not using the phone as a modem, streaming/ downloading constantly or in his words on the net 24hrs. The only explanation is they are sending the text to the wrong mobile, but I will keep contacting them if they keep texting me. By the way from posting yesterday i've spent less then 25 mins using data..about normal.

Data usage

Anonymous — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 18:44:49 GMT

By the way from posting yesterday i've spent less then 25 mins using data

Just to point out, when it comes to data, its not the amount of time you're on it, its the amount you use. You're not billed per minute/second.

I can be on my phone for 3 minutes but download a few songs and use the same amount of data you use in 30 minutes on facebook.

Data usage

Anonymous — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 01:44:09 GMT

This is an odd one, I'd call customer services and ask them to see what your current total amount of data used is showing as in your recent charges. This is also something you can check yourself if you have your online billing login details.

Once you've ascertained how much data you've used to date it should be clear whether the messages are correct or not. I'm aware you've already had a conversation like this with customer service but the csa you were speaking to may have only checked your usage for last month which is what's on your current bill.

I'd also ask customer services to check the full notes on your account, it's rare to get these texts without having a note from o2's back office team on the notes saying words to the effect that they've noticed high usage and have sent texts etc etc.

At the end of the day it may just be a bug somewhere which will probably go away when your next bill is produced because your account is effectively refreshed when that happens.

data usage

Anonymous — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 06:26:58 GMT

I kinda understand that it's not the amount of time you spend on sites that pumps up the usage, more the sites you use.. i.e Google maps has a very high data usage, but when I purchased a monthly unlimited web browsing bolt-on for £7.50 a month, I didn't expect to be getting text about my over usage when I only use the net very casually. What does the UNLIMITED browsing mean....one visit to facebook a day???
Since the last posting I have had no more. The operative did say, when text like the one's I received are sent out there would be notes on my account page what they see, saying there had been concerns about the amount of data usage, but on mine there was nothing,he did check on current usage and he admitted it was minimal. I admit that in the first few weeks of having the brand new mobile I probably put it through it's paces to see what it could do, but again nothing major when it comes to net usage, I used to purchase a web bolt-on from O2 when I had a pay as you go handset and that had a 500MB usage limit a month, im pretty sure I don't come anywhere close to that on my monthly contract but I will be keeping an eye on my usage which is detailed on the handset.

Re: data usage

Anonymous — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 18:32:03 GMT

I kinda understand that it's not the amount of time you spend on sites that pumps up the usage, more the sites you use.. i.e Google maps has a very high data usage, but when I purchased a monthly unlimited web browsing bolt-on for £7.50 a month, I didn't expect to be getting text about my over usage when I only use the net very casually. What does the UNLIMITED browsing mean....one visit to facebook a day???
Since the last posting I have had no more. The operative did say, when text like the one's I received are sent out there would be notes on my account page what they see, saying there had been concerns about the amount of data usage, but on mine there was nothing,he did check on current usage and he admitted it was minimal. I admit that in the first few weeks of having the brand new mobile I probably put it through it's paces to see what it could do, but again nothing major when it comes to net usage, I used to purchase a web bolt-on from O2 when I had a pay as you go handset and that had a 500MB usage limit a month, im pretty sure I don't come anywhere close to that on my monthly contract but I will be keeping an eye on my usage which is detailed on the handset.

just had the same, got the same txt msg this morning, just called them, they couldn't understand, had a word with her manager, again, no idea why. only thing they could think of was that it was sent in error, as no notes on system. on average, I am using 1Mb per day, and that is only really checking emails, well, scheduled checking.

it could be a sales thing, get people to upgrade the bolt on, from free to £7.50, from £7.50 to what ever etc

anyone that gets the msg and knows they are light users, just call them, if it is a sales thing, they will soon realise that the extra workload it has created is not worth it, and if it isn't, they'll get the system checked out to see why it is sending the txt in error.

data usage

Anonymous — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 11:27:04 GMT

I inclined to agree, that it may well have been a bit of a sales ploy, lets face it, you wouldn't expect a world class company such as O2 to make mistakes like that. I tell you what it may be a good idea to upgrade my bolt-on from the £7.50 one to one that lets me look at facebook twice a day.
Sometimes I don't think they expect you that bother them when they do this sort of thing and you'll just believe everything they tell you.

data usage

Anonymous — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 05:09:34 GMT

UPDATE:
Received a letter from O2(gee,thats civil), basically backing up those text messages O2 sent me recently...wait for it, due to the amount of data usage you have been running up we advise you to add a web bolt-on to your monthly contract, if you dont and you continue to over-use the data allowance(what you don't have anyway unless you have a web bolt-on), we will have no choice but to restrict your usage(not exact wording,but close).
Right,this letter was sent out on the 20/08/09, did it not occur to them to check my records and notice that i've had a web bolt-on now since 16/07/09.
O2 were very kind to point out to me what sort of use they like you to refrain from doing..such as continous streaming,using the mobile as a modem etc,but this is not the case...im browsing the bloody internet..just as my unlimited bolt-on permits me to do.
Anyway, I gave O2 yet another call to enquire about my gigantic abuse of the fair usage policy, much to my amazement nobody can explain why im actually getting text and letters, because, now this is a shock, im not using the bolt-on a great deal.
The very nice and understanding lady who took my call told me this has now been flagged up as a problem that may be happening to countless other O2 users, so hopefully once again I might be able to facebook and email a few times a day without fear of big brother cutting me off....we'll see.

Re: data usage

Anonymous — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 21:10:38 GMT

UPDATE:
Received a letter from O2(gee,thats civil), basically backing up those text messages O2 sent me recently...wait for it, due to the amount of data usage you have been running up we advise you to add a web bolt-on to your monthly contract, if you dont and you continue to over-use the data allowance(what you don't have anyway unless you have a web bolt-on), we will have no choice but to restrict your usage(not exact wording,but close).
Right,this letter was sent out on the 20/08/09, did it not occur to them to check my records and notice that i've had a web bolt-on now since 16/07/09.
O2 were very kind to point out to me what sort of use they like you to refrain from doing..such as continous streaming,using the mobile as a modem etc,but this is not the case...im browsing the bloody internet..just as my unlimited bolt-on permits me to do.
Anyway, I gave O2 yet another call to enquire about my gigantic abuse of the fair usage policy, much to my amazement nobody can explain why im actually getting text and letters, because, now this is a shock, im not using the bolt-on a great deal.
The very nice and understanding lady who took my call told me this has now been flagged up as a problem that may be happening to countless other O2 users, so hopefully once again I might be able to facebook and email a few times a day without fear of big brother cutting me off....we'll see.

same letter for me too, but I've not called them yet, I will do on Tuesday to log it as a complaint, as previously, neither the CS Rep or her manager could understand why I got the text.