abused by international data roaming with an iphone

[Anonymous]

News about to go around the web:
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Please please please may you write an article on how o2 people are being abused by international data roaming with an iphone. I have an o2 iphone and work in France, the unlimited data policy does not cover anything outside of the UK, and ALL data packages offered by o2 are not available for iphone users. Which means I can use my iphone abroad - BUT with a charge of 7.05gbp per Mb. Which means an average of 140gbp a month, which really means I would be stupid to use my iphone overseas, which means for any travel it is as useful as a nokia 2110.

Many thanks,

[Anonymous]

Does anyone else agree?

[Anonymous]

I don't know how many contracts you have had so far ... but none of them included roaming I believe ... of course when you go abroad and use another carriers network ... for which O2 must pay that carrier as well ... you will get charged more then when you use the O2 network ...

it also clearly states on the O2 website under the iPhone tarifs: * Inclusive data and Wi-Fi applies to use in the UK only, at any of The Cloud's hotspots for Wi-Fi, subject to fair use policy.

[Anonymous]

Something more sinister is up.
Standard data roaming available for other customers, is somehow excluded from iphone customers.- check out --<http://www.o2international.co.uk/standardrate_and_data.aspx>

And when I call O2 to ask what service is offered only the £6 to £7/mb is offered - as opposed to the international data bundle - uncool. I expected a "better than usual" data bundle offer, due to the heavy reliance on data applications to make the iphone function.

Also I believe the same thing is happening in the US with AT&T, except they get charged a little less than £6/mb its more like $3/Mb. Con or Con-spiracy?

[Anonymous]

at&t now do an international data plan for iphone users.. o2 need to follow suit and not charge £7 per meg!!!

Data Global Plans for iPhones

Keep up with email and browse the web with your iPhone when you travel abroad.

While using data on iPhone is unlimited within the U.S., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, international data roaming can get expensive quickly. Consider that opening an email with a 5 megapixel picture in it, or downloading a 3 minute video on YouTube each takes about 2MB of data. That's why AT&T has created two Data Global Plans for iPhones with lower rates in 29 countries*.
There are two packages available:

* $24.99: 20MB Data Global Plan gives you 20MB** of usage within 29 countries*
* $59.99: 50MB Data Global Plan gives you 50MB*** of usage within 29 countries*

*Discounted countries include: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Taiwan. These countries are subject to change. Please view DataConnect Global "Select" countries for an accurate list.

**20MB Data Global Plan:
Overage rate is $.005/KB within the 29 discounted countries.
Rate outside these 29 countries is $.0195/KB

***50MB Data Global Plan:
Overage rate is $.005/KB within the 29 discounted countries.
Rate outside the 29 countries is $.010/KB except in Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Belarus, Bolivia, Bosnia/Herzegovina, Brunei, Chile, Faroe Islands, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Macau, Macedonia (former Yugoslavia), Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Venezuela where the rate is $.0195/KB.

AT&T offers these iPhone International traveling tips to help you keep control of data usage.

Please Note:
1MB = 1024KB
$.0195/KB = about $20/MB
$.010/KB = about $10/MB
$.005/KB = about $5/MB

[Anonymous]

Funnily enough O2 have just announced data roaming price reductions coming in soon. Doesn't specifically mention iPhone but hopefully...

http://www.o2.com/media/press_releases/ ... _14046.asp

[Anonymous]

o2 will provide its customers with some sort of data roaming package within the year.

and here is part of iphone T&C`s

2.2 If you wish to make international calls or use our international roaming service we may ask you to demonstrate a satisfactory billing history or to pay a deposit which may be used to offset the cost of those calls. Unless otherwise stated, if you use your Mobile Phone abroad you will be charged for incoming calls and you may be charged significant amounts for data usage. Roaming calls and data usage may also take longer to be billed

you are meant to read the T&C`s before activation ... but o2 is working on a data solution for its customers the morale of the story here is ... all good things to those who wait ...

[Anonymous]

There seems nothing I can do. I have just been landed a £267 bill for data roaming in France on my iPphone at the wonderful rate of £7.05 per MB. Disgusted and kicking myself.

They certainly know how to upset their customers......

Is there nothing I can do but pay up and sulk?

Advice welcome

Here is the detail



date time source country code volume (KB) cost allowance
12 Jan 08 23:43:44 mobile.o2.co.uk FRA 1267 7.420
13 Jan 08 00:26:16 mobile.o2.co.uk FRA 53 0.310
13 Jan 08 11:06:44 mobile.o2.co.uk FRA 2049 12.010
13 Jan 08 19:42:02 mobile.o2.co.uk FRA 4273 25.040
14 Jan 08 09:53:23 mobile.o2.co.uk FRA 1906 11.170
15 Jan 08 06:56:53 mobile.o2.co.uk FRA 5584 32.720
15 Jan 08 21:11:13 mobile.o2.co.uk FRA 2640 15.470
16 Jan 08 00:04:22 mobile.o2.co.uk FRA 4995 29.270
16 Jan 08 21:00:43 mobile.o2.co.uk FRA 7778 45.570
17 Jan 08 07:07:51 mobile.o2.co.uk FRA 4028 23.600
17 Jan 08 21:38:58 mobile.o2.co.uk FRA 9624 56.390
18 Jan 08 08:31:10 mobile.o2.co.uk FRA 1099 6.440
19 Jan 08 05:23:41 mobile.o2.co.uk FRA 422 2.470
Total volume 45,718
Total cost £267.88

[Anonymous]

call 08706003009 and ask for iphone support they will have a look at it for you and as the advert says see hwat they can do for you ...

[Anonymous]

I bought a UK iPhone and was told in the o2 shop that an advantage of the iPhone was it also had WiFi so when I connect to WiFi, data charges would not be as high as over the network. I told the seller I spend a lot of time in Spain but he said no problema. Anyway, high charges have killed my love of my iPhone so its now history. £563 last month, £767 this month. I managed to download 15Mb of data at a cost of £91 on 15th Jan just reading 6 emails !! I have my suspicions about the billing software in use and want o2 to tell me what data I received because the emails in my btinternet.com account only total a few Kb on that day.

My tariffs - O2 £35 -18months on iPhone : 21 Jan 08 - 20 Feb 08 29.79
My monthly extras - Chosen Country - Spain : 10 Jan 08 - 09 Feb 08 4.26
What I've used
Calls
333.09
Mobile internet browsing and downloads
338.38
Total before VAT 705.52
VAT 62.33
Total new charges 767.85
Total amount due £767.85

date time source country code volume (KB) cost allowance
16 Dec 07 21:23:50 mobile.o2.co.uk ESP 3930 23.030
17 Dec 07 11:56:20 mobile.o2.co.uk ESP 655 3.840
17 Dec 07 17:46:32 mobile.o2.co.uk ESP 11422 66.930
18 Dec 07 10:08:55 mobile.o2.co.uk ESP 6002 35.170
19 Dec 07 07:43:39 mobile.o2.co.uk ESP 60 0.350
19 Dec 07 12:13:25 mobile.o2.co.uk DEU 821 4.810
10 Jan 08 16:19:03 mobile.o2.co.uk ESP 309 1.810
10 Jan 08 16:54:26 mobile.o2.co.uk ESP 4111 24.090
11 Jan 08 13:40:10 mobile.o2.co.uk ESP 9 0.050
12 Jan 08 09:19:51 mobile.o2.co.uk ESP 992 5.810
13 Jan 08 15:54:20 mobile.o2.co.uk ESP 6066 35.540
14 Jan 08 10:37:07 mobile.o2.co.uk ESP 3076 18.020
15 Jan 08 09:44:58 mobile.o2.co.uk ESP 15652 91.710
Total volume 53,105
Total cost £311.16