EU Roaming Fair Use Policy

[Trimmer]

I was shocked, alarmed and angered by a message sent to me by O2 yesterday saying "We've noticed your usage recently has been mostly in our Europe Zone lately." Can anyone suggest here what 'recently' and 'mostly' might mean here? I have been in the UK only since the middle of June and this is now late July; so, recently I have been 'entirely' not in O2's so called Europe Zone. 

Nobody at any point from within O2 had informed me about a 'Fair Use Policy' and now I'm being threatened by it and being told that my behaviour is 'unfair'! An absolute disgrace.

I have lived in Spain for more than 9 years so O2 had plenty warning that this customer is likely to be "Using our services in our Europe Zone for more than 63 whole days, in any four month period." Yet, this is the first I've heard of it. Further more I tend not to use my O2 phone when I'm in Spain because I have a Yoigo service and a seperate phone for it there. 

Has anybody else here been sent one of these messages from O2?

Really angry about this and about the tone suggesting that I am being unfair and abusive.

Neil  

[Trimmer]

Innumerable pieces of research have shown that mostly people do not read through Terms & Conditions. That is why tucking them away in small print to the disadvantage of a customer can be challenged.

[Cleoriff]

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@TallTrees wrote:
Hi @Trimmer
Terribly sorry to read your upsetting post. I have full sympathy. Terms and conditions are rarely read thoroughly and not only that, they can be vague. I can never get through any of them.
They are "brought out" when suits.
I usually expect decent behaviour from the company and there is a rule that a company can't write in T & C's rules to deliberately disadvantage their customers.
I expect a more experienced member of our o2 community forum will be able to more specifically comment on the rules re your post.
Good luck TallTrees

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@TallTrees. These terms and conditions about EU roaming have been in place since 2017. As a frequent traveller I can attest to that. They haven't 'just been brought out now'

It's up to the individual to familiarise themselves with them. Particularly when roaming or living abroad.

[Bex2]

I’ve contacted 02 and for even having my phone switched on and connected to a mast here in Cy it will cost me £4.99 a day on top of my contract, I’m trying to now change my details on Uk banks, Paypal etc but they won’t take a non Uk mobile number

[Cleoriff]

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@Trimmer wrote:
Innumerable pieces of research have shown that mostly people do not read through Terms & Conditions. That is why tucking them away in small print to the disadvantage of a customer can be challenged.

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Sorry @Trimmer that is not an argument that will be won. If any company applies terms and conditions, then they are there to be read. If you read fully the link I provided, I wouldn't say that was 'small print' at all.

Most people on this community know of them...We have many members here who live, work or travel abroad for long periods of time.. I know they are fully aware of the terms and conditions of EU travel.

[Trimmer]

@Cleoriff

A Deloitte survey of 2,000 consumers in the U.S found that 91% of people consent to legal terms and services conditions without reading them. Argument won.

[pgn]

I don't think the mobile phone providers have done much to simplify things for people, hiding behind complicated Ts&Cs instead of taking the EU directive in the spirit in which it is intended, ie: permitting people from any EU nation to live and work anywhere in the EU without penalty.

Immaterial for those in the UK soon anyway, as both travel to and (in all likelihood) freedom to "roam like home" will disappear once BoJo and his cronies, aided and abetted by Corbyn's selfish short-sightedness, have finished wrecking the UK for everyone. 🤯

[Cleoriff]

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@Trimmer wrote:
@Cleoriff

A Deloitte survey of 2,000 consumers in the U.S found that 91% of people consent to legal terms and services conditions without reading them. Argument won.

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Your argument isn't with me though @Trimmer It's with O2. I am a customer like yourself. I don't work for O2.

You asked for advice, I gave it.

I would also point out that as O2 has terms and conditions in place, in a court of law, it wont matter one jot what any survey says about people reading terms and conditions, The company will win NOT you, if you fail to read them.

[Cleoriff]

Just to add, we have a community guide here, written in 2017 by one of our members @darrengf 

It also mentions O2's terms and conditions about Roaming abroad in the EU.

https://community.o2.co.uk/t5/How-to-Guides/EU-Roaming-Changes-from-15th-June-2017-CONTRACT-ONLY-quo...

So, that's at least two pieces of information regarding the fair use policy.

[Trimmer]

@Cleoriff

Yes indeed, my argument is with O2; I was simply responding to you stating "I also disagree with anyone who says terms and conditions are rarely read through." because the matter of the fact is that in the main people do not read them .. you may not like that or you may rightly think that is foolhardy, but it's the case. Because of that Courts are willing to consider whether or not a consumer has been misled; the company will not always win even if it is in the T&Cs.

I would say I was misled but I also accept I didn't read the T&Cs ... and in this case I doubt I'd win but it is still bloody annoying and I disagree with the principal because it goes against the spirit of the EU.

Anyway, I also want to say that I truly appreciate your input to the discussion and thank you for that.

[Cleoriff]

No problem at all @Trimmer  and I do feel sorry that you find yourself in this situation.

Believe it or not, I have also had my own problems when I failed to read T's&C's (not O2 related) . Since then I have been a bit of a stickler at reading all the small print so I don't get caught out again. 

Best of luck in the future and I hope I have helped a little, even though it wasn't what you wanted to hear