AIRPLANE MODE left on yet still charges

[Anonymous]

Hi,

I've had an awful year with o2 and charges. Told charges would be refunded but refund still hasn't happened.

So, this last holiday to the caribbean I decided to turn all data off and leave phone on airplane mode throughout the 18 days I was away. I used Tugo to call my Mum in France using the brilliant WIFI that the hotel provide.

I do have all bolt ons as obviously the carbbean is not in the EU.

I have come back to a whopping bill. Called o2 who insist I was in the UK. I can prove I wasn't. They tell me they can't see where I was because I had airplane mode on. I called o2 before I went and asked them was I safe from horrendous charges if I kept airplane mode on, they told me YES.

This is the third time this year I've had to fight them, the 3rd time I've come on here asking for help. o2 tell me the usual we'll call you back in 5 days after we've reported it for investigation. They don't ever call back.

I have been with o2 since around 2002. Never had an issue until this year. I call them for advice before I go abroad, I follow their advice and I still get charges. I'm sick of wasting hours on the phone to them and having to start the same sorry story from the beginning each time.

Does anybody have any ideas please? Are other providers the same, ie. brilliant at the renewing contract stage and horrendous at sorting out problems please?

The charges I've received on this last bill are all call charges, not data charges. So bolt on didn't kick in yet carrier charges have when it was put on airplane mode at Gatwick on outbound journey and taken off airplane mode once landed back in Gatwick 18 days later.

Any help greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

Victoria.

[MI5]

Just to be clear on this, when you called your Mum in France, if you called a UK number it will be effectively free (from your allowances) but if you called a French number, you would be charged at £1.50 per min as it's an international call.

[Anonymous]

I think @MI5 maybe correct. You say you called your mum in France. So that means you will be charged for calling a French number. You would also have to come out of airplane mode to use WiFi 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for taking your time to help.

I think I'm not being told correctly when I call o2 before I go then. My Mum is elderly and not well hence I make a call weekly. I called o2 to find out how this would be charged and was told to do either a) make the call normally and your bolt on will kick in at either £3.99 or £4.99 (I can't remember which fee) per day.

or

b) Leave on airplane mode and make call viia TUGO.

So I went for option b. Left handset on airplane mode.

I can't get my head around doing what they exactly suggest and still being wrong!

[MI5]

You can enable airplane mode and have wifi on, so that isn't the problem, however, looking at previous questions, Mum does appear to have a French number https://community.o2.co.uk/t5/TU/Help-Please-TUGO-Charges-Opinions-Please/m-p/1066323#M13253 so charges will be applied for an international call at £1.50 per min, unfortunately.

[Anonymous]

Hi,

@Anonymous

You don't have to come out of airplane mode to use WIFI, that's 100%. I thought that too but it is not the case.

[MI5 · Accepted solution]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Thanks for taking your time to help.

I think I'm not being told correctly when I call o2 before I go then. My Mum is elderly and not well hence I make a call weekly. I called o2 to find out how this would be charged and was told to do either a) make the call normally and your bolt on will kick in at either £3.99 or £4.99 (I can't remember which fee) per day.

or

b) Leave on airplane mode and make call viia TUGO.

So I went for option b. Left handset on airplane mode.

I can't get my head around doing what they exactly suggest and still being wrong!

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I'm afraid you have been wrongly advised to use Tugo for an international call.

Maybe customer services thought you were calling back to UK, in which case it would be good advice, but not for international calls.

You need to remember that when you use Tugo, the call costs are the same as they would be from the UK.

[Anonymous]

@MI5 Thanks. I think the best solution is to just not take a phone abroad which is ridiculous in this age but most deinitely don't rely on o2's advice as it's just incorrect. Thanks for explaining.

[jonsie]

It's a sad state of affairs when advisers representing O2 don't know how the app works. It does seem that the charges are valid but I would make a complaint so that the adviser will be held accountable and so they can see that the present system for training is inadequate.

https://www.o2.co.uk/how-to-complain

[MI5]

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@Anonymous wrote:
@MI5 Thanks. I think the best solution is to just not take a phone abroad which is ridiculous in this age but most deinitely don't rely on o2's advice as it's just incorrect. Thanks for explaining.

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It can be very confusing as you need to do different things for different countries, but if you come here to ask first, before you travel, we can tell you exactly what to do to minimise costs for your next travel destination.