Charged for data I didn't ask for or download myself! Annoyed

[Anonymous]

Hi, I have noticed that my bills have increased steadily each month since May this year so I decided to look at my bills as I had been sending lots of picture messages but I thought the cost was extreme. I don't use my Samsung Galaxy on the net but yet I had a load of browsing or download charges most of which happened either late a night or at 00.00.00 hours (whatever time that is). I had a web chat with O2 and was told to untick the USE PACKET DATA in my settings. I have been charged over £100 plus VAT during the last 6 months for information I didn't ask for or have never seen. I stupidly agreed to a new contract this week but will be returning the phone and will be going elsewhere unless I receive some form of compensation for this.

[jonsie]

If mobile data is on, apps you have will update in the background as they are designed to do. All the data is billed at midnight each day. If you have no data included in your tariff you will have charges on your bill.

[MI5 · Accepted solution]

Your phone is connecting to data due to apps requesting data - It's what smartphones do. You can get a web bolt on for about £3 a month which will stop the £1 daily charge for this.
You were correctly advised to turn off data on your phone and it was you who allowed the phone to connect so I'm not sure what compensation you expect?

[Bambino]

MMS are expensive, and that may account for a lot of your charges. If you have kept your mobile data switched on, your phone would update apps in the background. The charges are calculated at midnight. It isn't O2's responsibility to tell you how to use your phone. Your best bet is to call Customer Services on 202 from your mobile. Don't use Live Chat to discuss your bill. If you speak to someone and explain the situation, they may lower your charges, but there is no guarantee of that.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the advise MI5 but I was unaware that I was receiving data that was costing me money. I never changed anything on the phone yet these charges have suddenly appeared. If 02 were customer friendly they should have contacted me and told me that I'd be better off paying £3 a month rather than £20 plus!

[perksie]

O2 aren't responsible if you buy a smartphone and it contacts the internet as it's exactly what they are supposed to do.

You need to check your phone and find out which app is doing that and stop it, or as before turn the data off.

I'm not sure how O2 could monitor the use of 23 million customers and notify you of what your phone is doing, and I for one wouldn't want them to, so the responsibility for this is yours.

When you choose a phone you really have to spend some time finding out what it can do and how and why it does it, all modern phones are designed to use the internet and update their apps in many cases automatically.

[jonsie]

That's expecting a lot. Why would O2 contact their millions of customers to advise them to get a bolt on? Everyone has different needs for their phone. You should be able to monitor your own usage and decide for yourself the best option for data charges.

[Anonymous]

Thanks Bambino but I was unaware that I had mobile data switched on as my bills had been okay for months. You're are right about Live Chat as I've tried that twice and just been fobbed off. But do you happen to know how different my phone would be working if I'd had the Use Packet Data switched off and not been charged for all that data as I don't use any of the TWO Samsung Apps on the phone. Would the phone be working slower or playing up. Basically, can you tell me what I have gained from this expensive data? Thanks

[Anonymous]

Jonsie, these substantial charges have just appeared on my last and latest bill and I was unaware they were happening until I received my bill. Do you check on your usage daily or weekly?

[Bambino]

It's your responsibilty to know whether your data is switched on or off. No one else would know that but you. Why would you get a Smartphone that was capable of accessing the internet if you didn't want to? You may have only two Samsung apps, but you have many Google apps that come bundled with the phone. They all update from time to time. I couldn't tell whether your phone is running faster or slower. Only you can assess what you've gained or lost. If you want to keep your apps up to date, do it over a WiFi connection and keep your data switched off.